FunnyBrick's BTAS Joker! (Patreon)

It’s been a very long time since I’ve picked up a FunnyBrick Fig, not out of choice, but out of their release break. Covid really stalled FB’s production, but they’re back kicking once again! This fig technically came out last summer, and I’ve been waiting for a good long time to talk about it. So when BatBrick’s amazing Batman was announced, I knew it was finally time!

Funny Brick is doing the lords work, pad printing a BTAS Joker! The only other fig that’s come close for me has been Onlinesailin’s very old UV Printed fig that has done the job pretty well for a long while, but times are changing and custom minifigs aren’t just a silly little hobby anymore! These little colorful plastic toys are serious bussiness! 😤

FunnyBrick of course brings an upgraded face lift to that old fig in several ways, and I’m all the more pleased because of it! While Bruce Timm DC characters are simple, a lot of designers struggle to match the look in Lego form. FB did a really decent job here of translating the Joker without over complicating things.

For starters, I was really curious how FB would print the legs in order to get white ink on top of the toes and let me tell you the application is very clean! While not a perfect white, they’ve made an admirable attempt that isn’t smudgy!

As for the 360° print of all four limbs, again everything is clean and precise! But the one thing that doesn’t quite amaze me is the facial designs.

If you’ve ever watched the old cartoon, Joker’s entire head and jaw change shape with some of the different expressions he has. So it was gonna be an uphill battle no matter what brand took on this character. But FunnyBrick again did an admirable job!

I think that if I was to personally tweak anything, I would want the eyes to be bigger on all these expressions. Proportionally to his mouth size, it looks right (comparing directly to the source matierial) but as a Lego thing they just feel a bit too beady if you see what I’m saying.

Other than that, the four expressions FunnyBrick chose to include are perfect and I couldn’t ask for more! :)

The custom accessories are really where this fig shines above what could have just been a middle of the road custom. The laughing fish and toy gun are wonderful, and I love the green highlights in the hair! Again, FB put just enough detail into these pieces without overdoing it!

I do have a bit of concern about the toy gun’s fragility. That microscopic (almost threading needle sized) protrusion was already bent out of shape. Here’s hoping I don’t break it in the future. Ya'll know I have a history of things falling off my desk from time to time

The only minor grip I have with parts comes with the shaping of the waist coat. It’s an odd choice for the piece to be rounded where the element “should” seamlessly sandwich between the square torso and legs.

It’s got this rounded front end, with funky corners that just bug me. Although that could just be my hyper fixation acting up again, it looks like the element is warping from the stress of the leg pegs. It was rather snug and difficult to remove, possibly due to the inset rectangle for the hips to rest. You can actually see in these photos where the filament was pulled up on the back corners of the piece... 

As for the hair, it’s pretty spot on perfect, right down to his own little bat ears :)

I do wish the green was more prominent, perhaps with a lighter color? A thicker swoop? Or even adding a bit more print on the back or top? Again this is nit-picky stuff because it’s just fantastic! It even goes to elevate my original Onlinesailin Joker that’s been my go-to fig for years! 

But now finally I’ve got a Pad Printed BTAS Joker! How great is that! Speaking of, here's some more comparisons of the old UV printed Onlinesailin vs the new PAD printed FunnyBrick (plus a hair swap)

As far as custom figs are concerned, I’m quite happy with what we have here! $113 and a minimal four month preorder gave it a thumbs up from me! 👍🏻