Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Forever Batmobile from Lego

It’s very cool that LEGO thought there was a big enough market for this. I can’t imagine there are many kids nowadays who would be particularly interested in it, but there’s a growing number of adults who have a real affection for Batman Forever. I imagine those are the people who bought this.

It was an expensive thing to buy, and I felt a little guilty putting it together without my kids. It took me about three hours to build, and I’m very glad I got it. I would have absolutely loved this as a kid.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Custom HR Giger Batmobile

I think a lot of Batman Forever fans know that Swiss artist (and Alien designer) HR Giger designed a potential batmobile for the movie during preproduction but it got rejected.

What you may not know is that the wild, tentacle design has now been turned into a model and you can get it 3D printed at whatever scale you want.

I recently found someone on eBay to print stuff for me (I figure it's cheaper than buying my own 3D printer). And you can actually buy the 3D files very cheaply on places like cult3d.com. This one was a few pounds and I got it printed in black which means I don't have to paint it.

It's very cool to own such a random piece of Batman Forever history and hold it in your hand.

I gave a bit of backstory to the design at the start of this video but I completely forgot that the actual batmobile designer Tim Flattery did an interview with the Superhero Stuff You Should Know podcast in which he elaborated more on what happened. 

Tim actually started work on designing the batmobile first and had a design almost approved before Joel panicked and called up Giger for an alternate design. Then seeing what Giger had designed, Schumacher went back to Flattery who came up with the final design. It sounds like a really fraught, awkward situation from Flattery's perspective.

Check out Tim Flattery's interview on the Superhero Stuff You Should Know podcast here.

Concept Art: More Batmobile designs by Tim Flattery

Absolutely love Tim Flattery's design for the Batmobile in Batman Forever. 

I did a post years back showing off some the designs both he and HR Giger did for the movie (link here).

Here are some more recently unearthed sketches he produced. Some very close to the final design, some very different.

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 - Kilmer Batman and Batmobile figures from Blokees

It's amazing how much merchandise has come out related to the two Schumacher Batman films in the last few years. It's easy to overlook or miss stuff.

Luckily, I saw these Blokees figures pop up on eBay and snatched them up immediately. I thought they'd take an age to arrive from China but they took only a couple of days.

They are basically little blind box toys that you fit together (not unlike a capsule toy). Like a lot of merchandise that's come out recently, almost all the modern movie Batman and vehicles are covered. Weirdly, they included Adam West but skipped over George Clooney.

Still the Kilmer figure is cool and was fun to put together. I don't know about the Batmobile. It's kind of small and hardly any detail. 

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batmobile vehicle from Spin Master

Although it's meant to be exclusive to Target Stores in the US I have my hands of the Spin Master "Retro Collection" Batman Forever Batmobile. I found them being sold on Amazon UK and initially they said it would ship in June! Thankfully that turned out to be false and my order got moved up to the end of January.

It's pretty surreal to see. They really have designed this to be almost indistinguishable from the original Kenner version. There are a number of changes though. It doesn't light up (but it you have some blue LED lights yu can stick them inside) and doesn't fire a missile out the front.

However, the car is much more accurate to the film. It has the headlights, the correct bonnet and the canopy slides forward. The latter is a great update as that always frustrated me about the old Kenner one that just had a hinge.

You do get a bonus figure which is nice but it's not a great representation of the Sonar Suit.

Still for £20 there's very little I can complain about. It would have been nice to get a new mold but I get that these figures are beloved by the 30/40 year old parents who will be buying them for their kids.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Triple Action Vehicle Set from Kenner

I can't tell you how long I've waited to find this pretty rare vehicle set for the Batman Forever toy line. It's the last bit of the Kenner toy line - not counting the role play sets like the Combat Utility Belt - that I needed.

One slipped through my fingers on eBay three years ago and I've only ever seen about 3 or 4 for sale in my whole life. I don't know if they just weren't sold over here in the UK or they came so late in the toy line's shelf life that not many were sold/made.

