Arkham Knight: Harley Quinn Figure: 

I recently posted about a statue of Harley Quinn based on artwork taken from the '90's (Bruce Timm's Animated Series). As a result, I thought I might tribute a post to the most current interpretation of the nurse-turned-psycho Harley Quinn. Arkham Knight is a Batman console game being released in the coming months and so a line of figures were brought out to accompany it. I picked up this Harley Quinn figure for €25.99, which wasn't too bad a price considering it was up to €30 in other retail locations! It's worth saying that shopping around in this industry can save you a serious amount of money in the long-run. 

The figure comes in a stunning display box which is pictured in the gallery at the end of this post. The box allows for an excellent view of the figure and displays all of her accessories accordingly. Harley has been sculpted here by Gentle Giant Studios, who are becoming more and more involved in sculpting figure line-ups for DC Collectibles. The unique thing about this figure is that it looks fantastic on display both in it's box and outside of it's box, and in my opinion, it trumps the packaging for all previous Arkham figures. 

Harley features 22 points of articulation, which is really quite impressive.  She stands 6.5 inches tall and does not come with a display base. (I used my own display base in the photo gallery). Her sculpt is remarkable, especially considering I was planning on not purchasing her due to how I thought the sculpt looked in the preview photos. The end-result figure looks far better than the prototypes ever did.

She comes with a pair of inter-changable hands which are really easy to put on and remove as you see fit, a baseball bat, a pistol, a detonator and also a jack-in-the-box bomb which features a head on a spring and also a turning handle. 

DC Collectibles and Gentle Giant Studios really went the extra mile with this figure, from the packaging right down to the copious amount of accessories, and thus I hope all of the others in the Arkham Knight line are of a similar quality. I would really recommend purchasing this figure, as it is a stunning piece for fans and collectors alike. 

The photos which are included in this 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.