Play Arts Kai - Arkham City CATWOMAN!

Play Arts Kai Arkham City Catwoman - Square Enix 2013

Square Enix's Play Arts Kai action figures have officially blown my mind.  I honestly never expected to see this level of detail and articulation on such a sturdy well-made figure.  I guess I had been burned a few times after saving my hard earned dough for a high-end collectible figure, only to find the same old problems I would find from figures at retail.  The Arkham City Catwoman is my first Play Arts Kai figure, but definitely not my last.  My first impressions upon holding this figure was that she was heavier than I had expected and her joints were impressively tight.. they even click like gears as you move them.  My second wave of awe came when I began inspecting the detailed, well-planned articulation.  This is actually the first female figure I've ever seen with articulated lats (a "shrug" joint if you will).  This Arkham City version of Catwoman is getting a lot of play.  I normally don't buy video game versions of toys, but this Selina is so similar to her comic appearance that I don't mind.  Let's check out this amazing figure!

The box comes with a velcro-secured "bookcover" flap which displays the figure inside.

I have very few criticisms of this figure.  My major problem is with the painting of the face, or rather the uneven painting of the face.  My Catwoman has so much extra shading around her right eye that it look bruised.  I tried to wash it off with a magic eraser but it didn't work too well.  Other than that, I feel that her neck and head are a little too thin and look odd from a straight-on viewpoint.  Lastly, her breasts are enormous.  They're larger than her head.  I realize that characters like these are exaggerated in every way possible, but sometimes the oversexualized details can come off as a bit silly.

Catwoman comes with Two Heads, Three Sets of Hands, and a Whip.

I'm not a big fan of the Goggles-Down Head.  To me the goggles look too thick and like an afterthought attached to the already-sculpted face.  It doesn't help that the head would not snap on to the peg correctly.  With some hot water to soften the plastic it would be fine I'm sure, but I wasn't willing to risk breaking it.

These Play Arts Kai figures are super-poseable and a lot of fun.

Here is a graphic showing her articulation.  I noted the rubber crotch piece because I thought it was genius.  There is a lot of complicated articulation at the hips and waist and this was such a smart way to cover it up while still allowing flexibility.

The only awkward part of her articulation is the spacing of the double-jointed knees.  A side-view of her leg when it's bent makes her kneecap look gigantic.

But those same joints make for a beautiful, seamless leg when posed like this.

I thought I would have some photo-editing fun and mimic the Black, White & Red imagery used in the game.  (The figure is in full color and does not have red goggles).

She's so photogenic that it's hard to stop taking photos of her!

Okay, Time for some Comparison Pics!

From Left to Right:  DC Collectibles Arkham City Catwoman, Play Arts Kai Arkham City Catwoman, and Mattel's Arkham City Catwoman.

(Follow these links to see my previous reviews of the Mattel and DC Collectibles versions.)

Cheers!