Ok, it’s time for the main event. The time has come for us to pass judgment on the Dark Knight Rises tie-in product from the Master Toy Licensor: Mattel. The main Dark Knight Rises Toy line is broken into two separate segments: the Basic line and the Movie Masters line. The Basic line is aimed at children. It is a 3.75 inch scale line that features limited articulation and simplistic sculpts. This line also features scaled vehicles for added play opportunities. This segment is also home to the major action feature component. which is known as QuickTek. This feature involves “snap-on” armor for certain figures and vehicles. Personally, I can’t stand this feature, as the armors and associated figures are in in horrendous colors and themes. I had to acquire one QuickTek product, the Batpod, for reasons I will go into in a future review. In any case, I am not all that thrilled with the 3.75″ line to begin with, but if you have to get them, this set is a good way to do so, and it comes with a few benefits. So, is it worth it? Let’s find out

FIGURES AND MORE ACTION FIGURE REVIEW

Special Feature: The Toys of the Dark Knight Rises

Figure: Battle for Gotham City 5 pack (Target Exclusive)

Line: The Dark Knight Rises (Basic)

UPC: 746775160319

As the master toy licensee for DC, Mattel, of course, takes the lead on The dark Knight Rises. Mattel has developed a two-pronged line for the film. There is a “basic” line in 3.75″ scale, featuring several different versions of Batman and Bane. This line is also home to the “deluxe” versions of the basic figures, which feature the “QuickTek” Armor action feature. I personally dislike the Quicktek feature and can completely do without it. The second part of the line, I am pleased to announce, is the return of the extremely popular “Movie Masters” segment from “the Dark Knight” line. These are 6 inch figures with authentic movie-accurate sculpts of major characters. The figures have increased articulation. In addition, the figures have a “Collect-and-Connect” feature. There are six figures in the line. each comes with a piece of the Collect-and-Connect item, which is the Batsignal. When fully assembled, the Batsignal will light up and project on the wall. More on that line later. Of course, as will all major movie lines, there are exclusive items for specific retailers. So, I’ve managed to pick up this five pack from Target, which gives me all the basic figures I will need in one place, with an interesting little extra bonus. The five figures in the pack are: Bane, Caped Crusader Batman, Bruce Wayne, Stealth Vision Batman and Catwoman. But, even with the bonus, is it worth it? let’s go figure-by-figure to find out.

Bane: Here is the villain of the piece, the man who plans to take out Batman and rule Gotham. While Bane may be physically imposing, his basic figure is, well, not. For starters, Bane has no elbow joints, this is not, in itself, remarkable, as none of the figures actually have elbow joints. But, for some reason, Bane doesn’t have KNEE JOINTS EITHER! This is, in my mind, inexcusable. This is the main villain, why doesn’t he have knees? He is articulated at the neck, shoulders and hips. Also, the mask is very simplistically molded, and it ends up looking like two sets of jaws. Also, there was a paint application error on mine, and one of the mask tubes was not painted. This made Bane look like he has a chipped tooth. Also, on the back of the figure, there is no sign or indication of the scar that is one of the defining features of the Bane character. The omission of this scar is a massive mistake on the design team’s part. Let’s hope this is not a sign of things to come.

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Caped Crusader Batman: This is the best of the “basic” Batman figures. It is just plain, movie accurate black suit Batman, with no outrageous color variants or outlandish armors or accessories. There is a surprising amount of detail on the costume, with the mold including the “texture” of the underlying bodysuit. He has articulation at the neck, shoulders, hips and KNEES! He also has a cloth cape, which makes a huge difference. He comes with a ridiculous double bladed handheld weapon, which look out of scale with the size of the figure. Unlike Bane, the paint job on this figure, is fantastic. The eyes and face are very well sculpted and painted cleanly. The suit is very well sculpted, with shoulder pads as separate pieces. Also, the Batsuit has been molded completely, front and back, even though the cape covers the entire back. This is, in my opinion, the best figure in the pack.

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Bruce Wayne: In terms of looks, this figure is fine. It is a re-do of the Bruce Wayne figure from the Batman Begins line, minus the Batman armor. The face is well sculpted for a 3.75 inch figure. However, the biggest problem I have with this figure is that, IT DOES NOT STAND UP! You are required to bend the back in an extremely unnatural way to get it to stand. This is because his left leg is slightly higher than the right one. I am so disappointed in that sculpting error. Moving on.

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Stealth Vision Batman: I have no use for this figure whatsoever. It is one of those obnoxious variants. The suit is grey, there is no cape, the mask is full face, the bat symbol in the middle is blue, so are the arm guards. He comes with two hand-held claw weapons, and is articulated at the neck, shoulders and knees. I really cannot express enough how much I dislike this figure. This figure really speaks to what is wrong with the basic line as a whole.

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Catwoman: This is the exclusive part of this pack. The only way to get a Catwoman figure in the basic scale is to buy this pack. I wish I could tell you the figure was better. But, unfortunately it seems like giving the villains the short end of the stick was the aim with this pack. Catwoman, like Bane, has NO KNEE JOINTS! I cannot believe I just typed that. Also, her goggles are PAINTED ON! THEY DO NOT COME OFF! She is articulated at the neck, shoulders and hips. Her costume is well done, though her hells are not painted to resemble stilettos. Her hair is well done, shaped to allow it to fit over her shoulders. Also, mine had an extra piece of plastic on the bottom of the head, making it look like she had an unfortunate tumor. This is so disappointing.

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IS IT WORTH IT?: If you have to get the 3.75″ figures, this is a good way to pick up most of the ones you’d be looking for, and the only way to get Catwoman. However, outside of the Caped Crusader Batman figure, most of the figures are disappointments. The only upside to this pack is that there is a Movie Cash code on the package which will get you $12 off a ticket to the Dark Knight Rises. Does that make up for the shortcomings of the set? Only you can decide. The set costs $21.99 and you get $12.00 of ti back in Movie Cash. Which means, in the end, you pay $9.99 for 5 figures, which is a bit of a bargain. But, it is only a bargain if you use the Movie Cash. Otherwise, I can only recommend this pack is you want Catwoman.

FINAL SCORE: 3 out of 5