Tuesday 25 March 2014

Marvel Legends Infinite Black Widow Captain America: The Winter Soldier


Scarlett Johansson was an interesting choice for Natasha Romanov, one I hadn’t expected. She is, after all, a fetching young lass, and it suits that an unbelievably attractive woman be played by an unbelievably attractive woman. I remember waiting in anticipation for her Russian accent only to be disappointed when Scarlett Johansson sounded like Scarlett Johansson. In retrospect it makes sense: it would be too confusing to have a Russian spy working for homeland intelligence, so I guess that makes sense. Joss Whedon eventually corrected this with The Avengers, where her Russian background was referenced and her role and character bulked up significantly. I was one of the people who wasn’t all that keen on having her in the Avengers, she was always second tier and would have preferred someone like Scarlet Witch or Wasp, but she was played well enough that it didn’t bother me all that much.
On my favourite Facebook group Action Figure Addicts, it wasn’t all that uncommon for people to have whole collections of the Walmart Avengers wave, with one exception (well, two, counting Iron Man mk 7), so I was happy that they got around to finally bringing her out and those collections can be complete.

So this action figure aims to close that gap by providing the new Captain America: The Winter Soldier head and an extra Avengers head. Though there are some differences in the costume, as the WS version has some grey elements to add interest to the flat black of the original, it’s the thought that counts here.

Of the two heads I prefer the Avengers one, I think the short hair looks better on her. The long and straight hair of Winter Soldier isn’t as flattering on Johansson and it kind of just hangs straight, kind of like how Jessica Alba’s hair looked in Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Despite the fact that it impedes head articulation completely (and my head has a bit of a red scuff on the forehead), hair this long on the world’s best spy is impractical. There’s a reason all the bad-guy soldiers in the Paul WS Anderson movie Soldier (1998) are bald: in CQC (Close Quarters Combat) baldness makes it harder for the enemy to grab your hair and, therefore, your head. Seeing as Black Widow grapples with guys a lot, shorter hair can allow her to go undercover and also be effective in combat.


If Avengers proves anything for Black Widow is that a pair of Glock 26s are far more effective than a pair of stingers. I remember seeing that her wrist weapons act more as non-lethal wrist guns, not that dissimilar to something Deadshot uses, like grapnel lines and tear gas as well as electrified darts. But in both Avengers and what we’ve seen of Winter Soldier thus far they’re skin-contact CQC Taser weapons of some kind. Unfortunately, the stingers are the only accessories she’s getting; she doesn’t get any guns. They could have simply re-used the guns that were given to Hit Monkey as I have done, but the whole figure forces you to feel grateful that you have it so I suppose you’ll have to like it or lump it and make do with the alternate open/gun holding hands she comes with.

She does have some decent articulation. The longhaired version interferes with the ball-jointed head, the curly hair allows for more movement but the joint only amounts to a swivel. She has ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, one of those ball-jointed torsos which amount to only a swivel, thigh swivel, double jointed knees and ball-jointed ankles with
ankle rockers. The hands she comes with have no articulation.


So a great figure overall, worth having. The problem I have is with this attitude that’s implied on Hasbro’s end regarding her existence. In many ways she ticks a lot of boxes, in other ways it seems like we have to be grateful for what we get. She’s a female figure, which always makes for a strong seller, and of course for that reason she’s one per pack and everyone’s hankering for her. I collected her because hey, she’s Scarlett Johansson, but all those ML movie Avenger fans out there have to scrimp and save to pick her up. So she looks great and she’s worth it, its just a shame she costs so much.


Thursday 6 March 2014

Ant Reviews Jonathan Creek: The Letters of Septimus Noone


David Renwick’s Jonathan Creek returns to TV in 2014 with more of a sombre affair than what we typically expect. We still have more of that awkward humour we’ve come to expect from Renwick and series star Alan Davies, but instead the overall themes presented are of death, loss and grieving, and knowing when to move on.

