#83: Batman Hot Wheels - The Bat (227/250)

I never found a Bat when the Dark Knight Rises came out, but looks like Hot Wheels has re-released it, as I found one recently. It's a nice reminder of what a truly weird design this is. Like the Hot Wheels Enterprise, this is one vehicle that would benefit from a stand. Ah well, it was only a buck, so it's hard to complain.

#33: The Dark Knight Trilogy Hot Wheels - Tumbler (Camouflage version) (HW City 63/250)

When I found The Homer, I also found this new version of the Tumbler in camo deco. I still don't have a standard Tumbler, so I figured I would pick this up. This is the camo version from The Dark Knight Rises, that Bane used for his forces. For the most part, it replicates the Tumbler's unique shape well. But that front end looks terrible. I guess for whatever reason, they couldn't get the front tires to be mounted the way they are supposed to. Maybe it was a cost issue. Also, there should be four rear tires. Maybe they'll re-release the standard Tumbler later on.

#8: Hot Wheels - Bat-Pod (HW City 64/250)

Hot Wheels isn't something I pay very close attention to, but I recently found out that there is a Hot Wheels version of The Homer out there. I've been looking for it without success, but I did find a Bat-Pod, so that was a happy surprise. Since the Bat-Pod is a smaller vehicle, it's on a different scale from the average Hot Wheels car, which means it is a bit larger.

Because of its size, LEGO figures can sort of ride on it, although it's obviously not a perfect fit.

#83: The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Masters Projecting Bat-signal

At last, the Batsignal is complete! It's rare that I'm willing to put in the money to collect all the figures to build the bonus figure, and the Dark Knight Rises Movie Masters line was one of those instances where I was willing to stick it out, as well as fortunate enough to collect all the needed figures. Naturally, batteries are not included, so I had to go to the store and pick up some AAA batteries (it takes 3) before testing this out. It works pretty well! There's a tiny LED bulb that is pretty bright, and the lens does a good job of projecting the bat symbol clearly. The lens itself is curved with the bat symbol printed on, rather than flat with the symbol being a separate piece. Although it is not as movie accurate this way, I think it was made this way for the practical consideration of projecting a proper shadow. There's an on/off switch on the back, but it doesn't actively turn the light on. Instead, there's a little button on the bottom of the signal that activates the light, which stays on for a certain amount of time then turns itself off. I would rather be able to just switch it on and off manually, but oh well. It seems like collecting all the figures for this is a hassle, due to the standard distribution and case pack issues. Maybe they could have sold it separately, or done it as a Mattycollector.com exclusive, but I'm glad that I have a functioning toy Batsignal for the collection.

Here's the Batsignal in action, in my kitchen. It's hard to properly focus in the dark, so it's a bit sharper than the picture suggests.

Late night meetings

#82: The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Masters GCPD Blake

Like my previous two Dark Knight Rises Movie Masters figures, I was able to find Blake by leaving him on my Amazon wishlist and keeping an eye on it until the price dropped to an acceptable level. Thanks to the magic of the internet, I was able to avoid getting Matteled and being stuck with an incomplete Batsignal. Surprisingly, Mattel opted to forego making a figure of yet another guy in a suit figure for Blake. They could have easily done so and packaged him as a detective (I guess that's a spoiler, but I figure it's not too important a plot point). The legs are the same from the suit body, but the upper body is all new, and it looks pretty good. The jacket is some nice work, and has some detailed paint work that turned out well. It's all tiny detail, but it looks nice and sharp. No accessories here, just a piece of the Batsignal. A gun would have been a good accessory here.

"Budget cuts have forced us to only issue firearms to detectives. Sorry, kid."

#76: The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Masters Catwoman

Along with Ra's al Ghul, I was able to get Catwoman from Amazon for a good price. Since I was ordering online, I was worried that I would get the other version of Catwoman. You know how Catwoman's goggles flip up to the top of her head to give her cat ears? Rather than making that something that the figure could do, or giving alternate heads, Mattel went with the option of making variant Catwoman figures to represent the two looks. This is definitely the cooler version, so I'm glad that I lucked out. So, hey, a completely new sculpt! With her crazy heels, I was worried that she would be difficult to stand, but she surprisingly isn't difficult to keep standing. I still haven't seen any figures from the second wave in stores, so I'm glad that Amazon had at least a couple of them for a decent price. Unfortunately, Blake still remains overpriced, so I am keeping an eye out.

One piece left! Blake, where are you?

