Although not a major character throughout DC Comics' history, Sportsmaster has created a few more fans from his appearance on the Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon. Has Mattel actually made a good figure in this line, or does somebody need to blow the whistle on yet another lackluster release? Read on and find out if Sportsmaster commits any fouls (forgive these ridiculous puns, they've totally taken over review introductions).

Name: Sportsmaster
Line: Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Retail: $7.99-$8.99; Online: $9.99-18.99
Scale: 5.00 in. (figure is 5.00 in. tall)
Accessories: Football bazooka
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$16.99

     Sportsmaster features an angled and blocky sculpt, reminiscent of the animated style; his shoulders avoid the wonky look of other figures thanks to the large shoulderpads; he features uniquely molded pieces separate from past figures (gloved hand, armored left arm, padded shoulders, and a new head sculpt); there are small details like grooves in his armor, but other spots are devoid of it, such as the terribly disappointing painted on whistle, which should have been sculpted in; paint is actually often used where sculpting would have look much better and cartoon-accurate; the head has strong features and crisp lines, as well as a sculpted mask and cuts in his hair to simulate strands; Sportsmaster has a generally attractive silhouette, because the enormous holes aren't as distracting as other figures in the line, they actually fit into his sculpt seemlessly when seen from the front or back, and still yet look awful from the side; the acessory has some details, but ends up hollow (literally) and a tad soft in important spots.

Sculpt Score: 6 / 10

 

     The white areas take on the color beneath them too much; lines are mostly straight, but there is noticeable bleed at some cut points, as well as fuzzy edges at others; whistle is very cleanly applied (except for a splotch on his left shoulder), but should be sculpted in along with the pads on his knees, thighs, and chest; the straps for his painted chest pads don't continue on to his back, making him feel like a cheap, half-painted bootleg; the purple on his chest is much deeper than on his legs due to differing plastic types; face is quite well done, which seems to be the standard amidst poor body-work in this line; acessory is cast in a slightly glimmering plastic, but the football is very sloppily painted; his colors do actually look good together and match those in the animation.

Paint Score: 6 / 10

 

     Only a few points (detailed above); it's hard to pose him in any interesting fashion with or without his enormous accessory; his hip joints feel gummy because of a tight sculpt socket above them, also limiting their range of motion; no points are broken or too loose; a few more joints would have made him a lot more enjoyable to move around; the articulation doesn't infringe on the sculpt too much, in part because there are so few points to steal away from the visuals.

Articulation Score: 4 / 10

 

     Sportsmaster is not a well-known character, especially with this design, but he is a part of a popular cartoon, which helps make any toy more enjoyable; he includes an accessory that's relevent to the character (a football launching bazooka), and yet Mattel blew it by not actually making it function, it's just one solid piece; the holes meant for accessories to plug into are almost useless, as his acessory doesn't make sense anywhere other than plugged into his back and it's too large to naturally fit within his hand; instead the various holes just ruin any joy you might get from looking at the figure; the articulation is too limited to entertain for long and posing him on the shelf is a brief and boring task; the packaging doesn't add anything in this category due to a lack of biography or statistics.

Fun Score: 4 / 10

 

     The price is reasonable at retail for a 5 inch figure that's built as well as Sportsmaster is; he can stand up to fair amounts of abuse; interesting character selection that might intrigue some, but not the average collector; there are some unique molds implemented here, instead of the same pieces seen over and over again as seen in other parts of the line; he includes a good-sized accessory, though it ends up frustratingly disappointing as opposed to achieving its full potential; there are no other extras, and the packaging is nothing particularly worth keeping; the toy isn't that much fun, and money may be better spent elsewhere. 

Value Score: 6 / 10 

54 / 100 - This is a Fair Toy

Sportsmaster won't be making my Hall of Fame anytime soon. I'm pleased to see a more unique sculpt from the line, yet his lack of articulation and fun really limit him as a figure and athlete. 

-The Articulated One

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