The Dark Knight Rises at Hot Toys

Last month we brought you a look at the Joker 2.0 figure from Hot Toys, which promises to offer the most eerily lifelike and movie-accurate take on Heath Ledger's Joker yet. Unsurprisingly, Joker isn't the only Batman icon enjoying renewed attention at the company. Today Hot Toys released new images and details for their Dark Knight Rises Batman figure.

As with Joker, this is hardly the first time Hot Toys has tackled Batman, or even this particular Batman suit. But also like Joker 2.0, the new sculpt and comprehensive assortment of accessories look to make this the version to own.

This figure is specifically inspired by Batman's look in The Dark Knight Rises, but as he's wearing essentially the same armor he first donned in The Dark Knight, the figure should cover both movies easily enough. The included accessories cover both three films. Aside from the swappable hands the figure includes a full armory of Bat gadgets - batarangs, mines, grappling gun, sticky bomb gun, and EMP gun.

Similar to Hot Toys' SDCC-exclusive Batman figure from last year, the figure includes a series of removable face plates that allow collectors to alter Batman's facial expression to suit their desired pose. In addition, the figure comes with an unmasked Bruce Wayne head that includes the same "Parallel Eyeball Rolling System" found on Joker 2.0.

Hot Toys also released a pair of images showcasing the new figure paired with their upcoming vehicles releases - the Batpod and the hovercraft known simply as "The Bat."

Sideshow Collectibles has this figure available for pre-order at a cost of $259.00, with an estimated release date of December 2012.

We expect both Joker 2.0 and the new Batman to be on display at SDCC next week. It also stands to reason that Bane and Catwoman will be receiving their debut figures soon. Until then, let us know what you think of the new Batman figure in the comments section below. Is it improved enough over the previous versions to warrant a purchase?

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels. He only wishes he had enough petty cash to collect Hot Toys figures. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com