Future Batman

Future Batman



I would like to amend the Cyborg Batman post by stating that this was actually my first Legends of Batman purchase. I remember swearing never to buy Batman figures 'coz back then my family was in dire financial straits so I hid it from my dad because I felt guilty, then I came out of the closet crying about how mom had bought me a Batman figure and he was like "it's alright, seriously sheesh, that's a nice figure too, probably one of your better ones!". Sorry dad, but I couldn't pass out on these new Batman figures, and I'm a sucker for full helmet figures. The only one I had with a full helmet was Total Armor Batman. I kind of wish his helmet was also removable, but this is a bad-arse looking Batman. The green makes it look demonic and scary. I would just paint it black and slap a red Batman Beyond symbol on it and we'd have a great repaint!



I actually have two of this figure. The one pictured is NOT the one I originally got, but one I found at a yard sale that happened to be in better shape than my original one. My original one is PRETTY WORN. THAT is a testament to how much I loved this toy through the years. One of my favorites from this line, really! You know why? Because he's one of the most neutrally posed figures in the Legends of Batman collection, comes with a covered helmet, which seems to be a trend in this collection, and he's actually got flight equipment. I've always known Batman doesn't fly, so this is a helpful crimefighting tool. Flight is the ultimate superhuman power after all in my honest opinion.



The main action feature is the wings. Pushing them down will make him into flightless mode. Pushing the button on the backpack down will make the wings flip back up. This feature was reused on a Batman Forever figure that's the same concept, but totally different mold. More on that sometime along the way.



This figure has a sort of retro Jetsons sort of look to him that I really appreciate. This line also did those odd stamped bat symbols that I forgot to mention with Cyborg Batman. I always felt they just got lazy because even in the collector card he's got the black and yellow bat emblem. Neither the backpack nor the figure have this, just a lazily stamped bat emblem. Cyborg Batman has a lazy silver stamp. Other figures in the line have this "issue". I call it an issue because I really don't know what to think of it. Laziness or something else? Legends of the Dark Knight figures also had this...now that I think about it it was just the Power Gauntler Batman figure with a lazy yellow stamp. Figure comes with some sort of double barreled weapon that doesn't fire anything and the flightpack.



Freaking camera doesn't take good close-ups. This Batman figure looks demonic and almost villainous, which is why I count the original one to be some sort of evil bat-android. Also, this was the first figure in my collection that did not have a hand held launching weapon of sorts. Final thoughts: Awesome figure, ahead of its time by approximately 5 years when Batman Beyond came out. Again, I'm a sucker for fully helmeted figures. His shoulder pauldrons will leave scars on the figure's biceps if you raise his arms up too high so be warned. His arms will not do a 360 degree turn unless you break the figure. That's another drawback. Next up Flightpak Batman!

Cyborg Batman

Cyborg Batman



Cyborg Batman is...well...a Cyborg. Apparently this is what's gonna happen to Batman in less than 500 years. I'm thinking it may happen sooner...if Batman were real...which he isn't. Anywho, this counts as one of my least favorite figures because DING DING DING! You guessed it: The AWFUL pose. Don't get me wrong. This is a nice figure, and a great awesome concept. But if he wasn't posed that way he would have more playability. Either way despite his extreme crouch pose, this Batman has a LOT of personality. You can totally hear the Terminator score when you look at him.


This was my first Legends of Batman figure. I got it in 1995, and it's also my first Batman figure with a plastic cape. I'm sure you already noticed that he is worn a bit. I've never been 100% pleased with the figure. I remember being 6 years old and being excited about all these new figures, but I was used to the neutral posed figures from Batman Returns and BTAS. I got this figure right before Batman Forever hit theaters, so I would end up being forced to like plastic capes. I am very partial to cloth capes of all kind, and while I respect how these figures' plastic AND posed capes give them a ton of personality and comic book appeal, cloth capes are the best.



He comes with a spring loaded launcher with a red two piece missile and his cape. His butt being worn is proof that he got into some nasty slip and slides with some villainous characters!



"I'll be BATMAN!"

