Figure Review: Play Arts Kai Harley Quinn [ Arkham Knight ]

"Pucker up, Snookums!" - Harley Quinn, 'Injustice'

This hot cosplay chick made me love Harley even more!

In all honesty, Harley Quinn was one of those characters whom I couldn't care less about in the DC Universe, particularly when I saw her recurring appearances in 'Batman: The Animated Series' back in the day. Seeing her clowning around in her signature red and black jester costume as a sidekick to one of Batman's perennial baddies, I had considered her as a fairly forgettable character ever since - until today. And what made me change my mind about her? Well, it all boils down to two reasons: her 'Arkham Knight' version, and Daddy's Lil Monster (she's quite a looker, hands down!).

Damn it, Harley! Why couldn't you have just brought along with you that bad-ass stand?

The moment I had laid my eyes on her prototype from 2015's New York Toy Fair, she became an instant must-have for me! Along with the mock-ups of the titular hero Batman and the mysterious Arkham Knight, the figures were displayed standing on a pedestal in the form of an awesome bat stand seen in the image above, which unfortunately did not come with the final product package of the figures (jeez, was it really too much to ask, Play Arts?). Anyway, what matters is the figure, and I have to say their Harley Quinn is certifiably a job well done. With her being the rose among the thorns (or more appropriately, among the 'bat-horns'), I even regard her as the 'crown jewel' of the Arkham Knight line!

The Good, The Bad, and The Crazy

Presently, my Arkham Knight collection consists of Batman, Harley and the Arkham Knight himself. I'm glad that I have with me now all the figures that I had set my sights on back when the prototype images were released online. I am also eager to get my hands on the upcoming Batgirl figure which will hit the shelves later this year, and by then my Arkham Knight collection will have been completed, despite not having the Robin figure and not getting the other newcomer Nightwing figure which I'll have to pass on.

Never entrust a grinning psychopath with a smiling hammer

So, just who is this pale-faced chick sporting a couple of bizarre-looking ponytails? The character of Harleen Frances Quinzel first appeared in the 90's cartoon series 'Batman: The Animated Series', particularly in the episode titled 'Joker's Favor'. Primarily, Harley Quinn's character was only supposed to be an animated version of a walk-on role, however, she eventually became a female sidekick to the Joker. Prior to her career as one of Gotham City's most notorious criminals, she was a psychiatrist who became fascinated with the Clown Prince of Crime during her internship at the Arkham Asylum as she volunteered to analyze him, and during their sessions she fell hopelessly in love with her patient, which led her to help him escape the asylum. When her 'beloved' is returned to Arkham after a fight with the Caped Crusader, the sight of her badly-beaten patient triggered her insanity which made her quit her job and turn to a life of crime, donning a jester costume to become her enigmatic and high-spirited alter-ego Harley Quinn, and the rest is history. Several comic books, video games, and animated shows later, her character received a unique treatment for the Arkham Knight storyline.

Thank God her face ended up like this...

The appearance of the figure is based on one of the first promotional posters of the Arkham Knight game, where she becomes a playable character as a pre-order bonus. This version looks more mature face-wise, striking a pose with her favorite weapon which I'd call the 'anti-Bats' bat.

... and not like this!

Fortunately, Play Arts did not opt for her actual in-game looks, which I would personally consider a step down from her representation in the first poster. In the poster above, she looks younger and a little chubby on the face with a lean body, nearly turning her into a walking, talking lollipop! It would have been cool though if the figure actually came with that bad-ass gun she's hiding behind her back.

Nifty packaging for a mentally-strange babe

The figure comes in a standard PAK Arkham Knight packaging. The flap/front cover shows an image of Harley Quinn naughtily tipping off a stolen police hat as she's standing in the rain, with a shot of the moon obscured by clouds at night behind her. The back of the packaging shows the figure being placed on several action poses, with her designation as the 4th figure of this Play Arts line. Moreover, there's a picture of the Arkham Knight figure (he's 'No. 3') as part of the line's second wave.

