I was pretty surprised to find this on the pegs at my local Toys R Us last week, mostly because it wasn't something that I was looking for, or forward to. I've been largely underwhelmed by Mattel's offerings in the Arkham Asylum/ Arkham City lines, so (though I've been tempted a time or two) I've begged off of buying any of the previous figures. Catwoman, however, was one figure I just couldn't pass up...
The package features the same design as on the previous Two-Face and Batman, Joker and Robin, etc. releases. It looks ok, but there are so many cardboard edges and it's just so bulky for hanging on a peg that these don't really stay "mint" for very long. That annoys me, as someone who doesn't display all of my figures out of package. It's also very dark, despite the large bubble, making it difficult to get a clear view of Catwoman inside the package. That said, the figures are posed well, and without any ridiculous joint-bending manouvers.
We'll start with Batman. Here, he's in a blue and grey outfit. The detailing is ok, the articulation looks plentiful and possibly practical, but I've got to say, the head sculpt looks ridiculous to me. I have the Arkham Asylum Batman from DC Direct and it puts this thing to shame. Mattel's offering (for what, the 4th time?) has the most elongated forehead I can imagine, putting his eyes somewhere around the cheek area of a normal person. It throws the entire thing off enough for me to say that I'd never buy him on his own. Ugh.
Now, on to the star attraction...
Selina Kyle looks great. Having never played either of the games, I've no idea how game-accurate this figure is, but that aside, Catwoman is well-done. The outfit has at least 3 or 4 different textures I can point out, and uses a nice combination of gloss and matte black to create some contrasts. The paint detail is sharp and clear where needed, though I did check through several to find the best apps around the hairline, which is my one beef with this figure. She's got tufts of hair (bangs?) poking out from underneath her cap that at first glance looked more like slop around the edges. I finally realized they were intentional, but I still find them odd, less like hair and more like sloppy paint. The prototype picture on the package back shows a much smoother, leather-like outfit than on the finished product. There's some pros for either, but the final Catwoman is a cool-looking figure.
There's a variant available at TRU the has both figures painted in shades of gray. I'm told it's based on a poster ad for the game or something. Personally, I thought both characters looked quite good in the gray paint scheme- the highlights worked pretty well and the detail was actually easier to make out. I couldn't afford such a novelty, so I passed, but you may want to keep your eyes out for it. Catwoman, in either form, makes for a great addition to the Arkham rogues gallery. Is she worth the 30 bucks this pack runs? No way, but you may feel differently about the Batman figure than I do, in which case, this pack is definitely worth a second look.
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