Kotobukiya's 1/10-scale ArtFX+ New 52 Batman is now available for pre-order. Batman will be joining Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Aquaman.

Back when Superman was announced, many people automatically assumed that the next character would be Batman and were subsequently surprised when he was preempted by three other announcements. Having seen Batman, I understand that Kotobukiya was probably just point its best foot forward because this statue strikes me as being unremarkable if not bad. For starters, the costume doesn't look bulky enough. I'm not terribly familiar with the new design, but the padding at shoulders almost implies that there's a layer like that under the whole costume meaning that the character shouldn't look so slender. In addition, the shoulders themselves almost look they're set a little too low. I should also mention that Batman appears to be taller than the other characters despite Superman supposedly being an inch or two taller in the comics.

The whole glossy metallic look doesn't seem to flatter Batman as much as it does the other characters. So far he certainly seems to be the weakest figure in this series although I doubt Kotobukiya will do worse with the remaining two characters (Wonder Woman and Cyborg). At any rate, Batman is still essential for completing your line-up. For those who just want a Batman, however, there are many better options currently available and we're likely to see better New 52-styled ones as well. Kotobukiya's ArtFX+ New 52 Batman has the same ¥4,200 or US$40 list price (depending on your chosen retailer) as the other statues and is slated for an April release.

[ Pre-order at HobbyLink Japan | Hobby Search | AmiAmi | Big Bad Toy Store ]