Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Alfred figure and Batmobile from McFarlane Toys

Finally we get to this green menace from McFarlane Toys that came out last year.

This was quite a sore point for Batman Forever fans. After releasing some very good 7 inch figures, they released a Batmobile that lit up and glowed just like the movie version. Only they got the colour wrong and it glows green rather than blue.

Yeah, I think it was a mistake in the manufacturing process and it's a shame McFarlane didn't delay it and fix it. I have seen people fix the colour themselves by taking it apart and tinting the green sections blue. I don't know that I'm bothered enough to do that but it is fixable if you have an hour spare and some paints.

Other than that huge issue, the car is great. I love the canopy opening feature and the whole thing is pretty darn accurate to the movie. The sound is a little strange - I feel they could have done more of a roaring engine sound. And sure they could have added a few more holes in the bonnet to make it more accurate and changed the headlights to be made of clear plastic but I am happy on one big point - they got the Batsymbols on the wheels to stay upright as it moves. That was a big deal for me.

On to the bonus figure. We get an Alfred Pennyworth and stand which is pretty great too - right down to his little glasses. I feel the body is probably some stock suited one they got off the shelf. I wish he had a bow tie but it's fine.

They also released a separate version without the light feature or the Alfred figure which glowed in the dark (also green!). I don't think I'll get that - this one already takes up way more space than I have. I've heard the glow in the dark feature isn't particularly strong anyway.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Counter Unit Display from Warner Bros

I've seen these floating on eBay for a while and finally pulled the trigger and picked one up. Very glad I did. These were displays that were sent out to stores to advertise the Batman Forever comic book adaptation and hold comics.

So happy that these are seemingly so readily available still. Maybe someone over ordered back in 1995?

What I realised after doing the video is I really miss is those old independent comic shops that used to have this kind of stuff inside. I mostly visit a bland Forbidden Planet these days but I have some great memories of one called Comics Unlimited (later Sci-fi Unlimited) that used to be in Bedford. It was plastered in posters and just had a really cool underground vibe. 

Podcast: Episode 13 - Netflix will eventually buy Warner Brothers

In this episode of the 1995 Batman podcast Drew takes a look at the recent bidding war that's been erupting between Paramount and Netflix to purchase Warner Brothers and what that could mean for a future Batman Forever: Schumacher Cut release.

Here's the Daily Mail article that Drew talks about if you want to read it for yourself.

And if you want to mailing a letter asking for the Schumacher Cut, send it to:-

Warner Bros.
ATTN: Mr. Michael DeLuca, Ms. Pamela Abdy
4000 Warner Blvd
Building 168
Burbank, CA 91522

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - 1/6 scale Two Face figure by Toyz Trubo Studio

I’ve finally put together a proper look at the Toyz Trubo Studio Two-Face figure after sitting on my shelf for a year or more. 

In the time, it's taken to review it, another unlicensed company, Mars Toys, actually released (from the looks of it) a superior figure called Dual Face. Maybe I'll trade this one for that one at some point in the future.

Anyway, the Toyz Trubo figure is 1/6 scale, very much playing in Hot Toys territory, even if it doesn’t quite hit those heights. The quality is pretty decent. I picked this up second-hand, and while the box and accessories feel a bit budget, the core figure is better than I expected. 

The main head sculpt is solid (let's ignore the alternate smiling one), the suit pops nicely, and it scales well on the shelf with my other Forever figures. The accessories are okay but the guns feel a little small.

If that Mars Toys one hadn't come out I would whole heartedly recommend this one. As it stands now, the Toyz Trubo one is the 2nd best 1/6 scale figure and maybe that's appropriate given Harvey's obsession with the number two.