Anyway, I had one shipped from the US which was expensive but it was definitely worth the cost. Bless the seller, he included a few Batman Returns Statues inside the package as a bonus. I think he thought I was nuts paying so much for shipping.

This is a really clever toy that allows you to recreate all 3 (or 4) vehicles from the film. Kudos to the designers at Kenner for thinking this up. 

You just know they knew that kids would "frankenstein" their own crazy vehicles with wings and wheels.

News: Spin Master to release NEW Batman Forever figures in January 2025

Well, this took everyone by surprise. Toy manufacturer Spin Master has just announced they're releasing Batman Forever figures in January 2025.

The news broke quite strangely over the last few days. There was no big announcement. It all started when people in Malaysia started posting images of a Batman Forever batmobile that was on toy shelves over there. It turns out they were shipped slightly early over there.

The internet became obsessed with finding out answers and eventually the VP of Spin Master did this interview with Screen Rant to explain that 1) yes, these are Spin Master products and 2) they will be on shelves exclusively at Target Stores in the US in January 2025.

No word on if these will go to other territories but I think they will.

Anyway Spin Master have released these promotional images which show Batman, Robin and Two-Face on card as well as the Batmobile (with exclusive Batman figure). The promo poster for the line also shows the Riddler too but no sign of what his card will look like.

As I'm sure you've noticed these are almost identical to the old Kenner figures from back in the day. It looks like Spin Master is reproducing the exact same 5 inch molds with some small tweaks. Two-Face for instance has lost the gun that was fixed in one hand. Robin has the movie accurate Robin symbol now. And they've tried to make Batman closer to his panther suit appearance.

The Batman figure (both the exclusive figure that comes with the Batmobile and the single figure) look like they are based on Blast Cape Batman (without the cape missile accessory).

The Robin figure is based on Hydro Claw Robin (without the scuba backpack).

And Two-Face is based on the original Two-Face (without the cannon and coin he came with).

I could be wrong but all three figures look like they have much more articulation in the shoulder that the original figures so their arms can go out to the side, not just up and down.

The Batmobile looks to be the same as the original Kenner one just without the light up feature and missile at the front. It also has a sliding canopy which is much better that the original where the canopy had a hinge at the front.

All the figures have quite a vibrant colourful look and are different enough that they'll look good alongside the original Kenner ones. I'm a little sad Spin Master didn't create their own sculpts - the 3.75 in figure they did for Batman Returns last year was an outstanding original mold. I also don't know they picked the best Kenner molds. I feel Night Flight Batman was the best match to the Sonar Suit and Skyboard Robin was the better, more accurate Robin figure.

Anyway, I'll definitely be picking these up when I can get them. Let me know if you will be and what you're hoping Spin Master will do next - the VP mentions in the interview that more will be revealed soon!

News: McFarlane Toys unveils Forever Batmobile at San Diego Comic Con

McFarlane Toys have just unveiled the light up Forever Batmobile with exclusive Alfred figure. 

Yup... it's green... for some reason. I have no idea why this is and hope the finished version will light up blue like it did in the movie. I'm not holding my breath though.

The vehicle has a button near the front of the canopy to activate the light up feature.

Presumably the canopy opens but I haven't seen that part in action. I really hope they've ironed out the issues that the Flash Batmobile had with the canopy sliding open.

Not sure if the giant fin on the top will be able to split in two like it did in the film.

Overall I think it looks solid and will definitely be picking it up - in spite of the green colour.

The Alfred figure looks really solid. Can definitely see the Michael Gough likeness there. Would be nice if he had a tray accessory or something but I doubt it will. I'll definitely pick this set up as it's unclear if they'll sell the figure separately.

Also remember, the leaked listing mentioned a second batmobile that would have a glow in the dark feature (and I would presume be without the Alfred figure). Be interested to see what that looks like.

Anyway, here's some rough photos. 

To see a video, follow this link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C95VjxKSYxu/?igsh=MW5rbXF2cjZ3MjhmeA==

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batmobile phone by Micro Games of America

I love the design of the Forever Batmobile but I'll be honest I've got so many toys and models I don't need any more.

