Fire in the sky, can't you see that all my castles are burning? Fire in the sky, won't you help me now my castles are burning. Trapped within the crumbling walls, your naked flame spurs me on. I think that's how the song goes...anyway, when lyrics from the Prince of Darkness himself are weaved into a review, you know the figure has got to be good.

Name: Batgirl
Line: Justice
Manufacturer: DC Direct
Released: 2008
Price: Retail: $5.00-$9.99; Online: $5.95-$19.99
Scale: Who the hell knows... 7 in.?
Accessories: Cookie-Cutter Batarang, and base 
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$17.95

     There have been dark times when I've considered not collecting toys anymore, I then silently thank the toy-gods when masterpieces like this rope me back into the warm folds of their bright colorful capes...well that sounded creepier than I intended. Babs stands a pretty red hair under 6.5 inches tall, not counting those imposing ear-spikes. If you've seen any of Alex Ross's painted artwork, you'll notice how his characters seem to wear simple cloth suits, not composite-fiber meshings or whatever the latest trend is. Here that simple cloth texture is skillfully duplicated and is by no means boring on this figure. You might think "skillfully" is an overstatement because there are only some very choice wrinkles at the ankles/wrists, waist and inner-thighs (those are my favorite), but combined with the exceptionally smooth paint-job, it gives the illusion of a soft form-fitting spandex suit. There's no texturing on the figure's body, it's all perfectly smooth.
     The glossy gloves, boots, and cowl on the other hand look a lot like real vinyl, adding to the retro-look Ross's characters tend to have. No foolin', that cape is awesome, it's very flexible and completely painted, but the paint doesn't chip or rub-off no matter how you bend it. I'm pretty sure the little nicks and dents in the cape aren't intentional, but they add to the realism, vinyl gets nicked very easily and can take on a battered appearance if you're not careful. There are vertical sections on the outside of cape where it looks like stitching may have been implemented, makes it look like the black part was sewed onto the cloth-like yellow underneath. This stuff even feels real. Alright, that's enough pawing at her cape.
     Everything you'd expect to be sculpted/outlined, like the eye-holes, is. The gloves and boot-lines are raised, not just painted, I just hate that bat-design on them so much, lol. Love the hair, it's the most detailed piece on this figure, flowing smoothly from the cowl and resting naturally on her shoulders. There's even a fine seam sculpted onto the border where the mask meets the hair, ladies, now you know how to prevent fray edges on your own super-hero masks. The spikes on the forearms and head are sharp and strong, just the way we like 'em, I'm not too crazy about the belt though. I appreciate that it's floating freely, because I can take better pictures of Bab's sexy hips, but it's a tad generic and there's a big nasty mold-line running all the way acrosss it, much like the DCUC Series 1 Batman. But we gotta understand, some things have to be cast this way to make the manufacturer's job simpler. And speaking of sexy, my goddess look at this figure, she's gorgeous! So elegant, so noble, statuesque yet full of life wth a sparkle in her eye. This Batgirl has a presence, if you're walking by it in the hallway, you know it's there, but doesn't make your skin crawl, it's comforting instead. She looks like a hero, everything about her inspires hope, almost angelic, it's hard to explain. The only problem I had with this figure is the stance because the knees were slightly bent sideways. This boggled my mind because there is only one twisty-tie, at the waist, securing her to the clear cradle. But after shaping them back to normal, Batgirl gets a semi-sassy stance that you can accentuate by slanting the belt. Sass, I love that in a woman...er, angel...uh, figure, right...  

Sculpt Score: 10 / 10

 

     Once in a purple moon do I get a figure with FLAWLESS painting, this was almost one of them. So why the top score? Because this is as good as a mass-produced figure's paint-job can get. Not only that, the mix of gloss and mattes create much needed, um, dynamicism in an otherwise plain (but beautiful) sculpt. You know a reviewer means business when a magnificently-decorated, and ruggedly-handsome, Rogue Scholar such as myself starts making up words...and fictitous adjectives. As mentioned before, the black shell is slick and glossy while the inner yellow lining is matte, giving it a cloth-like touch and appearance. The gloves and boots are yellow, but glossy like the black cape, and so is the bat on the belt (bat-buckle?), but the rest of the belt is matte. The bat-symbol on Barb's ample chest is also glossy, making it look like more vinyl ironed-on to the body-suit's fabric somehow. It's completely flush though and has 100% coverage, not like the yellows and other light colors on some recent DCUC figures. The hair is fantabulous! They either dry-brushed it with care or gave it the best damn dark wash I've ever seen! I never see this kind of careful painting anymore, makes me remember why I used to buy DC Direct figures so much. It's a bit glossy but I guess you can attribute that to being shiny healthy hair, har har. The flessshhhhh, oops, too many Blackest Night comics for me, the flesh is smooth and soft with pretty lips and big bold eyes. Everything is absolutely crisp, only some very minor abberations that you wouldn't notice unless I pointed them out...with my trained, ruggedly-handsome eyes, yarrrr.

