Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Deluxe Blast Wing Batman figure from Kenner

Hope you all had a good Christmas. Back to the Kenner reviews. This week we're looking at Blast Wing Batman - one of the six deluxe figures. 

It's a good Batman figure with a silver paint job and a typically giant backpack with spring out wings. Unlike previous figures that had spring out wings this one focuses more on the wings making a chopping motion. 

The backpack can also double as a hover board (which a lot of other accessories in this toyline could do). It's a nice attempt at adding some versatility but it's still only a middling figure in my view. Not bad but not great either.

Miscellaneous Content: Legends of Robin audiobook

The last few Christmases I've uploaded Batman audiobooks. I've done Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. So I'm out of movie based audiobooks. 

I hope this one will be of interest (and won't get taken down). It's an audiobook called Legends of Robin from 1996 that loosely adapts various comic books arcs to show how Tim Drake took over from Jason Todd. 

It's got a couple of interesting voiceover actors. John Shea (who played Lex Luthor in the TV show Lois and Clark) narrates the story and Mark Hamill (who voiced the Joker in the Batman Animated series) does the voice of the Joker.

Give it a listen and have a Merry Christmas. See you in the new year.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Razor Skate Robin figure from Kenner

The suit up sequences were key elements of Schumacher's Batman movies so it's no surprise that Kenner made a couple of figures for both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin that allowed kids to dress up their figures.

Interestingly Razor Skate Robin - a companion figure to Battle Gear Bruce Wayne - goes for a very different approach than Batman Forever's Quick Change Dick Grayson. That figure had a colour changing mask while this one opts for a chunky visor that covers most of Dick's face. 

I think on balance this works best. Robin's mask is so tiny it would be too easily lost if it was smaller. What I can't figure out is why Kenner never tried to do a retractable head like the Batman/Bruce Wayne figures had.

Anyway, I like this figure a lot. For me it's a must have from the line. 

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Ambush Assault Batman figure from Kenner

Given that Batman fights Mr Freeze in the film most of Kenner's figures were based around ice or heat. Far fewer were based around him battling Poison Ivy. 

Ambush Attack Batman is one of those rare exceptions. Batman is in some nifty looking green gear (so presumably he's fighting Poison Ivy). The cape pivots at the back of the waist allowing the whole thing to swing up and point two missiles forward.

This is a fun one, I like the cape missile thing - I've not seen that before - but this is maybe not a massively essential purchase... unless you're making a plant themed Batman figure collection and need something to go with Jungle Tracker Batman from the Batman Returns line.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Aerial Combat Batman figure from Kenner

Kenner often gets accused of producing the same old figures and just repainting them and slapping a different accessory on their back. 

Aerial Combat Batman is genuinely an attempt by Kenner to do something totally new. So I have to give them some props. Rather than make a vehicle and give you a figure to put in it, Aerial Combat Batman gives you a figure already fused into the vehicle. There’s pros and cons to this idea. 

On the one hand, the figure fits neatly, grasps the steering wheel and flips their head up when the canopy opens. You're also not going to lose the figure or the vehicle.

But on the other hand I would love to take the figure out because it looks like it would be a pretty great representation of the Ice suit Batman wears at the end. 

One day I'll hopefully track down the matching Aerial Robin figure too.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Jungle Venom Poison Ivy figure from Kenner

Sadly Poison Ivy was not best represented in the Kenner action figure line and only received two figures (despite being a major villain). 

The main one was Jungle Venom Poison Ivy - a generic representation of Uma Thurman in a plain green bodysuit. It's a little disappointing. The accessories are kind of fun though. The vines are good at tangling up other figures and the water cannon (a typical Kenner play feature) fits the character's green fingered tendencies. 

I maybe prefer the other Ivy figure (Evil Entrapment Poison Ivy - part of a two pack with Robin) but this figure does have the better accessories. Get either. Get both.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Heat Scan Batman figure from Kenner

Right let's keep going with the Kenner action figures. I've got a lot of these lined up. 

Heat Scan Batman was one of the first figures I remember seeing on the shelf in 1997 and possibly the first one I picked up (I can't quite remember). I had some reservations at the time. It’s BRIGHT but then again so is most of the toy line (and to be fair, the movie too). 

Putting the garish colour to one side it's a really good sculpt of Clooney with a huge chunky cape and I like the laser things that clip onto his elbows. It’s really simple but gives the figure and epic quality. 

As I mention in the video it's worth looking out for the Fuji Film exclusive that uses the same sculpt but in all black.