McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Robin figure review

I don’t have a definitive Damian Wayne Robin figure in my collection and really regret passing on the DC Icons Superboy and Robin two-pack. McFarlane Toys takes its crack at Batman’s offspring and this take on Robin almost left me wondering how much longer I want to stick around with this DC Multiverse line.

OK, maybe that’s a touch dramatic. If nothing else this figure left me with a greater appreciation for the consistency of Mattel’s DC Classic line as Robin is one of those better in a bubble figures than the rest of his line mates. Let’s see how far this bird can fly.

Packaging: We’re a year in with the line and the one thing that’s been consistent is the packaging.

Black with a little white and blue accents. It’s OK and looks different from other lines on the shelf, but it isn’t very exciting.

Likeness: McFarlane’s Multiverse line isn’t so much focused on creating a cohesive line of DC figures that play along well with each other. There’s a lot of artist interpretations of characters resulting in some highly stylized figures. Robin’s headsculpt is based on Johnboy Meyers’ take on Robin during his Teen Titans run.

This largely just means Robin’s head has more of an animated look with the windswept hair, scowl and a slightly oversized head. That might not be a bad thing if there was any legitimate thought of McFarlane caring about releasing figures of the rest of this team in this style. Since that’s not the case, a less stylized Robin, or one that fits in smoother with the Detective Comics Batman, probably would have been a better decision.

Headsculpt aside, the body actually looks like a teenager with lankier proportions and feet that have raced ahead of the rest of the body. I love the Batman influence on the cape with the two points at the shoulders and tips at the bottom. It would have been cool if the hood was a separate piece and could be raised over his head.

The detail work on the outfit is impressive. This is the highlight of the figure with intricate texture work throughout the tunic, sleeves and pants. There’s no shortcuts on the attire from the R button, gauntlets, utility belt, kneepads and laced up boots. Damian looks pretty good from a functional statue perspective, which might be all some folks want.

His left leg is shorter than his right leg meaning you’ll need to position the right leg ahead to maintain a solid resting stance. That’s unfortunate and feels like a bad design flaw.

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Scale: Robin is shorter than the Detective Comics Batman and seems about the right height. Damian has always been portrayed short for his age so he could have been shorter, but at least the teen visual is intact and he’s not at Batman’s shoulder.

Paint:  Even with the laces, the paintwork is really sharp and clean. Just as impressive is the work with the yellow tabs throughout the outfit as there is no bleed through. Some of the red comes over the lines, but it’s not a case where another coat of yellow was necessary.

I really like the choice of green and reds McFarlane used as they pop nicely on the figure.

Articulation: Robin should have a ton of articulation since he’s basically a child ninja. I know going in that McFarlane’s take on Robin isn’t going to be as fun to pose as say a Marvel Legends of Mafex figure, but the articulation here still managed to be very disappointing.

There’s some weirdness with the left leg where it tends to pop off the ball socket. It attaches back on easily enough although it tended to happen when I was attempting some relatively simple poses.

I was also surprised Robin lacked double-jointed elbows or knees. The ankle joint isn’t as firm as I’d like making for a precarious balancing act when attempting more complicated poses without the use of the stand.

DC McFarlane Robin has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• elbow
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hip
• thigh
• knee
• ankle
• toe

Accessories: Damian comes with two throwing stars. They are massive so it’s a question of where Damian is storing them when he’s not in action.

Speaking of oversized, he’s carrying the long broadsword that he borrowed from his grandfather Ra’s al Ghul at the early stage of the Teen Titans Rebirth arc. It’s massive and comes up to Damian’s neck. It has a very intricate and cool hilt and he can hold it easily with both hands.

Robin also has a figure stand that’s useful if you’re game for trying more dynamic action poses.

He does come a Teen Titans #1 cover trading card. That’s been consistent even if it’s an underwhelming inclusion.

Worth it? McFarlane Toys has kept the line at $20, which is a better deal for larger figures although I won’t ding Robin as he’s price point. That’s good as collectors won’t have to adjust their spending habits to get in with the basic version of the Multiverse line.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Robin is a cool pose and leave him figure. His limited articulation prevents him from being much hand candy, which seems to go against the strength of the character as a figure.

Where to get it?  Everyone is getting this line from Target, Wal-Mart, GameStop, Amazon and Entertainment Earth. I ordered mine from Target although the only one from this wave I’ve actually seen at retail is the Dark Nights Death Metal Batman.