Review of Mr. Freeze & Two-Face - Batman Animated Action Figures

Introduction

There are certain series of action figures where I have a ton of characters in the collection: Muppets, Simpsons, Star Wars...but as I've been clearing through my collection, cataloging and pretending that some day I'll have it organized, I've noticed that I have a crap load of animated Batman.

There were plenty of single figures of course, a huge assortment for every new cartoon starting with BTAS. But there were boxed sets galore as well, sometimes containing 6 or 8 figures, all pretty much repaints except for that one, the one I just had to have...

I have my fingers crossed that DC Collectibles won't do that with this latest series.  They've upped the scale from 5" to the currently popular 6", and are visiting all the key figures in their best designs.

I mentioned in the last review of Batman and Catwoman that each of these is based on a specific animated series. Both Freeze and Two-Face are from TNBA (The New Batman Adventures). But what I forgot to mention is that each is actually based on a specific episode from the show, and the little paper insert will give you the episode title. Freeze is from "Cold Comfort", while Two-Face is based on his look in "Sins of the Father".

These are currently available from many online retailers, as well as local comic shops, and run around $22, depending on the seller. The second wave is right around the corner, and will include the Joker, Man-Bat, Poison Ivy, and Robin. They've announced upcoming waves that include Harley, the Creeper, Killer Croc (with Baby Doll), Batgirl, a second Batman, a second Robin, the Penguin, and Riddler.

Packaging - ***1/2
While there's not a ton of text on these, I do really like the simple, stark design that highlights the look from each specific show. Obviously it's TNBA with both of these, but we've already seen the BTAS look used with others in this first wave.

There isn't a ton of personalization, and there's not a lot of extra information, but they do provide a small insert that shows the rest of the announced line up for 2015, as well as provides the aforementioned episode title for each character.

They aren't collector friendly either - you'll have to rip them to shreds to free the figure - but I still really like the aesthetic appeal of the overall design.

Sculpting - ****
Another excellent sculpting job, capturing the animated designs perfectly in 3 dimensions. People often assume getting an animated figure right is easy - they're simple designs after all. But they also can change episode to episode and even frame to frame. Getting it right means translating those 'simple' designs into something that looks right to the viewer, based on the overall impression.

I love both of these, but I think Two-Face wins out in the end. The detail work on the scarred side of his face looks great, and the character has more presence on the shelf.

Two-Face is right at 6" tall, with Freeze coming in just a smidge bigger.

Paint - ***1/2
The majority of the paint work is clean and neat, especially on Harvey. There's not a lot of detail work with Freeze, although the black color is fairly consistent in coverage and finish.

Harvey has the trickier situation, with the fine line between the black and white clothing a tough detail to pull off. They've done it quite well, with very little over spray or slop. The face looks terrific as well, in line with the sort of quality I expect at this price point. It's not perfect - there's a bit of slop in the hair, and the teeth could be better - but it's solid work for a $20 figure.

Articulation - Two-Face ***; Freeze *1/2
This is the Achilles Heel of the series - articulation that breaks.

With Two-Face, I had no problems. He has a great ball jointed neck, but some of the other joints are more restricted this time around, like the shoulders and elbows. He has post wrists (cut joints), as well as pin knees and pin/post ankles. The hips are the same combo deals that we saw with Batman - double hinge joints that allow the legs to move outward and front to back. There's a cut waist too, restricted by the jacket.

It was surprising to me that he can stand on his own with those tiny feet, but it does work. Even with the ball elbows, you'll only get the arms in so many poses due to the restrictive sculpt, and he really needs some sort of twisting joint on the legs. Still, you should have no trouble finding a pose that looks great on the shelf.

While I didn't have any issues with Harvey, Mr. Freeze was a different story. This time it was his ankle, which snapped with the slightest touch right out of the package. I was able to glue it back and get him to stand fine, but losing that joint means fewer poses are possible.

