When I was small Batman was a larger than life superhero. The years that have passed have not diminished his importance, in fact I have at least five miniature versions of the Caped Crusader on my desk as I write this review. Batman still holds a special place in my heart and always will. The night I went to see Batman Begins for the first time really reignited my love for this character, and with the release of the Dark Knight, man, I was in heaven.
Hot Toys has made a reputation for high quality, movie accurate figures and the Batman / Bruce Wayne (Batsuit Begins Version) is no exception. Here we go.
Packaging:
The box is black with embossed bronze highlights looking like his spelunking harness worn early in the movie, Batman Begins. Removing the front of the box reveals the figure and most of his accessories behind a clear plastic cover. Behind the cover of the box is where you will find the utility belt and cape in their own plastic blister. The figure is dressed in his Batsuit with the aforementioned harness, and the Bruce Wayne head on the body.
Accessories:
This Batman comes with a bunch of accessories, which is great as you can have him displayed with several different looks. He has his Ninja mask for his early days of prowling the streets of Gotham. He has his cowl for when he improves his disguise, which comes with three interchangeable chin pieces to give him additional expressions for his masked face. These attach using strong magnets and are a breeze to exchange, but will stay attached nicely. The heads pop off easily also, a great improvement over earlier figures, I really liked how fast I could exchange heads.
The figure comes armed with a grenade, and two bronze painted Batarangs. He also has two belts, one for the spelunking suit and the more advanced utility belt. Both come with square posts on the back to holster the Grapnel gun.
There are 7 interchangeable hands included for a myriad of posing possibilities. The display stand included is finished nicely with a Bat logo and name sign.
Batsuit:
Now here’s where Hot Toys makes or breaks this figure. And man, they hit this one right out of the park. The suit is rubbery, with good solid detailing. The figure inside looks to be jet black and moves well inside the suit. I found that the figure would hold pose, and the rubber like suit did not pull the arms or legs back from where they were positioned. I found that if I massaged the joints as I was posing the figure, there was no binding at all and I could get Batman in a kneeling pose, seated with his legs in front of him, Arms over head and wherever else I wanted them.
The cape plugs into the suit with two plastic pins, which fit into two reinforced holes on the suit. The cape has a cloth exterior and a satin interior, and has no armature, but it hangs very nicely because of the great weight of cloth used.
The harness is amazing, the tiny clips actually work and the fit and finish is wonderful.
The Ninja mask is a three hole stocking cap and fits nicely over the Bruce Wayne head. There is no bulkiness or heavy seams anywhere. I really love the attention to small details that make this such a special figure.
Articulation:
The figure is very solid and well balanced and with the rocker ankles I could get the figure in kicking poses and even a running pose without any additional support. The joints were easily manipulated, but they would hold a solid pose until I moved them.
Face sculpt:
What can I say. It’s Christian Bale. Paint ops were tight, the eyes are really well done and it’s something that adds a bit of life to the expression on the face. The cowl and interchangeable chins were great.
Overall:
This Hot Toys product is very deserving of the title Exclusive. With multiple display options, the superior work done on the facial sculpts and paint. Along with the choices of what materials go into the costume, this is one of the finest figures put out by Hot Toys or any other figure manucfacturer this year.
One Comment on "UMPIRE REVIEWS: HOT TOYS BATMAN /BRUCE WAYNE (BATSUIT BEGINS VERSION) 1/6 SCALE"
Great review. I have to say the lower face plate with the open mouth looks a little odd; but no one is going to look good with their mouth in that position. Plus, it’s not like there aren’t two other mouth/chin plate options. Makes me wonder why Hot Toys bothered including it. On a side note, changing up the lighting or camera exposure sometimes helps take the graininess out of pictures.