Mafex: Suicide Squad Harley Quinn (club dress)

Oh, lookie! Another Harley Quinn! This is the last, for a little bit, and this one is definitely something different than what I have.

My second Mafex figure. It's pretty much going on the same theme as the Suicide Harley Quinn. The consistency is something I can give some praise to.

The strange thing I noticed this time around is how big these boxes are compared to the figure. I suppose Figma and Mafex have that in common; Figuarts and Revoltech try to be a bit conservative.

Now this is a nice new addition to the Harley shrine, simply because it's another sexy Harley from the infamous Suicide Squad movie. It has nice sculpturing all around, her jewelries, her shoes, her figure, nicely done. My only complaint is her dress not as tapered as it should be. It makes her look a bit wider, and that's not the case with most takes on Harley. In fact, this dress does not hug her body well; definitely one of the main downfall of the figure. But the dress itself, along with the tassles on her skirt, the back, are all well done.

They did a fantastic job with the coloring. It's pretty accurate from what I remember! Though I'm not sure when she got the chance to put her leg tattoos between this time and when she was assigned to Taskforce-X... regardless, it's a good job on the coloring. The skin tone is pale, the black and gold are clean, her hair is nicely painted, and the face is pretty. I can't complain too much about the paint art department.

Compared to her regular Mafex version, Harley does not come with a whole lot of accessories at her disposal. She comes with a few hands, that's it. Obviously, one head is for a Mafex Batman and the other is for the other Harley Quinn. So she's pretty short-handed in this department.

She does come with the stand that comes with the Mafex series, which I love.

You will get what you expect from an import in regards to articulation. Though with the fact that she doesn't come with any aesthetically pleasing effects with her flimsy dress and hair, one won't be able to get her into dynamic looking poses without looking too... unconvincing.

Giving her the other Harley's bat and gun adds some fun factor to this figure. So how fun would this figure be without the other Harley is the real question.

Speaking of the other Harley, right?

I think the majority of this figure's appeal comes from how sexy this actress is wearing this dress. I would say that that mindset translates well into this figure, but the fact that the dress adds some 'size' to the character takes some of that idea away. She comes with the gimmick of 'extra' accessories for the other figures, but she doesn't do anything for her own set. Still, if one is a Harley fan and loves this version of her and don't want the cheap Mattel (and ugly) version or want to pay for the Hot Toy, this is the route to go. 

Mafex: Harley Quinn Suicide Squad

ANOTHER Harley Quinn figure! I warned you guys (one more after this). This time around, it's the long-awaited Mafex Harley Quinn! I've been waiting for a time when I had the proper time to review her and I did. I was also waiting for her 'pair'; something I'll talk about as well in this review and go on a full-blown review a little after this one. SO, let's get right into this figure's review.

This is my first Mafex figure, mind you, but the layout of the box is all too familiar to me. Imports have the same idea and it's not a bad thing at all.

Text that pays homage to the material, product shots of possible poses, and in general, just an awesome vibe. Yep! Mafex's boxing lives up to the standards.

Now as far as the figure itself, it's a beauty indeed. Regardless of anyone's opinion on Harley's costume in the movie, Mafex did a pretty accurate job. The sculpture did a lot to ensure that she is given that lithe figure, but still curvy at all the right places. The shoes are sculpted well and probably one of the areas that really impressed me since it was such a unique shoes and they got it right. Face/s and hair is also legit, and of course, the jacket version really completes the whole figure.

Now the coloring is gorgeous! I can't see any of the paintwork miss a beat; they're clean and accurate. The vibrant paint on her jacket really captures what it should look like as it did it in the movie. The mesh-like 'material' is made to look like that through the sculpting of the lines and by a light coat of black. Every fine detail is there and I believe all her tattoos are accurate to the film. I do know that they got one that they didn't need to (or most companies won't bother with and that's the tattoo on her back... side.... err.

Accessories department is pretty good. I won't complain and can't really have a reference since this is my first Mafex figure. How she stands up to something like Figuarts or Figma? Well, it feels like the same thing, honestly. So let's get into the accessories then; first the alternate faces.

The first face she comes with is the 'smiling' face. It doesn't necessarily remind me of Margot Robbie, but it does look like a pretty Harley Quinn. Then again, if one looks hard enough, one might see some resemblance, but that's just makeup and 'in-character' charm talking.

The next face variant became a popular promotional picture of Margot in Harley Quinn. Wide open mouth, playful and a bit... insanely teasing. Still does not accurately get Margot's looks, but it does resemble her a little bit.

The angry face and the bubble gum face is the exact same face. Her lips have a small opening, enough to let the bubblegum accessory to fit in there. A bit different, but it works. What doesn't quite work (or does it?) is that this alternate head comes with the club dress Harley! If you want this face, you have to get that one! I like it though.

The mallet is probably my most prized accessory of this figure because it is the less used weapon in her action figure lineups(believe me, she has a ton right now!). Makes sense since she only held it for maybe 20 seconds before she just stuck with her bat and gun. It's a nice addition, with nice coloring. The dead happy face is awesome too.

What's a Harley Quinn figure without her 'good night' bat, right? It's a good accessory. It has some good paint jobs that hold to the image of the movie counterpart. She can hold it with both or either hands so it works.