He also only has a cut neck joint, and like Two-Face, his shoulders and elbows are pretty restricted. He adds cut joints at the top of the boots, which at least gives him some leg rotation, and he also adds a second pin joint in the hands. Unfortunately, that's where my second breakage issue occurred. Thankfully, he has plenty of hands to choose from.

Accessories - ****
This is one category where these really shine.

This is partly because this style of figure usually doesn't get a ton of extras. This is even more true in recent years, where accessories have really taken a hit with the 6 - 7" scale.

But DC Collectibles have outfitted these guys extremely well. It starts with Two-Face, and his variety of hands. He has the two he's wearing, plus four more (two tan, two gray). These hands swap easily, and lack the extra pin joint I mentioned earlier.

He has both a tommy gun and a handgun, scaled properly and designed to work with his hands. They look great, following the simple yet elegant design from the show.

As I said earlier, these characters are based on specific episodes, which plays nicely into their assortment of accessories. Harvey comes with a funky gas mask, two canisters of gas, and a brown bag to carry them in. It's not a perfect fit (it won't quite snap closed), but getting the entire ensemble is a great touch. Oh, and don't forget his pocket watch, perfect for him to time the attack!

That's a lot of extras, but where's his coin? You can't have Harvey without his coin! They have you covered, don't worry. The coin is actually sculpted and painted on the palm of one of the open hand sculpts.

Mr. Freeze doesn't have quite the quantity that Two-Face does, but he has some very key components.

His clear dome is removable, so that one counts, at least to me. He has one less hand than Harvey, coming with three instead of four on top of the two he's wearing in the package. These have the additional pin joint, but take care! This was another joint I managed to break, but only on one of the hands.

The hands swap easily though, even with the extra joint. The wrist posts that slip into the arm are sturdy and seemed unlikely to break.

He has his single weapon, his freeze gun, and again, it is designed to work with the included hands. The fit is a little tight, but it works.

His biggest extra is his mechanical spider legs. These are intended to be used with his head - pop off the collar and head from the body, and snap the legs into the underside. There are ball joints that allow the legs quite a bit of movement, and the overall effect is perfect.

Finally, both figures come with the new bases. These have clear plastic rods and clamps, and a white base that shows a turn around of the character design.

Fun Factor - Two-Face ***1/2; Freeze *
These would rate at the top of the scale if not for the damn breakage.  The larger scale is terrific, and with a ton of accessories and articulation, they'd make for fantastic action figures. But the fun won't last long if they fall apart in your hands.

Value - **1/2
At $22, these are coming in at the current 'average' price for a 6" series themed towards a collector's market.  It's a couple bucks higher than the Star Wars Black, WoW, or Game of Thrones lines, but these also have a ton of accessories.

Things to Watch Out For -
Those damn joints. I barely moved the right ankle and *SNAP*, right off. The plastic is very brittle, and it's clearly a consistent problem across the entire line. While it ended up happening to me with the Freeze (and Catwoman earlier), it could just as easily been Two-Face or Batman. Take extreme care when moving the joints, especially the ankles, knees, wrists and elbows. I wish I could tell you that once you have them freed up you're safe, but I don't think so.

Overall - Two-Face ***1/2; Freeze **1/2
Looking at these in the package, I'd say they were one of my top lines for 2014. But that's not the true test of an action figure - you have to handle it, pose it, experience it. And that's where this series literally falls apart.

Take away the breakage issues that I (and just about every other buyer) has experienced, and you have some very cool figures with great sculpts and paint, excellent accessories, and all based on a fan favorite license. But the breaking joints drag these right back down into my biggest disappointment of the year.

DC Collectibles has got to get this brittle plastic under control, and they need to do it by the second series. Otherwise, no matter how cool the license and how cool the look, they might not see a third series.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has them for $23 each.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I covered the other half of this first wave - Batman and Catwoman - just last week. I have covered some other animated stuff, including the cool Quick fast food figures from overseas, as well as the Batman Animated Kubricks. I also covered some of the animated Justice League figures, which were similar to the style of the older figures.

And the Batman Black and White series has covered every conceivable version, as well as the animated style with their Bruce Timm release.

Discussion:
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