#75: The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Masters Ra's Al Ghul

It is kind of amazing how lately Amazon seems to be doing a good job of stocking toys that are impossible to find in stores. By keeping an eye on prices, I was able to get Ra's Al Ghul for slightly less than what he would have cost at a store. Nice! This was the sixth mystery figure for the Dark Knight Rises line, but this is his appearance from Batman Begins, so it wouldn't really have been a spoiler. Naturally, Mattel chose the scene where he's in a suit, so they could reuse the old standby suit body again. I think a League of Shadows ninja training version would have been cooler, but what are you going to do? The likeness of Liam Neeson is for the most part decent enough, although I wonder what they were thinking giving him an open mouth. Is he in the middle of speaking? It's just not very good looking. Aside from the Batsignal piece, Ra's shockingly gets an accessory: his gas mask.

"Master Qui-Gon, you're alive! And so tall! What's with the mask?"

Batsignal progress: 4 of 6 pieces

#54: The Dark Knight Rises- Batman

You know how there are two main lines of figures based on The Dark Knight Rises? There are the 6 inch Movie Masters, and the smaller poorly articulated figures. Well, it turns out that the smaller figure line is actually two lines. They are the same figures, but one of the lines includes accessories for the figures and has slightly nicer looking packaging. This Batman is from the line with no accessories, and I bought it at a grocery store because it was cheaper than the line with accessories. So instead of a grappling hook, this Batman comes with nothing. For me, the main attraction of this figure is that it has a cloth cape and is in the 4 inch scale. It's lacking in articulation, but it's cheap. Why is the cloth cape important? I wanted a Batman that can sit in my Batmobile, and plastic capes just get in the way.

This used to be in good condition. Over 20 years ago.

#51: The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Masters Alfred Pennyworth

I've been waiting for a Michael Caine figure since the Movie Masters line started with The Dark Knight, and Mattel has finally released one. Naturally, he's packed one per case so he's harder to find than Batman or Bane. Fortunately, James found one and gave it to me for my birthday. There's not much exciting about him, he's another Movie Masters guy in a suit figure. It's a decent enough likeness of Michael Caine. For me, it's cool enough to have a figure of Michael Caine as Alfred for my collection. Also, he comes with a piece of the Batsignal:

Batsignal completion: 50%.

#46: The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Masters Batman

Since I decided that I want to complete the Batsignal, my next logical purchase was Batman himself. I'd already have Alfred by now if I could find one, but Batman is heavily packed, and is the easiest figure to find. Fortunately, I didn't buy any of the previous Movie Masters Batman figures, so I'm not doubling up. From what I've heard, this is merely a slightly repainted version of the Dark Knight version. Other than that, this is a good figure. It could use some accessories (at least a batarang?), but I suppose the Batsignal piece takes up that part of the budgeting. He's got the typical DCUC style articulation, and what little paint there is looks good. The ab crunch is hard to see due to the detailing of the armor, which is cool. There's a nice mix of matte and glossy black, which helps make the figure look a little more interesting. I think the belt is slightly crooked, alas.

Batsignal completion update #1: 1/3 complete.

#41: The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Masters Bane

Okay, now that The Avengers has been in theaters for almost a month, it is time to focus on the movie I am most looking forward to this year: The Dark Knight Rises. The figure I'm most looking forward to from the toy line is Alfred, so of course I haven't been able to find one yet. I've seen a few Batman figures, and today I found this solitary Bane. I have all the main antagonists from the Movie Masters line so far (Scarecrow, Joker, Two-Face), so naturally I wanted to get Bane as well. For the movie, Bane traded in his traditional luchador mask for whatever he is wearing in the movie, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he translates to the Nolan-verse. It's a pretty well done figure, and as far as I can tell is a completely new sculpt, something of a rarity for Mattel. He's got the standard Mattel Movie Masters articulation with the exception of a bicep swivel. It would have been nice to have that too, but it's not the most important point of articulation on a figure. The new thing for the DKR Movie Masters is that instead of coming with a ridiculously sized accessory, the figures come with a piece of the Batsignal, which when assembled will light up. I'm still torn on whether I want to build it. I probably will want to. I've already got Bane. I definitely want Catwoman and Alfred. I don't have a movie Batman yet, so I don't mind getting one. I'm iffy on the Joseph-Gordon Levitt figure. Then the sixth figure has yet to be revealed. There are rumors that I shan't repeat here, but I'm guessing it will be a figure I will be cool with getting. So, maybe I will try to collect them all.

Will Bane break the Bat? Less than two months to find out!