Then, of course, her gun! There are actually 'two' versions of this for the figure. The 'real' gun version, and the 'holstered' version. The one I'm showing is the one that is probably more important since you could do some serious posing shots with this one. It's painted nice with the whole 'love and hate' lettering on the weapon.

Lastly, she also comes with a stand! And this is my first Mafex stand and I have to admit, I like it a lot better than Figuarts and Figma! The joints are tight and the base itself is wide! May not be the best for space on the shelf, but good for posing some action shots since it's more stable.

Articulation department is pretty solid since I was able to get some good pictures. This is probably the only dynamic picture I tried, but as you can see, I was able to get her on some signature poses, as well as some sexy shots. If I was to make a comparison, Mafex, at least this figure, reminds me a lot of Figuarts. It's an import for sure, and it does the job well. Changing the heads and hands wasn't too difficult and the joints are all tight but giving. I was trying to get just a few more provocative shots, but I wasn't able to get them in without it look too weird. Still, it was generally a fun photoshoot. The number of faces supplied enough for some dynamic shots and the various hands gave enough layers to really pull off some nice pictures.

Shame that this variant head had to be a little over half the price of this gal to attain it. But the gimmick work for me, didn't it?

And yes! My Harley Quinn shrine continues to grow like there's an infestation!

I personally enjoyed my first run-in with Mafex. I chose this particular piece for a number of reasons and my gamble paid off. The 'extra' purchase for a variant head may be off-putting for some, but for me, it's not too bad. With that said, would I recommend it? Yes. I don't have the Figuarts to compare, but I do say that I am not missing that one since this one delivered on what I expected.
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Bandai Tamashii Nations: Kotetsu Samurai Iron Man

An addition to my Hall of Armor collection is Kotetsu Iron Man MK. III; or let's just say Samurai Iron Man. I definitely did not expect this to be in my collection but having stumbled on it up close and personal, I was convinced that I need this. I love samurai lore and fantasy; I love Iron Man. So hey! There we go! So how does the combination of those two add up in figure form?

The box itself is pretty attracting. It has to be right? It's really the only thing I had to go with to be convinced that I needed this in my collection! It's a pretty stiff box too so it definitely has that 'expensive' feel to it; and most of the time, expensive means something is inside that is amazing (dumb logic). Ok, on to the figure.

As you might suspect, it tries its best to keep the Iron Man look intact while adding on some Samurai aesthetics. I have to say, I am impressed; a lot more than I thought I would be. It's pretty easy to see that they sculpted this thing with some thought. The armor platings resemble Samurai designs quite well, the areas that have the Iron Man signature design (helmet and Arc Reactor) is still recognizable.

And since it is Feudal Japan era, Iron Man's tech is scaled back a bit. So his jet boosters? Well, it's archaic and very unreliable looking when it comes to flight. But it is well designed. You can see some old tech references, some designs are modeled to look like Eastern-inspired, and it still tries to look like something that Stark would be able to create given the tools he is provided.

Just from the profile, again I'll reiterate just how detailed this guy is. The Samurai-esque armor platings, the helmet that is definitely the eastern warrior but still a hint of Iron Man, the boots, gauntlets, the sword.... it's a good mix for sure!

For some reason, I didn't take a picture of their accessories he has, but he has his jetpack, his katana, and two muskets that amazingly can be the Feudal Japan substitute for his repulsor blast!

It's actually quite ingenious how they incorporated Stark's repulsors in this age and time. Not entirely sure how it would actually work, but they put it in! There's decent detail with these muskets, though lacking some paint, they still look good though. They connect on Stark's forearms just fine. Wish there was a way he can hold them like regular guns.

And then there's his sword. It doesn't have a whole lot to talk about other than it's a pretty cool addition. It's not uber detailed, and even the sheath is a bit of a lackluster considering how extravagant some Samurais can make them. The hilt itself is good though. Glad they put some effort into this. Though I think a gold blade would be a bit more dramatic and my preference.

If aesthetics and presentation are where Kotetsu Iron Man succeeds, articulation is where it is a bit flawed. Why? Well, it will do the standard (a little less, perhaps), but because of its stylized theme, certain movements are highly limited and if 'forced' it will look rather odd with some joints. Some of the classic Iron Man pose might not be as easily acquired with this design. And I didn't even attempt the Iron Man landing pose either. With him lacking a stand (the one I'm using is a figma one), he is limited for sure.

So.... where's Samurai Stark in here? Yes, this is my Hall of Armors dedication shelf. It is just as crazy as it was before. And it still has room for growth, mind you.

So as a closing note, I really like how this guy looks. Back in the day in the 90s Iron Man (the second season), he had a "Samurai Armor"... which he didn't use at all. Regardless, this amalgamation is something I always found intriguing so to have an action figure form version of it, and for the most part, done right, is something I can appreciate. For casual Iron Man fans, this is a pass and honestly, could slip through the cracks to even the die-hard Iron Man fans. With so many Iron Man figures out there, I'm sure this wouldn't be one of those anyone can truly miss. But for me, it's unique and it does fall in line with my preference. It's a great catch and I think it has something to offer for those who are in search for something different in the Iron Man realm.