I first saw Diamond’s Comic Gallery Batman at Toy Fair 2018. At the time, I was happy that DST was bringing Batman to the affordable gallery line, but I wasn’t nuts about his head—especially the face, with its teeth gritted in constipation. I kind of felt the same way at this year’s Toy Fair—after all, the prototype hadn’t really changed. But the production run is out now, and Diamond just sent Batman News a review unit, so how did the final version turn out?
Better
Here’s the thing: I don’t think the final version is all that different than the prototype. But here, in my house, with natural light (as opposed to the weird fluorescent glow of a convention center), I’m taking to it differently. I wouldn’t say I love the teeth, and I kind of wish they had gone with shorter ears for this particular costume, but I also like it. That’s not what I expected after two Toy Fairs and a number of promotional photos.
The sculpt is excellent, with a nice cape-in-hand gargoyle-perching lunge. The texture on the suit is nice, without overdoing it. I dig the Bat on his chest, and the gloves and boots look great. The paint on those accent portions of the suit is really nice, too. It’s not full-bore, old-school blue, but it’s a nice, gray-dirty blue, and I think it was the perfect choice for what they were going for here.
The base might be my favorite part of the whole piece, though. The spiked guard-railing is painted really nicely, and looks like actual metal. Couple that with a super-bizarre, creepy gargoyle, nice faux-bricks, and you’ve got a winner. Nine times out of ten, I’m indifferent to the diorama bases on these Gallery statues, but I really love this one.
Overall
I’m still not sure I would have bought this for myself, but I can happily admit that this has more to do with my personal taste than it does with the quality of the piece. It is more to my liking than I expected it to be, and it’s very well-made, with a number of features that I legitimately love. If you dig the ears and the face, scoop this up now—it’s a winner.
DISCLAIMER: Batman News received this collectible from Diamond for the purpose of review.
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