Friday, April 26, 2013

Batman Unlimited BATGIRL (and Customization)!

Batman: Unlimited - Series 1 - New52 Barbara Gordon Batgirl - Mattel 2013

Batgirl is one of my favorite superheroes of all time.  I like almost every incarnation of her, and the newly reinstated Barbara Gordon under the cowl in the DCU New 52 is definitely no exception.  She retains all the character traits that I've always loved about Babs, but she seems tougher all-around.  Her costume is pretty classic, but with updated armor detailing and a new Black, Gold, and Purple color scheme (although it seems the Purple has officially been ditched in the most recent comics).  Overall it's a terrific update to a well-loved and greatly-missed character.  Mattel is the first company to make a toy of her in the new duds (not counting the Heroclix, Eaglemoss, and Squinkies pieces).  At first, I would have sworn this was a straight repaint of the Batgirl figure we've seen from Mattel since back in the DCSH days.  But in actuality, this figure uses almost all new (or newly tool'd) parts and is a great and unique addition to any Batgirl collection.  Let's check her out in detail below!















I only have one a single complaint about this figure.  But it's kind of a big one.  What the hell is going on with her neck?  Her cape is sculpted into a formless funnel that looks absolutely horrible.  To be fair, it looks "okay" from straight-on, but from any other angle she looks like a plaintiff in a fraudulent disability case.  My frustration with this design flaw led me to attempt to customize her neck.  There are pics at the bottom of this review.








 
 

 
 



 
 
 
 
 
Let's check out some comparison pics.
 
 
Here she is with the DSCH Batgirl and the Batman: Legacy Silver Age Batgirl
 
 






 
 
 



Okay.  Now I'll show some pics of my customization.  I removed her head, dremeled down her neck and collarbone area, smoothed it over with some Apoxie Sculpt, and painted it black.  I actually might try it again because she still looks a little bulky and inflexible in the neck area.
 
 
Original on LEFT ---- Customized on RIGHT














Cheers!



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