Thursday, May 10, 2012

Arkham City Series Two CATWOMAN from DC Direct!

The First DC Direct Catwoman for 2012, but definitely NOT the last!

The Catwoman season is upon us and the first offering from DC Direct is a winner.  This action figure had me nervous since we first saw her at NYCC this past Fall.  I felt that her face looked awful, her neck too short, and her body too posed.  These trepidations were only amplified when I saw the official solicit pics in December.  Something about her face just looked trashy and exaggerated.  Then I started watching youtube videos of the game and I realized that Selina looked like a prostitute in the game, too.  I was really debating skipping this figure (which is an extreme reaction from a diehard bat-lady fan like myself).  Then, luckily, some in-hand pics started popping up on eBay a few weeks ago and suddenly she looked pretty good.  The only difference was a much-toned-down paintjob around her eyes and lips, but that subtle change made a world of difference to the final product.  Continue on to see more pics.



Catwoman is part of DC Direct's second series of action figures based off the hit game, Arkham City.  The packaging is the same as Series 1 and displays very well.  However, I feel that Selina looks much better when you get her out and pose her a little.


I expected to make a big deal about these figures being the first merchandise released under the new umbrella of "DC Collectibles," but all the packaging still sports the old DC Direct logos.. and even the now-defunct website.  I also must say that I was a little disappointed that the new DC Collectible website doesn't really let you purchase products directly like they implied.  Perhaps that feature is coming, but for now they just provide you with a comic shop locator link.

Check her out!  I think she looks great. Maybe that's because my expectations were set so low based on the hussied-up sneak peeks.




Here is my short list of complaints:  1.) Her neck still seems little short, but the more I look at this figure the more I feel like the proportions are right, just that the collar throws it off.  2.) I think her eyes are placed a smidge too high on her face, this makes her nose look oddly long from some angles.  3.)  The plastic of the face is noticeably different than the cleavage plastic.  Her face looks pale and translucent in comparison.  4.) The articulation is a little limited - I REALLY wish the head could move more (yet articulation is still a vast improvement over the DC Direct of a few years ago).

Here is my list of Pros:: 1.) The costume detail is great.  Who knew little buckles and seams could look so cool. (I'm kicking myself for not getting a pic of her with my Edward Scissorhands) 2.) I actually like that the whip is stationary and attached to her hip..I get a little tired of every catwoman holding a whip.  Plus the bolo whip she IS holding is a cool variation and still very much in-character.  3.) Her body is posed great.  For some reason I thought this would be some extreme contrapposto, but in reality it very subtle, sexy, and strong.  4.)  She stands well on her own.  DC Direct must have been confident enough about this to exclude any figure stand and remove her peg-holes altogether.


Catwoman is articulated at the neck, shoulders,elbows, forearms, hips, knees, and calves.  No ankle or wrist joints.  Unfortunately she only stands well in a standard standing position (she's actually leaning against the backdrop in this pic).



Here are a few of the terrifying images I referenced above:


Video Game Appearance - Official Solicit Pic - Convention Pic



Time for some comparison pics!!



Here's the big competition - Mattel's Batman Legacy Arkham City Catwoman.  It's amazing how different these figures are (especially considering how similar the Harleys were).  There are many pros and cons for each.  They're both great figures and both are worth owning.  I did a thorough review of the Mattel Catwoman back in February - check it out!





Here they are with the DC Direct HUSH Catwoman.


Here she is with the DC Direct Arkham City Series 1 Harley Quinn.  They seem more out of scale than I would have expected.  Note that Harley is wearing more extreme heels, too -- so if anything I'd expect her to be a little taller.


And finally here are: (Left-to-Right) Mattel AC Harley Quinn, Mattel AC Catwoman, DC Direct AC Catwoman, DC Direct AC Harley Quinn.


Cheers!

7 comments:

  1. Hi! Just wanna ask, do you think its possible to swap the head of mattel cw & dc direct cw..i like the figure design on dc direct but i hate the face, but i like mattel face instead..planned to put the mattel head unto the dc direct..

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    1. Interesting question. I just gave each of their heads a decent tug and neither popped off. To me that means they probably have a "bullet-shaped" peg instead of a ball peg. In my experience, these types of pegs can still be worked free, but ti will take a lot of effort with hot water and/or a hair dryer to soften the plastic. On the bright side though, the heads seem to be in scale with each other and the skintones of the chests are very close in color to the faces, so it should look decent if you can make it work. If you attempt this, you should take pictures of the exposed pegs and final product. I can even post them here if you want. Someone else asked a similar question via email a long time ago so who knows how many people are wondering the same thing. Thanks for the question!

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  2. Thank you SO much for this review. I've been looking for the "perfect" Catwoman for MY "perfect" Batman collection. I was so close to getting the Arkham City DC Direct Catwoman but now I'll just get the Mattel. The DCD just has an ugly elongated face. The Matel, although her features are covered, looks SO much better and she seems to have a hell of a lot more articulation than the DCD Catwoman. As a matter of fact, even the Mattel Harley looks better than the DCD one. How's the articulation on the Harleys? Or do you have a review on them too?

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  3. Thank you SO much for this review. I've been looking for the "perfect" Catwoman for MY "perfect" Batman collection. I was so close to getting the Arkham City DC Direct Catwoman but now I'll just get the Mattel. The DCD just has an ugly elongated face. The Matel, although her features are covered, looks SO much better and she seems to have a hell of a lot more articulation than the DCD Catwoman. As a matter of fact, even the Mattel Harley looks better than the DCD one. How's the articulation on the Harleys? Or do you have a review on them too?

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    1. There is indeed a review comparing the Harleys, but it's an old review some afriad to look and see how blurry my photos were. haha. Are you aware of the newer Arkham Knight Catwoman? I reviewed her several weeks ago (http://www.shesfantastic.com/2015/12/batman-arkham-knight-catwoman.html). She might be the nicest of the bunch. Luckily her costume hasn't changed much throughout the game series.

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  4. I really like this Catwoman from Batman Arkham City. So, I got the DC Direct figure and noticed the odd face sculpt. I also have the Mattel version as well, but I like detail more on the DC Direct figure than having more articulation on the Mattel version. I know I'm strange. Recently, I noticed on Ebay that someone has a head and some hands for a Play Arts Kai Catwoman and I was thinking about buying it to replace the head of the DC Direct figure with that one. Since I don't have a Plays Arts Kai Catwoman to compare, are the heads on both of these figures about the same size?

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    1. Actually no they're not. The Play Arts Kai head is noticeably larger. I took some pictures I can send you. Shoot an email to molarlion@gmail.com and I'll send them (or DM me on Instagram @shesfantasticmadeofplastic)

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