Review of The Joker - DC Comics sixth scale action figure

Introduction

There have been a lot of sixth scale figures done over the last 15 years, from a lot of companies and based on a lot of licenses. And while not all of them have been perfect - even for their time - for the most part every license has gotten a pretty decent turn. Except for one.

That one would be DC comic book characters. It's not for a lack of trying, as Hasbro took a hard shot and DC Direct gave it their all. But the figures produced have ranged from pathetic to outright awful.

When Sideshow announced they'd be doing figures, I was beyond thrilled. Finally, we'd get the sort of comic book based figures I'd been wanting for years!

Sixth scale wasn't the only collectibles that they could do under the license, and we've seen busts, Premium Format statues, and more. You may have noticed that I haven't reviewed any of that though - I have avoided the other non-movie based collectibles, at least so far. But sixth scale? Yea, there was no way.

The first release is the Joker, done in a regular version and a Sideshow exclusive. Both will cost $190 through them, so it makes more sense to pick up the exclusive if you're spending that much. If you'd rather save a few bucks with the regular edition, you can pick it up from other retailers for around $175 or so.

Packaging - ****
Sideshow was the first sixth scale producer to take the idea of collector friendly packaging and terrific design to the next level. Their work with Star Wars was exceptional for the time, and they continued to produce great looking boxes for lines like Lord of the Rings.

But when Hot Toys came along strong, they raised the bar once again, in more than just sculpting and paint. They started to produce some really cool packages that accented the figure itself.

That's a long way to say that when I pulled out the Joker box, I thought it was a Hot Toys figure. Sideshow has followed some of their advances, and yet they've gone beyond by using some terrific graphics and design choices.

Inside the shoe box style container is a great looking flap over the plastic trays, and they've used graphics from a number of comic sources, including The Killing Joke. This figure owes a lot of its look to that graphic novel, although there's some other influences here as well.

Of course, the package is completely collector friendly, and there's no need to damage anything in removing the figure or the accessories from the multiple plastic levels. Excellent work, Sideshow!

Sculpting - ****

Oh, Hell yea. There's not one but two head sculpts, and both are just outstanding.

He comes with the standard head, grinning maniacally. The second head is wearing a hat, and has a open mouth grin, as though he's laughing with an insane intensity.

Both heads are a little big, making them both look better when he's wearing the full outfit.

The style is very much based on the Killing Joke design, and that's a very good thing. I love the look, and the deep cuts and sharp edges make this  portrait pop.

The hands are all designed to work with the accessories, and they do it well. There's some other details that include cool sculpts (like the flower on his jacket), all done extremely well.

And in case you weren't sure, this figure is just a hair over 12" tall, so he'll fit in with most other sixth scale lines.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is fairly clean, although there are a couple nits.

I love the hair color, including the highlights. The hairline could be a little cleaner, but the white face and arched eyebrows look great.

The eyes are sharp, even and straight, but I think they could have given them a bit more of a realistic look. That's become the standard for figures in this scale and price range, and an area where they can improve moving forward.

I also think the teeth could use a little more attention. Don't get me wrong - they're good. But they aren't quite as good as they could be, with some glop here and there and fuzzy edges. For an example of how realistic teeth can look, check out the Hulk.

Articulation - **1/2
Unfortunately, this figure is not without its issues.

My big problem was with the base body. While Sideshow's body, including the newer versions that Hot Toys has helped them develop, has never been perfect. But recent releases have improved on some of the past issues like loose hips.

This time around the knees and ankles were very difficult to work with, and I was extremely frustrated when trying to get him to remain standing. My kids thought I was doing an impression of Lemongrab every time I screamed "UNACCEPTABLE!"

It was all the more frustrating because most of the body is not just highly articulated, but can take terrific, natural poses. But those lower joints mess up the whole thing, and while I could eventually get him into the pose I wanted, he didn't stay there long. Sadly, this will be one of those figures where the included display stand is pretty much required.

Accessories - ****
This figure comes loaded up with some terrific goodies.

