Review – Killer Croc – Arkham City, DC Collectibles (DC Direct)

DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"

There’s no denying that DC Direct has been on a role lately with their Arkham city toy line. They really upped the ante back in 2010 with their Arkham Asylum toy line, making two waves worth of characters that were really the first DC Direct figures I was ever truly interested in. But the fact that the game was amazing I’m sure helped sway me into buying them.

Now, in their second wave of Arkham City figures, we’ve seen more detailed sculpts, new articulation (for DC Direct anyway), and a name change for the company (switching from DC Direct to DC Collectibles). And now we have the inclusion of the Deluxe line of Arkham City figures, specifically meant for the larger characters. The first character in this new sub-line of figures is Killer Croc. Fans have been wanting a figure of him ever since Arkham Asylum, since that’s the game he was predominantly featured in. But now that we have him, we’re going to take a closer look.

So is DC Collectibles’ first foray into the Deluxe Arkham Figure a hit or a miss? Read on to find out.

 

PACKAGING– Killer Croc comes in a giant window box. There’s a diagonal across it with some graphics that make it look like the cover of the box is being peeled back so you can see the figure inside. It’s trying to imitate the new DC Comics logo, which is now featured on the packaging, along with the new name of the toy company, “DC Collectibles”.We have the video game logo on the bottom right with his name “KILLER CROC” in large font. There’s some really great photography of the figure on either side of the packaging, and pictures on the back of other and upcoming figures in the deluxe line, and a short bio on Croc himself.I’m a huge fan of this packaging. It’s minimalist, which I love. I’m a firm believer in “less is more” and I think this pulls it off nicely. And the box is made of sturdy cardboard, so you know the figure is going to be safe.

 

 

SCULPT –  According to the packaging, Croc was sculpted by Phil Ramirez. Now, let’s just get it out of the way, right off the bat. Killer Croc is HUGE! According to the box he comes in, he’s about 9.5 inches tall, though my own measurements put him at around 9.75 inches tall. At any rate, he’s huge. His sculpt is phenomenal and is uncanny to the game design.

The scaling and texturing of his skin is nothing short of amazing. He has scale plates going down the length of his back that look very realistic. The straps on his wrists have the slightest texturing to them, making them look like worn leather.

His pants are nicely wrinkled as well. And the head sculpt. Wow, the head sculpt. He looks exactly as he did in the game. He has the same texturing as the rest of his body, and his teeth look awesome. They’re long, sharp, and are uneven and asymmetrical.

It’s also worth mentioning that the chains hanging from his shackles are actual metal chain. Just another fantastic detail on top of everything else. I could probably write a dissertation on the sculpt of this figure alone, but I have to talk about the rest of the figure too, so I’ll leave it at that.

 

 

 

PAINT –  Croc has tons of painted detail. He’s completely painted head to toe, which is normal for a DC Collectibles (have to get used to typing that) figure. There’s layers upon layers of paint, each one helping to detail the figure and bring out the amazing sculpt.

He has a wonderful wash all over the green of his body some dry brushing as well. Several scales are painted different shades of green to help with the realism. His teeth have brown staining on them, looking like old dried blood.

His pants look terrible (which is a good thing in this case). From the feet up to his knees the pants are a darker color, with splattering on the rest of the pants. Exactly the kind of look you’d expect someones’ pants to have who spends his days swimming in the sewer. They actually look like their soaked in dirty water and sewage.

Even the chains that hang from his shackles look old and worn, though I’m not 100% certain they did that on purpose. But whatever the case, it helps sell the figure.

 

 

 

ARTICULATION –  Killer Croc has a ball jointed neck, a hinged jaw, ball jointed shoulders, bicep swivels, single elbows, ball jointed wrists, waist swivel, ball jointed hips, single knees, and ball jointed ankles.

All of his joints work nicely, and are really tight, but not too tight as to make it difficult to pose him. He has to be the most articulated DC Collectibles figure ever made. In fact, all he needs is an ab crunch and he’ll be just as articulated as any Mattel DCUC figure. I really love the hinged jaw. It works great, though it’s worth noting on mine the left jaw connector seems to protrude out some, especially if his mouth is open. I don’t know if it’s a widespread thing, and it’s a really easy fix with some heat, but it is there.

His hip joints work great, and it’s the first DC Collectibles figure I’ve seen where you can actually spread his hips out. They both just sit on ball joints that all full movement. I hope this is a trend that continues with all DC Collectibles figures, along with the bicep swivels.

