NECA 7-Inch Christian Bale Batman and Arkham City Harley Quinn – Toyark Photo Shoot

A couple of weeks ago, two new NECA DC Comics 7″ Scale Figures began to show up in Toys “R” Us Stores. The plan, originally, was for these to launch after Thanksgiving, but we all know how plans can go. The reveal of new 7″ scale DC figures is quickly becoming a yearly event, as this is our third year in a row with a DC Comics surprise from NECA. This year, they took two of their newest 1/4 Scale DC Figures and shrunk them down to the popular 7″ scale. Included is a Batman Begins – Christian Bale Batman and a Batman: Arkham City – Harley Quinn. Both of these figures are Toys “R” Us USA Exclusives, however, these are the first NECA DC 7″ Figures to not require an additional “promotional” DVD purchase.

NECA has sent along both Batman and Harley Quinn for us to check out. We have over 100 high resolution photos and a full review. You can check them out by reading on.

Batman Begins – Christian Bale Batman and a Batman: Arkham City – Harley Quinn

Pros

• Excellent sculpts on both figures
• Paint deco on Harley Quinn is exceptional
• Tattoo detailing on Harley is impressive
• Good articulation on both figures
• Nice accessories
• Both figures have interchangeable hands
• Batman can store his Grapnel gun on his belt
• Best cape yet on a NECA 7″ Batman

Cons

• Eyes on the Bale Batman figures have been hit or miss
• Wish Harley had her “angry” expression

Overall
The new DC 7″ Figure releases from NECA are hitting Toys “R” Us store shelves now. As this is becoming a yearly occurrence, I’ve been eagerly anticipating what 2016 would hold. I had personally been hoping for the outstanding 1/4 scale Bale Batman to get the 7″ figure treatment. Many fans had assumed that this figure would be one of the next 7″ scale releases. The Arkham City Harley Quinn release was a bit unexpected though. I had hoped to see their 1/4 scale DeVito Penguin get shrunken down this year, but the Harley Quinn was a nice surprise for sure. I’m going to dive into each of these figures individually, as they’re from completely separate DC properties.

Christian Bale Batman
Like last year’s DC figures, Batman comes packaged in a collector friendly window box. The packaging is similar in style to the Mattel Batman Begins releases from 2005, with a mostly yellow, black and orange background and studio provided artwork of Batman. The photos on the sides show the 1/4 scale version of Batman, as opposed to the 7″ version that is in the box. The Batman figure sits on a plastic tray, held in by two twist ties. Included with Batman are an extra set of interchangeable hands, a grapnel gun, a belt clip for the gun, and two Batarangs. The figure also includes a cardboard backdrop.

Batman stands about 7″ tall, features a cloth cape and has about 25 points of articulation. The knees and elbows are single jointed, but have a good range of motion. The head/cowl is on a ball joint, so you can have the figure look up and down as well as swivel side to side. The abdomen has two separate joints as well. The ankles are rock solid, and held the heavier weight of the figure without any tip over issues. The belt clip fits on easily and both hands swap out without any trouble. Sculpted detail is excellent, with the exposed lower jaw looking especially realistic. Detailing throughout the costume is spot on, with nicely defined cuts in the armor. NECA’s sculptors did a commendable job of shrinking down their 1/4 scale Batman, which remains one of, if not the single best 1/4 scale Batman they’ve done. The included cape is probably the best they’ve done so far in this size. It’s thin enough to never look out of place, but heavy enough to fall naturally over the shoulders.

There isn’t a lot of “paint” on the figure, The armor pieces look to mostly be case in the dark gray and black, needing little to no paint to look authentic. Paint itself is limited to the accessories and the head sculpt. The lower jaw looks fantastically painted, with a realistic skin tone and subtle color to the lips. They eyes, though, seem to be a bit problematic on the retail figures. I’ve seen a few online and in stores where they were misaligned. The one I have in hand isn’t bad, with just a slightly cross-eyed look. Look carefully before purchasing, and you should find one that has no paint issues.

The Batman figure had a lot to live up to, compared to the 1/4 scale version. NECA nailed some of the most important aspects here, with the sculpted details and likeness both turning out excellent. The accessories, solid articulation and great cape round out what is sure to be a fan favorite.

Arkham City Harley Quinn
The Harley figure also comes in a collector friendly window box. The box is modeled after the 1/4 scale release from earlier in the year. It features close ups of Harley’s leather outfit as the main background design. Inside the box, Harley Quinn sits on a plastic tray, held in by two twist ties. The figure includes an extra set of interchangeable hands, a baseball bat and two uzis. A cardboard backdrop is also included here.

Harley stands a little under 7″ tall and has about 25 points of articulation. Like Batman, her elbows and knees are single jointed. Even the pigtails are articulated, which was a really nice touch. If you’ve handled any of NECA’s recent female 7″ figures, then you know what to expect from Harley’s articulation and range of motion. Thankfully, the joints are tight, with no paint locking issues to be found. The thinner limbs allow for full movement and the light weight means she can hold some of her more dynamic poses without the need for a stand. It can be a little trickier due to the smaller flat areas on the bottom of the feet, but she stands stably after you get the hang of it. The hands swapped out with no troubles and held both the bat and the guns firmly.

The paint deco is where Harley really shines. NECA handled the varying colors with subtly that is hard to come by at this scale. The white makeup on Harley’s face is particularly impressive. It has a beautiful translucent glow to it, with spots of it slightly worn away, showing the natural flesh tones underneath. The bare skin areas have little to no additional paint apps, but has a very natural look, while the outfit is fully decked out with heavy paint washes and fine paint detailing. I was also impressed by how well the tattoos turned out. They’ve clean and very sharply detailed for such a small piece of art on her shoulder and waist.

Harley is a near flawless take on her Arkham City design. And while it’s not my preferred Harley design, it’s handled really well. I do think the figure would have benefited from an “angry” head sculpt that showcases more personality. But it’s hard to argue when the figure has so much more going for it.

In the end, these are two welcome additions to NECA’s expanding line of 7″ scale DC Comics figures. They look great with other 7″ DC releases, which makes picking them up all the more worthwhile. Check out a few select photos below, with the full gallery after that.