DC Universe Classics All-Stars New 52 Batman

 I am bit late to the DC Classics line. It somehow managed to pass me almost completely by, despite me spending lots of time looking at toy websites, being in toy and comic shops and reading lots of DC comics during the time of its existence.

It was probably mostly down to me having most of the key members of the Justice League in plastic form already, and not being the type to usually own multiple versions of characters. Also, trying to save money was a big factor, and slow down toy spending. I do own a couple of them, but they are more recent purchases, to replace the DC Direct versions.

That is source of regret now, as I am discovering just how amazing they were.

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 After the lines demise at retail Mattel have tried to reboot it in stores under many guises. One of which was the quite quickly aborted DC Universe Classics All Stars line - which is where this Batman figure came from.

The design is based off the New 52 reboot version of Batman. So it has the new suit, complete with lines, and more armoured feel.

Whilst I am more of a fan of the Jim Aparo era Batman costume, as that was my first introduction to Batman, this costume still looks great. Its translated nicely into plastic form. The one oddity being that the lined parts below the abs, don't seem to match up with any lines on the upper torso. But it is a very good looking figure, and makes for a great Batman.

The grey is a really nice dark shade, which matches Batman perfectly. The raised bat symbol on the chest looks fantastic, and the detail is all really nice. There's some really nice detailing around the gauntlets and boots in particular, which are done in a nice shiny black plastic.

There is also some blue highlighting done on the interior of the cape. Being as its behind Batman, its not immediately noticeable - but its a nice touch none the less.

 

Speaking of the cape, it has some great detailing on the back. It looks very leathery, and is made from a nice pliable plastic. So you can still pose him, and it doesn't block anything.

The head sculpt is very good, and perfectly captures Batman looking very much like a detective. He has a good scowl, and you can just imagine he is having to listen to an old lady on the bus telling him how things were different when she was a kid.

He also has the smaller pointy ears, which makes a real difference to the look.

He has all the articulation you would expect from a DC Classics figure. Head on a ball joint, rotating shoulders, swivel biceps and wrists, elbow joint, ab crunch, waist swivel, t shaped joint on the hips for awesome outward movement, swivel above the knee, knee bend and the ankles can move backwards and forwards, but not side to side.

I love the articulation on Mattel's DC Universe figures, its superb and doesn't really interrupt the sculpt which is nice.

You can get some cracking poses out of him, and the figure comes alive when posed with others. The articulation really lends itself to play time.

One interesting thing is the balance. As above, you can get some good poses out of him, but a lot of the time you may need help in the form of a stand. Which oddly he doesn't come with.

It seems really strange that in this day an age a figure like this doesnt come with a stand, or even any accessories at all. It doesn't really impact the figure, its just a bit of a shame there's no stand to help pose him, or a batarang to stick in his hand.

  

In summary I am really glad I picked this guy up, if not a little late. Its a wonderful Batman figure, who looks good posed just about anywhere in any figure collection

If only the Classics line had survived a while longer. 

This figure was released in Mattel's latest attempt to reboot the line, in Batman Unlimited. But it was given a lighter more metallic paint job. I much prefer this flatter colour scheme, as it would be far more useful to Batman, and just looks nicer. Imagine a shiny Batman trying to sneak around criminals....shining bright like a disco ball.