The S.H. Figuarts Batman was the first Bandai Justice League release. It was also their first attempt at a Bat-Fleck, having been beaten in every form by Mafex to market. It’s almost as if a Figuarts Batman would have nothing to “say.” Bandai would really have to come to the plate swinging for the fences. Did they?
Meh.
I wasn’t thrilled with the solicits but as I know I’ve mentioned, I’m a sucker for scale. So if I could have a Figuarts Justice League to stand next to my Figuarts Avengers, that’s awesome. Besides Cyborg, who I’m holding out hope for a special announcement. It just seems like such a small team to make. Five people.
“No. Here’s four for no reason at all. You’re welcome.”
Thanks, Bandai. How did you know we all love not having complete teams?
Ben Affleck co-starred with Henry Cavill’s invisible mustache in this past summer’s buster sans block, Justice League.
I should note, the majority of the pictures will be with the torso mod done (removing the factory ball joint and replacing it with a longer one). I tried doing it myself and instead made Batman’s torso floppy. It was perfect before I sanded everything down.
I finally gave up and bought a ball joint a fellow made on his 3D printer (I think. I didn’t ask. It’s possible they’re made from the souls of Bruce Wayne’s parents. That would be delicious). I found him on Instagram. He goes by Danscustomsca.
For reference, Chadwick Boseman is 6’0 tall, Will Smith is 6’3 and Ben Affleck is 6’4.
Ready to get going? Holy Batman’s, Batman! So am I!
What’s in Figuarts Batman’s box?
We get the figure, four sets of hands: a set of fists, a set of Batarang holding hands, a set of grappling gun holding hands and finally, an open or neutral set of hands. We also get a Batarang, a grappling gun and a tiny side attachment for said grappling gun. Want some close-ups? Well, I’m not that kind of gal.
But I’ll show you some pictures. Of Batman, pervert. My eyes are up here.
What doesn’t work with Figuarts Batman?
This is not my first mention of this, but no extra face sculpt, Bandai? The wires in the cape don’t seem to hold a pose well, which kind of defeats the purpose of having them, no? Last but not least, the big one.
Bandai? Are you listening? Probably not. I barely listen to me. Regardless, here we go… if a very large number of people who purchase your figure have to purchase aftermarket items or do modifications because of something as simple as you getting the height so so wrong, you need to re-evaluate. Obviously, your customers care.
What works with Figuarts Batman?
The sculpt on the costume is not bad at all. Granted, it’s a fairly straightforward look. The one face sculpt we did get looks nicely done, but I would have liked to have seen a five o’clock shadow on him. I know, I know, there’s an actual scene with him shaving, but I like my Batman disheveled. The detail on the weapons is smooth. Be careful when swapping out the side of the grappling gun. That piece looks like its begging to be lost. His articulation scheme is straightforward for what we’d expect from Figuarts, although in order to get the legs fully apart, they look super odd to me. Not a good or a positive, just noting.
Should you buy Figuarts Batman?
I hate saying this, mainly because it means I had to find out with my own money, but this is not a great figure. When you get used to the exceptional quality that Bandai usually releases (oh, there have been missteps… I know), you get numb to the amazing and hypersensitive to the benign. Which is what this figure is… benign. It’s not horrible. It won’t hurt you. It didn’t kill Batman’s parents (man, I love a good orphan joke). But it also isn’t going to knock your socks off the way, say, the Padme figure did either. I want a Figuarts Justice League, which is why I picked this up. However, unless you are a completionist, or like me, want your teams to scale well (and really, this doesn’t even do that until you mod it), there are not a whole lot of reasons to pick it up. I like it. It looks good on my shelf, but it could have been more. He doesn’t fall apart nor do I see any bad paint apps. However, in this price range, that shouldn’t be the nicest thing I have to say about a figure.
If you’re still looking to pick him up, you can get him here:
And as always, enjoy a couple more pics!
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