Created in 1997, Jonathan Creek has been a favourite of mine since my youth. The shows combined an amazing mystery, an impossible crime that defies explanation, which can all be neatly explained by Jonathan at the end.  Sometimes the episodes were very scary on the front end, as Jonathan would often say things like ‘how can a man simply vanish into thin air?’, which is a great way of making you uneasy as you wonder how it all went down. Jonathan, of course, was an engineer who dreamt up magic tricks for magician Adam Klaus (played by both Anthony Stewart Head but longer and more consitantly by Stuart Milligan) who gets involved with Maddy (Caroline Quentin) a mystery writer. Add to that numerous pop culture references (with a house called green lantern, a woman who goes by black canary, a victim called Doctor strange, and the use of original Doctor Who’s Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Paul McGann to play parts.)

But this episode isn’t as fun as we’d hoped. We are already shown how the impossible mystery is shown, and two other, smaller mysteries have little impact. While still entertaining for the most part, this episode seems to be Renwick dealing with how we all have to grow up and move on, as we become more responsible adults.

The central mystery, an attempted murder on actress Juno (Ali Bastian), is a locked-room mystery set at a West End play of a locked-room mystery. How it happened isn’t important, its how Jonathan and Ridley (Kieran Hodgson, pictured), the son of a friend of his wife’s, interpret it.

Ridley is an interesting character. He seems to be a combination of both Cumberbatch Sherlock and 10th Doctor Tennant. He’s full of bold proclamations and arrogance, but at every turn is shown as goofy and false. He does a typical Sherlock ‘reading’ of a person, only for us the audience to find it to be completely wrong. He misreads a crime scene incredibly inaccurately, while Jonathan watches on amused, eating an orange. He collects all suspects into a big theatre to show off his thesis regarding the crime, only to have it interrupted by a suicide.

This seems to be a dig at Stephen Moffatt and the new Sherlock and his over the top arrogance and superiority. Watching this character and Jonathan on the screen together you can see the contrast from Jonathan’s previous adventures and how quiet and unassuming he was compared to the new look-at-me theatricalities of modern detective stories. Jonathan even remarks that he’s getting too old; that this new detective is the future and that he has no place.

This episode deals with this feeling of mortality and of parenthood. The titular ‘Letters to Septimus Noone’ refer to love letters Polly’s (Sarah Alexander) late mother had hidden, and what that means to her recently deceased father. In investigating the mystery surrounding them she learns secrets about her mother and about what you want to leave behind when you die. A suspect of the locked-room crime lost a child and it made her unhinged; the opposite scenario at play.

Polly’s friend Sharon (Raquel Cassidy) is a somewhat irresponsible parent, raising two kids in a world of fantasy. Yes, Ridley is named for Ridley Scott, and her daughter is named Ripley. And her house is called Nostromo. So you’d think that’d make her pretty cool, but her failing is that she indulges her children’s fantasies and doesn’t reinforce reality, and thus both children open themselves up to disappointment and conflict.



Being that Jonathan is so low-key and quiet, his companions have always been quite large and vivacious with their personalities. Maddie was rude and pushy, Carla (Julia Sawalha), an ex of Jonathan’s, was likewise a busy-body and in-you-face. Recent companion Joey (Sheridan Smith) is a trashy tomboy, and all of these companions played off of Davies well. Sarah Alexander brings a different energy, particularly in this story as she’s dealing with her father’s death. She’s too nice and works to well with Jonathan, as they’re very close. There’s very little conflict and he isn’t embarrassed or annoyed with her at all. It’s a different dynamic, and it may have a pretty big impact on how the show works in the future. But for this episode, it suits the tone.

So, all in all a not-bad effort. I know that’s a wishy-washy response but while it wasn’t as scary, mysterious or as fun as what I’d come to expect from the show it still had some merit and worked with a different tone than normal. I can accept that for this episode, but here’s hoping it the show won’t change as much with permanently or the rest of the season will turn many fans off.


