Super-Articulate: DC Multiverse Batman Ninja Assortment Part 2

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Troy Brownfield

Welcome back! Last time, we took a deep dive into catching up on the DC Multiverse Batman Ninja assortment. This Titans-heavy group was released a few months ago, but are readily available at online outlets and can be found in the wild at various stores. This time, we’re focusing on the last regular figure in the group, the Collect and Connect figure, and two figures from last year that you might still see swimming around. Before we begin, we’d like to thank Mattel for providing these figures free for the purposes of review.

Beast Boy: The last regular individual figure is fantastic. Beast Boy is based on the Rebirth redesign, but also has a few cool anime touches. The face and hair definitely echo what you’d expect from a Titans manga. This is a very good sculpt overall, but the real stars are the hands and feet. If you look closely, there’s a lot of fine detail on the fingers, toes, and the nails on both. That took time, and it’s the kind of detail that a casual observer might miss.

The figure is pretty striking, and I found it to be the most poseable of the group as well. That makes sense due to the nature of the character, but it’s evident when you work the joints and set a position. It’s well done. The only issue that I have with the figure is that it probably should have come with some small green animal for Garfield to transform into; however, I also understand that there’s a lack of room here, as Beast Boy comes with more than one piece of the Collect and Connect figure. Overall, though, this is one of the better, if not the best, figure this time around.

Batman Ninja: Based on Batman’s appearance in the 2018 animated film Batman Ninja, the Collect and Connect figure is dripping with detail. Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki did the design work for the film, and the figure really manages to capture the look in an exacting fashion. It’s a beautiful looking piece once it’s all together.

A word about the construction: I found this to be a really interesting C+C in a couple of regards. The first one is that the head doesn’t connect directly to the shoulders. The cape goes on a post on the torso first, and then the head attaches to a post on the cape. That’s definitely different, but it’s innovative, and it gives the cape a full and solid look that might have been obstructed by other approaches. I also like that the figure lends itself really well to the katana-drawing pose. This is certainly a figure that you look at because there are little design elements here and there that you miss the first time.

Our two bonus guests . . .

From the Aquaman film and the Trench Warrior C+C assortment . . .

Aquaman: Aquaman is a decent movie figure. The head captures the likeness of Jason Momoa fairly well. The body sculpt is good, with the attention to individual scales being particularly praiseworthy. The trident accessory is appropriately long and a little thicker than I expected; that’s a good thing, as other tridents from other Aquaman figures from across lines come in various degrees of fragility. I think this one is better.

Black Manta: Every pun intended, but Black Manta blows Aquaman out of the water. This is an outstanding, absolutely crazy-looking figure. The head seems a little oversized, and yet, that makes it a little more awesome. Interesting details abound here, as well as smart choices like that wrist blade. The paint quality is particularly good; those red eyes pop like crazy. There’s something about the design here that just feels so . . . modern. It’s really a top-notch version of a character that’s had more than few figures over the years.