#42: Batman The Classic Series - Batgirl

When Mattel released the '66 Batman figures, the most conspicuous absence in the lineup was Batgirl. The line didn't really last long, but there were rumors that she would later be released in a 3 pack with Batman and Robin. I thought that was a really obnoxious way to release her, as anyone who would want a Batgirl figure would probably already have Batman and Robin (like me). Mattel. Ultimately, Batgirl was released solo as a Toys R Us SDCC '15 exclusive. Fortunately, she was easy enough to order online. Batgirl comes in a fancier box than the regular line, which was on standard cards. Although it's a con exclusive, it's nothing extravagant. There are no accessories, aside from the stand and backing card, which has a city scape on one side and Batgirl herself on the other. One of the highlights of the figure is the cape, which is double sided. Unfortunately, due to the way it's packaged, it is currently stuck flared out, although I hope with time it will hang at a more natural angle.

Sadly, Batgirl herself, Yvonne Craig, passed on soon after the release of this figure. I don't know if she got to see one herself, but I'd like to think she thought it was cool if she did.

#74: Batman Classic TV Series - Catwoman

Finally, the sole female figure from the Batman '66 line is making its way through retail channels. Catwoman was famously played by three different actresses between the series and the movie it inspired, and this is the Julie Newmar version. Can Eartha Kitt and Lee Meriwether retools be far behind? The figure features a fairly good, if slightly cartoonish, likeness. Articulation is standard, and there's not a whole lot of paintwork necessary, but what there is seems to be good. Her gloves and boots are a more glossy black than the rest of her catsuit. She doesn't include any accessories. Her left hand is sculpted in an odd flat pose (she can tell Batman to talk to the hand), while the right is merely open. A clawing hand would have been appropriate.

Catwoman's display base features the sound effect "CRRAACK!" which is presumably the crack of a whip. Too bad she doesn't have one, although I don't remember her using one in the TV show. Not that she can hold one anyway, with her open hands. Once again, the image on the card is printed in a horizontal orientation, but the card only fits into the base vertically.

Batman surrounded!

#62: Batman Classic TV Series - The Joker

Before Heath Ledger, before Mark Hamill, before Jack Nicholson, there was Cesar Romero. Now we're three quarters of the way through the Batman '66 villain lineup, in action figure form. The Joker is appropriately garish in his brightly colored suit. Cesar Romero famously would not shave his mustache for the role, so the makeup artists merely painted over it. On such a small scaled figure, it's hard to tell whether that's actually sculpted in, but it res represented in paint with a faint grey shading above the upper lip. Otherwise, the Joker's face is a flat white that really washes out his face unless the light catches it at an angle to bring out shadows. A light wash would have been helpful here, but perhaps would have looked out of place with the otherwise generally flat colors of this line. The Joker includes no accessories. Oddly, he has one in a fist and the other in a pointing position. Maybe he's asking Batman to pull his finger?

The Joker's collector card is fortunately oriented the proper way for display purposes when plugged into the base. The Batcave scene on the back of the card matches up with the one on the back of the Penguin's card, although by passing on the two single carded Batman figures, it probably won't be the most impressive effect when all put together. The Joker's base says "Zap!!!" on it, which I suppose is thematically appropriate, as it could be a reference to a joy buzzer.

"Joke's on you, Batman! Pull my finger or my boys go to town on your spine!"

#54: Batman Classic TV Series - The Riddler

Our next villain from the Batman Classic TV Series figures is the Riddler. Based on the Frank Gorshin (riddle me this: could there be a John Astin version in the works?) version of the character, it's kind of weird seeing Mattel's take on a more realistically proportioned figure. What I'm getting at is that he's really thin, and it takes some getting used to. The good news is that the ab crunch joint has returned! Riddler doesn't include any accessories, and his hands are both fists, so he can't borrow anyone else's.

The Riddler does include a base with a collector card that can be plugged into it. This one features a more generic "Kapow!" sound effect. Unfortunately, the collector card has its image horizontally oriented, so if it plugs into the base, the picture is sideways. Again, the back has a portion of an image of the Batcave printed on it. It doesn't match up with the Penguin's card, though.

#53: Batman Classic TV Series - The Penguin

A hero is only as good as his villains, so naturally I was going to get some of the classic TV villains for Batman to square off against. The Penguin is the figure I was the most on the fence about, because he's the least exciting looking character. He's just a guy in a tux. Ultimately, I decided to get all of the villains because they were all in the movie, so I felt that the collection would seem incomplete without him. Surprisingly, Penguin includes an actual accessory: his umbrella. A Penguin figure without an umbrella would certainly be a bit of a letdown. Unfortunately, the handle is a bit warped from packaging, and is a bit thin to stay in his hands securely. Interestingly, he also includes a cigarette holder, which is non-removable. You normally don't see toys with tobacco related accessories, but this is touted as an adult collectible, and I don't think the line is actually being sold in stores, so I suppose they're not too worried about getting into trouble. It's a decent enough Burgess Meredith likeness, and has the standard Mattel Movie Masters articulation. The new, post ab-crunch articulation.

Also adding value to the figures is the inclusion of a display base and a collector card. The stand is a nice callback to the TV series, with a large sound effect emblazoned on it. In this case, a typical Penguin exclamation of "AWK!" The card is a painted picture of the Penguin during his mayoral campaign, and can be slotted into the stand. It's printed on a fairly thick card stock. On the back of the card is what looks like a portion of the Batcave. Perhaps putting all the cards together will form a larger picture.

If you're a completist, you'll definitely want the Penguin figure. But if you pass on it, there's nothing mind blowing about it that you ought to feel overly sorry for missing.

#49: Batman Classic TV Series - Batman & Robin

The classic 60s Batman TV series seems to be undergoing a bit of a revival lately. With a new comic series based on the show, as well as a new toy line, can a long awaited home media release of the series be far behind? I certainly hope so, but for now, we're here to talk toys. At long last, we finally have Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. This set is the only way to get Robin, so it was a no brainer to get it rather than missing out on half of the dynamic duo. They are basically DCUC figures, but with more realistic proportions. So no big surprises here. Unfortunately, Mattel cannot resist "exciting" posing in packages, leading poor Robin to deal with a case of seriously bent legs. And for some reason, there are ridiculously large paper tags affixed to the capes. What gives? Hasbro releases figures with soft goods all the time, and they never have big stupid tags attached. Oh well, a snip of the scissors will take care of that. For accessories, Batman has a batarang. And of course, there is the display base...

This is probably one of the best, if not the best, display bases that has been created for an action figure. One of the trademarks of the Batman series was the scenes of Batman and Robin climbing up the side of a building, which was accomplished by the actors walking along a floor designed to look like a building and turning the camera on its side. That's exactly what this base represents. What's really cool is that not only can you lay it out flat on the shelf as if it were the actors shooting a scene, but you can also mount it on the wall as if Batman and Robin were actually climbing the side of a building. There is fortunately a rope included, which can be tied to the base. Frequently guest stars would appear on the show by popping out of the window to express shock or have some sort of conversation with Batman and Robin as they were climbing. That can be replicated with the base, which has windows that can be opened. They are perhaps a bit narrow, but it is a cool feature. Both of the figures have bendable wires in their capes so that they can be posed as if they were falling down due to gravity.

I'm hoping the rest of the figures from the line have more neutral positions in the packaging to avoid being bent out of shape before they are even opened. Since they are getting all the major villains out of the way with this first series, I wonder if there will be any more figures in the future. I'll be bummed if they don't make a Batgirl figure, that's for sure.