Review – DC Universe Classics Man-Bat

Mattel’s DC Universe Classics action figure series (Amazon.com search*) never was easy to find at retail, and the Walmart exclusive waves drove some collectors completely nuts . . . and made some scalpers very happy. I got lucky, though, with the wave ten DC Universe Classics Man-Bat* and found him in a Walmart when he was released. And I’m glad I did, because this is one massive and fun action figure.

That’s a Lot of Plastic

Standing about 7-inches tall, the DC Universe Classics Man-Bat* would tower over other figures if he wasn’t so hunched over and ready to hide in the shadows. Open those wings out and you get an impressive 15-inch wingspan from the big guy, making him really pop out of any DC Universe Classics action figure display. The size of the toy is truly impressive and I’m happy to have found one, though I bet designing the packaging and cramming all of the toy in the standard-size blister was a little challenging.

Articulation

The first thing you notice when playing with the DC Universe Classics Man-Bat* action figure is that his articulation is unlike other DC Universe Classics figures. Those wonky hips are gone, for one, but with this an entirely unique sculpt to the character Mattel went a different route with the articulation than we find in other DC figures of theirs.

Let’s take a run through the articulation . . .

• Head – Ball-jointed neck. The sculpt obstructs the head’s range of movement so Man-Bat cannot look up all that well.
  
• Torso – Waist swivel and ab crunch joints.
  
• Arms – Swivel-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, and swivel-hinge wrists. For some reason those shoulder joints feel really weak and it almost feels like the plastic is going to shred if I move the arms too much.
  
• Legs – T-joint hips, hinge knees, and hinge ankles are it. The lack of a thigh swivel really limits the poseability and, I think, is part of what makes the toy feel so unlike other DC Universe Classics action figures.

Generally, the DC Universe Classics Man-Bat* action figure has plenty of articulation, it just isn’t as articulated as other figures in the line.

Sculpt

The toy may not have as much articulation as other DC Universe Classics action figures, but considering the DC Universe Classics Man-Bat* is a completely different sculpt with all unique parts I can say: I don’t care about the articulation differences. Ultimately, it’s the beautiful sculpt of this action figure — along with its size — that makes this a winning design and a toy any Batman fan should add to their collection. I love the texturing across the body and that head sculpt is incredible. Great sculpting work!

Paint

As the Man-Bat reviews at It’s All True and The Fwoosh show us, this brown-painted DC Universe Classics Man-Bat* is a completely different color than the albino SDCC version that was released in 2007. And I’ve gotta say that as much as I’d like that albino version on my shelf I’m much happier that this more standard version of the character is the one Mattel released in Walmart.

All of the paintwork is wonderful, with the body covered in a light drybrushing that helps pull out all of those sculpted details. And even the eyes and teeth look great; just click on any of the photos above and take a close look at the toy for an idea of just what a remarkable job Mattel did in painting this amazingly sculpted action figure.

Closing Thoughts

Mattel’s DC Universe Classics Man-Bat* action figure is (IMO) one of the best of the DC Universe Classics toys. The unique sculpt and large size of the toy makes it a special figure in what was mostly a sea of re-used, mix and match, and repainted action figures. That method of toy production works fine when you’re making your seventh Batman variant, but I’ve gotta thank Mattel for not trying to shoehorn Man-Bat into one of their other basic bodies.

Highly recommended to all of the Batman fans out there . . . but now I do kinda wonder what that SDCC version of the toy would cost me.