I may have failed to mention that he's got light piping in his head, which is DEFINITELY the coolest thing about it. Maybe someday I'll take a picture of the figure's eye channeling a laser pointer. The only other Batman figures that I know have light piped eyes are BTAS The Scarecrow, Legends of the Dark Knight The Scarecrow, Batman Begins Scarecrow figures and that one animated Batman figure with the light up backpack...forget the name at this time. Final thoughts: Not a bad figure. There is never a bad Batman figure. This figure is very VERY cool and I appreciate the colors he's painted in. The blue is dark and menacing, the silver contrasts well with the black and blue, and he has a ton of personality. If anything I feel this figure is underrated, perhaps for the issues I mentioned above. If there was ONE Batman figure that I would want with 14 pts of ball jointed articulation, I would nominate this figure, as well as other Legends of Batman figures such as Power Guardian Batman and its repaint, and Samurai Batman. There is a WB repaint of this figure in darker colors. Maybe someday I'll hunt it down and review it as well. Next up: Future Batman!

WB Exclusive Knightsend Batman

WB Exclusive Knightsend Batman



BONUS ROUND!!! If you want a detailed review of the original, just scroll down a few. Otherwise I'll just comment on the colors: I LOVE THE COLORS! Nothing further. Pictures tell the story.



That's it for this trio. Next up we are going to move into the Futuristic Batmen from the line: Cyborg, Flightpak, Energy Surge and Future Batmen! Then I'll start reviewing the Batmen from generations past!

Catwoman

Catwoman!



The sexy femme fatale in Batman's life for a time taunted AzBats, flying around all over Gotham. Here she is depicted in her purple and black 90's outfit. She is probably one of the best figures in this line, better than the other villains in my opinion.



She is the first Catwoman figure whose arm doesn't have a whipping action. Which was a surprise to me when I acquired this figure a few years ago (yes it took me that long!). She is slightly posed, it's annoying to stand her up sometimes, but she looks good!



She comes with a rubber whip, a backpack and a hook. I never really wanted to unravel the nylon rope because I've never had a good history with those. They always end up in nasty impossible knots and...yeah. By the looks of it the rope is quite long and she can hang on to stuff. Perfect realistic accessory for a cat-burglar!



"Sorry sweetie, but you're no Bat-man!"

Final thoughts: This line is not devoid of bad guys, and only three of them are comic accurate: Catwoman, Joker and to an extent the Riddler. She can still be found cheaply on ebay and isn't particularly rare. If you're a fan of Catwoman, this is a figure I highly recommend. Next up: BONUS ROUND!!!!!!!!!

Knightsend Batman

KNIGHTSEND BATMAN!!



Azrael before he became so sharp he couldn't move. This muscled, armored, posed Batman was the first Azrael figure (second, actually because Knightquest Batman came out before this one did) in the blue costume. He still has his cape before he put on those weird wings.



Despite the obvious flaws which are plastic cape, oversized weapon and pose, this is actually a fantastic, fun figure. I love the colors, the pose is dynamic, and the disc weapon is just FUN. I love disc weapons. They usually fire far longer than any missiles out there. MATTEL TAKE NOTICE the spikes on the gauntlets on this figure are on the correct direction.



When the cape is removed, you can see his golden interior armor. The colors in this figure are fantastic. The blues and greys are gold and dark, unlike the Mattel version of this figure which re-imagined the figure with shinier blues and a lighter grey, but I feel that this figure's colors match the look and feel of comics in the 90's.



"Meow"

This is a fantastic figure. If you're gonna get a figure from Legends of Batman, get this one. I also have the repaint... Next up is Catwoman!

Nightwing

NIGHTWING!



Well, at least it's not George Perez' old disco outfit, but Nightwing here is depicted in one of his crazy costumes. He's in a nice light blue color which is actually darker in real life. He's posed in a very dynamic martial arts pose which looks awkward when his head is looking forward.



He comes with a yellow spring loaded weapon that shoots a red polygonal missile and his cowl armor. He also sports a pony tail. This is one chiseled Nightwing, I might add.



Again, the pose thing really makes the figure loose some playability and it's important to note that the weapon was designed with this in mind. Final thoughts: My first Nightwing figure. I wasn't introduced to Nightwing formally 'till '97 when The New Adventures of Batman came out. Yeah, I read comic books, but for some reason all the issues I had never had featured Nightwing. Overall, being the FIRST Nightwing figure ever made, this is a must for collectors who enjoy the aesthetics of this line and who are Nightwing fans, but the figure itself I don't hold in great esteem. It's interesting to note that this line had no Robin figure. This is as good as it gets folks!



That's all for now folks. I need time to shoot some more figures. Next up we will look at Knightsend Batman and his repaint, and the villainous Catwoman!



"Come get it!"