Batman Black & White: Harley Quinn Statue: 

Today I purchased the Harley Quinn statue from the Batman Black & White statue line. As the title would suggest, the entire statue is portrayed in a really high quality black and white colour scheme. 

This statue is cold-casted in porcelain and the sculpt itself is based on the Harley Quinn portrayal from the 1990's show: Batman: The Animated Series. 

I previously discussed a line of  action figures which were based on the show and how they really bring the work of Bruce Timm to life, well let me tell you that this statue does the same job, except the quality standard is tenfold. 

The statue itself was sculpted by Jonathan Matthews, who is well known within the Batman community for his stunning replications of famous works in the physical form. 

The statue measures approximately 7.25" high from it's base to it's head and is a stunning interpretation of Harley Quinn in the statue medium. 

My statue is the second edition as opposed to the first edition, for which the only real difference is a different colour on it's base and a slightly lighter grey used in the colouring of the statue. First edition sold out in stores long ago, and second edition is being snapped up here in Ireland and it was only released here as of this morning. 

The statue comes in three pieces, which just push together and are really stable and sturdy once properly connected. The pieces comprise of her base stand, her puff of smoke (which goes into the top of her gun), and then her herself. 

The statue is retailing for €93 which is by no measure a small price to pay, however, when you take into account the stunning craftsmanship that went into making this sculpture possible, the price becomes reasonably understandable. According to the box, the statue was manufactured in China.

There are many other statues in this line,  take for instance the Batman statue which is sculpted based on the art of Brian Bolland.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Harley Quinn, she is essentially the Joker's right-hand woman and is one of Batman's biggest enemies. 

I thought it may be useful to include the statement made by DC Collectibles on the back of the packaging of this statue in order to aid in your understanding of Harley Quinn: 

"The fun-loving, psychotic, Arkham Asylum doctor-turned-inmate Harley Quinn joins the best-selling Batman Black & White line with this eye-catching statue, designed by award-winning animator, artist and producer Bruce Timm!" - DC Collectibles.

The photos which accompany this blog post were taken by me.

Batman The Animated Series: Figure Line:

Anybody who's lived through the 1990's will most likely have come in contact with Batman: The Animated Series in some way shape or form. It was one of the biggest hits in terms of cartoon success, and that title still stands to this day, even after all the years that have passed.

The show played a huge part in the daily lives of children and adults alike, who would tune in to watch episode after episode, with batman being voiced by the legendary Kevin Conroy.

The cartoon was dark, gritty, and was most certainly film-noir, which was unlike any cartoon of it's time. The cartoon then ran off into "The New Adventures" and other such spinoffs, all of which were also very successful.

DC have had a huge success with products related to The Animated Series, so it only makes sense for them to bring out  a line of bigger and better figures, to recapture the imaginations of those kids who have now grown up.

The line itself is massive, with five figures currently released in Ireland, and over fifteen others already announced as soon to come. I'll be focusing this review on the Batman figure from his "New Adventures" portrayal, but also included are photographs of the rest of the line currently released.

I have one of the Batman figures loose for this review, and one in the box, I highly suggest keeping them in the box as one day they will hopefully become valuable!

The figure itself is impressive, Bruce Timm being the man behind the cartoons drawings, and this figure really brings his sketches to life, especially considering they are beautifully crafted in 6" scale. The packaging is impressive, allowing all aspects of the figure to be appreciated. The figure is very articulated, although it's hard to pose as it's true to Timm's drawings, meaning the figure boasts massive shoulders, and tiny toothpick-like ankles.

Many complaints were issued to DC about paint quality and breakages, but I was very impressed with my batch and no defects are noticeable even under the closest of scrutiny. DC have also promised to make amends to these issues, but as I keep 90% of my figures in their box, it makes no difference to me. They plan on doing it by changing the plastic used for the joints in the future waves to something more sturdy.

The figure features an impressive amount of accessories which include a batarang, grapple hook, a multitude of interchangeable hands, a spare cape and also a beautiful display stand.

The figure was manufactured in Guandong, China and the figure was sculpted by Irene Matar, whose sculpt is right on the money.

These figures are retailing for €25 give or take, provided you buy them in a local comic establishment, because the internet is full of sellers looking to make a quick buck.

For nostalgic purposes, I thought I might include the original animated series intro, I pulled the youtube link for it and embedded it in this post. Thus the video belongs to it's respective owner/s. 

The photos which accompany this blog post were taken by me. 

Batman Arkham Origins: Batman Figure:

This figure retails for roughly €25.99, depending on where you purchase it, making it much less damaging to your wallet then some of the other pieces in my collection. I have never seen a Batman figure by DC with such an amazing sculpt detail for such a reasonable price. 

The figure is based on the 2013 critically-acclaimed videogame 'Arkham Origins', and this figure looks like it jumped straight out of your television screen. Each detail is accurate and fitting with the game, and the figures features 29 points of articulation making it so much more appealing to Batman fans and collectors alike. 

This Batman figure is one of the most recent additions to my collection and it's relevant to all followers of the current day caped crusader, thus why I posted it as my first blog post.

It's rare I remove a figure from it's packaging, but the sculpt of this figure is really something else and it would be a crime not to. *Subtle pun unintended*

If you can still find this figure at a local store, I'd recommend picking it up as it's becoming increasingly hard to find and for the bones of €26, you get a figure which pays attention to details as small as the stubble on the exposed part of Batman's face. 

The figure is manufactured in Guandong, China for DC Collectibles, whose warehouse is located in Runcorn, UK. This portrayal of Batman was sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios, which is no surprise, as they are known for their fantastic sculpts as-of-late.

The photos which accompany this blog post were taken by me.

Introduction To My Collection: 

Hello, Everyone! My name is Ross.

Over the coming days and weeks, I hope to be posting some photos of Batman products alongside comments and reviews about them, so that you may too, be able to appreciate both the spectacular craftsmanship that goes into manufacturing these products, but also so that you can get a glimpse at some really cool stuff.

I have been surrounded by Batman related things since an early age, from watching the cartoons to visiting the toy shop. I've grown up watching the 1990's television series "Batman The Animated Series", which encouraged me from a young age to become an enthusiast of all things Batman.

I hope you enjoy reading about and seeing some of the stuff that interests me, and that you will love it as much as I do! 

Ross.