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.
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.
I recently picked up quite a few more soundtrack albums and singles on various formats for Batman Forever and Batman & Robin so I thought it time to do a little special episode. It's really fun collecting all these formats and I am particularly glad to have picked up a cheap vinyl player as I'm really loving the format.
Turns out I still have a couple more things to get including The Flaming Lips - "Bad Days" single which although wasn't branded as a movie tie-in (it came out in December 1995) but has a cool novelty CD sleeve with green goo inside it.
Another CD a commentator pointed out is something called "Batman Forever - Gotham City Radio" which is an 11 minute non-stop compilation of the songs from the film mixed with audio clips of all the main characters. If anyone has a copy of this or know where it's been ripped, please let me know.
I know I reviewed the incredible McDonalds glass mugs previously but that was over 5 years ago(!) and since then I've picked up lots of other McDonalds merchandise so it felt like a good time to take stock and do a big, long McDonalds Special.
It's fascinating to see how the promotional tie-in was handled around the world. Everyone seemed to have a different thing going on - mugs, pogs, badges, cards.
I've got to admit, being from the UK, it's gutting that we only got a prize draw thing and a cardboard Batman mask (stick around until the end to see what that looks like). I don't even remember seeing that tie-in at the time. I guess I didn't visit McDonalds enough.
Over half the video is taken up with going through the 3D cards that only got released in New Zealand. These are really interesting and unique. I don't think many people have seen these before. I particularly love the hand drawn cards (and the funny typos).
Did I miss anything that you got in your part of the world? Is my collection complete? Let me know.
Bit of a detour this week. I picked this up on eBay a while back. It caught my eye because I distinctly remember getting something similar as a kid that was Ninja Turtles related. I bought this to see if - with my adult eyes - I might see it as something more interesting and innovative... (spoilers) I did not.
This is essentially a handful of reusable stickers with a backdrop to put them on. Nothing more to it. Love the artwork they use as a backdrop though - this was a piece of concept art that has been used on a few bits of merchandise (including the audio cassette game). Need to track down who the artist was.
This week we're looking at one of the most amazing figures I've ever laid eyes on. The sculpting, detail and colours are beyond anything the hacks at Hot Toys and Prime 1 Studios can pull off. Enjoy!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Here's the second part of my look at the Spin Master figures - this time looking at the Riddler and Two-Face.
Like the Batman and Robin ones, these are just repaints of the old Kenner molds with some very slight changes and no accessories.
There's some good points - such as the Riddler now having the "Box" on the TV screen strapped to his chest and Two-Face's suit being split round the back as well as the front. But they aren't really enough to justify buying the figures again if you already own the originals.
One notable difference to Two-Face is the gun is removed. I assume this is a decision made to avoid controversy. Guns are being removed from lots of DC toys at the moment. Even the recent McFarlane figure didn't come with one.
It's a shame they didn't do a little more extra sculpting. The burned side of Two-Face's face could have easily been redone to make it more in line with the movie.
All in all, the Spin Masters figures were a little disappointing. I'd give them a skip unless you're a super fan like me. Shame they didn't do something a little more innovative and fresh with the licence.
As you can tell from this video, I'm a little more excited about the box artwork than I am for the actual toy.
And apologies, I got a little carried away when I said Batman "doesn't have a gadget like this in the film" - it's obviously based on the grapnel gun he uses in the opening bank heist to winch the vault back into place.
I was too old to get any of this branded dress up stuff at the time. I was 11 when the film came out. It's kind of nice to go back and pick it up now. I was very surprised that the thing is built more for a full size adult hand than it is a kids.
Once again, this figure came out a while back but I'm only just getting around to reviewing it now. There's been such an avalanche of Schumacher Batman figures coming out it's difficult to keep up with it all.
When I finished reviewing the Batman Forever figures from McFarlane earlier this year, I said at the time I hoped they'd do something else and sure enough they have.
It's not the Panther suit but I can live with that. Instead they've made the white suit (or Final Suit as it's labelled) Riddler figure sporting his look from the end of the film.
I guess this was an easy one of them to do. The body looks to be the same as the original Riddler - only now in a pearlescent white with little bits of glitter inside. The head sculpt is new and although it's not the best work McFarlane have done, it's a step up from their first Riddler figure.
The green cane with the skull completes the look nicely. You get two extra hands which is cool but I would have loved a little throne to sit him on. Oh well.
Hopefully we might see one more Forever figure before the middle of 2026 when McFarlane loses the DC licence.
These figures actually came out a while back (last year) and I was going to give them a miss until I found they cheap from an American seller. Buying all three at once meant the shipping was reasonable.
I don't know much about Iron Studios other than they produce some high end statues and prop replicas. These are more their fun, cheap side.
