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Write a Review link for that item. Batman - Animated Series (McFarlane) (McFarlane Toys)For a couple of years now, McFarlane Toys has put out a long-running DC line, producing figures from a variety of comics, films, and the occasional cartoon. It seems it'll be coming to an end, as Mattel is getting the master toy license back, and if I'm not mistaken, McF's deal with DC ends by the end of next year. I haven't gotten much of their Multiverse figures, but I have gotten most of their BTAS reissues. Wave four came out a while ago, and a review of it is long overdue. Heading the wave is not another Batman variant, but rather H.A.R.D.A.C. as it appeared in "His Silicon Soul," one of my favorite episodes. While Todd doesn't credit his sculptors, DC Direct did, and Irene Matar is responsible for this figure and much of the line in general. This isn't so much H.A.R.D.A.C. as it is the robotic duplicate of Batman it created, and the heads - yes, heads, extra portraits aren't common with DCD figures - display its internal mechanics. The main portrait has half of a red-eyed Batman mask, with the other half showing the robot skull underneath. The other head is full-on robot, with the mouth wide open for a more menacing look. Both heads have mostly clean paint, but there is some bleed here and there. Standing 6 1/2" tall, Robo-Batman has the same arms and legs as the Batman that came with the DCD release of the Batcycle, and since that mold's the one McF uses for their animated Batmen, the robot fits in well with them. The torso is another unique piece, showing visible wear and tear exposing the mechanics inside. It matches the episode well, and there's quite a bit of detail. The McF reissues add cel-shading to these figures, and even though the latest wave got rid of it, the work is great with this wave. Doing it on the sides of the limbs and torso is better than having one source of lighting on the figure, especially when there's good contrast between the colors. The H.A.R.D.A.C. Bat doesn't move much differently from the regular Batmen in the line, as it has a ball-hinged head, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, and ankles, ball-jointed hips, double-hinged knees, and swivel forearms, waist, and shins. No ab crunch here due to the torso sculpt, but everything else is great, and I continue to be relieved by the smoother hip movement than with the wave one Batman. H.A.R.D.A.C.'s Batman robot is well-accessorized, with a rapier, an alternate cape with the mask down, and three pairs of hands - closed, gripping, and the same pointing hands with the wave three Batman, but they make more sense here. The closed hands weren't included with the original release, so good on McFarlane for adding something new. The rest of the wave is more villainous, with some of Batman's most iconic adversaries from the DCAU. Poison Ivy is one of them, and don't get me wrong, I like her, but she's the weakest figure of the wave visually. The head sculpt looks somewhat off, but it's still pretty close to the show, though the skin tone could be a little better in my eyes. The hair color is more accurate than the original DCD figure, and the shading looks good, but the shade they chose for it is too dark. It reminds me of the earlier figures, where the shading was made too dark on most figures, resulting in an awkward look. Standing 5 1/4" tall, Ivy's body is better than her head, at least sculpt-wise. The colors of the outfit are different, and looking at both figures, neither this nor the DCD release was accurate to the show, but the latter looked closer. The greens here are too dark and bold, and the shading contrasts way too much. What the hell's with the grayish highlights on the darker greens? The wrist crossbow is fully painted unlike the original at least, but the ugly shading is carried over onto that. Come on, Todd, everyone else looks good; why not Ivy? She moves fine at least, with a barbell head, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hips, hinged knees and ankles, and swivel forearms and shins (nothing at the torso, since nobody at DCD could figure out how to work such joints into girls). She's loaded with hands - closed, gripping, relaxed, grasping, and I guess pinching - as well as her flowerpot. The pot lacks the pattern of the original, but the sculpt is still good. Next up is Bane, one of my favorite villains. If you thought Ivy looked awkward, you should see this guy. The head shape is somewhat off and the face is a little higher up than it should be, but the tiny mouth is my main issue. That's DCD's fault and not McF', and at the time of the original release, it was the best we had (Mondo's Bane looks great). He stands tall nearing the 7" mark, and while the body sculpt was already good, the blue highlights on the black clothing and shading on pants and belt help bring out the animated look more. The shading is a little awkward on the lower body clothing, but the work is clean. Bane moves similarly to Ivy, though he lacks the forearm swivels for obvious reasons, but he gets a waist swivel. Despite not having a lot of hair like Ivy does, Bane's head is just as limited in range, but the cord attaching the mask to the forearm is a very soft material, ensuring it won't impede movement. I wish DCD was more inclined to include ankle rocker with their animated figures, because it would really help with deeper stances. He comes packed with four pairs of hands - closed, relaxed, gripping, and grasping - and a dumbbell. It's not a lot, but I am relieved McF didn't cut any accessories with this wave (and in H.A.R.D.A.C.'s case, added some). Rounding out the wave is Phantasm, who only appeared in the movie Mask of the Phantasm, but is an iconic character nonetheless, and is now coming by themselves rather than in a two-pack with Batman himself. The skull mask looks good for the most part, though the eyes are too close together, and the shape is a little off, but it's not as bad as Ivy or Bane. The cloak is made out of rubber, which helps keep it from interfering with articulation, specifically in the shoulders. The shape of it is great, creating a somewhat windblown look, with part of it in front of the right leg. Phantasm stands about 6" tall and is dressed in mostly black, with gray gloves, boots, and hand blade. The shading is different from the others, as they use the same "source of lighting" style of shading previous waves had. It still looks great, with good contrast between shades, and the interior of the cape uses the darker shade of gray. The articulation is the same as Bane, adding in swivels at the gloves, and their only accessories are three left hands: closed, gripping, and grasping. It's a good thing these have BAF parts to help with the value, but with the prices of these going up to $35 before I got Phantasm, they don't help quite as much now. Aside from his robot duplicate, Batman is still in the wave, with his true identity Bruce Wayne serving as the BAF here. The portrait is great, with an expression fitting Bruce's more easygoing nature compared to his alter ego, but like Ivy, the skin tone could've been a little better. He stands 6 1/4" tall, and the proportions are mostly accurate (not sure if the waist should be that low), but the suit looks a little wider than I think it should be. The suit is brown like usual, but they made the pants the same color rather than being tan. He has the same type of shading as Phantasm, and it's also darker than it should be, but the work is clean otherwise. They designed this figure before this wave was fully approved and went into production, so I don't think they made the decision to redo the shading yet. Even with the new sculpts, McF has kept the articulation of the BAFs similar to the original figures. Bruce has a barbell head, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows (ratcheted for some reason), wrists, and ankles, ball-jointed hips, hinged knees (also ratcheted), and swivel waist and calves. The hips are somehow worse than the Condiment King, as not only are they loose, but they also have a tendency to pop off. I thought I wouldn't see this issue happen with these figures again, but I was wrong. He at least comes with a briefcase to hold, and it opens up to reveal his costume inside, a nice little feature. This was supposed to be the third wave, but something held it back (I guess waiting for licensor approval) and it ended up being the fourth. H.A.R.D.A.C. is the standout here with how well-made he is, but the others all have their shortcomings, ranging from odd likenesses to awkward paint to terrible hips. It seems as if the fifth wave will be the last due to McF losing their DC license in the coming year, but I hope they can get at least one more wave out, just to give us the Penguin and the Ventriloquist for good prices. - 12/14/25    by Toasted Brains |
| Thundertron / Nightstrike / Calcitron |  | Submission Order |  | Warbow |
| Batman (Lightning Strike) | | Batman - Animated Series (McFarlane) Series | | Classic Batman |
| Thundertron / Nightstrike / Calcitron | | Written by Toasted Brains | | Warbow |
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