***Stars

Ant Reviews Doctor Who - The Other Doctor



From what can be ascertained via the internet, for all intents and purposes the 50th anniversary special was to feature all Nu Who Doctors on one giant adventure, but Christopher Eccleston was unwilling to participate due to differences with BBC brass. So they crafted a new Doctor, one who stood apart from the main 12 that we've seen thus far, and who remained a mystery out of shame and because he no longer considered himself a 'doctor'. Debuting in The Name of the Doctor, the War Doctor or (The Other Doctor as this set calls him) fought during the Time War and was the Doctor that experienced many of the Time War incidents that was referenced through Russell T. Davies' run as DW show-runner.


This action figure incorporates elements from both Night of the Doctor and Day of the Doctor, portraying one well while the other quite poorly. The set features an incredible John Hurt likeness, in body and in face, and the accessory of The Moment is exquisite. The addition of the 8th Doctor head seems to be an afterthought. So, while this is the perfect War Doctor, portraying John Hurt in the best possible way, this set in no way represents either the Night of the Doctor 8th Doctor, the 8th Doctor regeneration scene, or how the War Doctor looked when he regenerated.

If you watch the amazing Night of the Doctor, you'll see that the 8th Doctor has a really cool new outfit. The thing that I love about the outfit is that its a distressed new version of his TV movie outfit, and that he had a shorter version of his old haircut. By switching the head on the figure you'll find that it's too big for the body, as John Hurt is probably shorter than Paul McGann, so it looks out of place, but at least they got that kind of scale right. Even the haircut is different, and he looks more like just a Paul McGann head and not the 8th-Doctor-from-that-episode-head, which is fine if you can pull off something like this but they really shouldn't have bothered.

In Night of the Doctor we were treated to a shot of a young John Hurt with what looks to be old 8th Doctor's longer hair, so when he regenerated he wasn't an old man like this set suggests. In the ep he's also wearing the 8th Doctor's outfit, only with a belt around his midsection. I was hoping that the figure would have a removable scarf so that we can see that ascot/cravat underneath but no, it's neck-tie free. So let's just say it now: the second head is a bust, it makes no sense in the canon and doesn't reflect anything we've seen.











So onto the good stuff then. He's painted quite well. The face paint on both heads are clean and crisp, but be careful of the eyes. The coat is given a nice pseudo dry-brush and the scarf is given nice details.

 With his sonic screwdriver they painted the wrong end, as the tiny tip should get the red paint app not the bulbous end. It's sculpted well enough, and portrays a very simple design, a great reflection of the old-fashioned and simple Doctor it services.

Ball-jointed shoulder, hinge elbows, swivel wrists, Swivel hinge thighs, swivel waist and single jointed knees. Not as good as some action figures but way better than most of my Doctor collection.

The last accessory, but certainly the most successful, is a sentient weapon known as The Moment. An ancient Time Lord weapon of terrible power, over time it developed consciousness and tried to dissuade the War Doctor from using it by personifying a London call girl who he'd meet when he was older. It's beautifully painted and sculpted, with so many lovely elements put together. Each component is painted individually with no slop, and for an accessory that's simply a box, its remarkably put together.

It's a perfect Other Doctor action figure, but a lame 8th Doctor figure. Night of the Doctor was, for me, the 8th Doctor's finest hour, reflective of his dark, prolific tenure as the Doctor. I CRAVE a proper Night of the Doctor action figure, and unfortunately it now seems unlikely we'll get him in the 5inch scale because this set might reflect their only attempt at that version. I was wanting to buy two but I won't now, the second head being an afterthought. The War Doctor figure is superb, so it's worth the purchase, and will fit perfectly with your 5inch Doctor collection. PS: I COULD get out all of my 11 other Doctors, but really can't be bothered





Sunday 2 March 2014

Ant Reviews DC Collectables Arkham Origins Deathstroke


I first saw Manu Bennet in 30 Days of Night, covered in long hair and a beard. Then he was Crixus the primus gladiator in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, where he was really great. Then he shows up as Slade Wilson in Arrow, and I couldn't be happier. Not only is he now an Australian, but the writers make it seem as if Aussie spies carry swords and have coloured balaclavas. That's a stereotype I hope will catch on, one that will replace kangaroos on the Harbour Bridge.

