Blue Beetle Cosmic Crawler

Excited about the Batman Brave & The Bold line all over again ever since Mattel's recent release of the similarly styled 5" Justice League figures, I found myself hunting down yet more figures and vehicles, including this Blue Beetle Cosmic Crawler! I was commenting on a fellow blogger's post recently about how this may be my favorite toy line of all time, and while they may be considered "kiddie toys" by some collectors, for myself they typify all that's fun about toys with their bright colors, chunky styling, and snap-on accessory feature. This is what a fun toy looks like, People...

The Cosmic Crawler is a simple toy, but has all it needs, including a projectile, engaged by pressing a small button on the bug's nose. It's pincers are made of a softer rubber, and are actually hinged & poseable. The canopy and legs are also made of a somewhat more flexible plastic than the chassis, for durability. The previous owner obviously took pretty good care of this, and the only part that might be susceptible to breakage might be the canopy- otherwise it looks moderately durable...  and cuter than a bug's ear   :D

I love all the incised lines sculpted across the chassis, and mechanized-looking legs on this cute, little Crawler! The bug eyes and Blue Beetle insignia are simple like the rest of the details on this toy, but it's highly  stylized sculpt has a nice unity to it all- it's perfect! I was also delighted to find three small wheels on the belly, which role smoothly across my drawing table, adding to the fun factor of this wonderful toy.

The Blue Beetle figure included with the Cosmic Crawler is pretty basic, but has a fun sculpt resembling the TV show character. As I said in my last post, I like Ted Kord as Blue Beetle, but I LOVE the Jaimie Reyes Blue Beetle! Part of the appeal of the Batman: The Brave & The Bold show was the supporting cast, Jaimie being one of my favorites. While he didn't come with any real accessories, Jaimie has the same hexagonal accessory slots, which can accommodate accessories included with other figures across the line, as well as the removable legs of his Cosmic Crawler. These slots really turn some folks off, and while they initially made me scratch my head, I quickly overlooked them. These are made for play, and the snap on accessorizing is a great design.

I have a killer Deluxe Twin Turbo Blue Beetle from the Brave & The Bold line I probably got two years ago, but never opened, who comes with some great "snap & attack" accessories- the mold looks to be the same, with some extra paint apps. He's a beauty!

I actually own four Jaimie Reyes Blue Beetles- two B&TB Beetles, a Mattel DCUC, and the DC Direct First Appearance Blue Beetle. There's a blue translucent variant of the latter that looks pretty cool, by the way, as well as two other variants in the B&TB line.

Now if you are turned off by the hex-slots in the B&TB Blue Beetle, perhaps the Mattel DC Universe Classics Blue Beetle is for you, an incredibly articulated and beautiful action figure. I enjoy both of these figures for what they are- a five-year-old may pull the arms off the DCUC however, and the B&TB Blue Beetle with his Cosmic Crawler might be more activity-based, as well as durable.

This is the most fun toy I've found in awhile  :)   I'm not sure exactly what these went for when released in retail three or four years ago, but I've not seen them for less than forty bucks, new in package recently. I gladly paid about twenty-four bucks for him, shipping included- while that seems a little high, I can live with it considering how great a toy this is.

More Later- Make It FUN!