Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - George Clooney Batman figure from Beast Kingdom

Kinda weird that only a few months after McFarlane released their Ultimate Batman Movie figure set that Taiwanese toy manufacturer Beast Kingdom announced they too were making a figure of every Batman actor from Keaton to Pattinson. While McFarlanes were around 7 inches, the Beast Kingdoms were an inch taller and all sold separately.

I, of course, had to pick up the two Schumacher ones even though they aren't fantastic. The George Clooney one is probably the better of the two.

The figure has tons of articulation but it comes at the expense of some very open joints (particularly around the groin). The head sculpt is actually really good for the price but it sits weirdly high on the figure and is awkward to put in any pose. The cape is nice and has wire inside but again, it's weirdly connected to the cowl. 

It's a textbook case of one step forward, one step back. Still it's fun to have something a little different on the shelf and although I sound disappointed un the video, I have come around a little more on it.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Deluxe Rooftop Pursuit Batman figure from Kenner

Another day, another Batman figure. This one has a pretty cool colour scheme though. And even has the classic yellow oval symbol on his chest. I was always kind of disappointed that wasn't on Clooney's suit in the film. Nice to see it back here on a figure.

Once again, we have huge backpack that sort of turns Batman into a one-man jet. It's a little clunky and actually when it's all on it's tough to get him to stand up.

Anyway, this is far from the best figure in the line but far from the worst either.

And here's an interesting fact I learnt after I posted the review. Kenner/Hasbro actually reused most of the vehicle as Deluxe Midnight Pursuit Batman figure from a later Animated series line.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Neon Armor Batman figure from Kenner

One of the notable things about Kenner was their thriftiness. They'd often pad out toyline with existing molds. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves for instance used Hawkman and Robin (from Super Powers), a villain from Robocop and a Gamorean Guard.

Rather than be annoyed at this, I always admired their ingenuity and appreciated them trying to maximise the amount of figures in a toyline.

When it came time  to do the Batman & Robin toyline, they did reuse a few molds from the Batman Forever line. In most cases it just required a swap of a Kilmer head to a Clooney one.

Neon Armour Batman is a typical example. I think ultimately it's a downgrade but still a relatively fun figure with some cool snap on armour.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Talking Electronic Bank from Thinkway

This was a really fun pick up and very appropriate given that I'm spending all my spare money on Batman merchandise. What a great way to save.

I've seen similar piggy banks for Star Wars - talking Darth Vader etc but didn't know they'd made one for Batman & Robin. I think you'll agree it's fun to see Batman swishing around and hear all phrases from George Clooney. 

The dialogue is stilted though - like they took a bunch of takes and edited them. It does sound like Clooney though which is good. I know some recent talking Ben Affleck Batman figures sounded nothing like him.

One thing I didn't bring up in the video is this is Danny Elfman's Batman theme. It's a shame they didn't use Elliot Goldenthal's theme. Maybe it was easier to re-licence Elfman's.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Hover Attack Batman figure from Kenner

Now this is a figure a lot of people had. This was one of the first figures to come out and together with Heat Scan Batman I feel was the default action figure for a lot of kids. Batman is presented in virtually all black (as he is in the film - well it's blue in the film but looks black most of the time). There's just a little bit of silver on the emblem on his chest which is something I like. I always thought Clooney's suit needed another little bit of colour to make it pop.

The figure comes without a cape but with a hoverboard backpack and giant blades. I'm disappointed about the lack of cape but the sculpt is otherwise pretty good.

I need to do a bit of research but apparently this toy concept comes from an early draft of the script which would see Batman and Robin have their capes transform into hoverboards and pursue Mr Freeze. I guess this got altered to them using ice skates and sky surfing with those rocket doors.

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Battle Gear Bruce Wayne figure from Kenner

If you've seen my other website - 1995batman.com - I've already wheeled out this figure when I reviewed the Quick Change Bruce Wayne figure for Batman Forever. 

I thought it was worth a second look so I've done a solo review here. It's a fun little figure - I'm a big fan of figures where you can put extra armour on them.

This loses a few points for the Batman head which for some reason they've attached to the plastic cape. This means when you turn the head the whole cape moves too.

Otherwise it's a solid figure and if you're a George Clooney fan it's an essential purchase.

Concept Art: Mr Freeze (and Bane, Batman, Batgirl) costumes

Last set of concept art for a while. First up we have some Mr Freeze costumes. Interesting to note that the initial idea seems to have been to cover his whole head in a glass helmet unlike the finished film.

NThen we have a quick sketch of one of Mr Freeze's goons.

Next up we have a sketch of Bane by Wil Rees.

Then another picture by Wil Rees of Batgirl wearing the slightly different "Ice" suit from the end of the film which included a cowl/helmet when she rode the bike.

And finally Batman in the "Ice" suit again by Wil Rees. Kind of looks neater here than it does in the finished film. Maybe having it been glossy and shiny like this would have improved the look slightly.

Miscellaneous content: Batman & Robin Style Guide illustrations part 3

 This is a final batch of illustrations by José Luis García-López for the Batman & Robin Style Guide.

Miscellaneous content: Batman & Robin Style Guide illustrations part 2

 More illustrations by José Luis García-López this week to enjoy. I particularly love the way he's kept the yellow oval symbol. I wish the film would have included that rather than the plain blue one.

Miscellaneous content: Batman & Robin Style Guide illustrations part 1

Unfortunately I still haven't managed to track down a hardcopy of the Batman & Robin Style Guide however there are lots of images online. I've pulled together as much as I can find. 

These are mostly illustrations by José Luis García-López depicting the various characters from the film. His beautiful line work really works well and lets us see the characters/designs in a fresh light. These were all used in a variety of Batman & Robin merchandise.

Concept Art: Batman costumes

It's about time we looked at some of the concept art for Batman & Robin. I've always had a bit of the problem with the blue suit they used. I really missed the yellow oval and hated the raised eyebrows they added to the cowl. These designs - by Miles Teves - are all vastly superior. I particularly like the second one with reminds me of something DC might have used in an Elseworlds Batman story.