Play Arts Kai CATWOMAN - Batman Arkham City Wave 1

Background

Play Arts Kai figures are highly detailed and articulated Japanese imports done in an approximate 9" scale. They typically focus on video game characters, though the line is beginning to branch out into movie figures (Dark Knight Trilogy figures are currently available for pre-order). The first wave of Arkham City Batman figures have just shipped, with Figure 1 being Batman and Figure 2 Catwoman.

First Impressions

Unfortunately, I'm usually disappointed when I first get my hands on a Play Arts Kai figure, and Catwoman is no exception to that pattern. However, once I unpack the figures they tend to grow on me- the articulation really makes these figures. Let's see how Catwoman fared...

Grins:

The packaging on this line has evolved. Earlier Arkham Asylum releases were done in an attractive window box. This first Arkham City wave adds in a front panel which velcros shut over the window. There's some nice narration about Catwoman, the game and Robin (the Batman figure contains text about Dark Knight Returns Batman- these are the next figures scheduled to be released). The flap is sturdy, but keeps MIB collectors from displaying in a way that allows the figure to be easily seen. The inner trays form a sandwich around the product parts and keep them from rattling around. The trays pop together at the corners and do a fine job.

There are a nice assortment of accessories included with Catwoman. She gets 3 pairs of hands, a whip and (best of all) an alternate "goggles-down" head. I think the goggles-down head is quite well-done, with her lips painted fuller on my figure than on the "goggles-up" head.

Catwoman's outfit is very highly detailed and extremely well-painted. There are so many fine lines, zippers and folds, and they are all painted with a minimum of bleed. The textured sections provide a nice contrast to the smoother leather sections, and there's a nice blue airbrushing of highlights in places.

The articulation is terrific, and Play Arts seems to be getting better and better at hiding the joints, while keeping them functional. There's even an added mid-foot swivel that's new to this figure! The head has a tremendous range of motion for adding plenty of tilt and personality to most any pose.

Grimaces:

Let's begin with the head-sculpt. Despite the great overall sculpt, Catwoman's head strikes me as a bit small for her body. It's more evident in the "vanilla" pose than in action poses, but compared to Mattel's Arkham City Catwoman, the difference is striking. This may be a result of the Kai style that combines twig-like arms, long legs with thick thighs, a miniscule waist and a ballooning chest. The whole thing just seems "off" to my eyes. Harley's skirt set the waistline out a little more, but Catwoman's skintight suit doesn't do the same.

Worst of all, my Catwoman's "goggles-up" face is a painting mess- I think this is where my initial disappointment stemmed from. Keep in mind that I'm being VERY picky here, but at $60 a pop I feel I should be. Every Play Arts Kai female figure I've ever gotten (Sheva Alomar, Cammy White, Chun-Li, Harley Quinn) has had a stray paint mark on the face. Catwoman is even worse. The hairline is so sloppy that it looks like someone took a pencil and colored in her forehead between the bangs. There's also a stray paint streak down through the inside of her eye on the right side. Her eyes, though painted in a lovely color, are also a little mis-aligned (something I've seen mentioned in other reviews). The "goggles-down" head shouldn't have this problem, and it doesn't, so I actually like it a little more, except that the black paint connecting the lenses isn't painted in completely, so (again) I'm going to have to perform some touch-up work to get it right. Should I be needing to do this for an expensive import piece? I'm paying $60-plus for figures which are consistently blemished in their most important part? You may not want to buy "blind" online, but wait til you can see a figure in-hand before purchasing.

The other "grimace" is around Catwoman's head, as well . Right out of package it sat very high on the ball, with a big gap where the head meets the neck (you can see this in all of the "goggles-up" pictures I took). I could actually slide her head off her neck while keeping it facing forward and completely attached. Add that to a really long sculpted neck and she looked a bit like a lollipop. I discovered the problem when I went to switch out heads and couldn't get the goggles-down one on. At all. I soaked it it hot water and it popped into place much lower than the other one had. It looks MUCH better, and I'm guessing that the ball inside the head is just a little bigger than the holes they drilled out at the factory.

Parting Thoughts
Catwoman has a lot going for her- scads of articulation, a highly detailed sculpt and a few neat accessories. It's blemished by a shoddy paint job on the face, which is unfortunate. Would I recommend her? Not wholeheartedly. If you love the game or the character, I think you'll be quite happy. But for a casual collector her high price tag probably just doesn't make her worth it. As it stands, this figure costs double what it's worth, in my book.

I've gotten into a pattern with these Play Arts Kai figures: I pre-order them based on the preliminary photos, and when they arrive my initial reaction is one of indifference, which then grows into disappointment once I've got the figure opened. I really want to love them, I do, but it just ain't happening so far. Needless to say, I'm more than a little apprehensive about the Dark Knight Trilogy figures I have on pre-order, and I'll be passing on Poison Ivy and the City Harley Quinn...