REVIEW: Square Enix Play Arts Kai Batman (Armored) and Harley Quinn

I'm back with another Play Arts review! This time, it's Batman (Armored) and Harley Quinn, the second set of figures from Square's Arkham Asylum figures. When I got the first two, Batman and the Joker, I was rather floored by the quality and poseability of both figures, but not so much the value ($60 apiece), moreso in the Joker's case. How do these two stack up? Well, let's see...

First off, a short "import horror story": I ordered these MONTHS ago. MONTHS. I had my regular Batman and the Joker. I wasn't going to get the armored Bats, but Harley was a sure thing. Then came pictures of the armored Batman and I bit the bullet on him, too, because the first two figures impressed me that much. So I finally get tired of waiting for BBTS to get their stock decide to order straight from Square's website. I received a shipping notice, and the day these were supposed to be on my doorstep, the tracking info said the FDA had to check out my package. Apparently the good ol' feds inspect packages from time to time for insects (especially packages from China), which had me waiting another week for my stuff. Frustrating, but I finally have them. I won't be ordering direct from them again, no matter how impatient I grow.

On to the figures!

I thought it only appropriate to do the "Iron Man" pose, since he's in armor. Looks pretty good, I think.

The Good: These figures look fantastic. Just fantastic! The sculpting, paint (for the most part) and detail are top-notch. The articulation, as always with Play Arts, is in fine working form here. All the clothing on Harley is fairly flexible and doesn't inhibit her movement at all, if you just have patience and fiddle around with it enough. Solid joint construction and the ratchets in the joints are all intact, and if you have the mind and patience, you can get them into almost any pose imaginable. The accessories this time, at least in Harley's case, are a little more significant than the Joker: She has a cane (Warden Sharp's cane from the game), an extra hand, and the gem of the accessories in the line thus far: Scarface painted up like the Joker. His arms and legs are articulated, and his head is on a ball joint, giving the lil fella a ton of personality. One of Harley's hands is sculpted into his back so she can "hold" him, but here's the best part: the same wrist joints on Harley are the ones on Joker, so Joker can use Scarface, too!

Batman is chock full of detailing on his armor, right down to the rivets and mesh detailing around the top of his legs (ya know, so it doesn't hinder his movement too much). There's a very harsh-edged looked to the design of his armor, and as you can see, it screams badass. As far as I can tell, there's very little, if any, re-use of parts from the first edition of Batman other than his cape and maybe his boots. It's an entirely different figure from the first release, making it worth owning if you're a hardcore Batman dork like me. He really is a fantastic figure, but there's a few things holding him back, which we'll get into after more pics...

 The Bad: Again, your mileage may vary on how good a value these two are. Even though Harley has a very cool accessory (Scarface), she still feels a tad light in that department. Batman, too, seems light on accessories: he comes with the single-claw Batclaw and a rehash of the batarang from the first release. He has an extra set of hands, but the left one in particular isn't that great:

 Either mine is messed up or the mold is, because the peg hole for the open left hand seems off-center, making his hand look wonky no matter how you pose it. The fist is fine, but for $60, I shouldn't have a bum hand that looks goofy and shows off that ball joint on his wrist horrifically.

The second issue I have with Batman is definitely a quality control one: his left pec joint (?) that allows forward movement at the shoulders, is stuck in place. It's not a dealbreaker by any means, but the fucking thing should move, and I've no idea how to unstick it. Worse, when I popped the arm out to investigate, a second piece came out along with the ball joint, which I had to glue back in place. I shouldn't have to un-stick or glue anything at this price point, Square. Get your shit together.

The other thing that keeps these down a bit are paint apps. For the most part, they are completely spot-on, with no slop or fuzz. But there's some issues with Harley's left boot and the dreaded paint rub has already struck again on her cane-holding hand. But these are minor issues, and it might just be my bad luck.

 I can without hesitation give a wholehearted recommendation for Harley. Her and the Joker look great together, and even though I'm not the greatest fan of her being tarted up in the games, the articulation and execution here make it a great (if whored-up) figure. Batman let me down, but it's mostly because of the stuck shoulder joint and the funky way his extra hand looks. You might have better luck.

Overall: While these look amazing, the price point and the quality control keep plaguing me from saying "BUY THESE NOW!" But having said that, there's a ton of product coming out of the Arkham Asylum/City franchise, and the Play Arts Kai figures are the best of the bunch. If you already have the first Batman, and aren't a gigantic Batman dork, you might be able to pass on Armored Bats. Harley, though, is a great figure and extremely fun to pose, especially with her cohort Mr. J. I'd give these a B+.

Check out a few more pics, and thanks for reading!

-Swift