Sunday, January 31, 2010

Hot Toys MMS DX 02 Batman The Dark Knight Review I

This is IT!!! If there ever was just one ULTIMATE 1/6 scale, approximately 32cm or 12.5-inch Batman you need to have, Hot Toys MMS (Movie Masterpiece Series - Deluxe) DX02 "The Dark Knight" Batman 1/6 scale collectible figure is the ONE. It's packed with lots of cool stuff and it comes in an equally cool and impressive box. The box is similar to Hot Toys MMS DX01 The Joker figure (check out my full review HERE), even down to the colors except where the side and inner panels of The Joker box was bright purple, Hot Toys DX02 Batman box is black.

The inside cover flap i.e. inner flap is done with a black matte and glossy finish, similar to Batman's costume and looks very nice but much harder to take proper pictures of.

The description reads: "As the various crime factions gain a stronghold over the city, BATMAN teams up with LT. JIM GORDON and District Attorney HARVEY DENT to take the syndicate down. Their efforts intimidate the reigning mob bosses, coercing the mob to hire an outsider to sabotage DENT's case against them. The outsider proves himself to be an overwhelming force to be reckoned with as he terrorizes the city, destroys lives and drives BATMAN to his ethical limits."

As we all have come to expect by now, there are three layers or trays on top of each other. This first tray shows three batarangs which look to be 1:1 scale except they are made of plastic. Die-cast metal would have been really something. SIGH, no matter, just a minor flaw in an otherwise GREAT product.

The line at the bottom reads:"I'm not a hero. I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be."

The top tray is removed to reveal Hot Toys DX02 Batman (sort of a version 2.0 as they had released an earlier version of this Batman already) with what seems like three Batman heads.

Batman headsculpt features Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS), Translucent Iris and detailed paint applications as well as Interchangeable faces featuring Authentic likeness of Christian Bale as Batman and detailed paint applications.

Additional neck post and an interesting gadget (doohickey) - to be revealed in later posts

The backpack which hides Batman's cape and deploys as a glider in the film when Batman traveled to Hong Kong to bring back the Chinese mafia accountant Lau, our very own Ng Chin Han :)

Also included in tray number two is the much anticipated Sticky Bomb Gun, also used in Hong Kong.

The Batman Sonar Vision headsculpt features light-up "Sonar Vision" device as well as detailed paint applications and of course, the new and much improved Batsuit with bronze color utility belt

The last tray reveals Batman's cape (supposedly made of "memory cloth" in the film), another utility belt, two 1:6 scale batarangs, mini-mine and his grapple gun with gun holder. It also contains five extra gloved hands and the deluxe figure stand with LED lights.

Hot Toys DX02 Batman straight out of the box. I really dig the new Hot Toys narrow shoulder True Type body they used for this figure as it makes a world of difference. The earlier first version turned out BULKY and this is a VAST improvement over it.



A close look at the "Sonar Vision" Batman headsculpt with the outstanding facial expression (one of three in this deluxe version)

The whole scale and size looks so much better now from the mask / cowl to the neck (not so scrawny like before) to the chest and shoulders

The new Batsuit, made of hardened kevlar plates on a titanium-dipped fiber and broken into multiple pieces of armor over a more flexible bodysuit for greater mobility. Also a tremendous improvement over the previous version by Hot Toys.


This neck post which is connected to the "Sonar Vision" headsculpt houses the three cell batteries (included) for switching on the sonar. You can make out the "on-off" switch at the base of the neck.



Lights ON!! In the 2008 film, the Batsuit's "sonar-vision", where signals emitted by mobile phones are converted into images in a similar way to echolocation, allowed Batman to "see" in the same way bats use sound to see. In order to view the images, white lenses fold down from Batman's cowl to cover his eyes. Aesthetically this gives Batman, for the first time on film, the 'white eyed' appearance he is always depicted with in the comic books and various animated television series.



What can I say? I only just opened the box and taken out the figure and already, I'm drooling. I haven't changed heads and played around with all the other stuff yet.

Review II - Different DX Batman heads
Review III - Bats in Hong Kong SAR
Review IV - More Hong Kong Batman
Review V - Sonar Vision Batman

To see the earlier version, click on this link.

Check out the awesome 1:6 Batpod HERE

Comparison pictures
of the two 1:6 scale Hot Toys TDK Batman and why this one is the BEST!

