seen@nycc2008: dc deluxe 1/6 dark knight & the joker

DC Deluxe 13-incher tall DARK KNIGHT/BATMAN and THE JOKER [blogged] on display @ New York Comic Con and I have quite a few opinions about them actually - *frown*

CLICKETH to read my incessant grouses, or spare yourselves and pop-on by Figures.com instead = for more (original uncropped) pics of figures, as well as statues & busts, prop-replicas and all-things-Dark Knight.

(FYI: Carded action figures from Mattel are here instead)

One of the predominant visual issues I have with 1/6th-scaled figures, most times is with what I term the "Turtle-Head-Syndrome" = where perhaps the neck visibly disappears into the collar, hence giving the illusion of (having) "no-neck" - which could be rectified by either: (A) utilizing a little tuck and stick of the figure and clothes, specifically for display purposes, to provide your figure with optimum visual appeal (no offense to the folks involved in the display, natch), or (B) give the base-figure a longer-neck, in-lieu of the thickness of tailored clothes, most noticeable with suits, as double-fold lapels always look puffed-up. As much as collectors may kitbash their figures, they inevitably will not remain unclothed while on display, so a longer anatomically-wrong neck would work, IMHO. And this would be a long-term application - an more palatable suggestion (becoz no one may ever want to change an entire production process becoz of a short-neck), would be modular neck-attachment = an added thickness in-between the head and neck-joint to the main body.

and the reason why Bruce looks like a buffed-Bat buffoon, is becoz they are probably utilizing their standard articulated body-form - which already possess "Superhero-musculature" - and then you add-on them with even thicker plastic body-armor? his neck may remain long and sexily slender, but his body and proportions look like a Wrestler's Halloween-costume, IMHO.

OTHER RANDOMNESS:

- Decent sculpt on Joker's head tho. And while one may argue it would be cool to have a Heath-Ledger-likeness, I'm fine with what it is now. Why have Heath looking down at you?

- While a true value and quality about a toy man-in-a-mask lies not in his chin, or nose (sculpt), but in the paint-app finish where the mask ends and face begins.

- and yes, I may be yakking-on a tad too much just based on online-photos and hence would be duly unfair to the designers and producers of the figures, as I know not the trials and tribulations involved in producing a toy - but maaaaan ... ... perhaps it would be much "easier" if I did not have high hopes for this figure, and wait for TAKARA's version instead ... heh.