[wp-review id=”94378″]
When Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett created BATMAN BEYOND in 1999, they created a fan favorite character that would branch out into comics as well as video games. Terry McGuinness is the Batman after Bruce has become to old to protect Neo-Gotham and now, Mezco has released this Summer Exclusive figure of him. He is a part of the One:12 Collective and looks amazing. Let’s have a look:
PACKAGING:
The box is a little smaller than previous releases. The color scheme is black and red which makes sense due to those being the two colors of his costume. The front has a black matte finish with spot-glossing on the Bat Symbol. Batman Beyond is written in a digital lettering that looks raised with embossing but it isn’t. On the back, they went with a piece of art of Batman that looks like it was pulled from the series. There is his classic look against a digital, circuit board-looking design. It’s a slick-looking box but maybe they could’ve put the action/accessories photos inside the box.
LIKENESS:
This Batman is practically a black shadow and athletic as the Dark Knight should be. Typically, the only thing seen is the bright red emblem on his chest and the whites in his eyes, and, at times, his teeth. He comes with two masks: one is expressionless and the other one has more of an angry look. The designs / lines run all over the mask to give it more character and match the rest of the costume. He has the white eyes and teeth to complete his look. The lines also run down into the neck and makes it seem like one solid piece.
He is wearing the Mezco mesh and instead of just being a flat black, he has some really interesting patterns made from the plastic / rubber lines that Mezco likes to use. The designs work because they are flexible and form back to their original shape.
On his back, you have the piece that, in the cartoon at least, houses his wings. Here, the piece is removable and it is where the wings attach. They are snug and secure so they don’t feel like they could just fall out on their own.
His forearms have the long spikes on the gauntlets and designs similar to the head / neck. His gloves are textured but we can talk about that in accessories. It is an incredible representation of this character that isn’t a direct figure from DC.
ACCESSORIES:
The included accessories are the 2 headsculpts, 6 interchangeable gloved hands (2 fists, 2 gripping hands, 2 clawed hands), the wings, 3 Batarangs, 2 clear flame effects, an arm for posing, the base stand with the Batman logo, and a bag for storing the accessories.
The hands have a glossy portion on the back of them and the backs have all of the texture. With this version only having the Batarangs, the gripping hands are perfect and they can hold the weapon at various points for creating action poses. The clawed hands are weapons that he uses for defense, offense, and gripping. With the claws and the right pose, you can really get a menacing look out of him.
The wings have a lot of sharp edges and angles except where they clip on to his back. They’re all black with the red under wing having a nice accent. My only issue with them is the red isn’t the same hue as the red on neither the chest emblem nor the batarang. It’s a very cool accessory and it looks great when everything is all put together.
The three included batarangs have the stylized look as if they were cut out of a circle. They have some really nice intricacies and make for a really great accessory. The “gripping” hand can grab the batarangs in a few different places.
The thruster flames included go into the foot pegs when you have the figure on the arm attached to the stand. They add a little something to show that he is in flight plus it was in the animated series so it really does belong. They are translucent and when they catch the light, the flame effect works.
The base stand is black with the red Bat-symbol in the center. The foot peg is removable for the arm to be used with the stand. The arm is good for aerial poses in a variety of ways and the more poses the better. I just wish that the clamps were tighter to hold whatever position you go with. As per usual, there is an accessory bag included to keep them in the piece.
ARTICULATION:
As for the flexibility and pose-ability of Batman, he is up there with the Mile Morales Spider-man figure as far as what he is able to do. The legs can be easily manipulated because of the double-joints in his knees. The ankles rotate freely but are tight enough to make sure that he doesn’t fall over. The torso can twist so you get a nice bend without the stiffness that some other brands have. Like his knees, the arms have a double-joint that moves well and the wrists allow the hands to move freely. Most of his flexibility is due to the material that his costume being a mesh / synthetic material that stretches and reforms easily. The neck and head also move freely so if you have him looking in a certain direction, you can manipulate the entire body for a natural pose.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
This marks another successful Batman figure from Mezco and he isn’t just a variant but he is a one-of-a-kind fan-favorite. It makes sense that he is a Summer Exclusive because his notoriety and fan base is similar to Miles Morales so he comes with plenty of hype. Collectors will enjoy the figure to display and pose in a wide variety of ways. Even if toy photography isn’t your thing, this one will not disappoint. My only real issue is with the color of the wings being a completely different hue than the red everywhere else. Other than that, I highly recommend getting your hands on one to add to your collection.
