DC Collectibles Icons Batman Last Rites figure review
Starting over is never easy to do. After numerous retail missteps and mishandling of the online offerings, Mattel ended its 6″ line of the DC Universe seemingly dashing the hopes of collectors who wanted more figures and no part of the New DC 52.
DC Collectibles is attempting the daunting task of giving old school DC collectors a reason to get excited again with the launch of its Icons line. Intended as a catch all celebrating the characters from various points of DC Comics’ history, the line will feature characters from both the new 52 and the post-Crisis on Infinite Earth era.
Fittingly, the first figure in the initial four-figure wave is the Icons Batman, who I’m taking a look at today to see if DCC has a new fan or if this is another DCC line that doesn’t quite reach its potential.
Packaging: With so many packaging using black as the primary color, its nice to see a company doing something a little different. The white with the Batman appropriate grey color scheme gives the line a classy look. Along the side, there’s a number and the character name and story inspiration.
The main window panel is arranged well showing off the figure and accessories. There’s a decent amount of space along the package side, which hopefully was designed to accommodate larger/deluxe figures within losing consistency for MOC collectors.
The back has a sharp collage of the figures in the wave as well as credits for line designer Ivan Reis and sculptor Paul Harding. Considering this is DC’s figure line, I’d love to see more synergy with the comics.
Whether by showing a cover featuring that outfit or a digital code to get collectors into the actual stories or failing that, just slap on a paragraph explaining what Batman was doing during Last Rites, which is available in the Batman R.I.P.
Likeness: This is one solid looking Batman and the sculpt is an excellent translation of a regular man who’s honed their body to maximum performance.
Additionally, there’s just the right amount of wrinkles and folds to remind you that Batman is wearing a costume.
Batman’s headsculpt captures that half brooding/thinking/perpetually annoyed hybrid he’s become infamous for in recent decades.
Scale: This is the category that’s got a lot of collectors up in arms. DCC is using a true 6″ scale for their figures so this line won’t be in scale with over 6″-ish lines like Marvel Legends or DC Classics.
DCC isn’t beholden to ensuring their new line fits with any other line so as long as the characters stay in scale in this line, i.e. Static is shorter than Superman, I’m fine.
On the plus side of the ‘smaller’ 6″ scale, the figures fit better with other lines where characters couldn’t be as tall as needed within their line. So Gorilla Grodd, Solomon Grundy and Giganta will look better against the DCC figures than the DCUC line.
Paint: Most of the figure is molded in the color of the outfit so there’s not a lot of paintwork involved. The utility belt is probably the only part that really would have benefited from a paint wash.
The flesh is painted a tad too dark for my liking. Batman is a creature of the night so I’d expect him to be paler than most characters. Of course, Bruce Wayne probably has a tan from running around with starlets so I suppose it works either way.
In pictures, you’re likely to notice the black painted eyebrows. It’s something the naked eye doesn’t pick up unless you’re really looking up close. I think it’s a paint trick to help bring out the sculpt details.
Articulation: With Icons, DCC is experimenting with yet another articulation scheme.
The figure has:
- neck
- ball jointed shoulders
- bicep
- elbows (double-jointed)
- wrist
- torso
- abdomen
- hips
- knees (double-jointed)
- shin
- ankle
It’s better than the standard DCC articulation model, but lacks a few like the standard thigh swivel. I wasn’t sure how the torso articulation was going to play out, but it works better than I expected. It could use just a bit more range though.
I’d like to see a little more range of motion from the head, which doesn’t allow enough up and down movement. The elbow articulation despite having double joints, doesn’t offer as much as I expected either so you won’t be able to pose Batman crossing his arms.
The leg articulation isn’t so hampered by the though swivel’s absence, but in the biggest disappointment, the legs’ up and down movement is so limited that front kicks will only hit reach the shins or knees. That also means he’s gonna have a real issue sitting in the Justice League satellite HQ chairs.
I’m hoping DCC will continue tinkering with the articulation as the leg range and deeper arm/elbow movement are the only things holding it back.
The cape is made of a sturdy, yet flexible material so while it has some weight it’s not going to be the regular culprit for Batman shelf diving.
Accessories: Batman comes with a good assortment of extras with two batarangs, a hand with rappel and another pair of hands. About the only other thing I’d want that wasn’t included was an alternate head for some added display options.
I wasn’t especially nervous swapping the hands out and I doubt that will be an issue in the future either. The rappel is pretty strong and goes a fair distance, but the arm articulation prevents the trademark scaling a building pose.
Worth it? At retail you’ll get a 6.5 to 8″ Marvel Legends figure with a fair amount of accessories and a Build-A-Figure piece for just over $20. The trade-off is more buck reuse and simpler sculpts.
I did a wife check to get her take on if she thought this figure looked better than the DCUC counterpart. Besides finding the skin tone too orange, she preferred the Icons version. In the end, I did too.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Batman comes very close to being one of the best of the 5-8″ takes on the character with the detailed sculpt, accessories and paint. The articulation holds him back just a bit, but I’m excited about the future of this line.
DCC has a good looking model and have announced four diverse waves indicating they’re going to support this one for awhile. Looks like I’ll be investing in a new line.
Where to get it? Check your local comic book store to grab them in person like I did at Third Eye Comics, or you can also go with a couple of Lyles Movie Files’ affiliate partners: Order DC Icons Batman Last Rights Action Figure from Entertainment Earth!
Amazon.com doesn’t officially have them in stock yet, but like most DCC figures, they’ll be available soon: DC Collectibles DC Comics Icons: Batman Last Rights Action Figure
