Review – Stealth Jumper Batman

Released in 2005, DC Direct’s Stealth Jumper Batman* action figure looks amazing. Decked out for a parachute drop in a costume that first appeared in Batman: Hush*, the Batman action figure here is one of the greatest sculpts DC Direct has done for the character. It is unfortunate that it all falls apart once you stop looking at the toy and start playing with it.

A Perfect Sculpt

I cannot say enough good things about the work sculptor Tim Bruckner put into this Stealth Jumper Batman* action figure. The protective suit is wonderfully textured and every little hose, gimmick, gadget, and bit looks incredible and really works well to give us a Batman that we can be proud to place on our shelves. And even though it was first released in 2005 — eight years ago! — the sculpt holds up well and looks as good as anything DC Collectibles is giving us today.

And if you need even more proof that Bruckner’s sculpt is awesome just click the photos and zoom in for a much closer look at all of the sculpted details. See all of those canisters, buttons, readouts, and straps? Do you see that utility belt? Truly an excellent sculpt and one of the neater Batman variants we could ask for.

Action Figure Stand

Using a classic Batman logo as the inspiration, the Stealth Jumper Batman* action figure even comes with a stand . . . that you’re going to want if you hope to display the figure upright. One flaw with the toy’s design is that it has difficulty standing and even the slightest bump — don’t let the wind blow a door closed near the toy! — topples it unless you use the stand. But since we won’t be placing the toy into any dynamic poses or playing with it much the stand is a very much appreciated accessory.

Articulation

So why won’t the figure be played with much? Because the articulation is a mixed bag of non-fun that doesn’t work for adult collectors or kids who may want to play with Batman. Now I’ve said over and over that five points of articulation works just fine for kids, but when you get to an “adult” collectible like this toy you want a bit more variety. Unfortunately, the Stealth Jumper Batman* action figure seems to be the worst of both worlds.

• Head – Ball-jointed neck. Works decently with an okay range of movement.
  
• Arms – Swivel shoulders and wrists (at the glove line), hinged elbows. Michael Crawford’s review of the toy (read Michael’s review here) states that the toy has ball-jointed shoulders, but if that’s true then my toy has the worst ball joints known to man.
  
• Legs – Swivel hips and hinged knees. Again, where Michael Crawford’s review specifies ball-jointed hips mine are simple swivels; maybe something bad is happening to my toy that prevents these joints from getting their full range of motion?

And that is it for articulation, which would be perfect for kids if the limbs had much movement in them. Those hip joints allow the legs to swing maybe 15 or 20 degrees out . . . and out only at really bizarre angles that don’t help the toy to stand at all. In my opinion, articulation should be either designed for kids — playable, basic, and without too much risk of breakage — or designed for adults who want to set toys up in exciting poses. This toy does neither of those well.

Paintwork

Excellent! The Stealth Jumper Batman* action figure may not have a lot of paint apps, but what it does have are beautifully applied and really help bring out that sculpt. And the blue and gray base suit is classic Batman coloring, which makes the toy look even better in my eyes. I know black’s a popular color for Batman costumes, but I’m old enough that I’ll forever be drawn immediately to a blue and gray Batman

One Last Bit of “Huh?”

The above photos show the toy and how the oxygen gear doesn’t quite connect to the toy’s face. Unlike other toys in which various hoses and stuff connect to a helmet or plug directly into the figure itself we get this weird design decision. Rotate Batman’s head just a little and the mask no longer lines up with his face. Weird. Fortunately, the entire contraption rotates 180 degrees so the hoses hang down. This looks pretty good and is the way I’ll be displaying Batman.

Closing Thoughts

The Stealth Jumper Batman* action figure isn’t one of the better Batman action figures in my collection, but the sculpt of the toy is so awesome that it is one of the better looking of the various Batman action figures on the shelves here at home. The costume design, sculpt, and paintwork are all excellent and this Batman really looks amazing . . . it is just too bad that its design as a toy — the weak articulation choices — brings down what would have otherwise been an awesome toy.