Harley, Harley Quinn, y’all! She is everywhere, but most recently she starred in the new Birds of Prey movie, and Bandai is celebrating that fact with a brand new S.H. Figuarts release.
Like a good many things, the new BoP movie has been affected by the current global COVID-19 pandemic, as it was released to theaters just before most of the shelter in place protocols were put in place. So, it started off as a typical theatrical release of a new comic book movie, and then was prematurely shuffled to the side of our short term memories. Since then, those who saw the movie seemed to be divided into two main camps: some believe it is a great flick, and others feel that is absolutely is not. I find myself somewhere in the middle of all fo this as I thought it was okay, but not great, so as is the case in many of these instances, I come to enjoy the toys more than the actual source material. That is not to take anything away from Margot Robbie and her second awesome turn as Harley – she has made the role her own, obviously loves playing the part, and I enjoy her performances.
I bought the original Suicide Squad SHF figure despite not usually going in for cinematic universe comic figures from that line because I thought it had one of the best likenesses Bandai had achieved at the time. That figure still holds up remarkably well (to be fair, it is only a couple of years old), and I find this figure makes for a great companion piece. I don’t think this look/costume will ever eclipse the iconic permeation that SS look has achieved, but this figure might actually be more enjoyable overall. I mention the likeness on the original, but honestly, this new release has three unique portraits and all of them are pretty scary in terms of likeness to Margot Robbie. Maybe she has particular features that work to the strength of the Bandai sculptors and face printing technology, but every one of these faces looks absolutely brilliant, and they all carry a very unique and emotive expression.
There are a lot of good things to talk about when considering SHF, but when the portraits are done well, they tend to dominate the conversation. As soon as I saw the three heads, I pretty much decided that I would put that lollipop head on the figure and never ever take it off. It is by far the most fun, and I really do love the expression as it is very “Harley” to me. That said, once I actually had this figure in-hand, I had a change in heart. That happens a lot with new toys, but I actually like the open-mouth head the best when paired with the hand that is actually holding the lollipop. This seems more animated and emotive in terms of look, but you still get the awesomeness of the lollipop, too. So, I will be keeping this set up, at least for now, but it is always good to have options.
The other wonderful thing about this release is the roller skates and let me tell you, if you don’t display this figure with them on, you are absolutely no fun at all. Sure, the golden boots are fine, but this figure already has a lot of gold going on, and plus — ROLLER SKATES. These match the movie well, and they are most certainly in the vein of the old rental skates from the rink, so they have that going for them, too. The wheels don’t actually turn, but that is a good thing as it makes balancing a lot easier, and I did not find any pose that I wanted to achieve more difficult than doing so with the boots, so it is all good. Plus, did I mention ROLLER SKATES? With the lollipop and mallet in-hand and skates on feet, this figure is just too much fun. ROLLER SKATES.
The figure also includes a slew of different hands and features articulation that is pretty standard for the SHF set-up these days, so if you are familiar with that scheme, this figure holds its own with its peers. She does have articulated pigtails though, so she has a step up on the competition with that one. I do like that the drop down hips are pretty much standard across the board with the figures these days, and while this figure doesn’t really require them as much as others, it does helps achieve some natural skating poses, so your roller disco will be as lively as ever. I was going to harp about getting a few more accessories with this figure, but when you get eight hands, THREE heads, and primary weapon to hold in one hand and a lolli in the other, there is really nothing to complain about.
Much like the previous SHF Harley, I am celebrating the look and character more in action figure form, and with my weird mash-up of these two figure and my Heath Ledger Joker, it makes me able to play out a wanted “could-have-been” in the DC cinematic universe. Like I said, I know this golden overalls look will never really eclipse the SS version, but this figure does a lot of things better (including the Robbie likeness) and is TONS of fun with those roller skates. So, if you are a fan of the character at all, this is a great pick up, you won’t regret it.
