Harley Quinn (DC Direct) Review
Posted on: June 15, 2011 by admin.
Welcome to another edition of Toy Box Reviews! This week we’re taking a look at everyone’s favorite sycophant girlfriend: Harley Quinn from the DC Direct Arkham Asylum Wave.
First Impressions
Harley is one of those characters that has the distinction of appearing on TV first before showing up in the comics. Originally created for the Batman Animated Series as a side-kick to the Joker, Quinn became so popular that years after the cartoon ended she was brought into the comics as a permanent member of the DCU. It was in the cartoon that I first saw her, and while not as big a fan as some people are of the character, I’ve always liked her.
Packaging and Bio
Packaging is the same as Scarecrow, who I talked about two week ago. For my thoughts on it, I’d recommend that review. Sadly, most DCDs lack any kind of bios on their packaging, which does make sense as these are adult-collector, fan-driven toys. Still, a loose bio of Harley is as follows:
[Arkham Psychologist, Harleen Quinzel] becomes fascinated with the Joker while interning at Arkham, and volunteers to analyze him. She falls hopelessly in love nearly instantly with the Joker during their sessions, and she helps him escape from the asylum more than once. When the Joker is returned to Arkham after a battle with Batman, the sight of her badly injured patient drives Harley to don the costume and become Harley Quinn, the Joker's sidekick and on/off girlfriend. (From Her Wiki Page)
What’s Good About Her?
Sculpt: DC Direct walks a very fine line between toy and poseable statue, but this isn’t a bad thing – Redesigned for the game by Jim Lee, Harley is gorgeous in her AA nurse costume and I’m absolutely blown away by the detailing on the toy. A lot of this is due to the little details on her – The ruffles on the uniform, the warden name tag, the stockings in her boots(which are real material), It’s all great and of her costume variations, is probably my favorite!
Paint: Also done very well; I especially like the paint job around her face where the clown make-up gives way to the peachier flesh tones of her skin. To say that it looks realistic is an understatement. This is hot toys quality in my opinion!
Pricing Point: Considering that most Hasbro and Mattel toys are going for around the same price as these DC Direct toys, I think it’d be fair to say that buying these toys instead is definitely not money wasted.
What’s Bad About Her?
Articulation: This is a quibble really, because even though she’s stiff in some of her joints, it’s not that bad. It would’ve been nice to get a few extra joints on her ankles but overall? Yeah, not a big thing.
Accessories
Harley Quinn comes with two + her stand. They are a cane, much like the ones Joker has been known to carry, and an injection gun that’s probably supposed to be full of the Titan formula from the game. Both are well done, with the gun being especially well painted and detailed. My only quibble would be that the gun isn’t sculpted quite well enough for Harley to hold it properly – Her finger is meant to slide over the trigger but scale issues make the gun slightly too big, so that you really have to force it. It will go eventually, but even then it still looks a little off. From a distance, though, it’s not that noticeable. I’d say show everything off.
Final Thoughts
Just like a trusted horse, DC Direct is one of those brands that rarely, if ever, lets me down. Given the amount of sub-par figures with high price tags that are out there today, I’d say that these toys are a beacon of light in the otherwise dark world of mediocre action figures. If you’re a fan of Batman, or the Arkham Asylum game, then I’d say pick these up. Even if you’re not, as a toy collector you could definitely do a lot worse than picking one of these up and checking it out for yourself.
Final Score: 5/5
If you would like to see larger versions of the images above, or the pictures that didn't make it, then check out the DC Direct Harley Quinn Photobucket Page
Comment by Harley Quinn (DC Direct) Review | Toys Are Cool on June 16, 2011 Harley Quinn (DC Direct) Review | Toys Are Cool says:
[...] Welcome to another edition of Toy Box Reviews! This week we’re taking a look at everyone’s favorite sycophant girlfriend: Harley Quinn from the DC Direct Arkham Asylum Wave. First Impressions Harley is one of those characters that has the distinction … Continue reading → [...]
Comment by BubbaShelby on June 27, 2011 BubbaShelby says:
