A Few Of My Favorite Batmen (toys)

Batman has arguably the most action figures made for his character, so for our Batman Celebration, I thought I would run down a few of my favorite Batman figures.

 

I hadn’t yet grown out of collecting toys in the 90’s so I remember seeing entire aisles full of Batman toys after the Batman Returns movie came out. As a kid I never had a normal Batman though, I wound up with a couple of the odd colored versions like the yellow Deep Dive Batman or the grey & black camo Air Attack Batman. So once I started recollecting this line as an adult, there were a few I definitely HAD to have.

 

Shadow Wing Batman

This figure looked like Batman did in the movie and was one of a few Batman figures in the line that had arms in a different pose than the rest of the line, but that isn’t the main reason I love this figure, the movie appearance is one half, but the action feature is what seals the deal…..

….Spring open cape! The feature is exactly like Silverhawks figures from the 80’s, you squeeze Batman’s legs together and his arms swing outward. The cape is attached to his wrists to spread open when the arms go out. This also allows the figure to strike an iconic pose everyone knows from the first Keaton movie.

 

The next one from this same line has one of my favorite toy features

Quick Change Bruce Wayne

Now only do we get a Batman figure with the movie costume, but you can take it off and have a Bruce Wayne figure! I don’t know what it is, but I absolutely love removable costumes on my superhero action figures (especially if the costume in question is a normal costume and not some odd mission specific variation)

 

Long after my childhood days I found other Batman toys from toylines I somehow completely missed as a kid

Super Powers Batman

This is the look Batman had in all of the comics and coloring/activity books I had growing up so while I never had this toy as a kid, it still holds a nostalgia factor for me due to the costume alone. The figure has a great classic look to it and the sculpt was apparently good enough to be reused (with slight modifications) in the Batman movie toylines I grew up with.

The addition of Robin and the Batmobile just makes it even more fun. This is another toy I didn’t grow up with but love for the old school look.

 

 

By the year 2000 we had a new Batman on the TV and in the toy aisles….Batman Beyond! I’m a huge Batman Beyond fan, but unfortunately there are only a few regular looking Batman toys from the line

Power Cape Batman

This is the only single packed figure that looks like Batman Beyond from the cartoon (A couple of others come close, but not as close as this one) Power Wing Batman has the exact same feature as Shadow Wing Batman with the only exception being that his wings aren’t removable like the cape is on the previous Batman. Just like Shadow Wing Batman, being screen accurate and pulling off poses seen on the show makes this a must have Batman Beyond figure.

 

The same year that figure came out, the Batman Beyond line also got a new Batmobile

Street to Sky Batmobile

The Batmobile doesn’t look exactly like it does on the show but it’s very close. It can shoot discs from just above tha canopy window and can transform into a Batwing type of vehicle.

Honestly I think they could have left this aspect out of the toy since the Batmobile in Batman Beyond can fly. The mechanism can cause the wings to come unlatched easily and distracts from the semi-show accurate appearance.

Since the Batmobile is close to screen accurate (and the only Batmobile for Batman Beyond) It is one of the few Batmobiles in my collection The added bonus is that it can seat my Batman Beyond figure quite nicely.

 

Warner Bros Store 13″ Vinyl Batman Beyond

This large Batman Beyond figure has fairly limited articulation (8 points, all swivel joints (10 if you count the wings)) Typically this is the type of toy I don’t care about, hollow vinyl, limited articulation, but being 13″ tall and looking like it stepped off the screen makes up for all of that for me. Apparently this was sold in Warner Brothers stores back in 1999 but I found this one at a flea market 4 years ago and it’s been standing next to my computer monitor ever since.

 

 

Some point during the Batman Beyond heydays I found a new appreciation for the old Mego toys that were big a few years before I was born. (I blame Twisted Toyfare Theatre for this)

Mego Batman

The Mego Batman offers a few aspects I like with many of my toys. He’s got a lot of articulation, the costume can be removed and he’s got that old toy style to him. These aspects combine to cause me to love said figure, the creepy neutral stare of the face’s headsculpt is actually a plus for me as that taps into some of my twisted humor.

The Mego nostalgia has had a resurgence the past few years and as a result we have the next Batman on my list

Retro Action Batman

This new Mego styled Batman had a lot of updates to the older figure, the oven mitts were replaced with colored hands and glove sleeves and the body got a new sculpt, but the main reason I like this figure is the same as another on this list…I can remove the mask. That along with the classic grey & blue costume makes it a favorite of mine.

 

 

The last figure in this list made it for the sheer amount of articulation and accessories

Microman Batman

A few years back some friends of mine talked me into buying this figure. Now, I can’t believe they had to convince me to buy it. The figure uses the modern Microman body and has a ton of articulation points. The figure is 10 years old and has articulation was didn’t see in many 3 3/4″ retail figures until 7 years later.

This Batman has all 6 of the typical hands all the Micromen at the time came with, but Batman also came with a Grappling Hook (that could be displayed with the line out or retracted) Gas Mask, Batarang & Batcuffs.

 

That’s a few of my favorite Batman toys, what are some of yours?