[BarbaraGordon]

Street Date: Officially 2018-08-08
MSRP: $40 - $46 (depending on the source)
Price I Paid: $35
Scale: 6-inch (or 1/12)

This set was released a while ago, but it's still available for less than retail from third-party sellers on Amazon.com.

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Yes, I know -- "Why is BarbaraGordon reviewing a Hasbro Marvel action figure???" Well, I've been looking for a motorcycle that my McFarlane figures can actually ride, and I thought that maybe I could use the short-hair head as an unmasked Kate Kane (Batwoman).

I dunno why, but for several years now, it seems like manufacturers have been making motorcycles that're too big for the intended action figures. This is why I didn't get the DC Collectibles Batgirl of Burnside with purple motorcycle set (2016). McFarlane's new motorcycles based on designs from the live action movie The Batman are so big that they seem to approach the size of the motorcycle made by Spin Master -- for 12-inch figures! I wanted to see for myself if perhaps Hasbro got a handle on things.

Inside the packaging, the figure, an extra head sculpt, and the motorcycle are lodged securely in the plastic tray without ties or tape. I think the heads are the same, just different hairstyles. The figure stands 6-inches tall, even though she should probably be shorter/smaller to be "in scale" with other characters.

Most forum members are probably more familiar with Hasbro's articulation system than I am. The figure has double-jointed knees but single-jointed elbows. It doesn't have upper arm swivels but rather swivels hidden in the elbows. The legs have thigh cuts. Instead of ball ankle joints, the figure has pegged joints.

Playing with this figure reminded me of why years could pass between purchases prior to my collecting McFarlane's DC line. The build quality is cheap. The neck & head peg combination is way too long (though this may've been intentional in order to allow Black Widow to look forward when riding the bike). The pegged feet are awful, and they look like she's wearing house slippers instead of boots or other sensible outdoors footwear. There are visible gaps in the knees. Many pieces still have excess plastic that wasn't cut cleanly.

Some people complain about McFarlane's current articulation system (first developed for Fortnite) -- usually no "ab crunch" and no thigh cuts. I don't know if Black Widow is representative of the Marvel Legends Series, but she bends backwards more than she bends forwards, just the same as many of the DC Multiverse figures. And thigh cuts or no, she can't do deep leg splits the way that many of the DC Multiverse figures can.

The motorcycle looks cool and is generally high quality. The wheels even have some "bounce" suspension. Unfortunately, the kickstand is too long when placed in the "lock" position, so it actually causes the bike to fall over on the opposite side. The Black Widow logo appears only on the right side (why not the left as well?). The bike is also too big for Black Widow. It took me several tries to get her in close to a sitting position for the picture at the top of this review.

McFarlane's DC Multiverse figures are generally too big for the bike, which leads me to conclude that the bike is actually best suited for figures made in 1/11-scale. There's a 1/11-scale? Sure, if you can find figures that are about 6.55-inches tall. That's the scale in between 6- and 7-inch figures.

The DC Collectibles TMNT Batgirl is small enough that she can ride the bike only by standing on it. The Mattel Stephanie Brown Spoiler and McFarlane Damian Wayne Robin have single-jointed knees, so they can't really sit down on the seat (though Stephanie Brown would look pretty good on the bike if she had double-jointed knees).

In terms of getting a figure to sit on the motorcycle while gripping the handlebars, I had the most success with Gotham Knights Batgirl. This is because she has the best combination of double jointed knees and soft diapers. Black Widow's thigh cuts don't really help her sit all that well on a bike, so no, thigh cuts don't solve every articulation problem involving legs.



Areas of concern:
-- The kickstand is too long, so it causes the bike to fall over on the opposite side.
-- The bike is slightly too big for the figure.
-- The figure's overall quality is disappointing.

[BarbaraGordon]

[BarbaraGordon]

[BarbaraGordon]

[BarbaraGordon]

[BarbaraGordon]

[BarbaraGordon]