01 December 2019

"The Clown Prince of Crime" -- Review

I have had my eye on The Joker from Eaglemoss’s DC All-Stars series since it was released: classic subject (Jason Fabok’s cover art in Batman 23.1 [Joker #1]); generous scale (1/14th); very reasonably priced (< US$25.00). My only reservation was that, unlike the other offerings from Eaglemoss, this series is cast in ‘vinyl’. 

‘Vinyl’, like resin, is a catch-all descriptive whose purpose in this context is to differentiate, not elucidate. In other words, in this instance it is used to indicate that this figure is not cast in resin. The medium in which a figure is cast—be it white metal, PUR, metallic resin, plastic, or vinyl—is largely irrelevant to me; however, there are some variants of these mediums which are not acceptable to me for any number of reasons—particularly if I am not familiar with the produc- tion protocols observed.

The figure is cast in a somewhat “soft-ish” vinyl that on the whole captures detail well; AND the casting quality is VG+++. Being softer than PUR or metallic resin, it was not subjected to vir- tually any pre-paint clean-up—a PLUS! Not surprisingly, the figure appears to have been assem- bled "cold". Based on what I could observe, the adhesive used to assemble the figure was a cyanoacrylate, and this is where things get a bit “sticky”: how do I disassemble the figure; and how do I strip the figure--without damaging the casting?

Fast-forwarding to the present, I can state without reservation that Eaglemoss figures cast in 'vinyl' are not suitable candidates for complete "make-overs". The paint's--and adhesive's--re- sponse to the purple bath is negligible. While the paint responds very well to acetone, and the vinyl is relatively resistant to the solvent, any definition and detail is "softened" beyond accepta- bility in short order.

A real shame as it is a very nice figure. If it had been finished--assembled and painted!--to higher standards, it would have been a keeper. . .

When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

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