The 3rd series of the DC Super Heroes are hitting the shelves and people are scrambling to get them. While it seems, when you find them there are quite a few Batman and Robin figures on the pegs, it is almost impossible to find Mr. Freeze and Azrael. The one disappointment is that the diorama included is the same for all four. I was really hoping for one that would be more specific to each individual character, but they can't give us everything we want. One additional thing, you will notice a slight warping on Azrael's legs from the way he was packaged and many of the joints are really loose, so they don't hold the position you want very easily. In particular I had issues with Azrael and Mr. Freeze's ankles. With the rebranding of the line to boast S3-Select Sculpt Series and being packaged with a new diorama, the line is looking up.
Batman-
While he is not the Battle Damaged figure I was hoping for in this wave, the Classic Blue and Gray costume and multiple batarang accessories make this a very nice Batman figure. He has multiple points of articulation, including the mid section. Another nice touch is the utility belt they gave him, which is brown with silver accents. One thing to be careful of is the paint aps on the belt. It seems some of the bat symbols on the front of the belt have some less than complete silver accents. All of the blue on the figure seems black washed, which gives him a much darker feeling, as does the serious expression they have given Bats, as well. The cape he comes with is molded, so this is not one of those cloth capes, from the first run of the Batman 6" line.
Robin-
Now, I know a lot of people did not care for the first Robin release, and as much as I would like to just throw out the fact that it has previously been released, I can't. Apparently, Mattel did not think Robin was worth giving a little more articulation. This figure is basically the same thing released in the first Batman 6" line, but with the costume black washed. The one thing I do like about this one is that he does not have brown accents in his hair like the first release. The cape is even the same with the molded neck and fabric cape...shame on you Mattel...Robin deserved a better effort than this.
Mr. Freeze-
While this is again basically the same Mr. Freeze as the first release, I really like this version. I liked it the first time around and this time, it was made better by changing the color of the icy accents on Mr. Freeze and his weaponry. Instead of having frost all the way around the bottom of the helmet, he has it just in the front and slightly off to the sides, as if it frosted as he breathed against the glass. Another thing that makes this just slightly better than the first release is the added articulation in the elbows. One other notable change they made was the shade of blue they used for his skin and the icy accents. They went with a very light , but rich icy blue.
Azrael—
Now we get to, what I feel for this series, is the best of Series 3-Azrael. Since we have not had him in the 6" lineup before, it is nice to finally see a brand new Bat family figure. While I had a difficult time getting my hands on him, since he seems to be packed 1 per case, I finally came across one, and WOW you won't be disappointed with this guy. His cape is molded and he has several points of articulation. The red they used is perfect. They did not blackwash the red and the clearish orange they used for the blades are spot on to make them look flaming! He is one of my favorites from the line, next to Doomsday, from Series 2.
