NEW Batman Animated action figures coming in 2014 from DC Collectibles!

DC Collectibles just released to the media a sneak peek at all of their 2014 releases, and probably the biggest surprise is the following two action figure reveals:

Holy in my wallet that pours my money directly into DC Collectibles' bank account, Batman! In 2014 DC Collectibles will be releasing all new action figures based on the preeminent in Batman on screen: Batman Animated action figures with multiple points of articulation and screen accurate sculpts! This Batman Animated Catwoman action figure WILL BE MINE...

...as will this GORGEOUS The New Batman Adventures Batman action figure. These are simply incredible looking action figures - no word yet on scale (I dare assume 6") or price etc. etc. but I will update you as soon as I find out because I am buying these on day one! And according to MTV.com Two-Face and Mr. Freeze have also been announced! To see more DC Collectibles reveals, check out my other blog Toyriffic.

Beware the Creeper!

I added this Creeper action figure to my collection a few months back and am just now finally posting about it! Yay procrastination!

I remember when this figure came out, he was pretty much a shelf warmer and an aberration in the Batman Animated mythos. His inclusion in the show and toyline just seemed odd to me.

I read somewhere at the time that the Creeper was going to be a regularly occurring character as the show evolved into The New Batman Adventures, but that idea was scrapped and Creeper was just given one episode (or maybe it was a two parter?)

Regardless, The New Batman Adventures made the character of The Creeper out to be a sort of 'good guy' version of the Joker, with a similar origin etc., and even a crush on Harley Quinn.

I was none too impressed by his appearance on the cartoon, so I never felt the need to buy the action figure. I specifically recall a lone Creeper action figure hanging on the K-Mart clearance aisle for what seemed like (and probably was) years.

Then a few months back I was watching the BBC documentary 'In search of Steve Ditko' about the the odd and elusive creator of The Creeper as well as The Question, Hawk and Dove and many others (most notably the co-creator of Spider-Man.) I became fascinated and read a bit more about Ditko and his creations and discovered that the real origin of The Creeper is far more interesting and fun than falling into a vat of acid and coming out with discolored skin and a perma-grin. I decided to add him to my collection in one form or another, and of the few Creeper action figures available the New Batman Adventures version just looked the most, well, fun!

So I tracked him down for a great price on eBay (what, there's not a huge secondary Creeper market? No way!) and he's now mine!

Creeper came with a pretty nicely designed accessory. It may be a bit odd and cumbersome, but it's both action oriented and relevant to the character. As Jack Ryder, the Creeper is actually a hard hitting no nonsense reporter, and so he comes with a TV camera and boom mic.

The camera has a slide that can be positioned to show Ryder...

...or Creeper. Silly but fun if you imagine playing out an interview with one or the other.

The camera shifts into a cumbersome 'gun' and the mic can be shot like a rocket. Again, silly, but at least the Creeper didn't come with a day-glo jet pack or street luge. The designers tried and succeeded in making the toy's accessories relevant and for that they deserve our applause.

Sadly, Creeper did not come with an 'Applause' sign.

Lame.

Incoming!

I have been a busy little Gotham Ghoul this October. Cleaning house at my other blog, busting butt at work, and taking care of business at the house. So this is more of a heads up for the fine citizens of BTATs and my partners in crime... I just gots me some goodies I am dying to crack open and shoot some pictures of. So, please be patient, enjoy some of the other offerings at BTATs and I will be back in the swing of things hopefully in a week or two.



This fine little kitty joined my packaged collection about a week or two ago, Pretty decent package, some flaws but for 99¢ I couldn't beat it.



This one was almost handed to me, not so much of a great deal, but better than what I have seen these go for. He arrived in the most impressive packing job I have ever seen, and that says a lot because I used to work for the old brown shipping company in college and I know a few people that ship stuff for the eagle now, Anyway I have full plans to add this guy to my loose Batman collection so I will be opening Batsy here. Hey bubba I know it's not to your usual toy liking being a he man doll hater, but you have to admit this is one minty looking Bat Dolly!

I now return you to the further adventures of BTATs!

Fuga Dalla Prigione Di Arkham

What? Oh I'm sorry Arkham Asylum Escape, two pack from Kenner. I have been on the prowl for this two pack or for that matter the four pack that included the Arkham Asylum entrance gates for a long, long time. How long you ask? Lets see the two pack was released in 1997. So about that long.

Notice Batman is "Batman" in all languages represented here? He's the Batman that's why!

Now, I remember seeing both the two packs and the four packs in stores back then and I always thought "those will always be around" Boy was I wrong. The four packs disappeared over night, the two pack hung out for a while longer, but in the back of my head I kept thinking "get it next time, you need these other toys now!" I hate budgets.



All that being said I have been relentlessly searching for these gates at every toy show, flee market and ebay listing ever since... well relentlessly searching for an inexpensive set ever since. Finally the gates broke wide open and out rushed a super inexpensive two pack. I guess no one wanted this one, the package was rough, but I wanted to open it anyway so I didn't care. I could have went the rout of buying the gates loose, but where is the fun in that? I wanted the whole experience, plus I needed a loose version of Two-Face for the shelf and I could always use a different Batman.



I will admit that I did feel a little weird opening up this 14 year old package, plus to make matters a little worse it was a trilingual version and by the looks not the usual English, Canadian English, French I am so used to seeing in toy shops and on Star Wars figures, no this looks like the Queen's English, Spanish (guessing here) and Italian. But I decided to open it up anyway, if not for the gates (personal reasons) than for the good readers of Batman the Animated Toy.