At least that's what I thought until I saw this Batmobile telephone on eBay. I've seen versions of the 1989 Batmobile as a phone but not the Forever one.

As shown in the video the phone lights up when you call it. Sadly it doesn't play any cool ringtones. 

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batmobile vehicle by Kenner

Okay this week we're looking at the Kenner's Batmobile for Batman Forever - an essential purchase if ever there was. 

It's nice, chunky and attempts light up inner part that was featured in the film. I wish it was a little brighter and bluer but I'm glad Kenner tried. Weirdly they didn't do the same thing for Batman & Robin's Batmobile. I could nitpick the wobbly fins too but I'm not going to. 

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batwing, Batboat, Batmobile models from Revell

This week we're looking at the three models made by Revell for the Batman Forever vehicles. I picked these up a few years ago and for some crazy reason I threw out the boxes. Even worse I didn't pack them up properly when moving so they do have a little bit of damage. 

These are worth owning if you are a fan of these vehicles and good at building/painting models (note: it's not my forte). I've seen people on YouTube customise them with lights and even installing a gas burner for an exhaust if you're feeling brave.

External link: Batman Forever Alleyway location video

I love videos on YouTube where people locate and revisit movie locations. It's so interesting to see how different places look without all the lighting, props, set dressing and actors. With Batman Forever there's only so many real locations to revisit because so much of the movie was shot on soundstages.  

Here's a very cool video from a YouTuber called Pat the Batman Fan who managed to track down the exact alleyway used in the sequences where Two Face and his goons chase Batman into a dead end. It's a fantastic, funny, fact filled video, check it out.

Magazine Article: Automobilia no 4 Batman Forever Batmobile

Here's the magazine that came with the Eaglemoss Automobilia Batman Forever Batmobile - a diecast figure that was sold through newsagents and the web. If you haven't already check out my review of the figure here. 

Some very cool cutaways that I think have been specially created for this magazine.

Magazine Article: Batman Forever Official Poster Magazine 4

This time the Official Poster Magazine covers designing the Batmobile and Batgadgets and then profiles Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar.

Miscellaneous Content: Batmobile Super Soaker

This is something that I nearly bought from a collector but didn't. He was offering a bunch of stuff and I had to draw the line somewhere. I figured if I did get it it would just sit in a box in the attic. It's probably one of the most unusual products they made as a tie in to the film.

It's the Batmobile Super Soaker. Despite it's name it's not a water pistol. The idea is you pump it fill of water and it jets water out the exhaust and propels it along the pavement for a few metres. Sounds fun and a novel idea but maybe something that wouldn't be interesting after the first 5 minutes. If anyone bought this please leave a comment. Let me know if I missed out on something awesome.

The fact that it has a "trouble shooting section" on the back of packaging leads me to believe it might be a bit temperamental.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review – Batmobile Power Center from Kenner

And so we come to the last of the mini playsets from Kenner. There's a bunch of great ideas in here but it doesn't quite come together in the same satisfying way as the Batman head batcave playset. I admire that they tried to cram so many scenes and locations from the film into one playset but the cheap use of stickers rather than molded interiors lets it down for me.

I would still recommend getting it if you are into mini playsets like this.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review – 1:32 Metal Die Cast Batmobile from Jada

This week we're looking at one of two Batman Forever batmobiles released by Jada Toys in 2017. It was part of a series called Hollywood Rides that covered many of the movie Batmobiles (though notably NOT the little loved Batman & Robin one). It's a nice little model but really if you're interested you should probably consider the more expensive 1:24 scale one which includes a little Batman statue and a cockpit that opens to reveal the interior. This one - the 1:32 scale - is just a little too basic for most tastes.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Diecast vehicles from Kenner

The reviews are back. This time I'm reviewing the diecast vehicles from Kenner.

Miscellaneous content: Batman Patents

Another random post. Here's the patent for the Forever Batmobile and a few other bits.