Like the other figures in this wave, last year was a big year for the character, showing up in not just Arrow, but in the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us and of course Arkham Origins. This year he'll be showing up in the cartoon movie Son of Batman, voiced by Thomas Gibson. Slade has been around
in many forms, and played by many people, from great versions like in Young Justice to really awful ones, like Michael Hogan's version in Smallville.

Created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez back in 1980, Deathstroke was originally called The Terminator (a title he sometimes uses to this day in the comics) and was introduced as an antagonist for the Teen Titans, meaning he came up against Robin before Batman. As a dangerous mercenary who's enhanced through military experimentation, Slade's had a weird run sometimes, with him killing his one heroic son Jericho and have his other two kids be villains. Add to that he was an old man going out of his way to kill a bunch of teens and have a sexual relationship with the 16yrold turncoat heroine Terra (which is about as weird and as gross and you'd expect).

But all that nonsense gets pushed to the wayside these days,
especially with Arkham Origins. He's simply a straight-up merc, hired to take down the Bat, which he very nearly achieved. He's a tough guy to fight, and while his sequence was very early and very brief, we at least got to play as him in the challenge maps, which made up for it in the end, as well as the little post-credits nod to him being in the Suicide Squad. He's voiced by one-time Lex Luthor and Firefly Mark Rolston, who looks just like I feel.

This figure is the Batman of this wave: Packed to the gills with articulation. It makes sense as he's the second playable character, and I'm hoping we get a Origins Robin from the multiplayer, that'd be great. He has a ball-jointed neck and shoulders, swivel hinge elbows and wrists, hinged waist (that's stuck on mine), ball hinge waist, ratcheted swivel hinge crotch joints, thigh cut swivel (hidden by the armour), double hinged knees and hinged ankles with an ankle pivot. Whew, that's a lot all together, and it's pretty amazing work.

The sculpt is fantastic, with even the battle scars scratched across it's surface. The orange is muted, the blue metallic, the scratches, which are all painted, are silver. Even his tiny little green eye is painted crisply, which is something a big company like Hasbro can mess up sometimes.

Characters like Slade and Firefly get the lion's share of accessories for this wave, which would explain
how people like Deadshot and Killer Croc get nothing. Slade gets his sword, his ballistic staff (which allows him to fight like a slower, harder Robin from Arkham City) and what looks to be a Desert Eagle with tactical rails. They're all very well done, get a few paint apps, and all fit well in his hands, which is the best part. All of them are made of a slightly bendy plastic, but still be careful of snapping them.

I was looking forward to getting this Slade as the original one from the DC Batman Unlimited line was such a waste of time. I got him for cheap online with no accessories (That sword is from a Marvel Legend) and he was a bust. The DC Collectable version is better in every way, from scale, paint, artcicualtion and accessories. Hell, his pistol is even better that the one they gave the Unlimited Version (UGH). But the best bit about Slade is that he's the most heavily packed in the wave, so you'll most likely be able to pick him up, and I strongly suggest that you do.


Ant Reviews DC Collectables Arkham Origins Deadshot

Last year (or is it the year before that? I hate how TV shows have to cut their seasons up) could be considered a good year for Deadshot. Arrow is a show that gets better and better, but early on they had a rocky intro of Floyd Lawton into the show. His first appearance had him looking like a Power Rangers villain, with this dumb huge eye thingy, but his second appearance (written by Geoff Johns no less) was much better, as was his eye thingy, which was more streamlined , and his eye thingy, got better as the show went on, and he's set to make an appearance in the new suicide squad led by shitty new 52-esque sexy Amanda Waller. His Russian episode, Deadshot's third ep, was pretty great, an episode which helped reinforce his mercenary mentality, as opposed to the serial killer style they had previously implied. So, he was on TV and also in Arkham Origins, which is where this figure comes from.

