The Huntress

The Huntress is another enjoyable addition to the DC Direct collection. The poor Huntress always comes as an illegitimate child whether she is part of the Justice League, the Bat clan or the Birds of Prey. Don't let that annoy you. She is a perfect addition to this set. Like the Black Canary, the figure is designed after the second last costume created for the character. Again DC's timing should have been better thought.

The Huntress action figure looks a lot like the comic book character. I always thought that the Huntress carried too much stuff on her person. The figure reflects that. She comes with a soft rubber cape, her belt is full of packs and she has a large holder with a crossbow on her left thigh. Her legs have attachments that simulate her longer boots.

The figures' sculpt is dynamic. Both of her hands are open and can hold the crossbow that comes with the figure. Like the Canary, the left leg is spread apart and the right one carries the weight of the figure. Her body frame is petite, like too. There are several folds in her gloves. Of note, the Huntress carries a cross on her chest. Endowed with a well-shaped buttock, she wears a sculpted G-string.

The face of the figure is the same style as that of the Black Canary and the Oracle. She also has an attached hair piece. Like the Canary, it seems that the figure is looking down. She looks apprehensive, but also as if she is taking aim at something with her crossbow.

The paint job on this figure is simple. Most of her garb is black with purple applied on certain parts. The purple hue used for the attachments on her boots is different from the rest. It is a detail, but it is visible. The trimming on the paint job is not perfect. There is some bleeding. The Huntress' hairs have blue highlights. There are also covered with some polish.

The Huntress is slightly taller than Black Canary and of course, fits with Batman, Guy Gardner, the Kyle Rayner and Robin. She is shorter than the Phantom Lady, Wonder Girl, Power Girl and about the same height as Hawkgirl. I always assumed the Huntress was a taller woman, about the same as Starfire but I can live with these proportions.

The Huntress stands well on her own. Her cape helps balance her weight back. Compared with Black Canary, she seems less likely to fall down. She also comes with her own large figure stand. Like the Canary, she has a peg hole in each foot that is perfect for posing figures on the stands optimally.

The only prop the figure comes with, besides the stand, is a crossbow. The solicitations mentioned two of them. The one glued on her left thigh might be the "missing" second crossbow. The crossbow doesn't hold well in her hands. I have to alternate every few days. I think a closed crossbow that can be inserted in the holder on her thigh would have been better.

The Huntress consists of the standard soft DC Direct plastic. Her cape is made of soft rubber. This is great. The attachments on her waist contain light plastics, like her crossbow. The attachments in her boots are probably made of the standard plastic but cut thinner.

The articulation of the figure is great. Her neck, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, and knees are articulated. The shape of her hair limits the motion of her neck, but not to the same extent as Black Canary. Be careful with her ball jointed shoulders. One of her arms popped off already, and I do not play with my figures. Her wrists should have been articulated, at the base of her gloves, but they aren't.

About the Set

The cost for this set was outrageously high. Without a proper pricing scheme, retailers have not charged uniformly for this set. Some charge the price of three figures, others charge the equivalent of a DCDirect two pack and a half. This is a serious issue that should be addressed once and for all by DCDirect. The range of prices is too large and not every fan of these figures can shop around for the best price.

The packaging for the Birds of Prey set is innovative and nice. The box was shaped as Oracle's clock tower. Each figure was tied solidly to the cardboard box. The box can be reused as a diorama. However, there is one problem with the packaging. The props were attached in a loose plastic bag with a simple tape covering the exit. Upon opening my package, I almost lost some of the peg bars for the stands.

The availability of the set is unknown to me at this time, but I imagine not many people ordered this set. It is not because the characters are not popular. It is because of the undetermined pricing at retailers. Purchasing a product is difficult for consumers so expensive and with nebulous pricing. However, each character has a distinct fan following of its own. Expect people to swap figures back and forth.

Oracle is very popular with female readers who often identify with her. She is a favourite of Batman fans too. Black Canary is a favourite of many Justice Society, Justice League and Green Arrow fans. Because she is a major player in many places at DC, she has accumulated a good following for years. Expect both Batman fans to want this figure because of the Birds of Prey connections.

The Huntress is another fan favourite. Some are Pre Crisis Justice Society fans, who remember when she used to be Batman's daughter on Earth Two. Others like the modern interpretation that is the enfant terrible of the Bat clan. All figures were also featured in the Birds of Prey television series, so expect some non comic book fans to look for those figures, in a few months. I think they will be rare.

The Birds of Prey set is a good example of what kind of female figures DC Direct can create for its line. So far, they were the most articulated and certainly some of the best sculpted. Unlike other DC Direct females, they can stand well on their own and are good compromises of sculpting and articulation range.

Update February 6 2005:
This figure has sold out from Diamond Comics, the exclusive distributor of this action figure.

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