My personal Bat-collection just got a whole lot sweeter. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and say that my latest Batman acquisition is one of the top 5 coolest things in my gallery and as a guy who writes for a Batman-themed website, you better believe that those shelves display an extensive array of classic comics and rare memorabilia. This thing is truly that awesome and deserves to be shown off prominently as a crown jewel of any fan’s prized possessions.
I’m, of course, talking about the Batman (1960s TV series) 1/6 Scale Figure.
Unboxing
- Adam West himself – TrueType body with 30 points of articulation
- (1) Batsuit
- (1) Dark purple cape with subtle buttons on the underside for fastening two different style over Batman’s shoulders
- (1) Yellow utility belt (plastic) with metal Batman emblem buckle, not detachable nor are the pockets functional
- (1)Pair of dark purple forearm gloves
- (1) Pair of dark purple boots
- (3) Interchangeable lower face sections including neutral, smirk, and barred teeth
- (13) interchangeable gloved palms painted in two-tone black and blue
- (1) Pair of fists, great for a traditional fighting pose or bumping fists with sidekick (sold separately)
- (1) Pair of relaxed palms, seeing as how Adam West’s Batman is one of the only incarnations of The Dark Knight with the word “relaxed” in his vocabulary these gloved palms are invaluable
- (1) Pair of dancing gesture palms, yes you can do The Batusi
- (1) Pair of open palms, great for getting rid of a bomb
- (1) Pair of partially-clenched palms, ideal for grasping the cape or clutching the Bat-rope
- (1) Right Palm for holding Batarang
- (1) Right Palm for holding spray can (Shark Repellent Bat-spray)
- (1) Left Palm for holding Bat-radio
- (1) Batarang, which doesn’t fold together
- (1) Bat-rope
- (1) Shark Repellent Bat-Spray can
- (1) Big bomb
- (1) Bat-radio
- (1) Figure stand with Batman nameplate, Batman logo, and adjustable cradle
- (2) Replaceable wrist pegs
- (1) Diorama/Windowed Building with functional window and insert-hole for slipping in the batarang
Commentary
With every new superhero film you can always count on there being a high-end, incredibly lifelike collectible hitting the market before said motion picture even hits theaters, but it took 48 years for this considerably detailed homage to Batman: The Movie to arrive and, amazingly, it just might have been worth the wait. I’m going to talk about every aspect of this new figure from Hot Toys and I’m going to start from the outside and work my way in, if you don’t mind.
I adored the box art immediately. It has that colorful, pop look that the Batman ’66 TV Series is so known for and the design itself withe the cartoon cowl before the Gotham skyline and swirls of gold is good enough to go on a poster. I hadn’t even opened the thing yet and I knew it contained something that was going to make me happy. But the attention to detail didn’t stop there, when my fingers touched the surface I quickly noticed that the spiraling yellow beams were textured and had the feel of vinyl. Flipping the box around to see if this effect continued on all sides, I discovered that the back panel had an image of its own showcasing the famous Bat-Signal. Yet another surprise awaited when I went to open the box and realized that this was merely a decorative sleeve around the real packaging. Pulling this away unveiled a blue container with a clear plastic window for viewing the action figure surrounded by all its accessories.
Even after removing the black plastic tray carrying Batman and all of his assorted pieces, the packaging still had more to offer with a vibrant diorama featuring dazzling yellow walls decorated in a unique pattern of “NA NA” (making up the lyrics of the popular theme song– you know what I’m talking about) and bat emblems. On the reverse side, the yellow walls are substituted with a stone grey facade and a functional window. Why? For recreating the famous wall-climb scenes from the film and TV show, of course! The figure does come with Bat-rope and Batarang after all. This is an incredibly thoughtful addition and one that will come in handy to those who like to use their Hot Toys for stop-motion animation! Hot Toys was so proud of their diorama design that they even included a pamplet on how to use in your display, making sure no eager fans cast the piece aside thinking it was little more than packaging leftovers.
Every piece within the dark tray is individually wrapped in plastic and Batman himself is so overly protected that you’ll likely find the visual quite comical with every hand and foot bagged and his head surrounded by foam. But this is a wonderful thing. It’s amazing to see so much care go into every item so not a scuff or mote of dust is present when you see your purchase for the first time. Removing all of this will take quite a bit of time and you’ll want to be extremely careful.
Accompanying the vast array of sealed trinkets, toys, and the instruction manual was a caution slip that definitely caught my attention. It read, “Do not scratch the Batsuit and the cape with sharp objects or fingernails as they might damage the costume.” Few things will remind you to keep those cuticles clean quite like a warning from your new $200 dollar toy. I immediately left the room, clipped my nails, scrubbed my palms and fingers to the point where I felt I could commit murder and not leave a print at the scene, and then I went back to examining the miniature Adam West on my dining room table.
With clean hands and the utmost care, I took to bending every joint, flipping the cape in different fashions, and closely inspecting every fine detail. I was thoroughly impressed. I’ve taken in the sight of a new Hot Toy before, but it really never gets old and honestly the only other Hot Toy that’s at all similar would be the Christopher Reeve Superman so it felt like an even more special experience. In recent years, Neca (1/4 scale figure) and Mattel (Ken doll & 6-inch figure) have tried their hand at making a ’66 Batman figure, but neither came close to this level of accuracy. Certain characteristics that amazed me the most include:
- The textured zipper running down each boot
- The shimmering metal buckle with engraved Batman insignia
- The sheen on the cape and Bat-briefs
- The glimmer in West’s lifelike eyes
- The perfect sculpt and paint-job on each of the three interchangeable mouth-pieces
I was taken aback at how many different poses I could achieve and yet the figure could still stand upright. Often times the most dynamic pose from any action figure will set them off balance, but not Adam West. The only restrictive points I found were in the hips and shoulders. The arms of this model only go so high and that can limit the way you “Get rid of a bomb” or dance The Batusi. The trunks also prevent Batman from performing the splits so there are some limitations with the legs. Another nitpick I had was in regards to the cape, well, not the cape itself, but its means of fastening about The Caped Crusader’s cowl– metal hooks. Bright metal hooks that the edges of the cape just couldn’t seem to hide, unlike the terrific buttons that can be used to pin the cape to your desire. It’s a detail that no one will catch at first glance and no one will likely grow angry over, but it’s something I noticed in a collectible that features so precious few flaws.