All I can see are Bewbies...

Enemies from the past attack...
An epic story appropriate for the final chapter.

As the epic conclusion to the BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM and BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY game series, BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT features the return of prominent super-villains including THE PENGUIN, TWO-FACE and HARLEY QUINN. The SCARECROW secretly returns to GOTHAM CITY and unites these adversaries in a plot to defeat the BATMAN once and for all. Beautiful next-gen console graphics, intense action from utilizing BATMAN's unique arsenal of gadgets, and a thrilling storyline makes this title the ultimate culmination of the BATMAN narrative.

A Femme Fatale both bewitching and brutal.

One moment she's a charming coquette, the next she's a crazed and dangerous villain swinging a bat. Harley Quinn, a former psychiatrist, fell in love with THE JOKER over the course of their therapy sessions. Madly in love, she was compelled to a life of crime to protect her beloved. It is assumed that her hatred of BATMAN stems not from his person, but from the thought of him as the arch nemesis of her beloved Clown Prince of Crime.

In and out of a sticky situation!

Just like any other Play Arts Kai product, the core figure and the accessories are neatly stored within a clamshell package. As always, it would take some amount of effort to separate the translucent plastic from the dark plastic, which is a good thing. It only means that the figure has not been tampered with.

Ugh!

And there's that bulky yet useless stand again. Like I've mentioned in another post, I'm quite disappointed with the whole thing as I did expect that these Arkham Knight figures would come with the awesome bat stand shown in the New York Toy Fair, which would have been way better!

As for Miss Quinzel's accessories, she's got the following:

1) Four extra mitts (one left hand and three right hands):

She's just not fond of using her left hand

 2) A hand gun:

Bang!

3) A striped steel bat:

I guess we'll just have to wait till we see what she can do with it

4) A police hat:

Needless to say she stole it from one of Gotham's finest

5) A pair of extra ponytails:

Wet dog ears

6) An alternate head with ball-jointed ponytails, windswept fringe and a goofy smirk:

She's not related to this guy, is she?

Now, on to the main course:

She's strutting her stuff!

Right off the bat, Harley Quinn is my favorite figure in the Arkham Knight line. The paint job on this figure is excellent, coupled with a near-perfect sculpting. She's also the most versatile among the rest of the AK figures, and I'll get into that shortly. The figure stands a little over 9 inches tall, and boasts over 20 points of articulation, the standard PoA among all of the current PAK figures.

Too much facial powder

Despite her having a kind of creepy-looking visage, there's an undeniable beauty that lies beneath her pale skin. Her default head sports a face-framing fringe and twin tails, with her blonde hair tied side by side. Her dark and thick eyeliners, paired with an up-to-no-good smirk, give her a rather menacing demeanor. Looking at the back of her head, the twin ponytails are colored halfway toward the tips, one having a reddish hue and the other jet black.

Yep, she puts on a very busty display right there!

Moving on to the figure's chest area, I have to say Harley's one heck of a 'blessed' gal. She's another female figure whom Play Arts took the liberty of sculpting her knockers to perfection. Her chest area exposes a significant amount of El Cleaváge, another interesting aspect which I will discuss more later in this review. Basically, Harley's costume is made up of a complex design, and it is a combination of red, black, blue, and dirty white colors. She wears a double-collared blouse with balloon sleeves on the upper half of her body, and a dark blue riveted corset on the lower half. Her suspenders are connected to her choker by a grayish/metallic circular piece on the front, and the same type of material holds the suspenders at the back. The line works on her costume is pretty well done too.
   

Spell 'R-U-F-F-L-E-S'

Moving further down, Harley's hips flare out with her ruffled skirt, which is done beautifully. Overall it has five layers of ruffles, with the dirty white pieces bordering the black ones. The lower or the widest piece comes sculpted with thick wrinkles on it.  

