You probably knew this was coming because as a huge Batgirl fan I have to buy every Batgirl action figure, statue, and trade paperback that gets released. I wasn't expecting this figure until this spring but they seem to be showing up early which I'm completely fine with. While DC Collectibles released an awesome Batgirl figure in their The New 52 line this past fall, they decided to include Batgirl as part of series three of the Greg Capullo inspired DC Comics Designer Series. Upon learning that this figure was being made, my first thought was "When did Greg Capullo draw Batgirl?" Marketing stuff seems to imply this is a tie in with Zero Year, but that makes no sense and isn't true. The Batman figure in series three and Gordon are Zero Year based, but not Babs. If anything, this is based on her appearances in a few issues of the Death of the Family story arc. Anyways, it's another Batgirl figure and I'm not going to complain one bit. Ready for a look at the world's greatest, toughest, smartest, most popular superhero ever? Then join me for another Batgirl review, right after the break...
Height: 6 3/4 inches
Articulation: Boot swivels, hinged knees, swivel thighs, swivel hips, ball jointed shoulders, hinged elbows, swivel forearms, ball jointed head.
Accessories: Three Batarangs
*While we've already received a New 52 Batgirl in pretty much this exact same costume from DC Collectibles, the subtle differences in style and in the uniform are enough to warrant a double dip. The biggest positives of this figure are the fantastic headsculpt and the detailed sculpting of the armor. While Batgirl looks rather lovely with slightly larger than usual features and a fuller face, she also looks rather determined. The paint work such as painting the nostrils and using a darker wash on the hair look just incredible and really differentiate this designer series from the standard New 52 line without making the lines totally incompatible.
*And here are the Batarangs. They're really small so be careful not to lose them! While she can only hold one at a time, I'm sure you can outfit some other Batfamily action figures that came woefully under armed if you want to keep these somewhere other than in a box.
*I'm really disappointed in Batgirl's articulation. So far I've thought this series of figures has done a great job of selecting the necessary articulation points for various characters. While Batman, Nightwing, and Talon were incredibly well articulated, the Riddler and the Red Hood featured more standard articulation that worked for their non-athletic characters. Batgirl's a fighter though. She's world class and should be able to move as much as anyone else. Unfortunately, she is incredibly static. She can take a couple cool poses, but her swivel hips, lack of bicep swivels, and very limited ball jointed shoulders keep her from getting too dynamic. Very, very disappointing.
Sometimes being a huge fan of a character or property an action figure is based on causes you to give it more leeway while other times it causes you to be a harsher critic. I feel like today I'm probably being affected by both of these phenomena. This is a great looking figure and I'm thrilled to have it standing as part of my always growing Batgirl collection. Unfortunately, I'm a bit appalled that Batgirl was given such limited articulation. The Red Hood has as much or more articulation than Batgirl and he's not known for his athletic abilities and melee combat prowess. I'm not going to go so far as to claim that DC Collectibles is being sexist and choosing to focus on Batgirl's looks rather than her crime-fighting abilities since many other female figures from the company have featured more articulation, but the thought has crossed my mind. In the end, I'm giving Batgirl a Good and a 1/2. She's a gorgeous figure and looks awesome on display but her crime fighting is going to be a bit more limited.So, recently we've gotten plenty of Batman figures, Red Robin, 2 Batgirls, Red Hood/Jason Todd, a couple of Nightwings, and a Damian from the Batman & Son line. Can I now ask where the heck Batwoman is? Seriously, when will we get an update of Batwoman? I know her book is ending, but I think for most of its run it was definitely in the top 5 books DC was putting out every month. For a good long time it was probably the best. What do we need to do to get a Batwoman figure, DC Collectibles? While you're waiting, you can check out a bunch of other Batgirl reviews I've written:
Ame-Comi Heroine Series by DC Collectibles
Steampunk Batgirl
Chara-Covers by Huckleberry
Batgirl
DC Comics Bombshells by DC Collectibles
Batgirl
DC Comics Cover Girls by DC Collectibles
Batgirl
DC Super Friends Wheelies by Fisher Price
Batgirl
DC Superheroes Mez-Itz by Mezco
Batgirl Keychain
DC Universe Mystery Minis by Funko
Batgirl (1/24)
Heroclix- Batman Series by Wizkids/ NECA
Batgirl #25
Kubricks Batman by Kubricks
Batgirl
Super Best Friends Forever by DC Collectibles
Batgirl
No comments:
Post a Comment