Mr. Freeze is the second figure to be released by DC Collectibles (formerly DC Direct) in its Arkham City Deluxe figure line. He was actually released just this week, the same time as Killer Croc. A lot of fans have wondered, and rightly so, why a character like Mr. Freeze warrants a deluxe price, when he’s practically a normal sized character.
Last year, at New York Comic-Con, someone at the DC Direct booth actually explained it. It turns out that Mr. Freeze was too expensive to put under the basic figure SKU (stock keeping unit – a number or code used to identify each unique product or item for sale in a store or other business). Like everything else, toy lines have budgets. They have a certain amount of money allotted to them, and only have enough budget for a certain amount of SKU’s.
At the time they were working on the Arkham City line, they had the budget for two SKU’s. The basic figure SKU and the Deluxe figure SKU. Due to Mr. Freeze’s larger than normal size (his design dictates this, due to his freeze suit adding height to him), mixed with other elements such as his accessories, he just came in too expensive to be put under the basic figure SKU. So they were left with two options. Either cancel him outright, or place him in the deluxe line. Since they couldn’t just create a new SKU specifically for Freeze, or raise the price of him as a basic figure (they all have to be the same price under one SKU), those were their only options. And they did not want to cancel Mr. Freeze, since to many fans he was the best boss fight in the entire Arkham City game, and many fans have been waiting for a really good Mr. Freeze action figure. So they put him in the deluxe line and now here we are.
Many fans have been criticizing this decision though, thinking that DC Direct is just abusing the deluxe price, but if you look at every figure they’re going to be releasing in the deluxe line, Mr. Freeze is the only one arguably not a deluxe. If they wanted to abuse it, they could have just made every single figure in the line a deluxe. But toy companies are not out to alienate its market. That’s just bad business. I hope the above helps explain to some the decision to make Mr. Freeze a deluxe figure.
Enough of that though, you guys came for a review and pictures right? Well let’s get to that, shall we?
| PACKAGING– Mr. Freeze comes in the “Arkham Deluxe Figure” packaging. It’s in the exact same style as the kind that Killer Croc came in. Due to all the deluxe figures having the exact same packaging style, unfortunately Mr. Freeze’s is grossly oversized for him. I understand the need for consistency under one figure line and all that, but it still seems an unfortunate waste of resources to create such a large package for a figure that doesn’t really need it. But the design elements on the package are still wonderful.I love the minimalistic styling, and the promo photos on either side of the package are really nice. On the back we have a small “thumbnail” sized picture of Mr. Freeze and a short bio for him, as well as other figures either available or coming soon in the Deluxe line. We of course see Killer Croc, and the Titan Joker figure which will, according to the packaging, be available in November of this year. It’s a lovely packaging, I’m just always conscience of whenever there’s an abundance of packaging for a figure. It irks me.
SCULPT – According to the packaging, Mr. Freeze was sculpted by Dave Cortes. The sculpt is wonderful, and to my eye is an uncanny likeness to the game render. That face under the helmet is undeniably Mr. Freeze, and all the detailing in his suit is there. From the honeycomb shaped texturing on his arms and legs, and all the piping and wires that run all over his suit, it’s fantastic. He has two huge canisters plugged into either side of his helmet in the back which I’m assuming is his power source for the suit. There are smaller, almost test tube shaped protrusions going down either side of his spine that look very nice too. It really does have all the elements and details of the game design, and I love it. I really love the big astronaut looking helmet, because it makes his head look like it’s just floating in blackness. Very intimidating. As always in reviewing, I try to look at the good and the bad, but I can’t seem to find a single flaw with his sculpt.
PAINT – DC Collectibles has done a fantastic job on Mr. Freeze. He’s painted in great detail. His suit features a nice dry brushing all around, helping to give the look of worn metal which is a nice touch. All the piping is painted blue, and all the honeycomb detailing even has some light gray paint separating out each part. There are some smaller details all over him, including some of what looks like warning labels on certain parts. The head looks great. His skin is painted blue, but on some small parts on his nose, chin, and forehead wrinkles, you can see some flesh tone peeking through. His skin isn’t all one solid color. The blue is sort of mixed and blended in with the natural pigment of his skin. I really love that. The paint just looks great all around. I couldn’t find a single area of paint slop or anything. he only thing I wish about his paint apps is that the inside of his visor were frosted. The prototype featured the edges of in the inside of his visor being frosted over, which I absolutely loved. Sad to not see it here.
