Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Deluxe Lightwing Batman figure from Kenner

This week, we're looking at the last Deluxe figure from Kenner's toyline. We're getting really close to finishing up all these Kenner figures.

This one is another light up figure. It boasts a nice yellow and red colour scheme. And has a Predator-esque missile that sits over Batman's right shoulder. This was designed by Aaron Archer of the Toy Armada podcast. It was one of the first figures he worked on after joining Kenner.

I like this one a lot. It's big, chunky, and bold. I love how the design of the backpack is drawn from the Batmobile and Batwing. And any figure that lights up is an automatic win for me. Wish Kenner did more of these.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Mystery Grab Bag

In this week's episode I'm covering... a bunch of random stuff related to Batman Forever. Enjoy!

P.S. if you want to see the Sugar Puffs board game in close up, click here: https://www.1995batman.com/2020/02/miscellaneous-content-sugar-puffs-corn.html?m=1

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Cosbaby Batman and Robin figures from Hot Toys

If you liked the recent Funko Pop Batman Forever figures you might also be interested in this twin set of figures from Hot Toys from their Cosbaby line. Urgh I hate that name.

Anyway, the advantage with this particular set is that you get a Chris O'Donnell Robin figure (come on Funko get on making one). The price is a little higher than Funkos but the detail is a little better too. You get more than just a simple mouth and white button eyes.

I'll hopefully be picking up the Riddler and Two Face set too. If the forthcoming 6" life like Hot Toys figures are out of your price range these are a decent silver prize.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Skyboard Robin figure from Kenner

If you're looking for just ONE Robin figure from the Batman Forever toyline this is the one you need to get. 

The strange scooter vehicle is pretty ropey but the figure is a solid representation of the suit Chris O'Donnell wears at the end of the film.

I wish they could have figured out a way of getting the black and yellow cape in there but I'll let them off. I guess at a push I could always take the cape off the Batman Returns Robin figure.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Movie Stickers from Topps

I've covered the Panini Sticker Album that was released in the UK on the site in the past but I also picked up a couple of boxes of the Topps stickers that came out in the US off eBay. 

Thankfully it did contain a full set of the main 88 stickers (though I still have a couple of chrome stickers outstanding - as well as the album itself).

There's a couple of interesting "Schumacher Cut" shots in here that's worth seeing (and that I've covered before) but otherwise no great shakes. Probably for die hard fans only.

Podcast round-up: Batminute & All Star Superfan podcasts

I've been so snowed under with other work this year that I completely forgot to post here the multiple podcasts I've guested on.

First up I returned to the Batminute podcast with Niall McGowan and Jonfen Parker earlier this year talking about three minutes of the 1997 Batman & Robin movie. The toyetic sections covered was the bit when the heroes turn up in their silver suits and ice vehicles while Gotham freezes. 

Here's the links:-

https://thebatminute.com/bat-minute-robin-minute-103-artificial-arnie-a-with-neil-rickatson-1

https://thebatminute.com/bat-minute-robin-minute-104-rollin-with-my-homies-with-neil-rickatson

https://thebatminute.com/bat-minute-robin-minute-105-doin-up-my-coil-with-neil-rickatson

I was also invited onto a special (non-Superman related) episode of the All Star Superfan Podcast with Rob O'Connor and Alan Burke to talk about all the previous Batman movies before dissecting the latest Matt Reeves' movie The Batman. More than a few juicy stories got spilled here, not least the time I was an extra on the set of Batman Begins. 

Here's the link:-

https://allstarsuperfan.podbean.com/e/adventures-in-the-dc-universe-the-batman-spoiler-review/

Both these podcasts are very much worth your time (even the episodes where I'm not guesting) and are well worth subscribing to or catching up with.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - 12" Cold Cast Two Face statue from Applause

After what feels like a lot of searching I finally tracked down a Two Face Applause statue to go with my other three. 

It's a pretty great sculpt and - for Applause - not a terrible paint job. There's a few things that could have been better (like the black glove which should have been a fingerless glove) but it's nothing a quick custom paint job wouldn't fix.

If you can find these for a decent price (under £30) I would recommend these. They are pretty great.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batarang Batman figure from Kenner

I'm getting pretty close now to having a complete set of the Batman Forever Kenner figures. This one took a while to track down. Had to get a boxed version as you don't see many loose ones about. It's also a bit of a nightmare to search for being that it's called 'Batarang Batman'. Wish they'd have come up with a more unique title there Kenner.

