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By Hervé St.Louis
February 8, 2004 - 13:44
The Silver Age Catwoman and Penguin Set
Likeness
Artists often depicted The Penguin as a cartoony figure, however, Burgess Meredith gave one of the most memorable live depictions. It seems that Tim Bruckner has adopted Burgess Meredith's Penguin for this action figure. The Penguin chews his cigarette like a cheap rug salesman. The Penguin hasn't changed much since his Silver Age days, so this figure is a perfect fit as a modern version of the character.
Sculpt
The sculpt is impressive. The best are the facial features. There are several wrinkles in the Penguin's face. He even has a double chin. The Penguin looks like the bird too. His posture tilts forward forcing him to lean on the umbrella in his right hand, as if it were a cane. The problem with this posture, is that the Penguin looks down. To have him stand straight as much as possible, articulations have to be stretched.
Paint
The paint job is great. It's simple but clean. There are a few paint spots here and there but nothing as bad as say, the November 2003's JLA set. Just like the Joker's pants, the Penguin's pants have stripes. The Penguin's face is impressive. It is reddish and toned as if it were a real person. It improves the character's expressions tremendously. The Penguin's hairs have blue highlights.
Scale
The Penguin fits with other Silver Age Batman action figures such as Batgirl, the Joker, Batgirl and Robin. Due to his smaller and chubby look, he'll fit with the Birds of Prey action figures, villains such as The Mist, Vandal Savage, Captain Cold, Mirror Master and even some Super Friends' action figures like Black Manta and Sinestro.
Stability
The Penguin has unique stability problems. He leans forward constantly. Having him stand up without using his umbrella as support is impossible. Using the rooftop action figure stand improves stability slightly. There is only one peg hole on the right foot. A second on the left foot would be better. It really is a shame that such a beautiful figure is crippled with such a defect. This is a serious quality control deficiency.
Articulation
The Penguin has eight articulations but he is immovable below the waist. His neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists and waist are articulated. His head is ball-jointed and allows for lots of motions but less than Catwoman. His waist is ball-jointed. His jacket hides the articulation. He can tilt sideways and nod, but it is limited. Were the articulation smoother, one could raise the Penguin's chest up a bit. We can't.
Plastic
DCDirect is back to its old good quality plastic. The stinky, gooey oil is back under the armpits. Catwoman's cape and dress and the tails of the Penguin's tuxedo consist of soft rubber. The Penguin's jacket and shirt are glued-soft rubber parts. It is very effective and resistant.
Diorama
This is the same rooftop that came with the Joker/Batgirl and the Batman/Robin sets. It connects at the back with them. If you purchase the Silver Age Batwoman and Bat-girl set later this Summer, it will hook up with it too. The rooftop is cool, but a bank vault with money bags would have been more appropriate for Catwoman and the Penguin. The rooftop came with five peg bars instead of the usual six.
Props
Catwoman comes with a soft rubber whip and a black cat. The Black cat is the same used with the Superboy and Supergirl set a few years ago but DCDirect removed the articulations. The whip does not fit well within Catrwoman's hand. It is too fragile to push hard within. The Penguin comes with an umbrella, and a removable hat. There are streaks on the penguin's head to fit the hat, but it is not perfect.
Packaging
The figures came in a box with Batman's logo in the back. The packaging was extensive to avoid losing parts. The way DCDirect tied the whip within is not great. They inserted it through the plastic bubble card. It's easy to damage it when trying to remove it. A simple tape would have been better.
Cost
This set should cost the same as most DCDirect two-pack, although I have noticed a sharp price reduction in my local store. Recent DCDirect figures since the first Kingdom Come sets seem to have dropped in price everywhere. However, it cannot be confirmed. Nonetheless, this set is very expensive compared with other similar action figures. Considering that neither figure can stand up, this feels bad.
Availability
These should be available in several shops, although I have a feeling that stores order less DCDirect action figures than in the past. The Silver Age Batman set is still available in many places. If less stores ordered this set, it will make these rarer. If you really are interested in DCDirect action figures and this set, don't wait to long and purchase this set quickly. DCDirect action figures have a tendency to disappear fast.
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