Review of Joker - Clown Prince of Crime
One:12 Collective Action Figure

Introduction

As I type this, SDCC 2019 has begun!  Sadly, I can't attend this year due to family stuff, but I'll be watching online for new announcements, particularly from Mezco. As a huge fan of their One:12 series, I can't wait to see what they have in store for us!

A brief break for a plea - I missed out on dear Commissioner Gordon, so if any kind reader is there and can pick one up for me, I'd be forever grateful. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

We saw a huge influx of figures a few months ago, but the line has been pretty quite lately. One of the most recent to ship is their latest version of the Joker, called the "Clown Prince of Crime". This guy wasn't exclusive to any particular place, and will run you the usual $80.

Packaging - ***1/2
They've changed up the colors on the Joker box, and gone with a new logo on the front. Inside, the figure and accessories are held safely in double plastic trays, and it's all very collector friendly. There's no instructions per se, but he's a pretty straight forward figure.

Sculpting - ****
As usual, the Joker comes with two different portraits, with very unique hair styles and expressions. This is a more modern, realistic look, less comic book-y than previous releases. The head and neck are one piece, which provides a seamless appearance and consistent color.

The head he comes wearing has the hair high and tight, neatly combed and coifed. He has a open mouth grin, but there's no humor in the eyes. The second portrait has wilder hair, with a sarcastic, evil grin and one arched eyebrow. Of the two, I like the extra portrait the best, but of course your mileage could vary.

The detail work on both is fantastic, especially in the hair and skin texture. Remember, this is a 1/12 scale line (although it's always been slightly big for 1/12) and these sculpts are tiny. The Joker stands about 6 3/4" tall, slightly bigger than most of the line due to the poofed up hair and big boots.

Speaking of the boots, their sculpt also helps boost this score. They look terrific, and the two piece design allows the articulation to work well.

Paint - ***1/2
As with the sculpt, my favorite portrait in this category is the second, alternate head. However, both look great, thanks to some nice work on the white 'makeup' and details around the mouth and eyes.

The hair line is a little wonky on the open grin head, and the lips are a little off. It's really minor though, and not something that detracts from this figure in hand. Another plus - they matched the white face and neck to the white arms extremely well. Rather than painting the face and dying the arms, the usual route with most companies, they painted the arms to match.

BTW, please ignore the plastic around his neck in the photo below. My bad - I didn't notice it right away.  It's there to avoid the dark shirt from staining the white skin in transit and storage.

Articulation - ***1/2
Nothing about the underlying body will be a surprise to regular collectors of One:12 figures.

While the neck is just a single ball joint, it has a huge range of movement and is extremely useful. You can add lots of personality and attitude to any pose. The shoulders and elbows can be a bit annoying - the rotating hinge shoulders don't move outward from the body quite the way I'd like, and the rotating hinge elbows can't create as small an angle with the bicep, but these aren't new issues.

The wrists work great though, and the hands swap easily. The torso turns, tilts, and crunches, and the hips, knees, and ankles allow for short to deep stances. The two piece boots let the ankles remain flat on the floor, and the pants are less restrictive than I expected.

A special note of articulation - the knife sheaths are attached to the belt on a post, and they can easily rotate. This allows you to move them out of the way in various leg poses.

Accessories - ***
As I mentioned earlier, there's a second portrait. Getting at least one additional head is my expectation for this line at this point, but it still does a lot for this category.

There are five extra hands to go with the fists he comes wearing, and these pop on and off fairly easy, but remain in place when you're working with the figure.

One of his truly unique extras is the teddy bear bomb. The poor bear, who looks an awful lot like Pooh, has dynamite and a timer strapped to his tiny chest. The sculpt, scale, and paint work are terrific.

Of course he has to have some weapons. There are two knives which slip neatly into the sheaths on his belt, as well as a machine gun and extra magazine. There's a triple blast firing effect as well that you can attach to the end of the gun.

The Joker has always been a big fan of canes, and this one has a special version with a skull on top.

Finally, there's the standard display stand with foot peg or larger translucent support rod. While it's a decent assortment of extras, it tends to pale in comparison to the other Joker releases in this category.

Outfit - ****
The outfit includes his shirt, vest, belt, pants, and boots.

The cloth pieces are extremely well tailored, and the shirt and vest are a particularly good fit. Buttons, stripes, rivets - it's all in proper scale. The quality of the materials and stitching is excellent as well, and while the costume isn't super complicated, there's almost nothing you can find to complain about.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Combine him with the more modern Batman figures, and this Joker will look fantastic on the shelf. There's enough extras to provide many different posing options too, always a hallmark of 'fun' for a collector. There's nothing frustrating in working with him, and you should have no trouble getting natural, interesting stances.

Value - **1/2
The current average price for a One:12 regular release figure is $80, which is right where this guy sits.  You're getting pretty much what you expect for that price, leaving him at a straight up average score here from me.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***1/2
While the other two Jokers in the One:12 line are fantastic, they are definitely more comic book styled. This release gives you something a bit more realistic, while maintaining the overall look and feel of the character. He's a terrific addition to the collection, and will go great with some of the more 'tactical suit' style Batmen.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
You can get on the waitlist over at Mezco's online store, where he's $80. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also at $80.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other One:12 Collective Joker figures include the amazing deluxe, and the original release.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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