I have mixed feelings about McFarlane reissuing the DC Direct 1:12 animated Bat lines. On the one hand, more figures means more fodder, and keeps after market prices down. That’s good. And new characters via Build-a-Figures is… kinda good, but also dirty pool on Todd’s part. But TNBA doesn’t even get that courtesy. At least not yet. TNBA gets useless fake animation cels. C’mon, Todd. Do better.

So until the day comes when we get new TNBA characters, I’ll have to help fill the void. Mattel’s TNBA Penguin was an excellent sculpt, though limited to 5 swivel joints of the time. I commissioned a 3D scan of Mattel’s version. I then scaled up the parts, printed, and painted. He may lack appropriate articulation, but he looks good on the shelf.

I ended up developing two sizes. Mathematically speaking, the top of his hat should be no higher than the top of TNBA’s Ivy’s hair, so that was my baseline. But once painted, that felt large too me. So I scaled down to what I call “optically” correct. It ultimately comes down to personal preference. In the final image below, you can see the original Mattel, “optical” in the middle, and “mathematical” on the end.

Created July 2024