So flawless, in fact that manipulating the arms and legs or, more importantly, swapping out the expressive faces and hands is quite intimidating, and that’s not good for the stop-motion crowd who appreciate these various pieces the most but need some consistency in the movements of their performers. Many will want to wear gloves while handling their 1/6 scale figure, but while that solves the problem of soiling the material it doesn’t help when trying to gently remove/firmly apply a hand to a ball-joint without tugging on the character’s sleeve. Still, it’s too tempting not to play with it and create new, dynamic poses.
Besides the great hands and faces at your disposal you’ll also have a number of accessories that perfectly capture the likeness of the props used in Batman: The Movie. I was thrilled to see that Hot Toys had included a giant bomb, but wished that there had been something creative done about the fuse– you’ll just have to imagine the fire. The Batarang is spot-on and feels durable and there’s a small nylon Bat-rope to attach to it when scaling a building. We even have gadgets that pay tribute to one of the film’s most iconic scenes– the shark scene. Not only do you have a can of Shark Repellent Bat-Spray, but there’s the radio (with metal ring) for signaling Robin to toss the canister down from The Batcopter! My only complaint here is that the can of Shark Repellent Bat-Spray still has the cap on it. Update: It turns out that if you pull hard enough, the cap is removable, revealing a little nozzle underneath! Awesome.
Stepping back to admire this figure once you’ve picked the right pose and set it out on display is a beautiful think. However, there is a really glaring omission from this picture and it’s a big one: you’re going to need Robin! Despite the Batman of modern film being shown primarily as a solo crime fighter, the William Dozier TV series gave us a Dark Knight that was never without his trusty sidekick, his old chum, The Boy Wonder! It was one of the few interpretations that reflected Robin’s original role in the comics as the Watson to Batman’s Sherlock. While today, Robin’s presence serves as a way of grounding Bruce and pulling him away from the abyss, in the Silver Age things were handled with considerably more levity. Batman was the brilliant mind who was several steps ahead of us all, but when he explained his deductions to Robin we, as an audience, were able to catch-up to what was happening in the story! The interactions with Robin cued us in to the insights of The World’s Greatest Detective. Robin was the one who learned important life lessons from his mentor and we, as children watching the show, learned those same lessons ourselves. The 1960’s TV series wasn’t a show about Batman, it was a show about a The Dynamic Duo and seeing the Batman 1/6 scale figure all alone on any shelf is going to be heartbreaking. Everyone is going to need Robin and they’re going to need a certain special vehicle in order to fully realize the most iconic imagery of the show!
Specifications & Credits
Points of Articulation – 30
Product Size – 12.0″ H, not counting the ears on their cowls, Adam West is taller than the Bale and Keaton Hot Toys action figures
Dimensional Weight – 4 lbs
Int’l Dim. Weight – 6 lbs
Head sculpted by K.A. Kim & Jong Hyuk Park
Head painted by JC.Hong
Head art directed by JC.Hong
Costume design assisted by Hai Lim
Price
$204.99 at Sideshow Collectibles
Sideshow Collectibles is the official distributor. They’ve provided Batman News with the figure in this very review and have collaborated with us on multiple contests so I definitely trust their site. Also, if you buy the figure from Sideshow Collectibles right now you’ll get $10.25 in reward points for use on your next order, which I’m guessing will be Robin or The Batmobile.
Negatives
- Its material is incredibly delicate and can easily be damaged if you aren’t careful. Swapping out one of the articulate hands for another is a nerve-racking affair as you’ll fear a fingernail snagging the fabric or an oily print leaving a permanent mark on the cape. With great quality comes great care.
- The metal hook clasping the cape together at Batman’s neck is exposed, a shimmering distraction for those who pay attention to every tiny detail.
- The little nametag on my stand broke off pretty easily. I wish that the stand was a little sturdier, but it’s not something I’ll lose sleep over. A little superglue and it’s like it never happened.
- The cap is still on the Shark Repellent Bat Spray and it’s permanent. How am I supposed to spray sharks? Update: It turns out that if you pull hard enough, the cap is removable, revealing a little nozzle underneath! Awesome.
- I would have liked a faux fuse at the top of the bomb, something to give the illusion of the bomb being lit and ready to go off. I imagine those who enjoy playing with Photoshop will add their own smoke effects to photos of the figure.
Positives
- Too many to list. Other than bullet #1 of the “Negatives” section, everything unfavorable I had to say was a nitpick at best. This whole review is practically a love letter already so this little subsection is honestly rather unnecessary. I wholeheartedly recommend this figure.
Overall
Every Batman fan should have at least some small token from every great era of The Dark Knight in their collection and this Adam West figure is about as good as it gets when it comes to saluting the ’66 TV Series and its respective film. Outside of actually finding antique merchandise that came out during the show’s 3-year run, you can’t do any better than Hot Toys’ tribute. However, Adam West will look awfully lonely on your shelf without the Boy Wonder at his side or the Batmobile in the background, so here’s hoping those collectibles are just as magnificent. Learn more about Hot Toys Batman (1960s TV Series) 1/6 Scale Figure at SideshowCollectibles.com.
