I usually have a pretty good idea how I feel about a DC Universe Classics figure right after I pull it out of the package. I have enough experience with the line to assess them quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, I've been thinking about Mary Batson here for a few days and I still can't figure her out. Do I like her, is she good, what's her score? All questions that might be answered in this review!
Name: Mary Batson
Line: DC Universe Classics Wave 12, Figure 6
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: January 2010
Price: Retail: $15.00-$18.00, Online: $16.00-$24.00
Scale: 6.00 in.
Collect & Connect Piece: Darkseid's upper torso
Accessories: None
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$17.95, Ka-Razy Kings of Toys-$21.99
I think my indecisiveness is coming primarily from Mary's sculpt. The detail work is almost perfect, showcasing just how effectively the Four Horsemen team can make do costumes and the intricate aspects of them. The great detailing is even present on her hands (with crisply defined fingers), face (her features are all distinct), and the hair (which has lots of natural lines and shapes worked in). That's not my issue, because if you look at any individual part of this figure on its own, you'll see a beautiful piece that was quite obviously lovingly crafted. It's when you start to put each of these pieces together that I have a problem. Mary's proportions are just all over the place. Her hips are higher than a male figure's hips, even though the male is a good half-inch or more taller than her. That means she has absurdly long legs that no human could ever achieve. If you look at the group shot of her with a few other female figures way down the review, you'll see that she's a head shorter than them, but they all have the same length legs. The other toys' proportions seem so much more realistic and attractive than hers. And if you have a thing against tiny hands, you're going to hate Mary, because hers are tiny. Imagine grapes at the end of your wrists. I'm not sure hers are quite so off, but regardless of the actual proportions, they look small, and that's what counts.
I don't have a big problem with how skinny she is, as she is supposed to be younger and her strength is derived magically, not from physical prowess. This makes her small size seem more reasonable than other small females in the line such as Hawkgirl or Starfire. Another point of contention is with her face; it's undoubtedly well sculpted from a technical standpoint, I'm just not sure I approve of the structure and style. She comes across a little too old for me, more like a soccer mom than I'd like. I understand that Mary Marvel is older than in her normal human form, but this is just pushing it for me. Of course, it all depends on your perspective, lighting, and mood I'd say, so I won't hold it against the figure too much. Her head also seems too wide for her body, if only slightly so. I can understand people who might complain about the huge smile on her face (see comic), because putting her in a display with more stoic-looking figures might not look quite right (and most of the line looks pretty stoic), but I appreciate that they were willing to take a risk on the expression and go with a characterization that matches her happy heritage. This also means she'll fit in with Captain Marvel from Wave 6 rather nicely.
I'm glad Mary includes her cape, but I have a complaint about it. While Captain Marvel's stayed pretty close to his back, Mary's has been caught in the wind and billows out backward. This makes her take up about three times as much space on the shelf, meaning throwing her into the middle of a tight display is almost impossible. They could have made the cape a lot smaller without compromising the look too much, and these deep wind-swept folds don't match up with the rest of the line anyway, where the capes are much more at ease and drooping.
Sculpt Score: 7 / 10
Mary Batson's skin is a slightly more tanned and reddish shade than most of the figures coming out of the line yet, which is a good, refreshing change. It feels more natural and lifelike than did Captain Marvel's, so it's a change of which I approve. Sadly the skin tone doesn't match up across all her different pieces and types of plastic, most noticeable from her face to neck. It may not be apparent in the photos, but the color is different from neck to face. I've seen girls who accomplish this same "feat" with makeup, though I wish Mary hadn't because it looks a little funky. This probably bothers me more than it will you, so don't worry about it too much. It's her painted on face that needs to be worried about. I don't think her facial skin is actually painted (from what i can tell it's the plastic color), yet it looks extremely unnatural. There's some gleen or thickness that makes it look... wrong. Maybe it's the combination of the expression and lifeless upwards-looking eyes that make her look dead, I don't really know. It seems like she belongs in a coffin instead of alongside the living. I can't identify the exact problem, but something's not right. Her face is ortherwise technically painted well from an application standpoint, with clean lips and eyes, tight eyebrows, and stain free teeth.