First up is the Gates. Not much going on here but man are these going to look awesome on the shelf with all the baddies busting out of them.



Oh no it's Dos Caras! Due-Facce! Two Face! This would be the Batman Adventures version of the character, a more stylized version than what appeared on Batman the Animated Series in the first two seasons. he comes with some really nice guns, a pistol and what looks like a sub-machine gun.



Two -Face also comes with a straight jacket that wraps around the figure and fastens in the back to keep him behaving. the package calls this a "harness".



Batman, again from The New Adventures, comes with the molded flowing cape, a first for my collection. Oh I have a silver suit Batman from Mattel, but not this one from Kenner. I will admit I would have liked to have seen a more "natural" looking bat here, but he is a nice addition and I welcome new Batman with open arms. He comes with a grappling hook type device, described on the package as "weapon", that is of course over sized.



Here's a pretty fun item, you can fasten the projectile end of the "weapon" to the "harness" and string Two-Face up on the Asylum Gates for the staff or Police to find later. Hey it shows this on the package, I did't make this up.



I guess if anything this shows if you are patient enough and stick to it you will find the item you are looking for for the price you want to pay, or better, in a matter of time. Oh and this was less than 9 bucks with shipping included, if I am not mistaken these were retailing around 9.99 plus tax back in the day, possible a little more, so not bad in my opinion.



Hope you enjoyed the Gates of Arkham, I am certainly glad to get a hold of these. I had planned a totally different post (and it's still in the works) I was just pretty excited to finally get these in hand and wanted to bust them out for you to see... speaking of busting out, looks like Bats has some work to do! See you next time.

Alfred Pennyworth

I can't think of Salinas, California without thinking of Alfred Pennyworth. Why? Glad you asked.

Way back in 1999/2000, back before I, or most people for that matter, had discovered eBay, the only way to get a newly released toy was (gasp) from the stores that sold them. And then, like now, it was often hit or miss if a store was actually carrying something, even if it was a store exclusive.

Thus was the case with a Batman Animated four pack being sold exclusively at Toys R Us. I had found a picture in Toyfare or Wizard or some other nerd zine of a new set featuring the first ever Batman Animated Alfred Pennyworth action figure! I had to have it!

I cut the picture out and ran with it to my local Toys R Us, and of course they did not have it in stock nor did they have any intention of stocking it ever. Sadface.

Shortly thereafter I was traveling through Salinas and stopped in at their Toys R Us looking for the set. They did not have it on the shelves, but a friendly associate looked all over the store for it (their computer said one was in stock!) and was finally able to locate the set for me! I never got that woman's name, but she was obviously an angel sent from heaven.

Anyways, Alfred was later released with a Batcave/Wayne Manor set, but this version, as the box so excitedly puts it, includes a serving tray! Batman and Robin shall never go hungry again!

"What's for dinner tonight, Alfred? We're famished!"

In addition to Batman and Robin, the set also came with a recolored Clayface.

"Lobster? You know I'm allergic to shellfish!"

"Indeed, sir."

The set also included an accessory for each character. Alfred of course had his serving tray and lid, Robin had his Robin jet car thingamajig, Batman has a projectile firing gun doohickey, and Clayface has a load of dynamite and a 'breakable' safe.

"And guess who gets to clean it all up."

I believe this set was the first set Hasbro released with recolor/re-releases and one 'exclusive' figure. Later sets included such fan favorite characters as Commissioner Gordon, Talia Al-Ghul and Ventriloquist/Scarface. But I will always remember Alfred and my trip through Salinas as the high water mark of my Batman Animated collecting career.

My Blood Runs Cold...

Today we take a look at the second character design of Mr. Freeze in Batman: Animated continuity, which first appeared in the re-christened "The New Batman Adventures" episode Cold Comfort. To be fair, I'll post a spoiler warning here if you haven't watched the episode. And if you haven't watched the episode WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!?!

Ahem.

Now that that is over with.

Mr. Freeze was given a much more Grand Moff Tarkin/Nazi General look for his redesign in the updated cartoon, and the action figure looks like it literally stepped straight off the screen. This is one action figure that delivers!

Dubbed "Insect-Body Mr. Freeze," (the reason why is the "big reveal" of the episode,) Freeze appeared in the Mission Masters sub-set of The New Batman Adventures action figure line, released by Kenner in 1998.

Click the picture to look closely at the cardback, for all of you who are into that sort of thing.

The card art on the front shows you what old Freezy has been up to since we last saw him. Yipes - spidery upgrades!

The absolute beauty of Insect Body Mr. Freeze is the fact that his "action feature" in no way detracts from his figure's look and form. You want a solid Mr. Freeze figure, you got it. But you also get the spidery goodness of his new form. Wow, the toy designer who got this one past his superior will forever have my gratitude!

His head and face sculpt are also spot-on to the cartoon.

"You would prefer another target, a military target? Then name the system!

err...umm..I mean...

Revenge is a dish best served...cold."

Mr. Freeze comes with a simple black plastic Freeze gun.

"Hold it right there, you!"

Of course the part that shoots this action figure over the top is the "Insect Body" feature, which Freeze's head can be attached to after detaching it from his "human" body.

Creepy and cool, Insect Body Mr. Freeze is one of the only characters from the redesigned New Batman Adventures to see plastic during the cartoon's time. The cartoon, the toys and the era were heading towards an end, or an evolution if you consider the Justice League and JLU cartoons...


...but what an era it was!