S.H.Figuarts: Batman 89 Figure Unboxing Photo Review

107 Comments / Action Figure Photos! / By shingohmasuda@gmail.com

i am BATMAN!

Yes, Michael Keaton IS BATMAN. He’s the one who made that quote popular and now every live-action Batman uses that quote. He owns that cape!

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Even when this is a Soul Web Exclusive, Bandai didn’t slack off on the package design. It looks nice and premium!

He’s BATMAN!
Yes, he is. And he looks fantastic! The cape is quite thick so it doesn’t drape at all. I might need to go find a custom cape for him.

The sculpt is clean and articulation is decent. Just that if you are a major 89 Batman fan, this figure might be a bit too clean since the 89 costumes had a dent and wrinkles there and here.

Like the Hot Toys’ Batman, this figure can swap mouth expression. You will get two heads with eyes staring at you or starring toward the right. One of the mouthpieces is a closed mouth and another is an open mouth. Like in the movie, he cannot turn his head.

A LOT of pairs of hands we get for this guy. Bandai totally went out for him. You will also get the palm protector hand too! By the way, you remove the grappling gun out from his hand but the hook isn’t removable.

You will also receive a wire gauntlet, a big Batarang, two shurikens (ninja stars), and two cap holding bars.

God! It looks beautiful! The figure definitely got the Keaton Batman image right! The cape is dynamic and it even has a rod piece inside that the figure can hold to do the Bat Wing Spread accurately!

Out of the way because I AM BATMAN!!

The rod piece is accurate to the film. Michael Keaton actually was using a rod to flap his wing in a dynamic pose. And if you want, you can use them as a weapon to beat some ninja too.

He also comes with a Bat Gauntlet. Well, a super big cable shooter. Since the 89 Batman did not have the “no-kill” rule, if I were him, I’d shoot that right at Joker’s face and be done with it instead. And NO, Batman should not kill in the modern era. If he does, what’s the point of him been different from the Redhood or Thomas Wayne Batman or the Punisher? Batman has evolved as a character and he let the law and the people decide for justice. He knows it’s not his part to become the jury and an executioner. Sadly, the people of Gotham always fail him because, for some reason, the law does not allow them to execute the crazy and dangerous like the Joker.

It was a great idea that Tim Burton gave Batman a palm protector to punch his enemies. In real life, hands are the most delicate due to so many small bones concentrated in one area. Even when you are trained, constantly punch your enemy with your fist isn’t ideal. This small little detail tells us how much Tim Burton wanted to break the hippy hero image and give us something real to believe in.

There is no wiring in the cape but because of the weight, the cape does fall quite well. Just that the cape is a bit too thick to make any realistic wrinkles. It’s a give and takes but the important thing is, it looks dynamic!

Now Figuarts isn’t exactly 1/12 scale confirmed. But this Batman is a bit small compared to other 1/12 scale or 6-inch figures. If I put him beside Mafex’s Robocop, he looks tiny!

Unlike today, back then we had real artists and creative writers. Batman and Robocop was a golden era of creativity.

This figure isn’t a super-articulated figure but it’s decent. It’s enough to do whatever Michael Keaton Batman needed to do. And NO, he can’t turn his head! LOL

Bandai announcing this 89 Batman was very surprising. It came from nowhere. But I am not expecting Jack Nicholson Joker since the actor doesn’t allow his likeness in figure form. Hot Toys was the only time he approved. But if he is going to allow, Bandai would be the only one that may get a chance.

The Batarang and shurikens are very well detailed even they are such a small piece.

The great thing about Keaton Batman is that he is direct. He doesn’t waste any time. He will come. And take the action and proceed.

This year we got a lot of Batman figures from all kinds of companies. McFarlane, Mafex, S.H.Figuarts, Mattel… It was surely a Batman year. And Mezco will be offering their version of 89 Batman and I look very much forward to review that one.

Keaton Batman is perhaps not only the most important live-action Batman but the most important Super Hero movie ever. It made the superhero movie for a mature audience and we are grateful for it. Every superhero movie benefits from this one film. Then Blade came. And Fox X-men created the superhero world. Sam Ramie Spiderman raised the bar of Superhero movie to near perfection. Nolan Batman then came to further fortified superhero as realistic as it can be. And now, we got MCU absorbing everything and expanding it.

I respect history since, without the knowledge of how the thing has become, you can never truly understand how things shaped itself.

Overall, I did enjoy this figure but it wasn’t a masterpiece. I feel like someone in Bandai wanted to really offer us a Keaton Batman but wasn’t allowed to spend much time on it. It’s a very nice piece and the best 89 Batman you can get for now. But that might be beaten soon by the Mezco version coming the end of this year. That one looks legendary. And I cannot wait to review it!

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