The Riddler is a classic Batman villain in any medium, be it the comics, TV, or movies. Sadly this figure doesn't quite carry the charm of E. Nigma that everyone loves so dearly but still holds his own as a solid entry into the DC Universe Classics line by Mattel.

Sculpt

  The Riddler uses the same body sculpt that both Two Face and Clark Kent from the DC Super Heroes line used. It's a Four Horseman sculpt but just doesn't look that great in my opinion. It's definitely showing its age and I think a new standard suit body would be fantastic. The pant legs are way too thin looking, which actually isn't too bad for The Riddler, and they look like high-water pants because they don't go low enough on the shoe. His coat also hangs funny on his torso and the coat sleeves line up poorly with the shoulders. All of these are problems with this basi body sculpt that could be a lot better and I'm sure a new sculpt would improve upon them. Some other problems with old Edward here is that his tie still uses the split tie of two face with a line down the middle that looks a little silly with the Riddler. I don't like the angle the hands are sculpted at either, so changing their direction or adding a hinge joint at the wrist would be nice. This figure does feature a new head sculpt and it just doesn't impress me at all. He's got a very long nose and pointy chin, which look great from the side, but when viewed from the front he almost looks kind of pudgy. My image of the Riddler isn't captured in this face sculpt at all, but it may be for some of you. His hat looks great along with his hair and sculpted mask. There are some small details in this sculpt that also work really well like suit coat buttons, shoe laces, and the question mark on his hat.  

Sculpt Score: 6 / 10 - Reuses the less than stellar DCSH suit sculpt, head doesn't do it for me, nice details sculpted in instead of just painted. 

Paint

This figure doesn't require a super complex paint job. He really just need to be 90% green, and they've managed to get that across pretty well. I really like the color choice of this green, it's not too dark, but not too neon either. It's well applied and matches across the entire character. I'm a little less satisfied with the purple highlights in his costume, as they appear just a hair too red/pink for me, but they still work. His face is painted well including his mask and hat details. The question mark stamps on his chest look absolutely great, yet they don't go to his sleeves. They were always intended to go on his sleeves as well, and that looked great, so I'm let down that this has changed. He doesn't look terrible, but I think I may have rather had no question marks then just on his torso and not his sleeves. It just looks unbalanced. His cane could've also used some paint flourishes as it appears to just be molded in gold plastic. 

Paint Score: 7 / 10 - Great green choice, just okay purple choice, good paint applications in detailed areas, where are the question marks on sleeves?

Articulation

I'm always glad when they managed to fit the standard DCUC articulation model onto a figure with a less than standard sculpt. Riddler has every point of articulation you'd find on the basic bucks and thankfully it all worked perfectly out of the package. No stuck, frozen, or loose joints here. Riddler has a good range of motion for every joint except his hips and shoulders which are just a little limited by his suit coat, but they still move pretty well anyway. The thing about the articulation is that in this kind of sculpt it messes with the looks a little. His thigh and bicep cuts look a little funny when not lined up perfectly, and even the elbow and knee joints don't look as good with pant legs and sleeves. It's not terrible, but can be distracting. 

Articulation Score: 7 / 10 - Good articulation model with a lot of point, most of which have full ranges, joints marr sculpt a little in odd positions.

Fun

The Riddler is a super fun character to read in comics or watch on TV, but he's a little less fun in a battle or play scene. Posing him can be a blast (I had fun getting him to lean on his cane). He's not a super dynamic character but has some fun potential as well as a bright and classic design. His articulation is great which is good for fun, plus he comes with an accessory that may or may not be classified as a weapon. He's really like a riddle, fun when you understand him and frustrating when you don't. He's a well known character that a lot of people love. That's the most fun thing of all.

Fun Score: 7 / 10 - Bright and simple costume design, does come with a 'weapon', everybody knows who he is. 

Value

The Riddler isn't a big action figure at all, but he isn't small either. He feels good and sturdy in your hands and I think he's last up to some pretty hard play. He also comes with an accessory, although small, and a huge piece (head and torso) of an even bigger build-a-figure. At $12 retail that's a pretty good deal especially consider he came out of the package with great quality control. For a character people recognize and love that includes a build-a-figure piece, this is a very reasonable price. 

Summary

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Overall Score: 72 / 100 - This is a Good Toy

The Riddler is a much beloved Batman villain and while this toy doesn't prove the epitomy of Riddler figures, it's a consistent performer in every category with a high value thanks to the build-a-figure.

-The Articulated One