Anyway, the figure itself is kind of neat. The transculent green on the arms and legs add a dash of vibrant colour and I've got to give the designer points for not doing just another backpack/missile accessory. The twisting Batarang is kind of cool and works well for knocking over bad guy figures. As I say in the video I'm sure this is borrowed from the Scarecrow figures from the BTAS and Legend of the Dark Knight lines.

This is definitely one of the better figures in the Batman Forever line. The only thing that lets it down a bit is the flat purple chest.

New site under construction

Hello everyone, you'll notice the posts on 1995batman.com have slowed down in January. I've scaled down to one post a month. This is because I'm currently working on a new website.

This blog has been running since 2018 and although I'm thrilled at how many posts I've done (over 260!) it's starting to show its age. I feel like there's tons of great content on here but it's getting lost in the blog format.

As such I've started work - and bear in mind I'm far from finished - on creating a more traditional website so that people can quickly access articles and images. Here's a link if you want a sneak peak:-

https://jackthursbyedit.wixsite.com/1995batman

I'm still working on the site - trying to figure out where to place all the sections and how to divide everything up. There's probably loads of broken links and empty pages. I can foresee it taking probably until Summer before I have it in full working order. 

If you have comments or suggestions for the site - features you'd like to see included for instance - please let me know.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - 12 inch Cold Cast Riddler statue from Applause

I've been looking for the Riddler and Two Face statues from Applause for a long time and finally managed to snag the former. 

It's a little more of a cartoon-y sculpt compared to the others but still a decent representation of Jim Carrey. I love how he's slinging his cane over his shoulder and from a distance the statue looks cool. 

As with all Applause pieces the paint work leaves something to be desired but that could be fixed if you're interested in customizing the statue.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Playing Cards from US Playing Card Company

A quick one before 2022 starts. Here's a look at the playing cards they made for the Batman Forever movie featuring some great artwork from the Style Guide.

Miscellaneous Content: Legends of Robin audiobook

The last few Christmases I've uploaded Batman audiobooks. I've done Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. So I'm out of movie based audiobooks. 

I hope this one will be of interest (and won't get taken down). It's an audiobook called Legends of Robin from 1996 that loosely adapts various comic books arcs to show how Tim Drake took over from Jason Todd. 

It's got a couple of interesting voiceover actors. John Shea (who played Lex Luthor in the TV show Lois and Clark) narrates the story and Mark Hamill (who voiced the Joker in the Batman Animated series) does the voice of the Joker.

Give it a listen and have a Merry Christmas. See you in the new year.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - 3 Tier Batcave playset from Kenner

I had more or less resigned myself to never owning this massive Batcave playset. It rarely ever pops up on eBay and when it does it goes for astronomical prices. I lucked out last year when a seller contacted me and asked if I wanted to buy his one for £50. It was an absolute no brainer to say "yes".

It is a great playset and I am glad it's now in my collection. The main selling point is it's size. The thing is HUGE but fortunately it is let down by it's rickety and wobbly nature. I can't help but love the sturdier, smaller, more packed Wayne Manor Compound a little bit more.

If you can find one it's worth getting. If nothing else it gives you somewhere to hang your Batwing.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Wayne Manor Batcave Compound from Kenner

I make a pretty bold claim in this week's review but I'm going to stick by it. This IS one of the best playsets of all time. 

It's technically a repaint of the Wayne Manor Compound from Kenner's Batman Returns toy line but it works much better for Batman Forever. You can recreate the section of the film where Two Face and Riddler break into Wayne Manor and blow up the batcave. 

Okay so it doesn't totally look like the exterior/interior of Wayne Manor as it appeared in Batman Forever and they've just recoloured Axis Chemicals green to represent Claw Island but it's still a really fun set offering a lot of variety. I don't blame Kenner for bringing this out 5-6 times.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Battle at the Big Top board game from Parker Bros

I'm not a massive board game fan but I couldn't pass on picking up this board game based on Batman Forever. It’s fun but flawed game. The Hippodrome circus is well represented and I like that they made it 3D. Knocking down the Two-Face figures is also a fun diversion from just rolling a dice. And bonus points for allowing you to play as Alfred and Chase.

I've got to knock it down a few points for not being especially accurate to the film though. I think having the board game be based on Nygma's base on Claw Island would make way more sense. And some of the cardboard figures are a little cheap looking and poorly made.

Unless you're a board game fan I don't think this is a particularly essential purchase.