Batman Legacy: Catwoman Classic

Officially, DC Universe Classics just came to an end with wave 20. Unofficially, it's still going pretty strong with a handful of spin-off lines. The Batman Legacy line is actually a bit more complicated than that. It's actually a bizarre hybrid of DCUC, Movie Masters, and new Arkham Asylum/Arkham City figures. What I'm looking at today, however, is pretty clearly an extension of the Classics figures Mattel's been putting out for years.

I skipped the first two waves, with the exception of a Gordon/Prototype Batsuit 2-pack I found on clearance (I'll get around to reviewing that soon). The new wave, which is just showing up at retail now, is split between retro and new styles, featuring two classic designs and two video-game inspired figures.


Before I get too involved with the figure, I've got a few thoughts about something I generally ignore: the packaging. I'm impressed with the amount of character-specific art included on both the front and back of this. In addition, take a look at a close-up of the character bio:

There's some impressively obscure info on there. I'm especially impressed they mentioned that Selina was simply called "The Cat" in her first appearance: that's the kind of detail that usually gets glossed over.

But of course I don't buy toys based on their packaging. In this case, there were a few factors. For one, both my wife and I are fans of this look. While I still prefer her modern black, I also love the glamorous, purple design she sported in the Silver Age.

I expected to like this from pictures I'd seen, but frankly my expectations were exceeded. This is a beautiful figure. While I'm not completely sold on her cape, I think the purple dress (reused from Raven, I'm sure), works fantastically. In addition, the Four Horsemen delivered an amazing head sculpt. The only thing you want to watch out for is paint: while I couldn't be happier with how my figure looks, there were two others on the peg who were nowhere near as lovely.

Articulation is basically the same as we're used to, though there is one point worth celebrating. Unlike almost every other female character Mattel's made, they actually took Catwoman's hair into consideration. She still doesn't have much range vertically, but there's enough space between her hair and cape to allow you to turn her head side-to-side.

While I love the figure, I have mixed feelings about her accessories. She comes with a stand which is at least somewhat personalized, including a sticker containing her name on the front. The top has a raised bat-symbol. Overall, this is a decent character stand, certainly better than the clear plastic ovals that came with DC Universe Classics figures (correction: that should have read, "that RARELY came with DC Universe Classics figures). But it's still very light and very simple. Considering what DC Direct's offering at the same price point, I'd like to get something better. Also, be aware that her heals don't work perfectly with the stand. She can stand on it, but the fact they inserted the peg holes right beside the gap in her shoes leaves her a bit unsteady.

The only other accessory is a small poster. Normally, these are just about worthless, but Mattel's actually taken a few steps to make this at least interesting. First of all, they rolled it up instead of folding it, which means there are no creases. Secondly, they used a classic Catwoman cover, a nice touch, and had the common sense to make it actual size.

While it's certainly nothing spectacular, I have to admit it's well-executed. By the way, in case you were wondering, the coins are there to keep the poster from rolling back up.

The reason I'm a little disappointed in her selection of accessories is that she's missing her trademark whip. I'm kind of surprised Mattel didn't include one, seeing as her right hand has the same grip the Superheroes Catwoman had. Here's the Legacy Catwoman borrowing the other's weapon:

Despite that omission and despite her price point (expect around $16 - $20), I really like this figure. I wound up paying the higher end of that scale, by the way: I found her for twenty at a toy store in Queens and grabbed her. She's worth that to me, but I'll be the first to admit it seems a bit high objectively.