Man-Bat is Batman's perfect opposite, and happens to be paired right alongside his anti-doppelganger in Mattel's Wave 10 of the DC Universe Classics line! Does this figure manage to impress, or is he just another boring entry in a long line of Bat-villains? I'm thinking he's going to impress, but read on to see for sure!

Name: Man-Bat
Line: DC Universe Classics, Wave 10, Figure 5
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Fall 2009
Price: Retails: $13.00-$15.00, Online: $50.00+ on Ebay
Scale: 6.00 in. (Figure in 6.50 in. tall when hunched, 7.50 in. tall when extended)
Accessories: None
Collect & Connect Piece: Imperiex's left arm

     Man-Bat is composed of pieces that are actually a few years old, as he was sculpted by the Four Horsemen for the DC Superheroes Line, before DC Universe Classics was actually started. That doesn't mean he won't fit right in with these DCUC figures, because the style is exactly the same, and the Four Horsemen were still unbelievably good, even back then, as evident by the plethora of detail present on Man-Bat. Every thing you see if full of some sort of texture or sculpted physical element like wrinkles or muscles. I can't possibly list all the nifty little intricate visuals, but a few of my favorites are: the leathery texture on his wings, the sharp and defined fur on his back and chest, the taut and natural frabic lines in his pants, and even the texture on his belt. I could take closeup photos of every spot on this figure, and it'd still look impressive because of all these details.
     He's also got an amazing looking overall design, with fantastic bat-like proportions offering up super long arms and animalesque leg bends, along with enormous wings attached to the back of his arms. If you have a problem with the same standard looking superhero characters that show up in the line over and over again, you'll certainly appreciate just how unqiue Man-Bat looks, bringing a lot of diversity to your shelf. Even the type of plastic used on his wings is nice, because it's just a little softer than normal, making it feel rather like an actual bat's wing might (keep in mind, I rarely pet bats). I love his stretched hands and feet, which look very knotted and bony, and his hunched back is a great look too. I really can't think of a single complaint here.
     And to (literally) top it all off, his head sculpt is fantastic too. It looks and feels like his bottom jaw is actually attached as a separate piece, but upon closer inspection, this is just in fact one chunk of plastic. Still though, the jaw can be moved up and down just a little, as if closing his mouth, but since it's not actually articulated, you can't pose it that way. Although, you might be able to alter its location just a little with some hot/cold water and patience. Anyway, onto the actual sculpt of the thing, it too is stunning. There are loads of details, a bat-accurate appearance, textures everywhere, and even a bit of an expression worked into a very non-human face. It's hard to convey personality on something this grotesque, but if you use your imagination, you can probably picture him with the same two expressions I do: a terrifying grimace, or a big goofy smile! It all looks great, and without a single complaint, I think you can figure out what the score will be!

Sculpt Score: 10 / 10

 

     It's rare that a DCUC figure gets a perfect score in the paint section, and it's not quite happening here either, but Man-Bat sure gets close. First off, I love the colors we're getting here. Man-Bat isn't so much brown as he is a grea reddish-brown, coming through in some areas more than others. Relying simply on the color of plastic wouldn't have worked with this figure, because animals are never exactly the same color across their entire bodies, and neither in Man-Bat. He's got some great airbrushing and washes to both vary his fur color and bring out all the great details that are in the sculpting. He looks seriously good, with seemingly natural color patterns. For instance, there's a dark wash along the mane on his back, the perfect red following the frames of his wings, and the lighter brown present on his chest and in his ears, all of which looks amazing. I will admit a few spots have drybrushing applied too thickly and it looks kind of clumped on, particularly along his "feet" and occasionally on the chest, yet the net effect is definitely still a positive. And I have one other complaint that might seem trivial at this point, which is that in person his shoulder pieces are a shade too red, clearly a different color than the biceps beneath or the toro they're attached to. I'm all about the color variation, but this one is too sudden and distinct to look natural; is it a big deal? Of course not, but it's noticeable enough for me to mention. 
    Actual tight detail applications are rather rather, but a few places require them, such as his black claws, the holes ripped into his pants, and the work on his belt. These all look quite crisp, without any slop or overspray (a Mattel miracle!). Even the extra little details are present, such as the appropriately blue belt loops and (my personal favorite) the tears in his pants being painted a lighter shade of blue where the inside of the fabric is hanging out and visible. That's a tiny detail that adds a lot for me. His face is equally well done, with clean red eyes, mess-free white teeth and even a tongue painted a lighter shade of red than the inside of his mouth. Add all those details in with the accomplished drybrushing and you've got one heck of a nice looking head on Man-Bat here.
    The final thing I want to address, and which deserves its very own paragraph is how amazing the translucent wings look! They're made of a clear yellow/brown plastic that allows light to pass through, revealing all of the amazing sculpted veins and texture in the wings. They look great whether light is shining through them or not, but it's a cool effect that makes me want to display him as such. I'm so glad they made him this way, instead of relying on an opaque plastic or pain, ruining this trick.

