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DC Collectibles Batman : Arkham Origins Series 1 – Batman Review

“I am the reason criminals breathe easier when the sun rises”

Batman 1Arkham Origins, the newest addition to the Batman Video Game franchise, may have received mixed reactions critically (though in my humble opinion I the game was much more enjoyable than Arkham City), however the additions it brings to the collectible toys has to be some of the finest in the history of DC Collectibles.

The Arkham franchise figures from DC Collectibles (erstwhile known as DC Direct) is the line I have collected religiously and most of my display is dominated by them alone. And by my assessment of the first wave of figures of this new installment in the franchise, I can safely say that this line has completely kept up the standards of its predecessors and in ways, bettered them!

The First Series of Figures consist of Batman, Bane, Black Mask and Joker. Four figures and four months till the next series comes out in March. Hmm… so in this month we will start with Batman and by the time we get to March, we will have rounded up all the figures from the first wave and be ready with the next one (of course assuming Series 2 releases on schedule and the figures reach me on time)

Packaging – 9/10

Okay, this category will be completely contentious for everyone. For Arkham Origins DCC have abandoned the previous design of the Batcowl shaped Clam Shell packaging which was used in both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Instead we have a new design of almost a Batclaw shape. I like this design because it utilizes less plastic and doesn’t waste space, plus it looks really classy. However I can get why some collectors may dislike it as it completely breaks away from the consistent design choice of the franchise. The twisty ties on the figure are minimal and just enough to keep it secure in the package.

Sculpt – 10/10

I would say that in terms of sculpting, the new Arkham Origins figures are the best in terms of accuracy and likeness to the source material. The Sculpt is credited to Gentle Giant Studios, who are well known for using 3D scans of their subjects and build the sculptures from them, so I have a sneaky feeling that the amazing accuracy of the sculpts is down to the fact that they may have just printed the 3D model of the game character as the base for the figure. However I don’t really care if a sculpt is by hand or a print of a 3D render as long as its quality, and the sculpt has that in spades.