ARTICULATION – Mr. Freeze has a ball jointed neck, ball jointed shoulders, single elbows, t-crotch hips, thigh swivels, single knees, and ankle swivels. He’s certainly not the most articulated figure ever, and to be honest I was kind of expecting him to be as articulated as Killer Croc at least. He is a deluxe figure after all, and the design of his suit lends itself to adding perfectly hidden articulation. I can understand the absence of a waist swivel, because I seriously doubt Freeze could even turn his waist in that thing. But something I was so impressed with on Killer Croc that I’m sad to see not included here are ball jointed hips so he can spread his legs out. That small amount of articulation really ups the ante with the amount and style of poses you can pull off for a figure. You can still get some really good poses out of him, but it will always be limited.
ACCESSORIES – Mr. Freeze comes with his freeze gun, a figure stand, and a removable visor for his helmet. The visor is so you can turn and position his head any way you like, and it pops out and in quite easily. I haven’t had a single problem with it falling out on its own. It stays in there rather snug. It’s also slightly tinted blue, which you can tell if you hit a light directly on it. A very nice touch. The figure stand certainly helps in posing, but you can get him to stand without it. His freeze gun looks great and again is a great likeness to the game design. It’s painted in the same dry brushed metallic detail, and you can easily make out, thanks to the blue, where the power source of the gun is in its sock. It also has what looks like a drum barrel on the underside, kind of giving it a futuristic Tommy Gun look. Pretty neat.
FUN – He’s a very fun figure. For my tastes, he’s easily the best Mr. Freeze figure ever made. The only other one I could think of that could be considered good would be Mattel’s past attempts, and while I thought those were cool at the time, I still never fully liked those versions. THIS is the Mr. Freeze I’ve been waiting for. The lack of articulation does cut down on his fun factor some, just because there’s not as many poses to put him in, but just messing around with him in your hand is incredibly fun. I’ve been having fun just looking him over, finding all the small details. Mr. Freeze is just one of those incredibly visually interesting characters, and he’s always been one of my favorite Batman villains due to his tragic origins. Despite what he does, you can’t help but feel sorry for him. And it’s pretty awesome to finally have a good Mr. Freeze figure for my display.
OVERALL – He has an amazing sculpt, wonderful paint apps, but not so great articulation. His accessories are cool (yes I just went there), especially the removable face plate, and he’s a really fun figure. Despite the lack of articulation, I still think it’s a great figure. Not as great were he more articulated, but great nonetheless. The oversized packaging, while not a real drawback, is something I’m conscious about. It doesn’t ruin the figure for me by any means, but it’s something worth noting for others out there who think about that stuff. The only major drawback I can think of for collectors is his price. He’s a deluxe figure. I bought mine at Keith’s comics in Dallas, TX for $55 at the same time as Croc the other day, but if you look around your local comic shops, or online, you should be able to find him between $40-$50. Now, the Batman fan in me feels like he’s absolutely worth every penny, because it’s an amazing looking Mr. Freeze figure. However, the objective analyst in me does concede that he is too much for his size. I understand 100% why it was done, but it doesn’t make it any easier on the wallet. FINAL SCORE: 4 / 5
Where to buy:
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 “Think of it, Batman. To never again walk on a summer’s day with the hot wind in your face and a warm hand to hold. Oh yes, I’d kill for that!”
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I WAS JUST WONDERING I HAVE A 1997 LARGE FIGURE OF MR. FREEZE. HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK IS WORTH? I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THE INPUT.
THANK YOU
I HAVE A LARGE FIGURE OF MR. FREEZE. IN THE BACK OF FIGURE IT SAYS 1997 DC COMICS. I WAS WONDERING IF IT IS WORTH ANYTHING? I WOULD APPRECIATE THE INPUT.
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