Packaging - **1/2
The package doesn’t look bad by any means, but it is NOT collector-friendly, not by a long shot. Michael said in his review that you’ll have to destroy it to remove the figure and accessories, but I chose to be a little more optimistic. After all, when I pay $40 for a figure that should be about half that price, I’ll be danged if I’m gonna let any part of it go to waste. The figure is in a clear plastic tray that slides easily out of the box, but he’s deeply incarcerated inside of it. There are plastic bands that tightly bind each arm and leg, and if you thought twisty ties were annoying, you haven’t seen anything yet. I used a sharp blade to gently and carefully cut these loose (believe me, scissors won’t work because the bands are too tight and don’t leave enough room to fit a scissor blade underneath), and was able to get it loose without damaging the figure or the tray. I did part of this in the car while my girlfriend was driving (and after spending $40 on this thing, I’m surprised I still have a girlfriend) so it was really tricky. But I felt confident, telling myself things like “yes I can,” “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” “I think I can…I think I can…,” etc.  I finally did it, and can now easily place the figure in and out of the box as though it were an actual quality sixth scale figure. I left the display stand in there, though, because I’ve never seen a figure that needed it less. More on that in “Articulation.”

Sculpting - ***
I’ll go ahead and tell you, this is the best aspect of this figure for me. Looking more like Ledger than Hot Toys’ first attempt but less than the DC Direct 13” version and especially Hot Toys’ Bank Robber version, this is certainly an above-average sculpt. The eyes should be narrower but otherwise the face has good detail, and the hands, head, and feet are all the right size. The sculpted wrinkles in the pants look good, though I’d prefer that they came down further on the shoes instead of rolling up. The belt is also well-sculpted (and the little chain—a real chain—hanging from it is a huge plus). Overall the sculpting is not perfect, but is right about what a figure at this price point should be.

Paint - **1/2
The sloppy face paint around the mouth and the color variation between the arms, cloak and gloves that simply shouldn’t exist cost this figure serious points (or stars, whatever) in this area. The purple color needs to be darker in all areas and the jacket and gloves have a slight hint of red in them. And I don’t know what the deal is with the brownish areas on the jacket. On the plus side though, the eyes, pants, shoes and vest are well painted, and they did a good job with the dark circles around the eyes, though they could be darker. The hair doesn’t have enough brown in it, and the brown streaks that are there need to be darker and more realistic-looking. They tried to make the skin under the makeup come through a little bit, but it was a mediocre attempt at best.

Value - *1/2
Forty bucks for everything you’ve read above. Forty bucks. But we were at Toys R’ Us, I was looking at it, and the fact that it was the knife variant (the only one they had) was the thing that finally won me over. I usually get my stuff on ebay, but the cheapest I’ve seen even on there is also $40, and you’ll pay shipping on top of that. So if you want this figure anytime soon, TRU itself is probably the best option. This figure should be priced in the $15-$25 range and no more. But, it’s the Joker. Heath Ledger’s Joker. And it kinda looks like him. So I bit the bullet and bought it. And so far, I’m not regretting it, despite the flaws. But I felt a little sick afterwards, and you probably will too.

Things to Watch Out For -
The knife feels like it can easily be torn, so take care when removing and replacing it in his hand.