Introduction
The Arkham Asylum and Arkham City games have been tremendously successful, and the character designs for both Batman and
his Rogue's Gallery are a welcome departure from most of the New 52 stuff.
Kotobukiya is releasing a new statue in their 1/10th scale ArtFX line, based on the Batman costume from Arkham City.
Posed coming down a set of crypt-like stairs in a dynamic stance, he's clearly ready for battle.
This guy should start shipping any day - this is a bit of an early review. You can pick him up for around $50 at most
retailers.
Click on the image below for a Life Size version
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Packaging - ***
The box is sturdy, with the usual clear plastic trays holding him safely inside. It's completely collector friendly, and has
some terrific Arkham City graphics.
This is not a limited edition however, and as such there's no Certificate of Authenticity.
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Sculpting - ****
Dynamic action poses are always a risk - what can look great in the mind's eye of an artist, or even in 2 dimensions on
paper, can end up silly or goofy when you add that 3rd dimension.
They went with a very dynamic pose too, and they pulled it off beautifully. Bats is coming down the stony stairs, batarang
in the left hand, ready to attack. His cape flows convincingly around his back and legs, and the stance emotes power and
strength.
That's at least true with the batarang. There's actually a second left hand that grasps a grappling gun, a nice touch to be
sure. The hands swap easily, but I have to say that with the gun in place he looks a bit more...awkward. You can turn the
hand a bit to the left or right, making it slightly better (or worse), but I'm betting most collectors will stick with the
batarang for long term display.
This guy is part of the smaller sized ArtFX line, done in 1/10th scale. That makes him just under 6.5" tall in the crouched
pose on the crumbling stairs.
The hand isn't the only removable part - the figure can also be detached from the base. I can't think of any particular
reason you'd do that, but you can just the same.
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Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is solid, especially around the eyes. Most of the cut lines and edges are quite clean, and the key areas -
eyes, lower face, symbol - are sharp and neat.
I do think the airbrushing on the musculature is a bit over done, particularly on the sides of the torso, and there's a bit
of a variation in the finish of the cape, but these are both very minor nits in an otherwise excellent paint job.
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Articulation - Bupkis
Technically, you can turn the left hand a bit where it detachs from the wrist, but I'm not really counting that. And that's
okay - I didn't expect any articulation as this is a statue. Think of this as an information only category this time around.
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Accessories - ***
It's very rare for a statue to get accessories, so any score here is a huge plus. Bats has a second left hand that is
grasping a grappling gun. The gun itself is actually a separate accessory, as you can remove it from the hand. Not sure what
else you'd put there, but it's an option.
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Value - ***1/2
Statues are getting up in the $100 - $120 range these days, making the $50 price point on the smaller ArtFX series mighty
attractive. While he's slightly smaller than something like the Bombshells and is made from PVC, rather than
polyresin, he's just as nicely done as the Batman Black and White series, and at a cheaper price point.
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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
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Overall - ***1/2
Of the many recent Batman incarnations, I have to admit that I really like the Arkham Asylum/City designs. My only real
complaint overall has been the rivet-like buttons, and they are very muted here.
While a pure PVC statue isn't quite as highly regarded in some circles as the various grades of poly-resin, examples like
this show how high quality they can be, and at a fraction of the cost of others.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - ***
Value - ***1/2
Overall - ***1/2
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Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
-
has him at $50.
-
is also at $50.
- Entertainment
Earth has him at $50.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
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