Review – DC Total Heroes Batman

Some incredible blend of Mattel’s Power Attack Batman series (Amazon.com search*) and Batman Unlimited action figures (Amazon.com search*) smashed together to bring the Total Heroes Batman to life, and I’m quite happy with the resulting toy. With articulation somewhere between those two lines, a cloth cape, and a G.I. Joe Sigma Six-like vibe Mattel has produced a Batman all of you should buy today.

Mattel’s latest action figure series, DC Total Heroes (Amazon.com search*), feels to me as if the company is trying to bridge the child’s toy with the adult collectible, incorporating enough articulation for poseability fans while keeping things stylized and streamlined enough that the look is fun and the playability is still strong. I’ve no clue what goals were set before the design team at the start of this line, but I can imagine something like this was brought up:

“Reduce costs without negatively affecting poseability. Give the heroes a comic book-look without going too cartoony. Be awesome.”

Articulation

Starting with what most of you reading care most about, the DC Total Heroes Batman* action figure features:

• Head – Ball-jointed neck.
  
• Torso – Swivel waist.
  
• Legs – Swivel/hinge hips, hinged knees and ankles.
  
• Arms – Swivel/hinge shoulders and elbows, swivel wrists.

Now many of you are automatically screaming for an ab crunch, some sort of swivel ankles, a double-hinge or two . . . but wait! This figure only cost me $10, stands 6-inches tall, and when you look down the page a bit I think you’ll agree that it fits in well with other Mattel 6-inch Batman action figures. And if you’ve bought any 6-inch DC Universe toys from Mattel in the last year then you know $10 is a good price.

Accessories

The DC Total Heroes Batman* action figure comes with two Batarangs which clip to the back of his belt (see above pic, right) and a grapple gun. The accessories are decent, but the closed right fist means that Batman is forever a lefty.

He also has a cape, which you can see and I wouldn’t mention except for the fact that it’s a cloth cape. I am assuming (maybe wrong) that cloth capes are less to produce than plastic capes, which means I strongly suspect that the cape is just one more place where Mattel shaved some costs in order to keep the toy at a more reasonable price than the $15 to $20 we’re starting to see for mass-produced 6-inch scale action figures.

Paint

One nice thing for toy makers when it comes to Batman is that the toy often needs little in the way of paint apps, and the DC Total Heroes Batman* action figure is no different from other Batman toys when it comes to this step. Molded in gray plastic, the few paint apps are neat, work nicely, and I’ve got no complaints at all with Mattel’s work on the coloring of the figure. But, as always, click any of the pics for larger shots and to see the paint details for yourself.

Closing Thoughts

For the price it’s tough to beat the DC Total Heroes Batman* action figure when compared to other 6-inch scale Batman action figures on the market today, and that fun sculpt makes the toy even cooler and helps it to stand out in any crowd of Batman toys.

I’m quite happy with Mattel’s work on the toy and plan to buy more in the line, though I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I hope to see them produce other Batman costumes for this line. If you were a fan of DC Universe Classics I encourage you to give this line a shot. The price is right, the sculpts are great, and I think that once you get one of these into your hands you’ll see just why I find it a fun toy and a great buy.