Mattel Planet-X Batman Review + Gallery

I never planned on buying this Batman.  I even preordered the Dark Knight Returns Batman well ahead of time, and completely ignored the Planet-X version from the same wave.  This was done because I NEVER find good Mattel figures at retail, and I didn’t want to miss out because it’s so rare that I actually want a non-Masters of the Universe toy.  But that is the story of Dark Knight Returns Batman the other figure in this wave.  How did I end up with Planet-X Batman?  Firstly I found him at retail and that is a huge plus, but not enough for an on-the-spot purchase.  Second colorful and weird Batman variants are particularly interesting to me, and seeing him in person I had to have him.

Mattel Planet-X Batman + Batmite Review - Batman Unlimited

The original reason I didn’t care very much about Planet-X Batman was because he looked like a really simple kit-bash.  I had thought he was a typical DCUC or DCIE buck, painted different with a new cape, baseball bat, and Batmite.  I was very wrong because there is actually a pretty sizable chunk of new tooling on this guy.  His upper body, cape, head, and belt are all new.  He has the same legs we have seen in the DC line since forever, but at least they used the ones that had the sculpted boot-lines.  Of course the baseball bat and to an extent Batmite pack-ins are also newly sculpted, so compared to the standard DCIE release you are getting a good value.

Mattel Planet-X Batman + Batmite Review - Batman Unlimited

The first thing I look for when judging a Batman that wields a bat is how posable he is with it.  The DCUC body is a lot better than I remember it because he can get into quite a few poses holding the bat with both hands.  I’m actually very satisfied with the poses I can achieve with the arms.  The biggest gripe I have is actually with the head and neck.  Planet-X Batman has what seems like a ball jointed head but it works like a swivel.  I can move the head back and forth but up and down is a no-go.  It’s a blemish on an otherwise decent articulation scheme.  The only other big issue I have is the lack of rocker ankles, I swear DCUC figures used to have these.

Mattel Planet-X Batman + Batmite Review - Batman Unlimited

The paint is what really drove me to purchase this Batman variant.  I’ve always had a bit of an issue with the body they use for Batman.  They give him a large upper body but very thin legs.  That may be the way he is drawn but I don’t read too many comics so I have my own ideas as to how Batman should be proportioned.  This is why I never have bought a Batman since the zipline version prior to the DC Universe Classics line.  How does this fit in with paint?  Well the paint, more specifically the crazy colors, is what helped me overcome my dislike for the base body.  It’s different and out there, I also would have bought that zebra striped Batman they showed off a couple of years back … I assume it never came out.

Mattel Planet-X Batman + Batmite Review - Batman Unlimited

The Batmite doesn’t do much for me, but it is a nice little pack-in.  If you have been keeping up you will now own both a blue and black flavored Batmite with slightly different head sculpts.  Don’t expect more than three to four points of articulation since these are fairly simple little characters.

Planet-X Batman Review - Mattel Batman Unlimited

It is nice to see something on a retail shelf I actually want to buy.  I don’t think this version of Batman is going to be for everyone, but the colors and the look definitely speak to me.  From what I have read this version also covers two different storylines for the caped crusader: R.I.P. and Planet-X I believe.  The action figure is a solid release and if you enjoy the DCUC body you shouldn’t have any issues.  For only about $15 at Target you could do a lot worse … after all there is another ass-ugly version of Batman on the shelf, and I have no idea what it’s called.  If you are boycotting Target for some strange reason you can always pick him up on Amazon.

Planet-X Batman Review - Mattel Batman Unlimited

With baseball season just getting underway this is the best time to invest in a toy that comes with a bat.  There isn’t a better person to wield that bat than the Batman.  Sorry … enjoy your night.

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30 thoughts on “Mattel Planet-X Batman Review + Gallery”

        1. No you’re not complaining at all and to be quite honest one should always be critical of the toy they’re buying and also the quality of it so basically you’re a skeptical collector with good morals.Well done mate and no harm done in complaining at all!

  1. This was actually the best part of waking up this morning (screw folger’s) it also woke me up this morning, Great review!

    1. Thank you! Made a concerted effort to push this one out last night, but fell asleep. Thankfully I woke up early enough to proofread and post.

  2. Hey Jon, what program do you use for the speech bubbles? I could use it for this Garry’s Mod gallery and reviews

    1. I use photoshop, it’s just basically an object and the I stroke it and add text. I came upon the speech bubble pack a while back, I’ll take a look tonight to see if I can find it.

  3. Pingback: Spotted Online – Preternia Reviews Planet-X Batman

  4. Pingback: Spotted Online – Preternia Reviews Planet-X Batman

  5. Yep, the DC guys sure did have ankle rockers at one point, but one wave and they were suddenly gone to keep costs down. I thought they did the same with the neck construction at some point, but that just to be random and meant to drive me crazy. Sometimes they can look up really well, sometimes not at all.

    Nu52 Superman cannot. Makes flying poses not so good.

    1. It seems like a crime to not give at least Superman the ability to up! It’s only his signature pose.

      On another note, MOTUC has spoiled me with the removable heads … in a moment of weakness I thought I could do a headswap on the Riddler and broke his peg. Shame, he was one of my favorites too.

  6. Pingback: April Review Round-Up, Part One (April 1st-14th) 129 Links! « It'sAllTrue.Net

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