Welcome to Dan's ToyBox. I had originally pre-ordered this set but decided to cancel it just because of the price. To my delighted surprise, my awesome wife ended up getting this for me as an anniversary present. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... she's definitely a KEEPER! Let's discuss the Medicom Mafex: The Dark Knight Returns: Batman and Horse Deluxe Action Figure set.
After a decade of retirement, Bruce Wayne, the former Batman, witnesses Gotham being overrun by a ruthless new adversary, the Mutant Gang. Following a severe defeat in their initial encounter, Batman returns with a fierce determination, defeating and humiliating the Mutant Leader in front of his supporters and inspiring former gang members to become "The Sons of Batman." After Superman manages to divert a nuclear missile, causing it to explode in the atmosphere, the electromagnetic pulse generated shuts down all electrical systems in the country. Taking to horseback, Batman and Robin, along with the remnants of the Mutant Gang take back the streets and restore order to a Gotham ravaged by riots and despair.
Once again, Mafex puts out an amazing comic-based action figure. Admittedly, the yellow oval was on the blue and gray costume and by the time Batman was on horseback, he was in his black and gray costume with the black bat on the chest. That being said, this figure looks pretty amazing on the horse and standing alone. I really enjoy the figure, but there are some issues, which are disappointing.
Accessories: 9/10
Mafex has always gone above and beyond with the accessories they include and even with the horse statue, they pack extras! This comes with a display stand for the horse, an extra saddle, six pairs of hands: one pair of fists, one pair open/relaxed, one pair open action, one pair cape clutching, one pair batarang throwing, one pair rein holding hands and one flat, bloodied hand. There are four batarangs, which I've managed to lose one already... sigh, two alternate head sculpts (one frowning, one gritted teeth), a loose cowl, and a bloodied, knife wound alternate abdomen. I had to heat the injured abdomen up though, to get it to pop on to the lower torso.
Thankfully, I was eventually successful, and it led to some great photos with some of my other Mafex TDKR figures. I think the only thing that really drives me nuts about the Mafex TDKR Batman figures is how small and easy to lose the batarangs are. I suppose I ought to count myself lucky, I have five Batman figures from this line and have only lost two batarangs, but that's still two too many.
Appearance: 9/10
At first glance, it would be easy to give this figure a straight up 10/10. Upon closer inspection, both of Batman and the horse, there are some issues that drop the score a bit. Starting with the horse, the sculpt is dynamic and the reared back pose conveys power and elegance. The small gripes I have with the horse include a paint scuff on the left front flank and a lot of paint splotching around the bridle on the face. The tan paint for the bridle is applied decently, but doesn't cover the edges completely, which makes for a splotched look. Aside from that, the silver paint on the buckles and rings looks very clean. There is even a small touch of white around the eyes, which is pretty impressive as well. There is a lot of paint detail around the hooves, which gives a nice, realistic look to the statue. I think the only question I have is why is the hoof paint the same color as the saddle and reins? The base has a nice, rocky, muddy texture to it with holes for the horse's rear hooves and another for the clear support post, which plugs into the horse's stomach. Overall, I am really impressed with the horse statue and display. I may just get some black paint and cover the scuff because that's really the only distraction.
Batman is fantastic... but the two complaints I have are the paint applications on his chest emblem. The bat is sculpted but you can see that the black paint is slightly off and doesn't quite reach the edges of the emblem. My other issue is the size of the cape, and the wires they used. I get that the cape needed to be overly large, in order to have some dynamic displays on the horse, but the wires on the outer edges are very thin and don't really provide good support for the cape. Thicker bendy wire would have helped immensely, and they should have added at least two more to the middle sections of the cape. As it stands, when Batman is on the horse's back, getting his cape to flare out dramatically takes a lot of work with no guarantee it will stay in place. I honestly feel like the best cape wiring from Mafex, to date, has been on the Cyborg Superman figure. It's firm and holds the weight of the cape exceptionally well. Batman's capes could benefit from using those wires. Aside from that, Batman looks terrific. The dry wash over his utility belt helps give a worn/used look, signifying the crime fighter's older age and appearance. My favorite accessory is the abdominal wound torso and bloodied hand. Designed to mimic the look of his injuries after taking the Joker down at the fair, the paint scheme looks great, though perhaps a bit darker red would have been a touch more accurate. Regardless, I am pleased with the overall aesthetic of the figure.
Articulation: 9/10
We've seen this body mold several times already, but it's still impressive for the engineering. Batman's head and neck are mounted on ball joints, granting the Caped Crusader a broad range of motion to look up, down, or side to side, and even to cock his head with a bit of "attitude." His shoulders are equipped with butterfly joints for smooth forward and backward movement, and his arms can rotate a full 360 degrees, achieving the perfect "T" stance. The double-jointed elbows can bend to a certain extent, limited by his muscular build, and both wrists can hinge and pivot with ease, no matter which hands are attached. The ab crunch is notably impressive, working in tandem with his diaphragm to allow Batman to lean forward significantly and arch his back deeply. Both his waist and torso can pivot, offering a variety of dynamic poses. Batman's legs incorporate the standard Mafex drop-down feature, enabling impressive splits and high forward kicks, though his backward kicking range is somewhat limited. His knees are double-jointed for substantial bending, and his ankles offer excellent pivot, swivel, and hinge movement, complemented by articulated toes.
Affordability: 9/10
Given that I received this as a gift, I'd say it's more than worth the price! If you want to add one to your own collection, the Medicom Mafex TDKR Batman and Horse deluxe set retails on BBTS for $164.99. The higher price, of course, is due to the massive horse statue and base. Even so, this is a really nice addition to any Batman collection in general, or those specifically building a Mafex TDKR themed collection.
Overall, the Medicom Mafex TDKR Batman and Horse is a surprisingly pleasing set. It does take up quite a bit of space, so keep that in mind when making your purchase. I'm very grateful for this sweet surprise from my awesome wife and happy to give the set:
9 out of 10 ToyBoxes
It's no secret that Mafex is one of my personal favorites when it comes to action figures. The Dark Knight Returns has been one of their most impressive lines and I look forward to what they'll do next! Thank you for stopping by Dan's ToyBox, until next time... GEEK OUT!!!
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