Created by Bob Kane, David Vern Reed Lew Schwartz in 1950, Floyd Lawton is the quintessential gun for hire. Known for his crappy moustache and ice cold demeanour, Deadshot has been portrayed best in cartoon from, first by Michael Rosenbaum in Justice League (who used a great, calm psychopathic Kevin Spacey impersonation) and by Jim Meskimen in the excellent Gotham Knight short (really worth checking out). He originally started as a would-be vigilante superhero, dressed in top-hat and tails, only to be ousted by Bats and Gordon as a would-be king of the underworld. Afterwards, as an assassin, he dressed in a silly red jumpsuit with a crazy eye attachment. Go figure.

Come to the Arkham games, and with an appearance in Asylum as a great little factoid sheet accessed via a Riddler clue, Floyd made a bigger impact in City, where he was an assassin out to get Bruce Wayne and all those who helped created Arkham City itself, who were made prisoners inside its walls. In that game he was a series of interesting detective missions where you can see how crazy his shots really are.

We first caught a glimpse of this new Deadshot in the amazing cinematic trailer for Arkham Origins. There, he uses a sniper rifle to attack Batman and deny Deathstroke the million dollar kill. Unfortunately that whole scene doesn't actually happen in the game, though I think he did use a rifle for a murder. When you face him in his boss match, he unfortunately has goons working for him, but they serve to make the mission way harder and help illustrated the lazer sight gimmick his famous wrist guns have as they bounce around the room. Taking him out required a lot of patience, and was harder than the City version which was pretty straight forward.

The silhouette is much different from the classic costume (thank god) and the Arkham City version, as they the colours are very different. At least he doesn't have an open mask (or that beautiful eye...). This version is very much grounded in reality, as the clothing isn't that outlandish. It's cold weather gear, his classic mask recreated as a ski mask. He has a headset, his great, streamlined laser eye, and his wrist guns. It's a great look, nailing all elements of the character that make him unique but changing the rest. It implies that he's smart as he changes everything but the tools but adapts to the environment; in City, he modified a prisoner's outfit, in Origins he's dressed in order to brave Gotham's X-mas snowstorm.

The articulation is plentiful, much, much better than the City version, though the issue here is the range of motion, not the number of joints. He's got a ball-jointed head, torso and shoulders, swivel-hinge elbows, writs and waist joints. He has a thigh cut, double jointed knees and a boot cut swivel. For his feet he has a swivel hinge ankle with an ankle pivot, which surprised me. The only problem with it all is the lack of range of motion with these joints, they're good enough but not stunning.

The paint is impeccable. I've used that word a lot but the paint across all figures have been great. The paint is sharp and vibrant when it needs to be, with little to no bleed or smudge, and the washes they've used make the sculpted elements pop and add depth. It's very pretty. The sculpt, likewise, is solid as hell. My one gripe is that the guns are very soft in their sculpt, but that can't be helped as they're at a very small scale and the paint covers and softens a lot of that detail.

He unfortunately has no accessories. I'd like his sniper rifle, or the one they have in the game, or the one from the cinematic trailer, but seeing as that scene never really happened I guess we shouldn't get it. What you see is what you have to fight in the game anyway, for what it's worth.

So, a solid figure of a design I love. Floyd's pretty hard to come by, by my estimates he's about one per case, or something likewise really small.  Of the three stores I visited, I only saw him once (that's the one I bought) and even my favourite place to buy figures didn't have any left, and they had about 4 of everyone else. So if you liked him in the game, or like him in general, this is, I think, the least stupid of his costumes to be made into a figure so if you see him for a good price pick him up.


