The Good: Amazing sculpt, Great accessories, Great collectible value, Wonderful balance/articulation
The Bad: Left hand is not scarred.
The Basics: A masterful work, the Harvey Dent / Two-Face 12” doll from Hot Toys is an amazing recreation of the character from The Dark Knight!
It might seem odd, so long after the "phenomenon" has passed to be reviewing merchandise based on a movie that was out two summers ago. However, the best cult films retain a level of intrigue in the mind of viewers for years and some even grow on their audience. In the case of The Dark Knight (click here for my review!), some of the very best merchandise is coming out now, two years later and arguably one of the very best products is the Hot Toys Two-Face 12” doll.
I have long argued that Aaron Eckhart was largely overlooked for his fine performance in The Dark Knight. As Harvey Dent and Two-Face, Eckhart showed great range and made for an incredibly compelling character (or two!). For those who share my enthusiastic view of Aaron Eckhart and his underrated performance, there is the Hot Toys 12” Two-Face toy which is a masterwork of sculpting and articulation and so close to perfect that I could not downrate it for its lone flaw.
Basics
The Hot Toys Two-Face figure is a 12” figure that is sculpted to be perfectly in the 1:6 scale and it is truly an impressive doll. The doll is molded to look exactly like Aaron Eckhart as both Harvey Dent and Two-Face. As such, the figure comes with two very different heads, just as it comes with two of just about everything in the box. The figure comes with two different heads, two of each hand, and two different suit coats. The figure is intended to be used to transform from Harvey Dent into Two-Face and the toy holds up quite well for exactly that purpose.
The sculpting is amazing on each of the heads. On the Harvey Dent head, the face looks exactly like Aaron Eckhart, down to the beginning of his trademark smirk on his lips. The hair is well-molded to have shading and texture to it, so it does not look like a helmet or a Ken doll. As for the Two-Face head (which may simply be popped on after one pulls off the Harvey Dent head), this is an equally exceptional work. The face features half of Aaron Eckhart’s face and the other half is a grotesquely scarred visage that is creepy and incredibly accurate to the character. What is most impressive about the scarred Two-Face head is that it features Two-Face’s eyeball hanging out at an almost impossible amount, just like the scenes in the movie did! The full roundness of the eyeball is enough to make one shudder and Hot Toys did an amazing job on the sculpt. The teeth and melted back cheeks are immaculately molded and painted, so this head looks absolutely realistic.
The detailing on the rest of the figure is equally good, save one thing. The hands are so well-presented that they feature knuckles and fingernails molded onto the fingers. However, Two-Face’s left hand ought to be terribly scarred and burned and neither of the left hands are. While there are hands designed to hold the pistol and one that holds the tiny, extraordinarily-detailed coin that Two-Face comes with, neither left hand is appropriately detailed with the gruesome burns the character has on his face.
That said, Two-Face comes with both a clean and burned suit. The coat is interchangeable and as a result, when one makes Harvey Dent into a Two-Face, they may change his jacket so he is appropriately damaged. The result is very cool and makes the doll truly special. All of the costume pieces are cloth, so this doll has a very realistic texture and look over his plastic body. With his suit coat, slacks, white shirt and tie, Harvey Dent looks like a district attorney like he is supposed to. And with the burned coat and head, he looks frightening as Two-Face!
Accessories
The Hot Toys Two-Face figure comes with (depending upon the perspective) three or seven accessories plus the stand. I tend to fall in with the idea that the interchangeable body parts and suit coat are part of the primary doll and go with the idea that Two-Face has three accessories: his coin, his button and his pistol.
The coin is so small it is not even a choking hazard. Harvey Dent carried a double-heads quarter and this figure comes with two of them. They are about 1/8” in diameter and they fit into one of Two-Face’s hands, which is impressive in its own right.
Harvey Dent also comes with a tiny red, white and blue “I Believe In Harvey Dent” button that may be stuck on his lapel!
Two-Face also comes with a pistol and the gun is 1” long, appropriately gunmetal color and fits his alternate right hand perfectly. The realism even of the little gun illustrates an attention to detail most toy companies should be envious of. That the gun even opens is incredible.
Two-Face also comes with a stand because he is essentially a doll. The doll stand is 4” in diameter and has the traditional support one may attach to Harvey Dent’s back. So attached, Two-Face is untippable.
Playability
Who would play with this doll?! This is clearly intended to be a display piece with its accuracy and the expense of the doll. But, for those who get to play with dolls that start in the $100 range, this doll is exceptionally cool for play. First, it has great balance. Standing flatfooted in his fancy shoes, Harvey Dent is an upstanding citizen.
But where Hot Toys truly rocks is with the articulation. The doll has tight enough joints that he does not tip over and most of the joints move with realistic motions, not just on simple swivel joints. Two-Face is articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, groin socket, knees, biceps, forearms, and ankles. There is no way I have yet found to pose Two-Face where he does not look realistic or cannot be posed. With his stand, he may be posed in even outlandish poses and still be displayed well.
Collectibility
The Hot Toys makes quality dolls, so this Two-Face doll is already being gobbled up on the secondary market. Because this was a worldwide release and a limited edition (though I’ve been unable to get a firm number on just how limited this was) it is rapidly becoming harder to find in the secondary market. But because Hot Toys did such a good job, it is creating a demand where none existed before: those who were content with just the Joker and Batman from The Dark Knight are finding this doll indispensible and buying them up to complete their collections. As such, it has all the makings of a strong investment piece. And as people rewatch The Dark Knight and are blown away by Eckhart’s performance, one suspects that value will continue to appreciate.
Overview
Sideshow Toys has a real competitor with Hot Toys and with my first experience with Hot Toys, the Two-Face doll is overwhelmingly positive. Anyone who loves collecting dolls from popular films will find this is a great representation from The Dark Knight that will enhance any collection!
For other dolls and superhero action figures, please check out my reviews of:
Wonder Woman Diana Prince action figure
12” Lando Calrissian doll
1999 Justice League Wonder Woman figure
10/10
For other toy reviews, please check out my index page!
© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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