Poker feet

Harley wears a pair of red and blue leggings, and each comes with a design that resembles a diamond card suit. The upper diamonds are sculpted in red and blue colors, while the lower ones are sculpted in silver studs. Another part that I like about this figure are her red and blue boots, which have some nice sculpting on them, particularly on the laces and the silver diamond studs at the back.

Zany gauntlets

Harley sports a gauntlet-like piece on each arm, which ends in a removable ruffled sleeve at the edge. The red one worn on the right is quite shorter than the blue/black one on the left. Moreover, the rivets and laces on the gauntlets are sculpted nicely.

Um, Shockwave??

Now let's talk about versatility. The one thing that makes this figure stand out above the rest of the Play Arts Kai figures out there (or at least, the ones I have) is its unique interchangeability. In addition to her having two alternate heads, the heads themselves have swappable pieces.

Harley Deconstructed!

The faces are removable and switchable, and they can be inserted into the lower slots of the head. The bangs or the fringes can also be inserted interchangeably into the upper slots. Moreover, the twin ponytails in the default head are removable, and they can be swapped with the two extra flat ponytails which accommodate the police hat accessory.

She's making faces

This interchangeable feature enables Harley to wear her hair and her face any way she wants to. Sweet!

¡Ay, caramba!

And now for the best part: Harley's boobs. She's undoubtedly one of the chestiest figures I have ever seen, just like Final Fantasy's Tifa, Marvel's Natasha, and MSG's Quiet (which I do not own unfortunately). She's got big boobs, and they're made of malleable plastic. In other words, they're very squishy - so squishy indeed that it nearly feels like the real thing. Top marks on that, Play Arts!

Now for some epic stances:

She knows nothing

She's licensed to kill

She wields her bat against the Bat

A gun-toting, 'bat'-shit crazy chick

"Nice ta meet ya', puddin'!"

She's in her full battle array

Poster girl for an M-rated game

Here she is posed with some of my other Play Arts figures:

The 'blessed' trinity

Marvel vs DC: Boob Wars

Savagery meets Insanity!

Just waiting for Jena Malone to come

And here's Harley goofing around with her New 52 'mini-me':

There's a little bit of devil in her...

... that, when unleashed...

... brandishes a giant wooden mallet...

... and wreaks havoc everywhere it goes! POW!

And here she is à la Margot:

She's feelin' it when she wields her bat.

Ch-CHAK!

Final thoughts: In conclusion, the Arkham Knight Harley Quinn turned out as I've expected right from the start - an outstanding figure! Though others may not see her the way I do, this version of Harley has got to be one of the best Play Arts Kai figures to date. The interchangeable head pieces, the awesome face and body sculpt overall, and her undeniable 'blessedness' are just some of the few things that make this action figure worth adding to my collection. And lastly...

She's about to mess up a resentful Cybertronian

... I do hope we get to see a Play Arts treatment for Miss Robbie!

Pretty please, Play Arts?

So, what's your favorite version/incarnation of Daddy's Lil Monster? Sound off in the comments below.

Figure Review: Play Arts Kai Arkham Knight

The long wait is finally over...

Bad ass AK poster

One of my most anticipated Play Arts Kai figures to hit the shelves this year is the Arkham Knight, and I can say I'm glad that he is now part of my growing PAK collection. As a bit of a character background, the Arkham Knight is a fresh persona for the Arkhamverse, created by Rocksteady Studios and Geoff Johns (DC Comics' CCO and writer) for the 2015 action-adventure video game 'Batman: Arkham Knight'. In the game's storyline, he harbors a vendetta against the Dark Knight, with the intention of eradicating the latter after making him suffer. For him to fulfill the mission, he aligns himself with one of Gotham's most notorious villains, Dr. Jonathan Crane a.k.a. the Scarecrow. Now, I won't spill the beans about the ending of the game's main story, as there could still be others who haven't played it yet, but all I can say is that it has a rather interesting denouement.

And there's that elusive figure stand...