Other applications are mostly strong. The lightning bolt on her chest is clean and bold, and the yellow trim around her red costume has a distinct and straight edge. There are some spots where the red fades through that don't look great, but it's generally good. The yellow trim around her cape isn't so good, crooked sloppy, and often slightly green instead of yellow. The cape isn't nearly as white and bright as Captain Marvel's was either, coming off a greenish gray even in bright white light. If you want her and Billy to match perfectly, it's not going to happen quite yet, because Captain Marvel had gold trim around his gape and hers is a simpler yellow. Their reds are almost identical though, as are the yellows on their costumes. Mary has some red airbrushing on her boots that adds a little life to the colors, but doesn't do much for me personally. It's not bad, just nothing spectacular.
Paint Score: 7 / 10
And this is where Mary starts to really lose ground. Although I forgot to mention her swivel calves in the image above, she's quite crippled compared to most DCUC figures' articulation models. First off, she's missing an ab crunch, which isn't a major loss on its own, except that her neck is also limited in range, so looking up or down is completely impossible, while it's almost-sorta-kinda impossible with other DCUC figures that retain the hinged torso. Her hips might as well be nonexistent as well, because they can't move out, forward, or any way at all thanks to her restrictive skirt. You might be able to move them 10 degree in any direction (as all the right joints are under there), but not enough to make much use of them.
Her neck has a little range, just not a lot. And even though I don't credit DCUC figures with rocker ankles, they usually have some sort of range that allows the foot to stay flat in deep stances. Mary doesn't have that same range, which admittedly shouldn't be an issue unless you cut off her skirt, but it's still worth mentioning. All the other joints work just fine, full ranges of movement and all, without a weak or loose joint in the bunch. Even her elbows and knees don't feel as flimsy as past female figures' did. The one thing they wanted to achieve with Mary was a preservation of her image, and that's why the full slitless skirt and solid torso were implemented. I have to admit that they accomplished that goal, and though dynamic poses and playability was definitely sacrificed, she looks better than she would with those joints functional.
Articulation Score: 6 / 10
This isn't a very entertaining toy for me, despite being a rather big fan of Mary Batson. Without the standard articulation, she's not a lot of fun to pose, and trying to put her on my shelf even in a straight-up pose is frustrating because of her enormous flowing cape. She's not an inherently fun toy that has enormous size or an action feature on its side, and she doesn't even come with a single accessory to compensate. Instead she's a static, tiny, and inactive figure that doesn't provide much in the way or entertainment for collectors or kids. Her only saving grace is the inclusion of a Darkseif Collect & Connect piece, and since he's the big bad evil in the DC Universe, it's a lot of fun to gather up all his pieces and assemble him. Mary is a necessary step in that quest, so she benefits a little there. The new packaging might be fun for some folks, especially since it includes a collectable pinback button, but that's not enough to win me over. It helps, just not enough to call her fun.
Fun Score: 5 / 10
I think every major retailer and online store has officially raised their prices on DCUC figures to $15, meaning poor Mary Batson is too expensive for anyone except the most devout of DC Comics fans or completists of the line. She's as pricey as larger, more intricate, and higher quality NECA and Mezco figures without a single excuse on her side. The inclusion of the C&C piece helps, but the lack of accessories counters that immediately, while her smaller size and sparse paint applications bring her even further down in perception of value. Mary Batson does have some nice examples of new tooling that certainly raise costs, but not enough to convince me she's worth $15. Just when I was finally starting to see the $13 price point as almost acceptable, Mattel has made things even pricier and pushed poor Ms. Marvel's score even further into the gutter.
Value Score: 5 / 10
7 / 10 - Aside from the wonky proportions, this is an attractive and detailed sculpt.
7 / 10 - Some spots look great, while others are messy and thin.
6 / 10 - All the joints are there, they're just limited by sculpt elements.
5 / 10 - Without accessories or any inherent entertaining qualities, there isn't a lot to enjoy here. The lack of any major frustrations and the included C&C piece keep her afloat.
5 / 10 - At $15, she's just too exspensive for what she is.
60 / 100 - This is an Okay Toy
With this unadjusted score, Mary Batson just barely scoots by. She's too pricey and boring to make her worthwhile to the average buyer. She's not so flawed that those who are curious should avoid her at all costs, but I wouldn't seek her out unless you buy everything in this line or just absolutely adore the character. She's okay, but not particularly good.
-The Articulated One
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