Batman Arkham City Legacy Edition Nightwing & Harley Quinn

I was really impressed with the new Batman Arkham City Legacy Edition figures by Mattel! There weren't a lot of these on the pegs when I found them at Target for $15.99 a pop over a week ago, surprised to have seen them, as I hadn't only a week before. Unlike some of the figures of the previous waves, Nightwing & Harley have accessories, and the paint apps are more sophisticated than your average DC Universe Classics figure. Again we are treated to the exceptional packaging this line features, including some dynamic photography on the side panel & backing card bio.

Nightwing & Harley Quinn come with bat emblazoned bases similar to the other figures in the Batman Legacy line, their names printed on a glossy sticker neatly applied inside the recessed slot around the front. While the peg is still annoyingly short, these seem to fit more tightly into the holes on these two figures.

Again we get a 6 3/4 x 10 1/4" mini print with each. A standard 8 x 10" for framing would have been preferable, but they're pretty cool, albeit easily torn- so be patient removing the rubber bands. Harley's is the best as she's featured in the art...

I was most jazzed about this Nightwing, Dick Grayson being a favorite character of mine, whether as Robin or the grown, independent protector of Blüdhaven, south of  Gotham City. Dismissed from the role of Robin at eighteen, Batman directs Dick to the socioeconomically poor municipality to investigate murders linked to Gotham City gangster Black Mask. Discovering rampant corruption within the city's police department, Nightwing joined the force himself under his civilian identity of Dick Grayson and fought the corruption from within.

With a little patience and great skill, I was able to get Dick into a variety of fun poses. He enjoys the same articulation as a typical DC Universe Classics figure, though due to his more detailed sculpt, his range of motion is more limited. This is most noticeable in his shoulders, where wear the shoulder pads meet his torso. I like the sculpt so much that I don't really miss it.

Like the Mattel DCUC Nightwing, Dick comes with a pair of pair of Eskrima truncheons, these molded in black plastic. He holds these somewhat loosely, like his DCUC counterpart, but good enough for posing. There are, however, no clips on his back to store the accessories. I'm thankful they gave him his weapons, unlike the Mattel Arkham City Robin that was missing his staff (FAIL!)

The texture of Nightwing's body suit is gorgeously detailed, emulating a Kevlar weave, small silver rivets accentuating the sections of his body armor throughout. The black to blue shading in his arms and chest insignia are beautifully graduated! Like the Arkham City Batman, Dick's irises are visible through the eye holes in his mask, delicately highlighted in blue, further unifying his color scheme. He's a beauty!

Dick is taller than his comic book counterpart, my DCUC All-Star Nightwing. I actually own three Nightwings, the other being the Toys 'R Us exclusive "Renegades" version in red & brown I've left in packaging. While comparisons are inevitable, the DCUC enjoys a wider range of motion in his shoulders, elbows, knees & ankles, but the paint apps on the Legacy Nightwing are superior. Additionally, the Legacy Nightwing seems to have a more realistic, leaner physique. In the end, they both have they're own thing going on, and are uniquely decent renditions of the character.

Harley here is perhaps one of, if not THE best 6" female action figures Mattel has ever produced. She enjoys the kind of paint apps that was putting DC Direct ahead of Mattel before.  And her sculpt is just as impressive; the raised piping down through her legs, buckles, studded bracelets, belt, and collar also delicately painted to make this bad girl come to life.

She doesn't have an abdominal crunch joint, but does have a swivel below her lower corset strap. Harley's thigh swivel is conveniently hidden at the top of her boots, and though her belt chain hinders the lateral movement of her right leg, the combination of little details like this combined with her DCUC level articulation are giving DC Direct a run for their money. 

Harley's belt chain can serve as a holster for her baseball bat, which is made of a softer plastic that came out a little warped, but at least has paint apps to match the figure. Harley can hold her weapon easily in a variety of positions, so I'm sure most of you dorks will pose were with it in hand. Like Nightwing, Harley doesn't have any backward tilt in her neck, but she can look down at you... after she's given you a good whacking  :D

Getting up close on this girl, her small details really start to set her apart; her flawlessly painted little face, the thong strap stretched across her right hip, her impossibly tiny tattoos. Some may not be a fan of her somewhat blank stare, but it was flawlessly executed. Just... Wow...

Again, this Legacy Edition Harley is larger than the comic book females in previous waves- here she is with Wave 2 Legacy Batgirl...

Nightwing and Harley fit in pretty well with my DC Direct Arkham City Batman and Robin, aside from Harley being a bit too large. Mattel released an Arkham City Nightwing & Joker 2-pack and DC Direct released their own Harley Quinn that is very much like Mattel's.

More Later- Make It FUN!