I was definitely thrilled with the figure when I saw the images of its painted prototype (together with the Batman and Harley Quinn figures) from last February's New York Toy Fair/NYTF. I must admit that I really had no idea what the game was all about at first, thinking that the title "Arkham Knight" referred to the Caped Crusader himself. But as it turned out, I realized that he's another character who's set to wreak havoc against Bruce, thanks to the images from NYTF and a little research on the game itself. And for a guy who's dressed up like an anti-Batman archetype, he's got a truly impressive character design along with a remarkable array of weapons.

Still waitin' for 'Daddy's Lil Monster'

My current collection of PAK Arkham Knight figures consists of Batman himself and the Arkham Knight. I passed on the Robin figure because I am not really impressed with its design (I mean, I never saw a bald Robin in the comics or animated films and series before!). I am currently waiting for the Harley Quinn figure that's sporting a uniquely styled costume, which is another impressive take on a classic DC villain. 

Sleek AK packaging

The figure comes in a standard PAK Arkham Knight packaging. The flap/front cover shows an image of the Arkham Knight regally striking a pose, with a shot of the moon obscured by clouds at night behind him. The back of the packaging shows the figure being placed on several cool action stances. Moreover, there's a picture of the Harley Quinn figure (she's 'No. 4') as part of the second wave of this Play Arts line.

Extra info No. 3

Figure/package description:

Enemies from the past attack...
An epic story appropriate for the final chapter.

As the epic conclusion to the BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM and BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY game series, BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT features the return of prominent super-villains including THE PENGUIN, TWO-FACE and HARLEY QUINN. The SCARECROW secretly returns to GOTHAM CITY and unites these adversaries in a plot to defeat the BATMAN once and for all. Beautiful next-gen console graphics, intense action from utilizing BATMAN's unique arsenal of gadgets, and a thrilling storyline makes this title the ultimate culmination of the BATMAN narrative.

A new villain of immense proportion emerges... 
what is his purpose? 

In BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT, previously defeated super-villains, despite their chaotic tendencies, unite to kill the BATMAN. The ARKHAM KNIGHT is a brand new villain that makes his debut with this title, but his identity and mission are still shrouded in mystery. Wearing a bodysuit with a silhouette that bears a striking resemblance to BATMAN, he is cloaked in a veil of secrecy. He delights in tormenting BATMAN... What is the true identity of the eponymous ARKHAM KNIGHT...?

Sticky clamshell

Just like any other Play Arts Kai product, the core figure and the accessories are neatly stored within a clamshell package. As always, it would take some amount of effort to separate the translucent plastic from the dark plastic, which is a good thing. That only means the figure has not been tampered with.

Bulky and impractical... again

Honestly, I thought that the collectors were going to get a different kind of figure stand this time around, based on what was shown during this year's New York Toy Fair. Much to my disappointment, Play Arts is still offering the same bulky and almost useless figure stand as always. I do hope someday they will change this one.

As for the accessories of the Arkham Knight, he's got the following:

1) Three extra (and interchangeable) pair of hands:

Eight hands are better than two

2) A pair of Tomb Raider-esque handguns:

Looks like he stole something from Ms. Croft...

3) A heavy-duty sniper rifle:

Two little bang-bang's never gonna match the sight of this big baby

4) A folded magazine with the catch (interchangeable with the default magazine):

Folded and hung

5) An alternate helmet piece which depicts his default appearance:

Blind as a bat

Now, on to the actual figure:

A knight in gloomy armor

Though the Arkham Knight figure isn't really a perfect piece, I've got to say that it is still one of the best handiworks of Play Arts to date. They have captured every detail of the character based on his video game design, making it a stunningly accurate representation of Batman's new nemesis. The figure is around 11 inches tall, and boasts over 20 points of articulation (which is standard among all of the current PAK figures so far).  

One dope headgear!

