DCC Batman the Animated Series Man-Bat

DCC Batman the Animated Series 07 Man-Bat Review

It’s time for new DC Collectibles Batman the Animated Series figures!  After the first series of Batman, Catwoman, Two-Face, and Mr. Freeze; DCC went back to the lab to figure out how to make the figures more durable.  I was a witness to the first series at every release date, and I can definitely agree with the masses in it being a bit scary opening up these guys.  My first figure, Batman, immediately broke at the ankle.  Mr. Freeze was also a victim when his wrist peg snapped off in the socket.  Pliers couldn’t get the piece out so that wrist was toast.

I bought a replacement Batman for myself, but when Freeze broke I decided I should at least let DCC know about my experience.  They were very receptive to the issues with the figure, and went as far as to send me a new one with upgraded parts.  They actually went back into production on the first series of and made some updates that will definitely help keep these figures from breaking.  Addressing the issue of my Mr. Freeze, they changed to a much harder plastic for the wrist pins.  It’s very noticeable and feels much stronger.

Check out an excerpt from the letter they sent me along with the replacement Freeze:

DCC Batman the Animated Series

It seems like DCC heard the fan’s complaints pretty clear and delayed the second wave which includes Man-Bat, Joker, and Robin.  Now that I finally have them in hand it definitely feels as though they have made some improvements as the figures feel much sturdier.

The first thing I love about Man-Bat is that he comes in a giant box!  It’s twice the size of the window boxes the other figures come in, and showcase him with his wings fully extended.  The figure also costs exactly the same as Joker and Robin despite the large box.  I’d imagine that close to the same amount of plastic is probably being used for Man-Bat, but the big box certainly makes it feel like a better value.

Man-Bat comes packed with two sets of wings, display stand, three pill bottles (serum containers), and a cassette recorder.  The wings only have one point of articulation where they pin into the shoulders.  So they are only able to swivel forward or up and down, while the rest of the wings are stationary.  This is why he comes with two sets in order to give you the option of wings fully extended or partially.  The partially extended wings are useful for putting the arms at his side, but they can also be extended outwards.  The wings are very easy to slip in and out of the shoulder socket.  Perhaps too easy?  For the most part they hold in well, but the left side especially slips out and it can get annoying when posing.

DCC Batman the Animated Series

Since the beginning of time I have held the position that the included display stand is useless.  Man-Bat is probably the first figure in the series to really require one, and the thing doesn’t do a great job of holding him up.  If his arms are down enough so that his wings stabilize him then you are okay, but forget about putting the arms up if you plan to use the included stand.  I did find a pretty good, non-invasive, substitute stand that just plugs into his feet.  If you can track down one of NECA’s Diablo figures, steal the stand since Diablo really doesn’t need it anyway.

DCC Batman the Animated Series

It is possible to balance Man-Bat without the assistance of a stand.  However, the pose will be very limited and he most likely will fall over given some time.

DCC Batman the Animated Series

I absolutely adore the sculpt on Man-Bat.  I do take issue with the range of movement on his neck, however.  I want to be able to pose him hunched in, like his control artwork.  Unfortunately this isn’t possible since his head can’t slide back very far.  If I want him looking forward then he needs to be standing completely straight up.  It’s a bit of an odd design choice, especially considering the range of motion they gave his ab crunch.  Other than that I really don’t have too many complaints.  I think this is a really nice figure!

DCC Batman the Animated Series

Man-Bat is hitting comic stores and online right now.  I do miss the weekly releases DC Collectibles did with the first wave.  It was fun to run out to the comic store every week, and it also was a little easier on my wallet.  I paid $24.99 for each of the three figures in this wave at my local comic shop.  If you keep an eye on Amazon you can probably get a better deal since the figures tend to fluctuate between $18 – $25.

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3 thoughts on “DCC Batman the Animated Series 07 Man-Bat Review”

      1. Yeah. I would have liked a bit more articulation but they tended to have a goodly amount of accessories. Considering that Hasbro has gone back to 5 POA with (some) of its Star Wars range, they wouldn’t look out of place on the shelves of today.

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