McFarlane Toys has had the DC license for almost a year now, with some of its biggest releases to come at the beginning of 2021. This fall gave us the likes of Azrael from the White Knight Universe and Dark Nights: Metal Batman, which are quite impressive. It’s good to see McFarlane take advantage of the slew of new characters in the past five years, even if they are just different Batman variations and give fans a slice of something new.
For the rest of 2020 and early January, fans are going to be able to get Flash and Batman-Earth 52 two-pack, Flashpoint Batman, and Jason Todd as the Red Hood. McFarlane Toys provided Gamespot with some of the recent releases, and some sneak peeks at what’s to come.
$39
This two-pack recently released and is just one of the two-packs in these upcoming waves. The Flash packaged here does some slight variations from his single pack version: he has a very angry face and is lacking the Speed Force effects. Both figures have the same level of articulation except in one spot: the waist. With the Flash, his lightning belt takes away that particular point of movement. Red Death’s costume, however, removes that detail and is able to actually turn his waist.
The real star here is Red Death. No question. Originally, It seemed McFarlane Toys just heavily altered a Flash figure, but no, even the body sculpt is different. Red is exponentially more shredded than Barry, but he does have the same thigh molding as you can see Flash’s ribbing underneath his razor piping décor. Red’s legs have a completely different molding to be more true to his comic book form and have a more sheen finish compared to Barry’s flatter yellows.
His bladed features all have the same glossy finish, which is a nice texture break from this more matted finish with the dark maroon base. Red’s head sculpt came out nicely too, with a solid paint job helping those colors pop. The FlashBat symbol has a semi-metallic finish, but it could have used a stronger finish.
$20
Thomas Wayne makes his action figure debut, sort of. While there was a Real Action Heroes 1:6 scale released a few years ago, this is something more accessible for collectors and fans. Also, it’s one incredible upgrade.
The head sculpt is pretty standard and has the silhouette of a Batman, but the added wrinkles and the paint job really set this one apart. The cowl has a semi-gloss finish with the red eyes having a full gloss finish and catches light easily. The stubble for his beard is a nice touch that shows his age without going overboard. His cape has a matte feel to it, but almost a sandy look on the outside, so it can capture some light and you can see the folds and drapes of it. On the inside, it’s definitely a flatter color which brings out the red more of his costume.
His bat symbol spans across his chest. It’s really striking up against the gunmetal grey of his bodysuit. The gauntlets are chunkier than the standard fair of other Batmen and have dings and cracks that indicate battle damage. The guns he comes with have a scratchy paint detail instead of an all-black direction.
The boots, much like his gauntlets, have battle damage in the sculpt. There are scrapes, bullet holes, and dents to really show you he’s been through the wringer (which if you’ve read Flashpoint, you’ll understand why). This has been one of the sharpest releases all year long.
Price TBD
Now McFarlane announced the Nightwing with the red crest and Red Hood two-pack already, but the single-packed Red Hood was a bit of a surprise. So, let’s take a look at just Red Hood as the Nightwing, while is a great figure if you’ve missed out on the black and blue version. But it’s simply just that: a repaint.
Red Hood is all-new, built from the ground up, and maybe a candidate for the figure of the year. His chrome-finished helmet captures your attention immediately. His brown jacket as a rubbery feel to it that kind of mimics the feel of leather. It’s soft in comparison to the tactical gear he’s sporting. The high collar does get in the way of his head movements, but nothing too serious. However, the torso can’t turn around easily because of the jacket length. His waist is fine though, but a little difficult to maneuver eventually. Once you get him going though, it gets easier.
His guns use the same mold from the Flashpoint Batman’s but they have a silver metallic paint job as well as small bats on the barrel of the pistol. The rest of Jason’s costume has a matte black look with his bat symbol having a matching texture. The bodysuit sculpt and his padding, all the way down to the details of his boots, feels very realistic with nothing feeling out of place. The holsters have a strip across them tied to his belt and have a satin finish, with his belt buckle having metal plates. The small color breaks really help the design.
The Nightwing and Red Hood two-pack is on pre-order now, with a release date in early January 2021. The single pack Red Hood should be out sometime in December 2020.
Note: Red Hood is not available as a single figure yet, but the two-pack featuring that figure and Nightwing is available on Target for $40.
The real Ravensthorpe, meanwhile, is a village in Northamptonshire. It may not have originated as a Viking settlement, but in its position just slightly south east of Coventry, it is pretty much in the middle of England. “We had NO idea that there was a real Ravensthorpe in exactly this location in real life, until a few months ago,” said McDevitt. “Granted there is no river running by the real Ravensthorpe, but a lot can happen in 1000 years. Rivers change courses.”
It’s an absurd coincidence, and one that certainly has amused the Reddit users who brought the topic up. Northamptonshire. However, this village isn’t the only place called Ravensthorpe in England; type the name into 