Microman MA-07 Batman Comic Version (4/28/2004)

Takara released MA-07 Microman Batman (Comic Version) in April of 2004 as part of the new Microman Micro Action Series line-up. Batman was released along with MA-08 Batman (Flight Gear version) and MA-06 Casshern (movie version). It was quite a surprise to see western comic book character appeared in Microman line, especially one with no prior association with Microman before like Batman. The new Microman 2003 body style was perfect for super heroes type figures and the body work well for Batman. As the title suggest, MA-07 was a basic classic style comic book version of Batman done with Microman Micro Force body.

Microman Batman while hardly the definitive version of Batman, the head sculpt was not totally off the mark. The face was a little squash but over appearance was quite good as representation of Batman comic book (I guess from may be around 1990's version) Batman body was molded in gray and not the blue-gray that was shown in the prototype. The cowl, cape, gloves and boots were in dark navy blue colors. The Bat Utility Belt was molded as separate piece and painted yellow. (I would have prefer molded on belt as part of the pelvic section) The cape was molded in hard vinyl and had a 5mm peg that plug into Microman body 5mm port. The cape was nicely molded however the collar section was a little high and the head pop out easily when rotated. The head this problem probably could have been easily fix with longer head post. However for normal play the head do stay on securely. The joints overall were very nice and tight, and the super articulated Microman Full Action Body really gave this version of Dark Knight almost unlimited pose-ability. As a super articulate version of Batman, this figure made a nice addition to any Batman-collection especially those who envy the Toy Biz recent super poseable Spider-Man.

Microman Batman came with several Bat-accessories including the BAT-arang, BAT grappling hook, BAT cutter and even a gas masked. The accessories were molded in metallic blue chrome. The grappling hook came with cable extension part so the hook can be pose with the cable extended. The gas masked fit nicely over the face and stay on well. The grappling hook handle was a little small for the hand and have to be support by two hands for proper posing. Another minor complain, was these accessories seem to be a little too big for the 10cm tall Batman. He would need a BAT utility backpack to haul these gadgets around instead of the tiny BAT-Utility Belt. Overall, if you are both fan of comic book and Microman then this figure is a must have. For those who collect exclusively Microman figures, it is nice to have something difference on the shelf. For completist and variants collectors then this figure is a nice diversion, since how often do we get to add Batman to our Microman collection.