Packaging - ****
The packaging on these four packs really is very nicely done.
Excellent graphics, particularly with the shot of Talia, sturdy, looks
good on the shelf, and it's even collector friendly. You can open it
up, display your figures, and put them back for storage as well.
Sculpting - ***1/2
The Batman, Robin and Ras are no big surprises as we've seen these sculpts
before. Ras looks great, and by using the Alfred/Joker body parts,
they did a nice job putting together a much better version than the first
time around.
Talia is the big standout
here though, as you'd expect with a new figure. The face sculpt is
fantastic, as is the body pose and style. The details around the
belt are great, and they gave her a great pose - extra important since her
articulation is so poor.
The only knock is that she
was given two guns, but can only hold one due to her hand sculpts.
Paint - ***1/2
The ops themselves are extremely good, particularly on the details of Ras
and Talia's faces. Rash green in his cape and body is very clean and
consistent, and all the lines between various colors are neat.
The only knock here is that
Talia's torso is a slightly different shade than her arms. It
detracts from what otherwise would have been a perfect figure.
Perfect statue, at least.
Articulation - *1/2
Hasbro managed to reach new lows on this set. Batman, Robin and Ras
have the expected five points - neck, shoulders and hips.
The big disappointment here
is Talia. She's managed to lose two of those points, with no hip
articulation. Okay, they gave her waist, but it's not particularly
useful. With no joints below the waist, her sculpted pose becomes
even more important. Fortunately, she was sculpted to stand on her
own very nicely.
Quality - **1/2
Normally I don't feel the need to include a quality rating, but due to
Hasbro's seeming desire to use cheaper and cheaper plastics, I thought I'd
bring it up.
While Batman, Robin and Ras
appear to be made from the same plastics as always, Talia's arms are so
soft as to be rubbery. I can't believe it's a safety issue - the
others aren't afflicted, and even her legs are such a sturdy plastic you
could drive them into a man's chest. It appears to be a cost cutting
measure, and one I don't appreciate.
Accessories - ***1/2
Batman and Robin come with the same silly accessories they did in
earlier versions. Which version, I don't exactly remember, but it
really doesn't matter now, does it? Do some kid a favor and give him
both figures and let him have fun.
The Talia has two new
accessories - okay, really just two of the same accessory. She has
two guns, and she can hold one perfectly in her right hand. You can
always have the second in case the cat steals the first.
Ras comes with the same silly
blaster dohickey he had the first time around (but no cool sword).
Due to an unfortunate choice of colors, the projectile now looks just like
Jimmy Durante's nose. I'm also counting his cloak as an accessory,
and it fits perfectly and looks great.
Value - **
Four figures for twenty bucks - not a terrible deal. Until you
consider that two of those figures you already own, probably multiple
times over. I can't fault Hasbro for their marketing scheme, but
that doesn't mean I'm happy buying Batman and Robin figures
repeatedly. Of course, if it means I can get a Ventriloquist and
Scarface, I'll still do it.
|