17 comments:

rarra said...

Wowwww... I want mine, so sad that here in America we are getting them around June.

Did you had the problem with the peeling paint or the cowl with different sized ...ears?

Congratulations, looks like a home run. I'll wait for your second review.

Anonymous said...

OMG! I want!!!
there goes my savings!!! :)

Anonymous said...

There are at least 3 shortcomings for mine here at HK. It is extrememly difficult to fix the thicker utility belt (the separate one) as the connection holes are very tight. Application of some glue may prevent it from loosening. The other shortcoming is the loose angle joints. Last, it is difficult to fix and remove the cape. Be careful when doing so, the clips may easily be broken. The clips with the backpack are fine. Good luck and enjoy it.

Covenant said...

Hot Toys continues to dazzle us with their insane sculpting skills. The incredible attention to the smallest details is amazing. I hope they can move away from Batman and into other licenses because they just seem to be outdoing themselves with each new Joker or Batman. Crockett and Tubbs from Miami Vice would be nice!

desmond said...

The size of the head seems a bit out of scale (bigger) when comparing to the overall body size. Perhaps I look wrongly..

Bracken said...

Ah, Congratulations...

A milestone figure, and what packaging!

Can't wait to see you future posts...

ian said...

Nice haul, Alex. :)

Apart for some very very minor distortion (Not very noticeable unless you really look at it)on my sonar head, the figure is fine, no peeling whatsoever. However, there seems to be some sort of oily residue "leaking" out from the ab armor. I thought it was the belt causing the problem at first because of its contact with the suit, but later inspection reveals that the oil is actually coming from the suit itself. Wiping it off only leaves you to see it come back after awhile. Now I'm just leaving the belt off to let it(Hopefully) dry. Hope it doesn't contribute to more problems, this is a great figure :(

alex teo said...

Hi Carlos, I read in the forums about those problems but I think they were confined to Hong Kong and part of the first batch that was released before QC.

The ones that are being released now seem to have been corrected of all these issues :)

hey AL, there goes mine as well Ha! Ha!

Thanks anon for the tips. I'll certainly watch out for those points you made >_<

we hear you covenant and we agree

@ desmond, the head is perfect MUCH BETTER than the first version - i like it a lot

Yo Bracken, can't wait to post them either; keep on watching

Thanks for the heads up ian, I'm still on my first belt and haven't check out the other one yet.

micro sd said...

In the world of movies based on comic book heroes, there are the new Batman films, and then there's everything else.

Wilson Cheah said...

Hey Alex just wanna know where u get your Batman DX through EBay or stores in Singapore?

alex teo said...

Hi Wayne, I got mine via pre-order @ The Falcon's Hangar at a pretty decent price :)

Wilson Cheah said...

Ok, btw does the oil still appears on your Batman?

alex teo said...

Yup, the oil is still there. It's less now and after wiping it off, it doesn't come back immediately. Minor gripe for me though as I like the figure too much :> CHEERS

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry that I'm 2 years late to the party... I just bought a Hot Toys DX02 and I'm having trouble with the cape. Rather, I'm worried I might rip the threads connecting the cape to the plastic pieces. I wanted to ask how to insert the cape into the slots on the shoulders? Does the cape go in the slots as well or just the plastic pieces? If someone could help me with a safe way to plug the cape in, that would be appreciated. Thank you!

alex teo said...

Hi, it's never too late to join the party :) check out my post here to see pictures of the cape inserted into the slots (both cape & plastic piece goes in) - http://toyhaven.blogspot.sg/2010/02/dx-batman-by-hot-toys-review-v.html

dw said...

RE: Thanks for the welcome! I wanted to ask, what method did you use to get the plastics and cape in the slots? I tried but I ripped one of the threads connecting the cape and the plastic slab so I'm worried now. I can't seem to get the cape and slab into the slot completely through like yours.

Also, I wanted to ask, are replacement parts for Hot Toys figures on eBay legit exact replicas? or are they cheaper quality versions? Thanks in advance!

alex teo said...

Hey dw, have you tried using a pair of tweezers? You grab both clip and cape and insert it into the slot, going under the armor. Hope this helps.

About the replacement parts on eBay: I've never bought any of them so I really wouldn't know.