Series 1 Arkham Asylum Batman by DC Direct

I've never played the Arkham Asylum video game for Xbox 360- I just don't have time for another hobby. I have seen previews online, and have a couple friends who plan on getting Arkham City this October, so I will get to give that a run through. This is, without a doubt, the best representation of The Dark Knight ever produced in this scale- certainly the best I've ever seen from DC Direct, and exactly like the Batman in the game. The details in his sculpt and paint applications are amazing. It's as though Batman is standing right there, the eyes so life-like it's almost unnerving!  In a word, he's bitchin'...

I'm not usually one for pupiled eyes on Batman, being a fan of comics and the white slits for eyes of most of their masked characters, but the peepers look so glassy and realistic on this figure that it's appreciated

I actually saw the Mattel Arkham Asylum Batman/Harvey Dent two-pack in Target a few days ago- the Batman didn't hold a candle to this figure. The articulation on this is what you would expect from a DC Direct:  pretty simple. Batman has a ball joint at the neck, a ball-hinge at the shoulders, swivel at the tops of his forearm & hinge guards, pins at the elbows & knees, and T-style hips. He's quite sturdy without his base, in spite of his large cape.

The sculpt on this figure possesses both the correct proportions and the right amount of small details to give the illusion of reality without overcrowding the outfit. I mentioned the eyes, and another good example of this being the thin plate lines running along the bodysuit sections and small rivets that decorate throughout.  The minute detail on the the utility belt contrasted against the larger organic shapes of the thighs and stomach also contribute to reality scaling. The head is the right size and his build is "correct"... if you are an Olympic level athlete or physically extraordinary that is. Arkaham Batman comes with a nice little batarang that folds as well- a nice touch.

I love the heavy combat boots with shin guards on this outfit. Batman's armor appointments here seem less exhaustive than the Chrisian Bale outfit, keeping the simplicity of the character's original design while rendering him updated for modern urban conflict. When I got the New Krypton Superman back in February, I noticed an upward trend in the detail on DC Direct's 7" figures, and they have most definitely continued here with the fine art of the action figure. Just beautiful...

Michael Crawford over at Captain Toy had some unsightly scuffs on the body he got, but mine suffers from none of this. There is some minor paint slop, but nothing you can see easily see from a couple feet away. There is some uneven wash near the chin around the left of the mouth that seems pronounced when the lighting is right, but nothing major. One of the forearm scallops/fins was bent in packaging and likes to curl up, and he has a shiny burnish mark across the left side of his head, but nothing that kills it. Pretty tight.

You'd be hard pressed to find a better Batman figure than his- if I had to keep only one in this scale, it would be this guy. DC Direct doesn't have the articulation that my DCUC All-Star Batman has, but he looks amazing!  My DC Direct Reactivated Series 1 Batman looks like a clown next to the Arkham Batman...

There's a Series 2 armored version of this that looks equally cool, as does the Series one Joker and Harley Quinn which I like as well. Or maybe you'd prefer the Bane or Scarecrow. Whatever your taste, I'd reccomend at least one of this line by DC Direct, if only Batman.

Be a Good Kid- Go Play With Your Toys!