In a world where DX09 never existed, 2.0 is a flawless representation of 1/6 '89 Batman. If we had nothing else in 1/6 scale to compare it to, I think most everyone would be beyond 100% satisfied. But there's just something about that DX09 head sculpt, flaws and all, that captures the unmistakable likeness of Keaton Batman so effortlessly, from every possible angle, in every conceivable lighting condition.
In hindsight, HT really could've just enhanced the old sculpt. Better paint for the mouth plates, new eyeballs & rolling mechanism, corrected the cowl silhouette a bit, and revised the size of the bat symbol. Lightning doesn't always strike twice when it comes to capturing a difficult likeness.
I don’t think this is a bad figure, by any means, but part of what I feel makes it so stark is that…the base is so impressive. That sounds ridiculous, but when I see people saying “I’m keeping my PO for the base,” that is
not the reception a Keaton Batman figure should be receiving. I get that it’s slim pickin’s in the ‘89 department and nostalgia is a hell of a drug, but my issue is that this is a figure that shouldn’t just be “good enough,” when Hot Toys is showing us exactly what they’re capable of in other offerings.
Hell, even the modern suit Keaton from The Flash runs circles around this one in terms of quality, likeness, and accuracy. I know it’s capturing the man at a different stage in his life and, maybe, that makes certain features easier to get down, but the reality is that, if Hot Toys wanted to do it up and make an InArt killer 89 Batman, they could. It’s just that they know they don’t have to because the second we see that gold logo on a teaser photo, we’re clicking that pre-order button.
In some ways, I hate these other companies and customs that came along. Like that Unreal cowl up there? It looks gorgeous, but I feel like we’ve reached this sort of paradigm shift where people see a $300 cowl or a $1000 figure set from a competitor and they almost act like Hot Toys is the “budget” manufacturer in this hobby, when they’re not. The deluxe is like $400 with shipping and tax, depending on where you’re located. That’s
still a lot of ****ing money to be paying for a figure that barely surpasses something they made over a decade ago.
