Saturday, June 27, 2015
Review: S.H.Figuarts Batman
| Figure Information | |
| Manufacturer: | Bandai |
| Origin Series: | Injustice: Gods Among Us |
| Scale: | Non-scale |
| Height: | Approximately 16cm tall |
| Original Price: | 6,264 Yen |
| Packaging: |
Batman's the first in line for the Injustice releases along with his nemesis, The Joker and from the two, they both feature a brick wall as the background of the product shots in the front and on one side of the box; Batman features a dark colored (cause I can't tell which color it is) box overall which does compliment the character very well though much like many articulated figures I've reviewed, there's nothing special on the box as the sides are your product shots and the typical back section just shows more of the product shots.
One thing that caught my eye though is that Batman's box features the Batman 75th anniversary logo in one side and that is pretty awesome for me since it was the 75th anniversary when he was released last year.
| Details: |
Before anything else, this S.H.Figuarts of Batman is actually based off the Insurgency Batman which is of the other universe which has all the chaos as the game actually has two Batmen involved in the actual plot; I'm really glad that they modeled SHF Bats after the Insurgent one since that one has the more "classic" Batman look and is definitely my preferred design.
Starting of with the head, I guess it's overall just okay but seriously though, the mouth area really could've used more detailing to give it a more realistic approach, though comparing it to the game model, it's quite nicely done though the cowl supposedly has some tears here and there AND the SHF rendition definitely captured those but ultimately forgot to show the skin by leaving the marks unpainted. One more thing though is I don't really understand why Batmen with eye pupils tend to glare upwards, something I also nitpicked with the TDKR Mafex Batman.
You can actually see the torn parts of the cowl on the side shots and it's really a bummer that they didn't bother painting it after all the trouble of molding it but yeah, generally, the cowl looks great with the certain curves here and there and those pointy bat ears, you definitely cannot mistake him for someone else. (if you do, hot damn!)
Batman's Cape is still using solid plastic but is layered into 3 sections so you can actually pose it, once all three section are on rest, they do give a very nice cape effect and it does look fantastic; overall, the cape felt like it took ideas from Ultra-Act's Brothers' Mantle. I really wonder why Tamashii Nations can't give us cloth cape since I haven't seen a single SHF release that had cloth cape.
The rest of the batsuit looks fantastic as there are definitely a great level of attention to detail that was put in there. The SHF rendition definitely has brought life to the "armor"-ish feel of the Insurgent Batsuit. Paint is pretty plain but the combination of materials does make the details pop out like crazy.
One good thing to note is that Batman is quite heavy as opposed to your regular S.H.Figuarts as certain parts of the figure does have die-cast content in it such as the chest that bears the Bat Symbol and if I remember correctly, his ankle guards are die cast as well.
While the entire figure feels pretty solid, I guess I should mention that you should be careful when handling him as the spikes on his gauntlets feel pretty fragile in a way that the way those were shaped gave me a sense of dread as they are very thin and does give me an impression that one wrong move might actually cause those spikes to snap off.
| Accessories: |
For accessories, Batman definitely isn't lacking as he comes with not just one but TWO batarangs, his grapnel gun with two optional hooks (a stand by and a fired one), a pair of open hands and Batarang gripping hands, a special right hand that's meant to grip the grapnel gun and a very special S.H.Figuarts original full mask alternate head!
I believe I've seen before in an interview with Tamashii Blue Fin (I think it was internet personality Vangelus' interview) that the decision for the full mask head was a service to the Japanese people as they believe that the Japanese loves full masks way better than half masks (even citing that Riderman was the least popular Showa Rider because of the half mask haha).
The design definitely works and it looks totally badass as it really is well detailed plus the fact that the eyes are now blue does work a lot with Batman's color palette. There's also quite a ridiculous amount of liberties here as when you view the Bat Ears from the back, they actually really resemble that of a bat.
Of course, I am really delighted that I now have a Batman figure that has an actual Batarang for an accessory as the Batarangs are definitely one of, if not, the most iconic weapons in Batman's arsenal.
Lastly, the grapnel gun's "launched' option is pretty great as the wire is bendable so it does allow you to make more dynamic shots of Batman with it.
| Articulation Points: |
Batman's got a really good articulation overall and starting off with his head (neck actually) There's a satisfying amount of movement upwards and downwards while side rotation does provide a decent range as well as a good enough side tilt.
As I've mentioned in the details section, the cape is highly similar to the Ultra-Act's Brothers' Mantle as such, each layer has a hinge of their own while the side sections can swivel sideways (and if you do, it breaks the solidity of the cape's look. The entire cape piece can also be tilted to the sides a bit thanks to the its connection port.
Batman's arms rotate nicely though not in a straight rotation as going upwards will eventually bump in a part of the cape, sideways raise isn't that great either as you only get around 45 degrees raise. The rest of the arms contain a fully rotatable bicep swivel, a satisfying double hinged elbow and your typical Figuarts wrists which can fully rotate the hands and also bend as there is an existing hinge in the wrists.
One of Batman's greatest feats is that there's a special hinge in the shoulders that lets you pull batman's arm inwards, thus, giving you an ability to easily cross his arms.
Going to his ab joint, the inward bend is pretty much so-so like with most figures but the outward bend is definitely quite something and is definitely capable of supporting flight poses for the Dark Knight; additionally, you can rotate around the ab joint as well as tilt it sideways.
Going to his legs, much like a lot of Figuarts frames, you can pull down Batman's legs since the hip mechanism has a hinge that allows you to do so that you can have a higher forward kick which is very satisfying; the back movement, however, is pretty much non-existent. For sideways split, it's only as good as up to around 55 degrees. There's also a minor thigh swivel on him similar to Sentai Figuarts and Batman's knees do bend at around a little more than 90 degrees. Lastly, his ankles retain the usual rotation points at the connectors so you can rotate his feet sideways or tilt it if you must; the toe hinge is also present for Batman's mold.
| Poseability: |
Though articulation ranges have their limitations, Batman's overall frame allows him to do quite a lot of dynamic poses and also, thus, allow you to do his moves from the fighting game.
The accessory count is very satisfying as the alternate head definitely looks good (and it is the one I use for display actually). Giving two Batarangs also does allow you to have more dynamic Batarang throws and certainly the Grapnel gun's alternate option part does give Batman even more playability. If there's is one real gripe I have is that on some poses the solidity of the cape definitely breaks and is pretty awkward to look at.
And since he is a character from a fighting game, it's only natural that I do some bonus VS shots though his nemesis isn't exactly in the same universe (because teaser time for the next review!)
| Final Thoughts: |
While definitely not a perfect representation of the Insuergency Batman, this S.H.Figuarts is definitely a great release and also a Batman with a really decent accessory count; the added bonus was definitely a most welcomed touch as it does provide you with an alternative if you do not like how the face turned out on this. Definitely one of the best Batman action figures in the 6-inch scale and if you like the Insurgent Batman or just pretty much a Batman fan, then I highly recommend picking this up as the figure certainly won't disappoint for its price point. And once again, another figure I got via pre-order from Onegai Onii-chan!
I give Batman a 4.5 out of 5!
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Fists are smaller that they should be. Cape needs patience when posing.
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