DC Collectibles Arkham Knight series Nightwing action figure (Merch)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Publisher: DC Collectibles
The Arkham Knight series Nightwing figure is, as the name implies, part of the Arkham Knight tie-in toy series produced by DC Collectibles between 2015 and 2016. This particular figure is part of the second wave in that series, joined by other Arkham Knight supporting players Robin, Catwoman, and Commissioner Gordon. The figure stands just under 7 inches tall and, extending out his arms and legs, has a wingspan just about the same length.
I’ll start with the sculpting, because I feel that this is where the figure truly shines. The details on Nightwing’s suit are really great, with all of the armor plating and layers prominent throughout the in-game model are present in the figure. The figure even has all of the rivets and bolts included in the sculpt and painting. This is a smaller detail that could easily have been overlooked, and the decision to include it really shines. The symbol on Nightwing’s chest and shoulders are also raised on the sculpt, contrasting from the rest of the figure in the best way. It’s really eye catching. The belt has the four pouches that Nightwing stores his gadgets in, and they’re also raised and sculpted beautifully. Paint application all throughout the body sculpt is great too, the blacks and silvers are almost a matte finish while the blues shine and draw your attention, especially under light. It’s consistent, and looks great.
Once you get to the head, though, that’s where I start to have some issues. The sculpting just isn’t quite as nice in the face and hair, and the coloring leaves a lot to be desired. It’s all very flat, and the flesh color just seems off, especially when compared to how nice the details on the costume are. The mask is simply painted on the face with a slight raise, and while it matches the colors of the suit flawlessly, the minimal raising and sculpting just contrasts from the suit way too much. In terms of overall accuracy to the game, though, this figure is a really nice fit. The Arkham Knight design is, in my mind, one of Nightwing’s best looks. Visually, the transition to toy form does not disappoint.
For accessories, you don’t get much. You get two variations on Nightwing’s Escrima sticks, four accessories in total; two fully extended and two collapsed for storage. Both variations of the sticks look really good. They match the game, and fit in uniform with the rest of the figure very well with the sculpting and paint. The extended sticks fit perfectly in Nightwing’s hands, and I had a lot of fun getting the combat and action poses with these guys. One thing that’s missing, though, is on-figure storage. In-game, the collapsed batons are stored on Nightwing’s back, which I think would’ve been an easy addition to this figure. Sure it would’ve added a bit of bulk to the back, but I think it’d be worth it for the easy storage since these smaller batons can be easily lost. Adding back storage would’ve also allowed for more posing options, with a natural “casual pose” that would be game accurate.
The figure has 21 points of articulation, counting joints like the elbow and knee as a single point. I’ve attached a video below demonstrating each point of articulation, as this is something that’s significantly easier to show rather than tell.
If you can’t or don’t want to watch the video, I’ll quickly recap all the points of articulation here;
- Head on a single ball peg, no neck hinge. You can look down, but not up, and rotate the head 360 degrees
- Chest has a torso swivel and waist rotation, but no ab crunch. This is disappointing, I personally prefer ab crunch on a toy
- The arms have a ball joint with a hinge at the shoulder, upper bicep rotation, double jointed elbows (the joint works both ways, but one way significantly more than the other), and a wrist hinge that also allows for full rotation
- Legs have another ball joint with an upper thigh swivel, double jointed knees (same issue as the elbows), shin swivel, and an ankle hinge that does have a rocker pivot
All things considered, the articulation on this figure is really just okay. Nothing’s too stiff besides those elbow and knee joints, and the parts that do work, work well. But the lack of things like a neck hinge or an ab crunch really is just strange, and that keeps the figure from standing out in the articulation and posing in my opinion. That doesn't mean that this figure is bad by any means, though. It's still a really solidly built figure, with great sculpting and painting. Articulation is obviously incredibly important in an action figure, and this figure has enough poseability that a few poor joints aren't going to ruin it.
Verdict
- Really beautiful sculpting & painting
- Accurate representation of the character in the Arkham Knight video game
- 21 ponts of articulation
- Some articulation isn't as good as it could be
- Lack of on-figure storage for small accessories
