In 2005, Warner Bros. rebooted Batman film franchise was kicked off with the first entry. Batman Begins marked a major shift for Warner Bros. and the cinematic take on Batman. Gone were the gothic settings of Time Burton, the slapstick humor of Joel Schumacher and the bat nipples of George Clooney. Instead, director Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer re-imagined Batman as a very grounded character. Not so much a super hero anymore, this Batman thrived on the fear he struck into his enemies and gave fans a take on the Dark Knight they had never seen before. To do so, they turned to Christian Bale, an actor fans had long hoped would don the cowl. Bale brought a gruff and extremely physical presence to the film. All of this combined to bring Batman back from the brink of cinematic irrelevance.
NECA originally teased their Batman Begins – 1/4 Scale Christian Bale Batman over a year ago, in June 2015. The original plan was to have this released in 2015 to coincide with the film’s 10th anniversary. We’ve see the figure numerous times since then. It’s gone through a series of changes and refinements in an attempt to perfect the look of the character. After some delays, the figure has finally landed in the hands of fans. So, were the delays ultimately worth it? Read on to check out our review and over 65 high resolution photos of the latest 1/4 Scale Batman. The figure comes to us from Toyark sponsor Entertainment Earth.
Related Entertainment Earth Links: 1/4 Scale Batman Begins, All 1/4 Scale Batman, All NECA Batman Items
Batman Begins – 1/4 Scale Christian Bale Batman by NECA
Pros
- Stunningly good figure sculpt
- Excellent head sculpt
- Lots of articulation
- Velvet style cape is a nice touch
- Nice assortment of accessories
Cons
- None
Overall
The packaging used here is reminiscent of the previous 1/4 scale Batman figures. It’s a massive window box featuring artwork and photos related to the figure. It’s a nice look overall. The figure is twist tied to a large cardboard backer. The accessories are glued to the side of the backer. With the Batman Begins release you get the figure, a fabric cape, a grapnel gun, a large hinged Batarang, a small Batarang, both open and closed mines, a sonar communicator, a Joker playing card and additional interchangeable hands.
Batman stands at 18″ tall and features well over 25 points of articulation. The costume is a mix of hard and soft plastics. The softer plastic and vinyl are used in areas like the chest and waist, giving it a nice “costume” feel. This also allows for better poseability, especially in the hips as the softer spots have a lot of give. The cape is made from a velvet-like material, which gives a good weight to it, with a nice flow when used in posing. The interchangeable hands swap out very easily. They are cast in a slightly softer plastic, making it easier to add and remove the weapons and accessories. The joints are extremely tight throughout. Not paint locked in any way, just naturally tight. You’ll have to use a bit of force here and there, which is common in the NECA 1/4 scale figures. It keeps them nice and sturdy. None of them felt like they were going to break as I posed. Paint apps are very clean in the few spots that required paint, such as the lower jaw and eyes. The sculpt is very clean, with a clear likeness of Christian Bale hidden under that cowl (cowl is not removable).
This Batman may have jumped to the top of my list. It’s at least on par with their Arkham Knight Batman, but the more I pose the figure, the more I enjoy about it. The sculpt really captures the extremely intricate details in the bat suit. The articulation is top notch, allowing for just about any pose I wanted. The very strong ankle joints kept the figure sturdy throughout the shoot. The suit throughout has a very rubbery look to it, much like the film. This (along with the velvet cape) tends to attract dust, so keep a feather duster and lint brush handy. To add how well this turned out, they included some really good accessories. It didn’t care much, personally, for the mines in the film. But the grapnel gun, the folding batarang and the Joker card kept me busy. They’re well crafted and durable. The grapnel gun is a softer plastic, while the batarangs are thinner, hard plastic.
If you’ve been holding out on the NECA 1/4 scale Batman figures, simply because you wanted the absolute best one, then this might be it. Everything about the figure turned out great. From sculpt, to fabric selection, articulation and accessories, this is a pretty impressive release. I hope they decide to eventually do the other two Christian Bale suits, simply to have a full evolution of the film trilogy looks and because of how fun this figure is to handle Check out some of the highlight photos below, with a full gallery after that.
