Action Figure Review: Radioactive Batman from Batman: Classic TV Series by McFarlane

 

   Recently I managed to come across the McFarlane Toys Radioactive Batman figure on clearance, so for $5 or $6 bucks I snagged him. Remember that time the Mad Hatter sprayed Batman's cowl with radioactive spray, turning it bright pink? Only in the 1960 Batman TV series does this make any sense. Based on the 1967 season 2 episodes "The Contaminated Cowl” and “The Mad Hatter Runs Afoul,” this figure shows off Batman n his standard costume, but this time with a radioactive pink cowl. It's weird, wacky, and just utterly bizarre. Let's take a closer at Radioactive Batman after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 5 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge knees, swivel hips, swivel waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel forearms, swivel wrists, and a a balljointed head. 

Accessories: Batarang and tracking device.

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars

The Positives:

* This is the first version of Batman I have from McFarlane's line and it's not a bad looking version of Adam West in the costume. The build looks right: Not overly muscular or comic book styled but still showing that Mr. West was no slouch, either. The colors are spot on, the Bat-logo looks pretty accurate, and the utility belt is eye-catching and accurate. There are lots of sculpted wrinkles and folds, too, so it doesn't look like the outfit was just painted on. The cape is decent, though not overly impressive. 

* I love how goofy the pink masks. I mean, that's the gimmick, right? The sculpt on the mask is right on and I can definitely see Adam West's likeness behind the cowl, though that bright pink cowl just really changes the look of the entire headsculpt. 

* I don't believe I've had any gauntlets/ spiked gloves that looked less than excellent from McFarlane's Batman releases, so that's always a plus. Years of having them bent right out of the package has definitely left me thankful for the pointy gauntlets the Toddfather puts out. 

* Check out the cool batarang! It really matches the TV props nicely and even has a little hole where you can add a string if you'd like. 

* Batman's second accessory is the tracking device he uses to locate his cowl after Mad Hatter steals it. This is a pretty neat looking piece of 1960s bat-tech!

*The 1966 Batman figures feel very durable with a few nice upper body joints so you can get some expressive poses with characters interacting. 

The Negatives:

* It's kind of weird that these figures don't have any real hip motion; Just a simple cut joint, though they do have swivel/hinge knees. They're just very static, absolutely meant to just be stood around in the various scenes and playsets made for the line rather than truly put in action poses. 

* I'm wondering if it's just a QC issue on mine, but the top of the trunks should not extend above the utility belt. I think the utility belt needed to be placed up a bit higher. It's glued in place, so it's not just easily shifted up into place.

   At full price I definitely wouldn't have picked this guy up, but on clearance he was an easy purchase as he's just really wacky and fun. As a figure overall, though, he's fairly average. The articulation is disappointing, though I do think the purpose of this line truly is to just stand these characters around in the multiple playsets and diorama. The accessories are nice, as is the headsculpt. If the utility belt sat up a bit higher, I'd be a bit happier. As it stands, this figure of Batman gets a Good rating. There are many, many far better Batman figures out there, though this one is all geared up to go see the Barbie movie like so many other Americans!



I have reviewed so many action figures of Batman/ Bruce Wayne that he has his own review archive. Check out The Dark Knight Gallery for all of my Batman reviews!

For more Batman: Classic TV Series reviews check out the following:
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