Holy review Batman! NerdBastards check out Hot Toys’ 1960s TV Series Batman and Robin

Review by Luke Gallagher

By golly Batman, if the Hot Toys Adam West Batman and Burt Ward Robin sixth scale figures aren’t the best realized collectibles of the dynamic duo ever made.

For nerds of a certain age, the 1966 Batman television show was their first indoctrination into Batman. It’s hard to devolve Batman as we know him today – a hard-bitten brooding bad-ass – by thinking back to a time when he and Robin were a trippy 1960’s fever dream. The William Dozier TV show was wrought with pop-art set pieces, telegraphed punches, ambiguous villains, satirical overtones, dutch angle camera setups, curiously tight-fitting costumes and the occasional dance number (anyone remember the Batusi?) To this day everyone – even those who aren’t Bat-literate – knows the “Na na na na na na Batman!” jingle. For its time, it was a fun, imaginative and immensely accessible show, appealing to the young and old. If it weren’t for this show, we might not have the Batman we have today.

Quick, to the review. There’s not a moment to lose!*

*Note: You are required to read this review out loud in the voice of an old-time radio broadcaster.

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PACKAGING

A collectible’s packaging is almost as important as the figure itself. Box art is meant to attract the eye with familiar logos and imagery – acting as a visual bull-horn. Well, with these Batman and Robin figures, you sure as heck aren’t going to miss them.

Each figure comes in a 12-inch box with an outer sleeve around it, featuring the heroes on front a bright yellow back-splash (which is textured, giving off a feel of vinyl) peeking over a silhouette of the Gotham skyline. Flipping the box around, the effect continues on all sides, with the back panel showcasing the famous Bat-Signal. This is pop-art in the truest sense of the word, complete 60’s flair. Even my wife, who does not share my affinity for toys and collectibles, gave moment to say “whoa, OK, those are cool.” These boxes look great and are worthy of being put on display themselves.

When you open the boxes, each has some of the old television show’s famous catch phrases in explosive comic book print. Inside, the box (box-ception) houses a shoe-box style tray with a viewing window containing the figure and its accessories.

There’s a bonus; the flipside of the tray is actually a diorama made to look like a side of a building, allowing you to recreate the famous scaling a building scene that occurred in practically every episode, a nice use of packaging and one that shows Hot Toys put a lot of thought into it.

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BATMAN SIXTH SCALE FIGURE

I, of course, had to get my hands on Batman first (OK, that sounded wrong). The very first thing I noticed was how stunningly silky and shimmering his dark purple cape and grey tights were (OK, that didn’t sound any better). I can imagine this being the exact same material used for the actual TV costume. The cape is made of a nice, fine, and light material much like satin. It drapes and folds quite nicely, and is aided by little clasps that can be clipped to the buttons on the shoulders and back of the figure. The only things that are not fabric are Batman’s gauntlets, boots and cowl, which look just as screen accurate in plastic.

The figure stands approximately 12 inches tall, with 30 points of articulation and 13 interchangeable gloved palms, all designed to be used with the various accessories. There are a myriad of poses and shots you can configure, even the Batusi – the classic go-go dance that swept the 60s. Batman comes with 3 interchangeable facial expressions. Instead of 3 separate head sculpts – which would raise the cost of the figure – Hot Toys made it so the lower part of the face could be swapped out (which connect snugly via magnet). Along with the life-like eyes (unbelievable gloss and realism), the 3 interchangeable expressions make for a spot-on likeness of Adam West. As Alfred Pennyworth would put it “they have solicited his presence.”

Batman comes accessorized with a figure stand name plate and logo, Batarang, a small nylon Bat-rope to attach to it when scaling a building, and Big Bomb (from Batman: The Movie 1968). We even have gadgets that pay tribute to one of the film’s most iconic scenes– the shark scene. Not only do you have a can of Shark Repellent Bat-Spray (the cap is actually removable, revealing a small spray nozzle), but there’s the Bat-radio (with metal ring) for signaling Robin to toss the canister down from The Batcopter!

However, there is something noticeably absent from this picture and it’s a big one: you’re going to need Robin! You can’t very well have this classic Batman without his trusty sidekick, his old chum, The Boy Wonder! Batman was a chief strategist and one with an exceptionally knowledgeable mind, well ahead of the rest of us. But when he explained his deductions to Robin, we as an audience were able to get clued into what was happening. And, where most viewers never thought themselves capable of being Batman, being his sidekick seemed far more attainable. Robin was our way of living vicariously through the crime fighters’ adventures.  The 1960’s TV series wasn’t a show about Batman, it was a show about The Dynamic Duo and seeing the Batman 1/6 scale figure all alone on any shelf would be unjust.

ROBIN SIXTH SCALE FIGURE

Much like Batman, my eyes are immediately drawn to Robin’s crotch high quality costume – the color of the clothes and painted plastic pieces match up with the real-life counterpart exactly, right down to those pixie boots. The cape is made from a very similar material to Batman’s, and is a shimmering yellow. It looks good right out of the box. The yellow stitching down the center of the vest is spot on to TV costume, the loops are even made of a metal with a brass finish. The red vest with attached cape is made from a fine canvas type material.

As with the Batman figure, the Robin figure has an excellent likeness to Burt Ward. It’s mind-boggling how Hot Toys can, through realistic skin texture and glassy eyes, capture the actors’ likenesses even through molded pieces like the mask or cowl.

Robin comes with 10 hands in total, and the same Bat Radio, Batarang and short rope. He also has a unique accessory, Batcuffs, which appear to have a metal chain. I also like how a particular set of hands allows you to recreate Robin’s classic fist-to-palm pose, which you could always count on Robin to perform whenever he was frustrated or thought to have been outwitted by a villain (notably The Riddler).

As I said, it’s almost an injustice not having Batman’s “trusty sidekick” standing next to him. While each figure is dynamic on their own, only together can you truly call them “The Dynamic Duo.”

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Overall, these figures are so life-like, I think I’m about to watch a classic Batman and Robin TV show unfold in front of me. Together, Batman and Robin draw unmistakable attention on the shelf. They really pop.

There’s an endearing nostalgia factor apparent with these figures –  looking at them brings that catchy opening song and lighthearted moments flooding back. These are likely the most awesome Batman 1966 Batman and Robin figures that will ever be made, so if you’re a Batman ’66 fan, these are probably the figures you’ve been waiting for.

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Thanks to NerdBastards.com for the review.

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