Wrapping Up 2023: King Tut from Batman: Classic TV Series by McFarlane Toys

 

   I certainly haven't been buying everything from McFarlane Toys' Batman: Classic TV Series line but I do tend to pick up the unique villains. Today I'm checking out King Tut, one of the villains who originated on the 1966 TV series. While King Tut has made his way into the mainstream DC Universe a few times in the past 15 years or so, he's still most well known from Victor Buono's portrayal in the TV series where he is a Yale University Egyptologist who gets conked on the head and comes to believe he is the reincarnation of the pharaoh Tutankhamen. King Tut was the fifth most prominent villain in the series, appearing in 8 episodes across all three seasons, and featuring a number of flamboyant, Egyptian inspired outfits. This appearance looks like King Tut from the season 2 episodes “King Tut’s Coup” and “Batman’s Waterloo.” Ready to check out another fine villain from McFarlane's Batman Classic TV Series line? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

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

Accessories: Crook and flail. 

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars

The Positives:

* King Tut is a pretty impressive looking figure. McFarlane captured Victor Buono's size and regal demeanor from the series quite well, crafting a very impressive looking figure. By now you probably are aware that the Batman 1966 figures are in a smaller scale than the DC Multiverse figures, but very often I find their sculpts and paintwork to be more impressive than the larger line. There are lots of folds and wrinkles in Tut's robe and lots of ornate golden accessories with various colorful details and jewels.

* The likeness to Victor Buono is excellent. McFarlane's team really captured the shape of his face well and he's recognizable even with his regal headdress and the various fancy stuff he's got on. 

* Is that a scarab on his neckpiece? It's a nice looking piece of decoration and the scarab hangs from the larger piece as if it was suspended by chains. 

* The soft goods robe is pretty solid. It's a nice, thick material that drapes realistically over the figure and completes King Tut's look. Pretty nice for a guy born in Arizona who moved to Babylonia. 

* He's also rocking a really cool sash with some hieroglyphics that have. If I'm translating them properly, it says, "Dancin' by the Nile, The ladies love his style, Rockin' for a mile (Rockin' Tut),He ate a crocodile."

The detail on them is pretty impressive, so I can read them very clearly. 

* King Tut comes with both a crook and a flail, both originally symbols of the deity Osiris that later came to be associated with the pharaoh. The crook is the tool of the shepherd and is used for controlling and guiding the flock. There aren't any paint applications on this piece, though the show had blue striped. That's a shame as the tinier Funko King Tut figure had them. 

* The second piece is the flail, used for threshing grain or perhaps even goading livestock. It's another symbol found on the innermost coffin of the real King Tutankhamen. 

*  Like the other heroes and villains in the line, King Tut feels very durable. The articulation on the arms is pretty good, allowing for some decent poses holding his crook and flail. The cloth cape helps to keep the arm motion uninhibited.

The Negatives:

*  Tut does have a swivel waist but no hip motion at all. He's kind of a "salt shaker" figure, if you know what I mean.  I think it's just a given that these figure are designed to be rather static and meant to be placed in the various scenes and playsets made for the line rather than truly put in action poses. 

* Overall the paintwork is quite good but the edges of King Tut's headdress are pretty messy. 

      King Tut could very well be my favorite Batman: Classic TV Series/ Batman '66 release from last year. There's just something really likeable about this figure! He has an excellent likeness to Victor Buono as the character and he feels very solid and regal with some nicely detailed costume bits. In 2023 the Batman: Classic TV Series line expanded to encompass DC's comic series Batman '66 and now we're getting figures from the animated The New Animated Adventures of Batman as well. King Tut still stands out, though, and is a Great figure.




This is the first figure of King Tut I've reviewed on the site. For more Batman: Classic TV Series review check out the following:
Batgirl
Egghead
Radioactive Batman
Two-Face