Batgirl was the earliest free agent model that I purchased, as well as the first one that I started applying paint on. However, I found the level of detail off-putting and didn't get very far at first. When I built the model she required a bit of putty work, and I ended up adding some pouches on her hips to cover up some unsightly join lines. I confess that I like her pose but I dislike the single point of contact with the base as it has a lot of metal to support. I've already dropped her once and every time I pick her up I'm afraid she's just going to fall apart.
When painting her I had originally opted to go with the straight black and yellow colour scheme from the "Arkham Knight" video game, but found it was just too dark. I added the blue to the inside of her cape which really helps add some visual interest. The detail on this model is very high; so high in fact that I struggled a lot with it. The armour plates and everything...I don't know how people paint details on figures like this, I simply don't have the brush control for it.
The Arkham City version of Poison Ivy provides me with a second leader for my beloved Poison Ivy crew. Like Batgirl, I found her quite a challenge to paint. Those vines on her skin are remarkably tiny! I wanted her to be green to contrast against the more human-like one that I painted from the starter set. Unfortunately she ended up quite a bit greener than I had originally intended (a bit too much She-Hulk). Someone on the forums had posted a figure with a cream shirt which I liked the look of and borrowed.
Ironically the last four female figures I've painted were all redheads; starter pack Poison Ivy, Black Widow, and these two. I'm happy with the hair colour of each of them turning out slightly different.
I've already had a few games with my new Poison Ivy and think she's great. She's a good leader for henchmen like the Blackgate Prisoners, and has good synergy with her plants. It's a bit odd that this version has rules that let her interact with plants, but the Ivy from the starter set does not.
I've played a few games with Batgirl as well, and for some strange reason she always performs better for me than the much more expensive Batwoman. It's odd, but I'm not willing to write Batwoman off just yet. With the new expansion book I can include Batgirl in a Birds of Prey team and am also looking forward to trying out the expanded equipment list for Poison Ivy's crew.
