Joker: "The Face of Crime" - Pre-Prep Observations

As I mentioned in the introductory posting/review, this iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime is taken from the conclusion of "Death of the Family". For those of you not familiar with this arc, this is a "must read" in the DCU, afaIc! By way of capturing the gist of the story, the Joker is captured by Batman and sent to Arkham Asylum. As it turns out, this was the Joker's plan all along, as his goal was to meet with the Dollmaker, and have him surgically remove his face. The Joker escapes, and a year later, he returns to Gotham City, recovers his "face", and begins to wear it as a mask (NB: this is particularly well-rendered in the figure!). 

The Joker is a VG+++, two-piece casting (+ plinth). It is cast in metallic resin, and herein lies Problem #1. Eaglemoss has come a long way since their first forays into resin-casting, but they have yet to take that final step that would allow, compel even, any reviewer to use the word "mas- terful" in their assessment. Granted, given that these are pre-painted collectibles, what I am about to describe is arguably irrelevant. . . 

The aluminum filler used is too coarse: too big and--relatively--too heavy (albeit less expensive!), especially when used absent a thixotropic filler (TF) (NB: TFs create stratified layering of the resin thus minimizing settling when prepared properly.). This results in a noticeably granular, rough surface in the distal 20%, give or take, of the figure, as the metallic filler settles to the bottom of the mold, while the rest of the figure is essentially pure resin. The aluminum filler they should be using should look and feel like grey talcum powder--this, when used in conjunction with a TF, will yield a 'bonded pewter' casting that one could polish to a high-luster, if so inclined; and be significantly and uniformly stronger. I maintain that such a medium would preclude the use of the reinforcing rods currently being inserted in the legs of their larger (>70mm) scale offerings.

Which brings us to Problem #1A. Using metal rods to support a casting is not an easy under- taking, IF one's goal is to provide a metallic endoskeleton that will reinforce and support the figure. My guess is that Eaglemoss experienced customer dissatisfaction with broken figurines and decided to use wire reinforcements in attempt to avoid such contretemps. The problem is that the rods are not anchored in any way, and thus float freely until the resin begins to gel. Be- ing lighter than the metallic resin, they tend to either freely gravitate to the surface of the mold, or are displaced by the settling metallic filler, thus marring the surface of the casting AND negating any reinforcement they might have been able to provide! Of the last 5 figurines I have purchased, all were reinforced with metal rods. . . AND THREE WERE BROKEN!!

AfaIc, dealing with the above is well-worth it given the price-point of the figure and the overall quality of the sculpture. Not knowing the particulars of Eaglemoss' production, or the production standards vs. cost ratio that they consider acceptable within the context of the marketed pro- duct and/or their business plan, I don't know if this is still a "work-in-progress", or if they have achieved their goal. Given the published reaction of some of their customers, I would say there remains room for improvement, especially as they have been noticeably responsive to the com- plaints received to date. . .  

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