I really dig the designs. Much more than Hot Toys comparable Cosbaby line. They are still cartoonist but a little more realistically proportioned.
The Riddler stuck out to me because it reminded me of those Guesser figures that Nygma has all around his apartment and work station. Nice to see the idea come full circle.
The Batman figures is my least favourite but I do love that they went to the effort of making an replica of the clock riddle rather than just have a green envelope (see Funko Pop and Cosbaby figures).
The Robin one is definitely my favourite thiugh. I never tire of seeing that suit. I looks so great, even at this scale. And the idea of having him hold a batboat and batmobile is so great considering how he treats them both in the movie.
So I finally got both the Schumacher Batman figures from Beast Kingdom. I covered the George Clooney one over at 1997batman.com
I'd actually say that one was slightly better than this Val Kilmer one. The sculpt isn't too bad but the weirdly large gaps at the top of the legs let it down for me. As does the decision to go with a dark grey rather than metallic blue metal finish.
Still it is nice to have something at this scale and the accessories are neat. Hopefully the Riddler figure (which isn't out yet but the prototype looks great) will look good alongside it.
Finally completing my McFarlane set of Batman Forever figures with the Nightmare Bat build a figure.
As I say in the video, this was an odd choice for a fifth figure for the line. I can't help feel that there was probably some rights issue with Nicole Kidman's likeness rights.
Still, it is kind of fun to put together and put alongside the rest of the figures. All in all I really appreciate McFarlane doing this line but can't help but feel they are all a little compromised. I actually think the B&R figures came out better. Maybe it's just my expectations.
I have the Forever batmobile (and Alfred figure) to review and I'll get around to that very soon.
I'm still hoping to get the white suited Riddler figure that came out a few weeks back. Struggling to find anywhere online that sells one.
As with most of the Batman Forever McFarlane line, this Riddler figure is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it is super posable which is great because it means you can put the figure in pretty much every one of those crazy poses Jim Carrey did for the promotional photoshoots for the film.
But super poseable also means you need to have tons of joints. And joins are difficult to paint over. So there are large sections (down the side of the legs, the shoulders, the kneecaps) where the questions marks just stop.
I think McFarlane could have solved this somewhat by having a few less questions marks. That would have made these gaps seem less obvious. But anyway, it is what it is.
The face is decent but nothing to write home about. Again, everything after the Uma Thurman Poison Ivy figure feels like a tiny step down.
I still mostly recommend this figure. It's great to have it in my collection but I am more excited for that Beast Kingdom figure that is hopefully coming out later in the year.
Also excited to say we are getting an extra figure to this line that was recently announced - a white suit Riddler that looks to have a completely new head sculpt. Hopefully this will be out in time for the 30th anniversary this Summer.
So now we come to my favourite figure of the McFarlane Batman Forever line - Two Face.
Although it's not a perfect likeness to Tommy Lee Jones it's got a great expressive face and I love that they've done the coin flipping in his hand.
The costume is well captured. Sure there's a couple of bits of silver paint missing but they aren't huge. It will only take me a few minutes with a chrome pen to put the three metal bits on the glove and a steel toe cap on the right shoe.
The only real blunder is that the figures has no guns! I believe that this is a recent edict by DC Comics that action figures based on their characters (even those ones made for adult collectors) should not have any guns. As a result you're going to have to find your own weapons for this figure.
My suggestion however is to make a tiny newspaper to put in his hand. Here's the link to the jpeg / pdf.
Apologies for taking so long to getting around to reviewing this figure. I actually took SO long that news just hit McFarlane will be losing the DC license next year (it's going back to Mattel - read more about that here).
Anyway, on to the figure itself. This is a nice figure. I'm a big fan of the costume in this movie. I love that it takes most of its cues from the Tim Drake comic book suit.
Some stuff they've done well. I love that they've kept the interior of the cape yellow (lots of other toy versions skip over that). The head sculpt is good too. I don't know if it's up there with McFarlane's Poison Ivy but it's a solid representation of Chris O'Donnell. I was quite surprised that this is a completely different head sculpt from the Batman & Robin one.
I love that it comes with extra hands. I don't know why it has hands for grasping things - maybe the makers are expecting us to borrow some of the gadgets like the batarang and grapnel launcher from the Batman figure. But I do enjoy the pointing finger and open palm hand. It means you can give the character a bit more personality when you pose them. These McFarlane figures are so flexible they deserve to be put in good poses.
On to the bad, the colours of the suit are kind of flat and matt. Not the muted metallic tones that the movie version had. That's a shame. I have seen people do good custom paint jobs but I don't know that I have the skill to tackle this one.
All in all, a solid start to the Batman Forever line.
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.
