The Flash Movie Action Figures From McFarlane Toys Are Impressively Detailed But Lack Versatility
"The Flash" speeds into theaters next week (read our review here), but the film's merchandise is already populating shelves around the world. Since McFarlane Toys has held the DC Comics license for characters from film, TV shows, and comic books for a few years now, they're the ones behind the new line of detailed, collectible action figures featuring characters from the movie. What's particularly great is that "The Flash" movie has brought back Michael Keaton as Tim Burton's version of Batman and it also introduces a new version of Supergirl played by Sasha Calle. So we're not just getting a bunch of different variants of the Scarlet Speedster (though there are several to choose from).
For the longest time, McFarlane Toys was considered the gold standard when it came to meticulously crafted toys that adult collectors loved to get their hands on. They delivered high-quality action figures with impeccable detail that looked great sitting on a shelf, almost like affordable, posable statues. But in an age where highly detailed figures are much easier to come by thanks to the likes of toymakers like Hasbro and NECA (just to name a couple), how does McFarlane Toys' take on "The Flash" movie action figures hold up?
Warner Bros. Discovery sent over a collection of "The Flash" movie figures for /Film to check out leading up to the film's release on June 16, 2023. The good news is that McFarlane Toys' action figures for "The Flash" are as carefully painted and sculpted as they've ever been. However, though McFarlane Toys have become much more dynamic in their articulation when compared to the heyday of their collectibles in the '90s, they're still not quite as versatile as they should be in the modern age of collectible toys. Let's take a closer look.
The new Supergirl
In "The Flash," Sasha Calle plays the new version of Supergirl who is introduced in an alternate timeline of the DC Extended Universe after Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) travels through time and changes the past by saving his mother Nora Allen, previously killed when Barry was younger. Taking a cue from "Man of Steel," the superhero suit worn by Supergirl doesn't include any red underwear, and the S-symbol on her chest shares the same design as Henry Cavill's suit. But the new Supergirl suit makes another change by ditching the red boots that we typically see various Superman and Supergirl variations wear.
Ethan Anderton
The Supergirl action figure from McFarlane Toys captures the suit's design perfectly, right down to the detailed texture of the costume, including the various ridges situated around certain joints and body parts. The S-symbol on Supergirl's chest even has a different texturized feel than the rest of the suit. Beyond the body, the likeness of Sasha Calle is very well done. When it comes to the figure's sculpt, I have zero complaints. But that doesn't mean the figure isn't without some flaws.
Ethan Anderton
First of all, McFarlane's Supergirl figure comes with a clear plastic stand that allows collectors to either pose her standing on a base or being held by a suspended clasp to make it look as if she's flying. However, the problem is that Supergirl also comes with a molded rubber cape, which makes her positioning within that clasp a little bit awkward. Furthermore, Supergirl's neck joint only allows the figure's head to be tilted upward slightly. So if you want to position Supergirl in a signature horizontal flying pose, you can't position her head properly unless you tilt the body slightly. It doesn't look bad, but for a figure made to be posed in a flying position, it's a bit of a disappointment.
Ethan Anderton
Since the cape isn't detachable, it also makes it difficult to position Supergirl in a variety of poses. Supergirl's body is a little more dainty than your average superhero action figure, so her legs don't make it easy to support the weight of the cape. On top of that, McFarlane Toys figures don't typically have a rotating thigh, which also limits the variety of poses for these characters. So if you want to make Supergirl stand on a shelf, you really need to use the provided figure stand. Otherwise, she tilts awkwardly, and it's almost impossible to give her a natural stance.
You wanna get nuts?
Bringing back Michael Keaton as Batman is a big draw for "The Flash," and that includes getting new action figures of Tim Burton's take on the Dark Knight, albeit with a suit that varies slightly from his last big screen outing in "Batman Returns." That's right, there are multiple versions of Michael Keaton's Batman from "The Flash" movie, but honestly, they could have easily gotten away with one.
The standard edition of Michael Keaton's Batman features the superhero in an updated version of the classic rubber suit with his cape and cowl intact. It's a cloth cape, which is a little bit frustrating because Keaton's version of the Caped Crusader wore a cape that looked like it has some weight to it. This is where they should have utilized the molded rubber cape, or at least some kind of pleather cape to give it a bit of texture. At the very least, the cape can be shifted to fall over the shoulders for a more menacing look or pulled slightly behind the shoulders for fighting stances. (Don't mind the seemingly shortened ears in the right photo below, it's just a side effect of iPhone's portrait mode blur.)
Ethan Anderton
Unfortunately, this Batman figure doesn't have a lot of dynamic poses. Again, the lack of rotating thighs makes action poses difficult to display without the included action figure stand. There are a few decent ways to pose Batman with the included accessories, a silver Batarang and grapnel gun, but otherwise, this Batman was basically made to simply stand. He's just too stiff to pose in any truly cool ways, and it would have been nice to have more articulation with a larger variety of Bat-gadgets included. So despite the fact that the body is shiny and sleek, with a cleanly painted Bat-symbol on the chest, I wish it offered a bit more flexibility.
Ethan Anderton
This is also what makes the so-called Gold Label version of Michael Keaton's Batman somewhat baffling. This version gives you the exact same Batman figure, but instead of having the cowl covering Bruce Wayne's face, you get Michael Keaton's likeness with gray hair. It's not a great sculpt of the actor's face, especially since it's missing the age wrinkles of a more seasoned Keaton, and it's not exactly great for display purposes either, especially when he comes with the exact same accessories. Couldn't they have at least included an empty cowl for him to hold? Even a chair for him to sit in, as if he's doing detective work in the Batcave, would have been nice. Instead, it's the same figure with Keaton's unmasked head, and that's just not good enough.
There's also a Ben Affleck version of Batman available from McFarlane Toys, but that one didn't get sent to us, so you'll have to seek that one out yourself.
The Crimson Comet
All right, this is about action figures from "The Flash" movie, so of course we need to focus on the speedy superhero played by Ezra Miller. This figure also falls under McFarlane's Gold Label, perhaps because it's the Speed Force variant (there's also another figure with The Flash in his more brightly colored suit). While there are two other Flash figures, they're entirely different, one being Flash in an old Batman suit painted red with the ears trimmed down, and the other being Dark Flash, a terrifying, dark version of the superhero. But we didn't get to check those out.
Instead, this feels like the best figure in the entire line. The Flash's body suit is mostly smooth, with only slight variations in the texture that replicate the look of the suit on screen. Honestly, the texture is more noticeable in figures than it is to the touch. There are subtle indentations for the gold lines that run throughout the body, as well as ridges for the boots and other accents on the helmet and around the waist.
Ethan Anderton
While The Flash figure does share similar issues with Batman and Supergirl when it comes to pose-ability, you're at least able to pose the figure in a running motion with the help of the included action figure stand. Four transparent yellow lightning bolt accessories can be situated on The Flash's arms and legs to add the appearance of superhuman speed, though they're a little difficult to keep attached while trying to situate the figure for the perfect pose. Perhaps the only other downside is the lack of swappable hands (he only has flat, aerodynamic running hands) or any other accessories. But The Flash isn't exactly known for his accessories, so it's not a total loss.
Ethan Anderton
As for the likeness of Ezra Miller, or at least what little you can see, it's fine. The eyes aren't painted all that well, but at least the sculpt of the lower half of Miller's face is decent. The lips in particular are actually perfect. This is where I wish that these McFarlane Toys figures came with swappable heads. In general, McFarlane pays close attention to detail, and they've done a good job of bringing this specific version of The Flash to life.
All of "The Flash" movie action figures from McFarlane Toys are available at various retailers for $19.99 each.