Play Arts Kai Batman (THE Ultimate version)- Arkham Asylum & Arkham City

Years ago (approx. a couple of decades or so) i would pick up a really, really cool action figure, say a G.I. Joe (particularly Mercer) and he would become an instant favorite. Together, eventually, we'll clock in a phenomenal play time log. Later on, however, i would realize that the orange vest and blue pants of his are getting old to my 7 year-old eyes and not really to my liking in the first place. What i would do is tear him limb from limb, get a couple of Joes wearing combat fatigues (say, Hit & Run or Falcon), get all the cool body-parts, then reassemble the figure using Mercer's head and Voila! instant new Joe. It's pretty d@#ned impressive for a kid back then and less complicated. Honestly, i never really grew out of that "idea" and was always looking into it from time to time as you may have noticed while reading my Play Arts Kai Solid Snake review where i mentioned a Snake Eyes custom using Solid and Kaz Miller's alternate head.

Sadly, I never got to develop that skill though i met someone who did. Check out his latest piece.

Photo courtesy of Touya

You're seeing that right, and no that's not factory defect. Blaze a.k.a. Touya, one of the decorated moderators of Final Fantasy Merchandise forums actually concoct a new and better Batman figure using a combination of the Arkham Asylum and Arkham City figures. I refer to it personally as "THE Ultimate" Play Arts Kai Batman though Touya find the reference not really to his liking. Well, i'll take the windfall for you bro so no worries.

Disappointed with the smaller scale of the Arkham Asylum Batman but not really impressed with the paint apps of the new Arkham City version? Or perhaps you wanted the Asylum Bats' articulated cape but hated the body? This is for you then, Touya's recipe for the "ultimate" Play Arts Kai Batman.

Components and Tools:
1. AC & AA PA Kai figures
2. Boiling water or blow dryer
3. Acryllic paint (I used G color phantom gray, but any similar colors from popular brands should work)
4. A hobby drill (dremel)... or my case, I used some screw drivers XD
5. Hobby masking tape (I use tamiya brand, purchased from Lil's Hobby shops)
6. Top coat spray (I use Mr. Hobby Super Clear flat)

Procedures:

1. Switching heads: It's up to the owner which head he prefers, but the AA head requires no repainting to match what I wanted for the cape/cowl. This should be easy enough without heating. both heads fit well enough on each other's body. You can heat the AA head if you're having trouble popping it out.

2. Switching elbow joints: While not exactly the same color, AA's lighter colored elbows look better on AC & AC's elbows also look good enough on AA. The arms require heating (via water or blow dryer) to be able to pop the ball hinge out. Once the plastic's hot enough, it should be easy to swap parts.

3. Cape: Remove both figures' capes. AC's requires a bit of prying, while AA needs some heating to pop out the cape joints. Now for the holes needed on AC's back: It should be easy if you have a dremel. Just start small & slowly create a hole that the cape joints will fit tightly into. For someone like me without a drill, here's the hard way: you use those screwdrivers to make the sockets. Start with a small hole first as well. It's easier to make the hole bigger if needed than to end up with a big hole that won't hold the joint in place.

4. Painting: Just paint the AC hands, cape pieces & the neck/cowl area with your chosen acryllic color. You don't have to fully paint them, just as long as you darken those parts. To avoid painting undesired areas, just cover them with your hobby masking tape.

5. FINISH HIM! errr, i mean Finishing: After letting the paint dry (& sealing it with some topcoat if you like), you can assemble the parts now & voila, you've got your hybrid AA & AC Batman!

So there you have it, Touya made it sound so simple. I'm sure some of you out there have the skills (and the guts) to try this out. I don't, perhaps i could ask Touya to do it for me then. hehe. Click his name by the way so you can follow him on Twitter.

More pics courtesy of the master himself. Enjoy.

PHOTO: Touya. "Goodness gracious! i thought i asked you no pissing pic...oh, he's just showing off his cape..."

PHOTO: Touya. "With 1:35 second on the very 1st Round, declaring the winner by knockout and still..."

Did i mention you can follow Touya on Twitter? Yeah i think i already did.