Paint Score: 10 / 10

     D'oh! Here's the thing, you dont buy DCD figures for their bountiful articulation, you collect them for their lack thereof because of how streamlined they become without it. You get a more realistic action figure that looks more like a display piece than a Spiderman with rods up his butt due to his 50 points of articulation. We already have an articulated Batgirl from the DCSH line (which looks damn good with this figure's color-scheme, expect that re-release in a 5-pack some time), so I'm not too miffed, but slightly miffed I still be! I can complain about it, but I'd only be doing so half-heartedly because of the sexy sculpt we've been gifted with. Do you really want to see this body riddled with breaks and unnatural spheres just so she can pose like she's tying her shoes? I will say though, there could easily have been a few swivels implemented into the figure without being distracting because black tends to naturally hide joints. I don't even notice the elbow, knee, and hip joints anymore, the shoulders and neck are invisible.
      The cape is very flexible so it's possible to move the arms freely, getting them to stay in any out-stretched position is another feat altogether. The head is, as you may realize by now, not entirely poseable. The neck is a ball-joint, and the head can tilt downwards and swivel side-to-side a bit, but that's all, the hair blocks all other movement. Elbows bend almost 90 degrees, knees a little less, don't even think about moving the legs forward more than 40 degrees or you risk bending the front of her "no-no area" outward. See what happens when I can't be deliberately vulgar call things what they are? "No-No Area", LOL. I would have liked some swivels in the arms and thighs, there could be a swivel at the top of the gloves, A swivel at the waist is a no-brainer since the belt would hide it. Oh well. I find it hard to stand this figure up sometimes, good thing it comes with a base.

Articulation Score: 6 / 10

   

     It may just be my natural ability to see the fun in everything, but I love this figure despite the limited poses and lack of accessories. I'm always amazed when the final product looks exactly like the fluffed-up prototype pictures, this may as well be the artist's proof. You can't really play with this figure because of the lacking articulation, it's a "Collector Action Figure", as the package informs. Isn't "Collectible" more accurate? I guess "Collector" sounds fancier, and this is a fancy box, definitely designed for MOC displayability. You can easily remove Batgirl from the package by sliding out the cradle and untying one twist-tie, but you have to destroy the package to get at the base (it's behind a bubble). You may not need the base and can leave it in there though. The box opens without fuss by snipping the little pieces of tape on the lid.
      Batgirl was given what has to be the lamest batarang ever made. It's not sharp, it's not menacing, it looks like...a child's toy, lol. Like a gumball-machine prize without the gumball and then the machine steals another quarter. It doesn't even fit in either hand, but that's more because the hands are sculpted shut for some reason, despite looking like they're gripping something. They're not fists, they're definitely in a semi-grip, the closed palms may be due to too much paint clogging the hole? Who cares, the batarang sucks anyway. Only having one crappy little accessory doesn't bother me much because of how attractive the main piece is...but I wouldn't mind a grappling-hook with rope, Batgirl just looks so good with that equipment. I think she'd also look great with a crossbow...and an armored suit...and just like that, converting ROC Scarlett into Batgirl becomes my next custom project.    

Fun Score: 7 / 10

 

     Paying the average of $15-$20 for a DC Direct figure always seems worth it to me. You get what is essentially a mini-statue for that price, instead of paying $50 for a mini-bust, which has roughly the same proportions as this scale but is only the upper torso on a pedestal. Suddenly DCD figures seem pretty cheap by comparison. If I had paid $15 for the DCUC Batgirl, I would be super-pissed, here, there is no regret, not even when buying it as a gift for someone else (thanks TAO!) [After the "no-no area" comment, there is some regret. -TAO]. And come on, it's Barbara Gordon, how can you resist? This figure has a fantastically feminine sculpt you can be proud to display anywhere, unlike your Witchblade Anime Gashapon figurines with the noticeably removable top, shaaaame on you! You also get a very cool base packaged along with every Justice figure you buy. It looks like a cracked stone slab on a steel platform. I think it'd be cool if they interconnected somehow, but no such luck. And you will need the base, many DCD figures are heavy and need all the stability they can get.    

Value Score: 8 / 10

 82 / 100 - This is a Great Toy

100 / 100 - This is a Glorious Toy (AKA: The Real Score)

There are so many wild and incredible sculpts churned-out by DC Direct, but sometimes a Redhead simple trumps everything. 

 

 

This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment on this review for a chance to win!

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