Eaglemoss, the collectible company responsible for other collectibles such as the very detailed and comprehensive Batman Automobilia line of detailed diecast Batmobiles, has turned their attention to Batman: The Animated Series. Wave 1 of collectible figurines is a set of Batman, The Penguin, Harley Quin, Poison Ivy, The Joker, and Robin.
The figures are based on the original designs for the character from their 1992 debut and do an admiral job of rendering two-dimensional Bruce Timm designs into a three-dimensional statue. The figurines are hand-painted metallic resin in 1:16 scale and come in a cardboard backed packaging along with a twelve-page collectible booklet. Each figurine stands on a base featuring a sculpt of the Batman: The Animated Series logo and on the underside of each base is numbered for the more hard-core collector. The quality of the hand painting is impressive, with attention to detail like the logos on Batman and Robin and the card that the Joker is holding. The pricing for each figure is in the $20-30 dollar range depending on where you are ordering from, which is in line with the cost of other similar products from Eaglemoss.
The design of Batman: The Animated Series, with its sleek, animation, friendly style, makes them ideal candidates for a product like this. Funnily enough, there’s an attempt to add a little more dimension and detail to the figurines then I think the original designs called for, but I think it adds to the overall quality of the products. For example, Batman’s belt, in the series, was very streamlined, and depending on the animation house that produced each episode, lacked a lot of detail, sometimes to the point of not having a buckle. The sculpt on the Batman figure features raised capsules along the belt. It’s a little thing, but a nice detail that didn’t have to be there. The same could be said of details on the Joker sculpt. I really like the detail on the Joker’s suit. The sculpt for the Joker does take a shortcut in omitting the collar of the Joker’s shirt but that’s a minor detail that the Bruce Timm design also sidestepped, so it is understandable that the sculpt went the same route. Robin is a little more of a basic figure. There’s nothing wrong with the paint or overall quality, but there is a surprising lack of detail when compared to the other figurines.
Out of the three statues featured in this review, Batman and the Joker feel like a step up from the Robin figurine. Batman’s pose is supposed to be in line with the iconic silhouette from the end of the opening credits of the animated series and does an admiral job of evoking that idea, with the exception of the cape draped behind him instead of depicting the cape flapping in the wind like in the animated series. The Joker is leaning forward, grinning and holding up a playing card which I think faithfully executes, as Eaglemoss states, “the character’s playful, yet menacing personality”. Robin is I think a little less dynamic in his design, with his hands on his hips which I suppose is supposed to make him feel more youthful, but seems a little more Robin Hood than Robin to me. The paint on the Robin figure also seems a little sloppier than on the Batman and the Joker, but with Robin’s bright color-scheme, imperfections are just going to be more noticeable.
The twelve-page booklet that accompanies each figurine is a fun cheat sheet for the animated version of each of these characters. Each booklet takes the time to explain the figurine itself and the history of the character in the context of the world of the Animated Series. I think it is commendable that Eaglemoss took the time to dive into not only the animated series, but to include the Batman Adventures comic tie-ins featuring each character which is a detail that I appreciated.
Final Thoughts: Eaglemoss has a proven track record of very detail-oriented products and it appears that they are making good use of the Batman: The Animated Series license. Genre licenses such as Batman for statues and action figures can get pretty pricy and Eaglemoss continues to provide an affordable and quality alternative to some of the more high-end collectibles in the marketplace. I’m curious to see if they continue to expand this line the way they have with the Automobilia line. If they can include the Red Bird and that weird subway Batmobile that Azbats drove in the 90s, then I can’t wait to see how deep they go with the animated series line up. I’d love to see them continue with more obscure characters like the Grey Ghost.
Editor’s Note: Eaglemoss provided TBU with these figurines for review purposes.
If interested in ordering these items, click on the links below to head to our friends at Entertainment Earth to order.
Batman: The Animated Series Figure Collection #1-Batman
Batman: The Animated Series Figure Collection #5-Joker
Batman: The Animated Series Figure Collection #6-Robin