The Ball jointed ankles and wrists really help with posing as well, especially the ankles. They act as rocker ankles which helps put his feet firmly on the surface you’re posing him on.

 

 

 

ACCESSORIES – Killer Croc doesn’t come with any accessories, but then again I’m not sure I could think of any accessories for him to come with. He’s always kind of been a hands-on villain. The neck shackle does slip off of his head, but I wouldn’t really call that an accessory. But if you don’t want your Croc to be posed with it, you have that option.

 

 

 

FUN – I think you can tell by now, I think this is a fun figure. Beyond fun. In my opinion he’s the first good Killer Croc figure ever to be made. And this really is the Croc I’ve been waiting for for a very long time.

I can’t get over how much fun he is to play with and to pose with other Batman figures. Not even just DC Collectibles figures, but he fits in with DC Universe Classics as well. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t think this is a fun figure. He’s the most fun I’ve had with a figure in a while.

 

 

 

OVERALL – He’s huge, has amazing paint apps, has great articulation, especially for a DC Collectibles figure, and he’s a ton of fun. I think he’s a definitive must have figure, whether you’re a fan of Arkham City, or just a Batman fan in general.

The only drawback I could see for anyone who might want to pick him up is the price. I bought mine for $55 at Keith’s Comics in Dallas TX, but you should be able to find him anywhere from $40-$50 at most places. Even that can be pricey for some, but I can tell you that I think he was worth every single penny. I have no buyer’s remorse from picking him up.

 

FINAL SCORE: 5 / 5

 

 

 

Where to buy: Killer Croc is going fast everywhere he’s sold, but here’s a couple of links that should help you out.

DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"

DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"

DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"

DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"

Tick, Tock, feed the Croc.

DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"

DC Direct Colllectibles Batman Arkham Asylum City Deluxe Action Figure Killer Croc 9.5"

Size comparison

17 thoughts on “Review – Killer Croc – Arkham City, DC Collectibles (DC Direct)

  1. Picked up this figure and loved it. However, the left arm fell off at the shoulder joint after a few hours. I got a replacement from the comic shop and it’s left arm fell off after a few days. In both cases, I posed him with his arms raised and out, put him on the shelf, and the arm fell off with no activity. I believe the figure is defective in that the shoulder joint cannot hold the weight of the arm.

    I notified DC but haven’t heard back. I don’t know what to do with my second one. Return it and hope it doesn’t happen a third time?

    • Hm…this does seem to be a widespread problem. I haven’t had this problem, or even a hint of it with mine. Though I’ll certainly be wary of it from now on.

  2. I drilled a hole in both sides of the broken shoulder joint piece then inserted a metal rod with super glue. Two weeks later the repair has held with no loss of artriculation and the repair is completely hidden.

  3. My croc’s left arm fell off this morning when I picked him up from the shelf. I had no exotic him in no poses, never messed with it. He’s not a cheap figure so my mouth is still on the floor from the shock of seeing his left arm slowly fall to the floor. How best to fix him is my question?

  4. John, it would be truly appreciated to get that tutorial. I came home today and just found Croc lying on my table where I sat him the night before, and his left arm was completely separated. I wanted to cry, being that I don’t make a lot of money and he is a big investment for a figure. I can’t buy another one and would be very grateful to you for such a tutorial for the repair. 🙂 Thank you!

  5. I have bought 3 killer crocs for my 11 year old son and all 3 have had the same issue. It really pisses me off because I too have sent dc a damn email and I’m a 150 dollars into this toy now and it killed me when my son who loved it comes to me with tears saying it broke again. Dc needs to do something and recall this and fix it.

  6. Was the tutorial for repairing this ever posted? I was trying to go about fixing mine and was looking for a little more detailed info on how to.

  7. I also have major issues with this figure. The right arm was totally broken at the shoulder joint when just trying to rotate it for the first time (yes, I’m the next one with this problem). The right foot also seems very loose, though still connected to the leg. The chain pieces on his neck ring are broken and loose in the box and somebody at the factory cut the plastic around his head. Since I’m in Germany and the shipping already took some weeks, the deadline for returning this figure by law is gone. THIS SUCKS!

    Was there any reaction by DC since almost everyone has this problem with that damn figure?
    They really need to do a revision of that figure.

  8. Pingback: From Clay to Clayface - The Making of the DC Collectibles Arkham City Clayface - Mint Condition Customs

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