There have been many different variants of Batman. From comics to movies to video games and the small screen, Batman has a wardrobe anyone can be envious of. Which is why this figure caught my eye. Simply dubbed “The Survival Gear Batman”, it offers a look at Batman outside of his traditional suit and more of a survivalist/wilderness suit.
The Packaging
Survival Gear Batman comes in the standard DC Collectables diamond box with a slick design and a clear window to see Batman. There’s not much to talk about when it comes to these boxes but they do have a very collector friendly design. It has some images of other figures in this wave at the back and a very nice sketch on the side.
The Figure
The figure is surprisingly taller than my regular DC Collectable Joker, coming in at just about 7 inches (18cm). The first thing one will notice is the lack of a cape and rather a backpack with a crossbow in it. The wrinkles in the backpack are actually sculpted in and it has a nice black wash over it that looks like dirt. His grey suit is missing sleeves but he has some sort of device strapped to his upper left arm with his classic purple gloves, which are a homage to the early days of Batman. His yellow pouches really stand out from the grey suit and the green strap over his chest goes directly over the middle of the Bat symbol, which just adds to the whole wilderness aesthetic. I really like the mud on his lower legs and the knife holster. It’s a nice touch and it adds some colour to his all-grey suit. It’s strange to see Batman like this but he pops on a shelf due to being unusual.
The Accessories
Survival Gear Batman comes with a knife and some tangy string thing that I’m not even sure counts as an accessory.
The knife looks simple with a clean silver blade and a green handle. It requires some force but fits well in his hands while it’s a bit loose in the holster though putting it in the other way round seems to hold is in nicer albeit not as tight as I’d like.
The string looks nice but it has no real function. Though with some cleverly placed wires, one can get some nice pictures of him swinging from trees with his little string. There’s a hook at the end of the line and a clip on his belt so you can reattach it once you’ve fiddled with it. I really wish the crossbow in his backpack were removable. The bowstring pulls back and everything. It would be so cool to have Batman hold a crossbow but instead it’s just stuck there. The backpack isn’t removable either which is a shame.
Articulation
This figure feels like more of a display figure than a figure one can get into dynamic poses. The backpack makes him top heavy so standing him up can be tricky. His head is on a hinge so it can look side to side but don’t expect too much up and down motion. His shoulders hinge out and rotate all the way around, while he has a bicep swivel and joint in the elbow and swivels in the wrist with a very slight hinge.
He has an AB crunch but it isn’t going to do all that much and he has a rotation at the waist which is very loose on mine. In fact, all my figure’s joints are loose. His legs can move back and forth but only kick out a little. There’s a swivel in the upper thigh, double joined knee with a hinge and swivel at the ankle.
Final Thoughts
Survival Gear Batman will look good on any shelf but I feel the crossbow and backpack really should have been removable. I know the designer series is more about looks than anything else but it still feels like a missed opportunity with an otherwise nice-looking figure.
Pros:
- Looks good and is a unique Batman figure.
Cons
- That crossbow that’s stuck there is teasing what could have been.