Most important, at least to me, is the second portrait. I've already gone into detail on the two expressions and paint work, so suffice to say here that the simple inclusion of the second head boosts this score quite a bit. They also included a second neck post, which can be used with this alternate head.

There's plenty of additional hands too, all of them designed to work with the other accessories. He comes wearing two fists, but there's also two gun grip hands and two medium grip hands. There's a left hand with a the sculpted joy buzzer in place, another left with a slightly wider grip, and two right hands with open grips. These various grips are sculpted with specific accessories in mind, but they can also work with a ton of different poses.

While companies like Hot Toys include a couple extra wrist pegs, Sideshow provides a post for EVERY hand, already in place. That makes swapping them much, much easier.

The Joker comes with several weapons. There's a silver revolver, with an opening breech and spinning cylinder. There's also a BANG flag that can be inserted into the barrel, and the post for this flag is metal, not cheap plastic, making it much more sturdy.

He also comes with a straight razor, which opens and closes of course. The handle has a pearlescent look, and it is properly scaled.

While guns are always good, this Clown Prince also has a pack of dynamite, and the fuses are metal as well. Again, this makes them much more sturdy, with the added bonus of poseability.

The dynamite wouldn't be very useful without something to light it, and he has a gold lighter, open and with a sculpted flame.

Don't overlook his cool cane, with the gold topper, as well as his pack of Joker cards. And if that's not enough for you, there's the cool display stand, which (as I mentioned in the Articulation section) you'll probably find yourself needing this time around.

That's pretty sweet, but if you pick up the exclusive version, at no extra cost (at least from Sideshow) you get two more accessories - a pair of Joker Fish! The sculpt and paint on these is outstanding, and they fit perfectly in his hands for a ton of posing possibilities. This is one of the few times that I highly recommend you pick up the exclusive - the fish are just that cool.

Outfit - ***1/2
This is a terrific multilayer outfit, every piece nicely tailored and made from high quality materials.

It was a smart move sculpting the hat on the second portrait, allowing it to be perfectly scaled. The color matches the outer jacket as well, making the outfit seamless.

When there are this many layers - shirt, vest, jacket, outer coat - I usually like the outer coat...for a little while. But for the long haul, I tend to remove it. It's just too much.

That's not the case this time. Once I had the outer jacket on, there was no way I was going to go back to not using it. It works with either head sculpt, and the fit is fantastic.

That's because the inner layers are properly tailored. Because they fit and flow, the outer coat can fit and flow as well.

BTW, the spats are separate from the shoes (and there's colorful socks under there too), and are made from a soft rubber that doesn't restrict the ankles.

Fun Factor - ***
While no kid will every 'play' with this figure, they could. It's sturdy all the way around, even at this price point.

Collectors will have a great time posing him, but I would have upped this score had I not had all the issues with the articulation. That level of frustration takes away a lot of the enjoyment, at least for me.

Value - **1/2
This is not a cheap figure, coming in at $190. But it seems like getting a figure of this quality for less than $200 any more is almost impossible, and since you can save another $15 or so if you go with the non-exclusive, I'm giving them an average score here.

I can also say for the first time that this is a Hot Toys quality figure from Sideshow. And as far as I'm concerned, that's quite a compliment.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. The heads and hands swapped easily, none of the accessories or pieces of the outfit seemed fragile, and this is a figure that should hold up easily to normal handling and posing.

Overall - ***1/2
Yea, I said it. This figure is Hot Toys quality. It still has some areas for improvement, and the frustration I had with the ankles and knees pulled him down a half star overall. But as the first figure in their DC comic line, I have to say I'm very, very happy.

I'm hoping that getting this plethora of extras will be the standard for the series, and not the exception. While I'm not excited about paying this much for every character, I'll do it if they can provide enough extra value through the number of accessories and quality of the outfit.

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

Where to Buy 
Since this is the Sideshow exclusive version, your best bet to pick it up is from Sideshow directly for $190. They also have the non-exclusive, but since it's $190 too, why not get the exclusive for the same price? Online options for the regular include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the first of the Sideshow DC sixth scale figures, but I'll be continuing to review the entire series as it releases. Bring it on!

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