For an old timer action figure collector like me, the new McFarlane ones are just a pain scale wise. I've been trying to look for an alternative The Batman action figure that would fit well with my old 6 inch scale Mattel Movie Masters collection dispaly wise. And fortunately I saw these Basic Spin Masters The Batman action figures being sold online that says it is on the 6 inch scale. I've been scouring the internet for reviews and scale comparisons of this figure but unfortunately I couldn't find one. Well no surprise there since most action figure reviewers are adults, and clearly this action figure is meant for kids, and not for the "adult" collectors. So I'll just take the liberty to do the review instead.
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| In Package |
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| Spin Masters Basic Superman and Batman Figures |
From the packaging alone, it is pretty clear that this "Action" Figure lacks the "Action" Feature. The packaging itself does not state the "Action" part. But I already know about this because I have previously bought a Superman figure from Spin Masters that is of the same classification. Forgot to make a review of that one though.
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| With the Mattel Movie Masters Affleck Batman and the Mattel Christian Bale Batman |
Now off to the most exciting part, the scale comparison with the old Mattel Movie Masters line! Well sad to say, it is an epic fail. This basic Spin Master figure is so small compared to the Mattel ones. Though to be fair, Mattel always had this uneven scale for their Mattel movie Masters line. The Christian Bale Batman were their initial foray for this line. Followed by the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern Movie which was smallish compared to the Bale Batman. Then followed by the Man of Steel Movie Master line which set the standard for their succeeding Movie Masters toy line. So as seen on the photo, even the Bale Batman is smaller compared to the standard Movie Masters action figures that they eventually settled on.
However, when you compare it to the recent Mattel basic Movie Figures, it fits snugly with them. Shazam, Aquaman, and the Justice League were the only movies that got this treatment before Mattel relinquised the rights to produce DC Action Figures to McFarlane. The older basic figures of Mattel from the Bale Batman is still smaller. The vintage Kenner ones too. You'd think Spin Masters should have opted to copy Mattel's basic figures. But their basic figures costs half of Mattel's. I guess these were just token releases meant for dollar stores or discount stores. They however invested heavily on the 4 inch and 12 inch line. Their 4 inch figures beats Mattel's by a mile. Remember those Man of Steel 4 inch figures? Those were horrendous!
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| With the Spin Masters Basic Superman figure and the Mattel Superman Returns premium statue figures |
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| With a customized Joaquin Phoenix Joker figure |
Some quick thoughts about the upcoming The Batman movie by Matt Reeves. First, I would love to see his Batman crossover with Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. I don't know if that ever happens but I'm thinking that both could share the same cinematic universe. Secondly, as much as I love Zack Snyder's plans for DC's Extended Universe, and had defended him many times, I think boycotting this movie is too much and too toxic. We can't stunt the growth of the DC Universe in the big screen just because we hate what the WB execs did to Snyder. I actually abhor it and wish that the executives there would be replaced. But I think it would be more prudent to give the creative directors a chance and judge the movie by seeing it first. As it is, the post Snyder DCEU had been a hit and miss. And I would have preferred for Snyder to be able to complete his whole "Snyderverse". But in a way, the way the Justice League Snyder Cut ended, I find it just satisfying to see his vision for the Justice League finally get to be seen as it should have been. And even way back when the Josstice League cinematic version was released, I always took a stand that Flashpoint would reboot everything whether Snyder was able to release his version of the movie or not. So we are at a new dawn for the DC Cinematic Universe. I love how DC's approach has been so far. How their movies are character centric rather than force everything to be serious. Being serious, grounded, and gritty works well for characters like Batman. However it wouldn't be right for characters like Superman, Shazam, and the more brightly colored ones. Though I totally dig and understood Snyder's take on the Man of Steel. I might have preferred a brighter Superman but I'll fight anyone who takes a dig at Snyder's iteration of my all time favorite Superhero.
Anyway, I'll leave you guys with more photos of this Spin Masters Batman figure below.
So what's my final verdict for this figure? Unfortunately, the details are bad, articulation is lacking, and the scale when compared to the Mattel Movie Masters are not a good fit. So I suggest that you just save your money and buy the McFarlane one or the smallish Spin Master 4 inch ones and start to rebuild your collection again.