Saturday 1 March 2014

Ant Reviews DC Collectables Arkham Origins Firefly

Like a few of the characters in this wave, Firefly had an appearance on TV recently before popping up in the game. Unfortunately his was one of the weakest appearances on Arrow. He was just a slightly burned crazy firefighter who lit buildings on fire, and his ep featured one of the worst fights on Arrow ever, with GA fly-foxing in and essentially getting whupped by a loser dressed as a firefighter. It wasn't his finest moment.

Created in 1952 Ed Herron and Dick Sprang, the original creation was a failed pyro special effects guy. He used a combination of flame and visual effects to commit crimes, so he was closer to Spiderman's Mysterio than anything else. In the game he's a pyro maniac who seems to derive pleasure from burning his flesh, which is all nice and lovely. He's a lesser known Batvillain, but his flame motif compliments the 'elemental' villains like Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy in the rogues gallery.

Interesting bit of trivia: In Batman the Animated Series he was voiced by Mark Rolston, who actually plays Deathstroke in Arkham Origins, Lex Luthor in Young Justice and played Drake in James Cameron's Aliens. In Arkham Origins he's played by Crispin Freeman, who is known for playing Red Arrow in Young Justice.

In the game he's a great villain. He attacks Gotham's Pioneer Bridge, and unfortunately, like Anarky and Deadshot, has goons to help him. He bombs a few areas, ruining the bridge as you make your way across and through it. Ultimately he fights you with his flame thrower and fire grenades, all the while taunting you with fire-based puns. Ohh it's annoying. When Bats gets his hand on him he smashes his visor with his fists, exposing his charred and burnt face, (which could turn up as variant in the future) its very satisfying. The whole thing actually has the vibe more of a Spiderman vs. Green Goblin fight than a Batman battle, but that's what makes it great as it breaks up some of the sameyness that a lot of the game tends to have.


The Design was always a man in a fire retardant suit, with a jetpack. He always leaned more towards a fire guy first, flying guy second, which goes back to the
SFX stunt-man origins of the character. The game switches that, giving him more of a fighter pilot feel, and the fluro elements to the costume call to mind a firefighters outfit. The goggles maintain the 'bug' element.

He has ball-jointed shoulders, swivel hinge elbows, swivel wrists, no waist, ball-jointed hips and single hinge knees, no ankle articulation which would be good for flight poses. . His trigger finger is unaccommodating for the flame thrower's trigger. The ball-jointed head can't move because of the high, stiff collar. Its all disappointing, especialy compared with Deathstroke and Anarky.

His accessories are his jet pack wings and his flamethrower. The wings are very well done and have a nice techy futuristic feel. Nice paint apps of the yellow warning areas make them pop. They slot into the back, but I've had to bluetac one of them in as it's a bit loose. I wont glue it as storing it may be a bitch in future. The cord connecting the flamethrower came out of mine, which I dont think was intentional, but the thing with the articulation being so limited is that you can't get him in any poses outside simply holding the damn thing.


So yeah, a big step down in terms of articualtion, but the wingspan is impressive and the sculpt makes up for it. He's basically what you wanted out of this version of the character, so if you enjoyed fighting him in the game pick him up, but for the casual shopper you can give it a miss.



Ant Reviews DC Collectables Arkham Origins Anarky

I’m doing action figures now. So here goes…

Arkham Origins is a game that makes itself hard to love. A good game overall, interesting story with great interpretations of classic characters, but with largely samey gameplay and a litany of bugs so annoying and game breaking that it’s shook my confidence in new games and consoles and everything technological for fear of day-one screw ups and unplayablility. But I digress. 

2013 was a good year for Anarky. He got an appearance in both a video game and in the TV show Beware the Batman. In that show his costume was classic looking, retro outfit in all white. The first episode Anarky shows up there’s a reoccurring chessboard motif in the visuals, with Batman’s all black, representing order, with Anarky’s all white representing chaos. 


