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Batman/Superman
Two Pack

My name is Javier Osuna and I'm a 5th grade teacher. I frequent many boards, but really only post on one...Spawn. I won't give my board name just to add a bit of a mystery, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. I've really been collecting toys my whole life but didn't call myself a collector until about six years ago. That's when I realized I was spending way too much money and time on gathering these little plastic bringers of joy. I collect things I find fascinating and interesting from die-cast cars to action figures. I don't know in-depth information on many of the items I collect. For example, this Batman/Superman 2-pack I'm reviewing tonight. I know it's Batman and Superman and I know their basic stories, but if they are based on a specific era, artist, etc. I have no clue. With that being said on to the review.









Packaging - **
Although this packaging is rather new it's already beginning to look stale. The graphics are okay, but uninspiring. It's the basic card we have seen with the new Mattel Batman line but larger. Since it is rather large the likelihood of finding a MOC might be a little difficult. I saw about ten of these and none were MOC. All had dented/bent corners. A small box would probably have worked better, but that may mean a higher price. It serves it function but that's about the extent of it.

Sculpting - Batman ***1/2, Superman**
Batman is the stand out figure here. The Horsemen did a fantastic job. Just muscular enough that he's not steroids buff. There is a seriousness in his face that just works well. It's not goofy or constipated as many figures with a stern face seem to display. Although the cape is not a sculpt I'll comment about it here. It is made of a much thicker material then the single pack Batman. It sort of reminds me of what wet suits are made of except it doesn't stretch. I'm still on the fence if I like this cape more then the regular cloth cape, but I do like it. The reason I took away 1/2 a star was that they used the Battle Armor Batman sculpt instead of the Zipline Batman. If you notice there are lines on Batman's head. I wish these lines were not there. I also don't like the silly belt he's got, Zipline's is much nicer. He's still a cool figure, though. Superman on the other hand...well...his muscles aren't large, but they are really overly accentuated and not done very well either. It appears the sculptors said, 'A line would look good here, here, and here, oh and here.' His face sculpt is decent and not constipated as the proto on the back of the card appears to be. He's not really smiling, but sort of grimacing. His clef chin is to pronounce. It kind of reminds me of the Family Guy. His neck is too long and resembles a tree stump. The cape is a much harder plastic then the DC Direct Superman and it appears it was designed to hide that stump of a neck. Also, appears to be too small and it is made from a different plastic then the rest of the body. The hands are are sculpted in a rather odd angle that it looks like Supes is telling everyone to put up their dukes.

Paint - Batman***1/2, Superman ***
The paint application is decent on both figures. I like the dark blue on this Batman much more then the powder blue on the SDCC Batman. There is slight overspray on Batman's face, but it's minor. I wish they would have used the matte flesh tone they used on Zipline, however. The paint used here is much more shinier. His chest emblem appears to be painted on and it is flawless. Superman also has overspray, but itŐs on his tights and belt. The yellow and red run on each other and they didn't seem to feel the need to make the red on his shorts opaque. You can see the blue underneath. Superman's chest emblem is flawless. The 'S' on his cape is another story. It is very sloppy. The lines are not clean.

Articulation -Batman ***, Superman ***
Batman has 10 points of articulation: neck, shoulders (ball-joints), forearm, waist, hip and knee. Superman has 14 points: neck, shoulders (ball-joints) elbow, wrist, waist, hip, knee, and ankle. I would have liked elbow joints on Batman, but if they were going to look like Superman's then I'd rather not have them. The reason both figures scored the same is that even with four more points Superman can't be posed more then Batman.

Accessories -  Batman **, Superman *
Batman comes with a disk launcher and what I thought was a shield, but turns out it's a combat communicator. Superman only has a combat communicator. Batman's disk launcher works fine once you struggle to put the disk in. The picture on the card seems to imply there may be a button to make it work, but there isn't one. The whole launcher moves forward to make the release mechanism work. It's not very practical once it's on the figure. A button would have been better. The shields...I mean communicators fit nicely on both figure's wrists. The logos are nice and clean. They seem more for decor then to actually use on the figures. Why Superman has Batman's communicator and vise versa on the back of the card I have no clue. I like accessories, but why are these communicators so big? Even in the 70Ős cartoons the communicators were smaller then a cell phone. Heck, Capt. Kirk's was smaller...uhm nevermind. I still think they're shields and will think of them as that.

Value - **
I picked these up at Target for $14.99. Considering you're getting two figures at about $7.50 plus it's not bad. The down side is the other figure is this sub par Superman. I really picked up this set for Batman. I wished the price was more in the range of $11-$12. If you like the Superman I'd add another star to the score.

Overall - **1/2
If you are buying this set chances are you only really want the Batman. At $15 that's very high considering you only get a 'shield' and a launcher that can be a beach to make work. Many won't like the lines on Bat's head, but I'm okay with them. Superman is pretty much fodder. I really want to like Superman, but even after posing him I can only laugh at this poor figure. There will be a Previews exclusive 2-pack with Zipline Batman and this same Superman with no accessories for around $24.99. I don't see the reason to pay that much for a Batman you can pick up at your local toy retailer as a single figure with better accessories for around $8. 

Where to Buy:
I picked this up at Target for $14.99 and there were plenty of them. Suncoast had them for $16.99.

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Figures from the collection of Javier Osuna.

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