The Arkham Knight wears a cowled helmet piece, which for me is the best feature of the figure. He comes with two interchangeable heads: one which recreates his default appearance (my favorite by the way), and the other which gives off a 'glowing eye' effect. In the game, he uses his mask to cover his identity, as well as provide himself with a heads-up display which helps in keeping track of his own forces as they move around Gotham. I've seen some parts of the gameplay wherein the Arkham Knight removes the second layer of his mask after taking some hits from Batman, and underneath it is actually another helmet which is featureless with a reddish hue. It would have been great if Play Arts included that as a third helmet piece, but what are you gonna do, right? 

Say "A"

The Arkham Knight sports a well-designed obsidian costume (or battlesuit), which is actually a militaristic version of the Batsuit. Sources say that this is intended to mock Batman's appearance. Clearly, the character, at first glance, is a dead-ringer of the Caped Crusader himself (without the cape, of course). The chest plate, which bears the 'A' or Arkham symbol, has a dual purpose. Primarily, it is used as a defensive component against certain attacks with its angular design, particularly in deflecting the Batclaw. Secondly, it serves as an intangible weapon, as the Arkham symbol itself could place Bruce at a psychological disadvantage due to the various incidents in Arkham that have somehow affected him. The figure also has some sort of a backpack which blends well with the outfit's design.

Armed to the teeth

The waist section of the figure is filled with several armaments, particularly pouches and canisters. These canisters could be that of smoke and concussion grenades. A large strap is also apparent which would serve as a support for the cylindrical weapons.

G.I. Joe?

As for the lower limbs section, the Arkham Knight wears lightweight camouflage pants that has the same color pattern as the rest of the suit. He also dons a dandy, high-tech footwear that could put Batman's boots to shame.  

More A's

The figure also sports some neatly designed shoulder armor or pauldrons. Just like the chest piece, these components also bear the Arkham symbol.

Nifty gauntlets...

Perhaps the second best feature of the figure is his gauntlets. According to the character designer, these devices are utilized to parry his opponents' weapons, particularly Batman's blades. Despite its bulky design, the gauntlets are actually made of a lightweight material so that the wielder can execute rapid strikes. 

... that remind me of Jacqueline Briggs

The underside of the gauntlets has a more robotic design. Being a collector of Transformers action figures as well, it actually reminds me of a Decepticon figure, though I'm not quite sure which one. Heck, it even makes me think of a Mortal Kombat character.

AK needs a chiropractor

As I've pointed out earlier, the Arkham Knight figure isn't really a flawless piece. Having said that, I only have two minor gripes about the figure. First is the shoulder joint. I would think that Play Arts specifically designed this for positioning the figure while holding the sniper rifle to achieve a wider range of poseability. However, if these joints are utilized to somewhere near their maximum capacity, the back of the figure would certainly look weird enough as some hollow areas are being exposed in the process.

Slit!

Another minor gripe that I have is the slit on the right leg of the figure which enables the lower portion to rotate. Though it's really not something to be frowned upon, I found that the left leg has no slit at all, which makes it a little unbalanced. It's not a big deal anyway, and looking at the Arkham Knight as a whole, these flaws dissolve quite easily in the awesomeness of the figure.

Now for some epic stances:  

"Go ahead, make my day (...or night)"

One more reason for good ol' Bats to watch out for rooftops

Double whammy!

And here he is posed with some of my other PAK figures:

Bad blood

"Die, devil bird!"

The AK's: Arkham Knight and Advent Kid

Final thoughts: In my opinion, the Arkham Knight is one of those PAK figures that give the best bang for the buck. It may have some minor flaws, but it's a solid action figure overall. Additionally, character artist Albert Feliu stated that the materials of the Arkham Knight's paraphernalia (helmet, body armor, gauntlets and boots) were actually inspired by the design of a fighter plane - in his own words: "highly resistant, unreflective, and totally intimidating". So, what's not to like?

'Batman: Arkham Knight' Collector's Edition (not really)

Is the Arkham Knight's design better than Batman's, or is it the other way around? Sound off in the comments below.