But this badboy represents Lonnie Machin, a teenage anarchist who rebells against the corrupt system of Gotham City and contemporary US society as a whole. Created in 1989 by Alan Davis and Norm Breyfogle, Anarky was originally a crazy improvisor, who would cause chaos and unrest, making it up as he goes along. In the game he's a manipulator with thugs who plans ahead, but the idea, in spirit, is the same. This new version represents a modern, more up to date Occupy Wall-street/Anonymous reinterpretation, and with that he gets an updated costume.

The original costume was a long scarlet hood with a had on top and his identity obscured by a white, blank face mask. That silhouette is maintained, without that hat, but even more so the design incorporates all that Anarky represents in this new context. He's wearing a hoodie, which these days represents not only rioting, political unrest and chaos, but or teen criminality. The imagery of the hooded teen and the danger that represents now replaces the mohawked punk as the iconic image for the-teen-thug-as-moral-panic that has been represented in movies like Attack the Block, Harry Brown and Dredd. He's also wearing a bright orange bandana around his neck, so he could pull it up over his face if he wasn't already wearing a mask. So, in short, it works for him. 

He's wearing a thick padded jacket, which again works for the character. The original costume was interesting as he wore a rig that elevated the mask above where his head should be to make him look like a man, and not a scrawny teenager. The padded jacket fulfils this purpose as it disguises his actual body shape. It's a great way of streamlining and updating his silhouette. Add to that he's also carrying a backpack, further driving home his teen appearance. 

Now to the figure. DC Collectables has upped their game from series 1 in paint, sculpt and articulation overall. Series 1 which featured and great articulated Batman, but with barely articulated Black Mask and Joker. Bane had good articulation, but was hindered by the sculpt. Some of those issues are present in this new series, but never the less, Deathstroke and Deadshot (which i'll review later) turned out pretty great.

The paint is impeccable. The figure is cast in that lovely dark red, with a bit of a wash to bring out the details. The mask is a smooth glossy white, and all details are covered, from the straps on his backpack, to the buttons on his jacket, to the rage-against-the-machine fist on his kneecap to even the safety pins hanging on the backpack you wouldn't notice unless you looked. It's impressive work. 

The articulation is good. He has swivel wrists, hinge elbows, balljoint shoulders and head, swivel waist, swivel hinge crotch joints (which is a great new thing DC Collectables is doing. DC Direct was famous for not adding them and they're showing up now more and more since DC Universe Classics died). He also has double hinged knees and a boot-cut swivel, no ankle articulation. 

Now's a good time to mention that he's made of mixed materials, with a lot of important parts of him made up of a rubber-like substance. His hood is made of rubber, and can be exposed to show his shaved head and sculpted ears. The bag straps, loose suspenders, belt and pouch are soft, but the most impressive bit is the sleeves. Those sleeves of his padded jacket are soft rubber with skeletal, clear plastic arms underneath for articulation. The design is preserved and the articulation is present. It's something no one expected or asked for but it's a nice surprise. And when i sat the sculpt is amazing, believe it; there's multiple textures throughout, all individually sculpted, even the rubber sleeves have the same texture as the hard plastic jacket. 


The only accessory he gets is a molotov cocktail, the classic tool for a chaotic rioter. The accelerant looks to be a dark liquid of some kind, and the fire trail out the top is painted and made of clear plastic. It's a cool accessory, but not the greatest. His open hand can't hold it all that well, as the flame affect is too heavy and the hand too loose, so it falls out a lot. The link between the flame piece and the bottle is very thin and I could see it breaking sometime in the future. It's great that he has it, and when you face him in the game he lobs them at you as you face his goons.. Another great accessory would be a purple stun stick that he fights you with, but this will do.

So, all in all a great design recreated in a surprisingly good figure and worth it if you can pick him up. He seems to be packed like 2 to a box. Deathstroke is the 'Batman' of this wave, so he's packed the most and Deadshot's packed the least, and everyone else is in between.

Say what you will about that infuriatingly broken mess of a game, but the characters and the designs were great, and now the figures are too. It seems like DC Collectables have moved into a NECA-like production level with sculpt, articulation and sculpt, and I couldn't be more pleased.