Paint Score: 9 / 10

 

    Man-Bat finally has a weakness! While his upper body features articulation that's identical to most every DCUC figure (detaileded above), his lower body isn't quite so well off. He's only got swivel hips (is this becoming a trend lately? Chemo, Black Canary, Man-Bat...), and he's also missing the thigh swivel. He does still retain the knee and ankles hinges, so there isn't a huge range of articulation gone, but any point lost is a point lost. Normally, I would punish a figure more for these missing joints, because they're some of the most vital for life-like posing and action stances that superheroes so love to indulge in. Man-Bat won't feel the wrath of my keyboard quite so violently though, because there's a reason for his limited articulation. This is a bigger toy with some monstrously big wings, which tend to weigh more than the average arm, and depending on where they're posed, they make it difficult for Man-Bat to stay balanced. With enough futzing, you'll get him balanced how you want, but it it's never perfectly easy, so just imagine how difficult this process would be with added joints, particularly those which tend to be a tad loose in this line. Dealing with swivel/hinge hips might have meant Man-Bat was always on the ground, instead of standing proudly. As such, they're a slightly forgivable absence.
     I'm happy with most of his other joints, which are tight enough and have good ranges of motion. Separating the wing segments was a great idea to free up the swivel wrist and elbow hinge, and I'm super happy about the accurate placement of his ankle hinge. Even the ball head has a pretty decent range of motion, with some vertical options, with a lot of tilt possible too. His elbow hinges are a little too weak at some positions, but again, after some patient fixing, you'll be able to find the pose you want. I don't think any of the joints are overly obvious or steal from his appearance, and despite the missing articulation, he's still a lot of fun to play with, either in flying poses are just posed menacingly on the shelf. 

Articulation Score: 7 / 10

     Okay, this toy is a giant half-man, half-bat. There's no doubt that he's at least a little fun, simply thanks to that awesome visual design. He really does make the perfect counter to Batman, the animalistic physical side contrasted with Batman's animalistic emotional side. Of course, stepping away from the philosophical ponderings, he's a cool toy to fight Batman with too (see picture below). The wings are huge and make it look like he could actually fly (he can't), while the lanky form gives him a very unique style amongst other DCUC toys. That presence on your display, and his imposing size on the field of battle (your floor) both make him a blast to play around with. His limited leg articulation is a little bit of a negative, but the ability to stand up is a priority, and more diverse leg articulation may have limited that (as mentioned earlier), so it's a fair trade. Of course, he still tumbles occasionally, and that is a small annoyance. The rest of the articulation is great, and makes him even more enjoyable when combined with the cool visuals. Man-Bat doesn't include any accessories to hold or pose upon, and while nothing comes immediately to mind, any kind of stand, debris, or hell, I don't know, a pile of guano would have been a worthwhile addition. Imperiex's left arm is included, so Man-Bat becomes an essential step in completing the Collect & Connect figure, which is definitely a little extra enjoyment for "free". The packaging is standard DCUC stuff, with some nifty images and just a little biography text to add to the story and character development that can come out in play and display. 

Fun Score: 9 / 10

     If you manage to find Man-bat for the $13 or so that he's currently going for at retail, then you've found yourself a pretty good deal. It's a big toy that has a lot of plastic stuffed into the package, especially when factoring in the C&C piece too. Although there aren't any other accessories, Man-Bat is a big enough toy that you probably won't notice the deficit. When you consider all the "new" (it's been seen before, but rarely) tooling, plus the liberal use of paint, it's easy to understand why this figure costs what it does. From that pure resource stance, this figure is very competitive to others in the same price range. He's also rather durable feeling, made of nice feeling plastic, has tight joints, and is a pretty major character in the Bat-verse, making him a necessary addition to a lot of fans' collections. One thing to consider is that this toy would have only been $11 a few months ago, so he's definitely not perfect, but still a strong deal in the current market.

Value Score: 9 / 10

10 / 10 - Beautiful sculpt that captures the character perfectly.

9 / 10 - Lots of crisp applications and nifty colors effects. 

7 / 10 - Missing a few key points but still has plenty of joints and they work well.

9 / 10 - A famous Bat-villain with an exciting visual and size on his side.

9 / 10 - Lots of plastic, a C&C piece, great quality control, and all for $13. 

89 / 100 - This is a Great Toy

It's clear that Man-Bat is one of the most visually engaging DCUC toys yet, and couple that with how much fun he is, and this is a very strong entry into the line. If only his articulation weren't quite so limited, he'd be one of the top toys of the year.

-The Articulated One

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

Articulated Discussion is also giving away three DC Universe Classics Wave 10 figures, so check out the DC Universe Classics Wave 10 Classified Contest to see how to win!

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