Imaginext DC Super Friends Batman XL (Bat Tech Blue)

After enjoying the Imaginext Batwing and Apokolips Armor Batman minifigures in my last post, I happened upon one of those Imaginext XL Batman figures with a deco I had not previously seen. As I said before, I sold off all my Imaginext stuff in a collection purge, but I'm always looking because it's such a great toy line. When Fisher-Price dropped a few of these 10" Imaginext XL figures awhile back, I took notice. Yes, these are for kids 3-8, but as an adult I enjoy them as I would any large vinyl toy. It's oversized features, articulation, and soft goods cape are exactly like the minifigures I loved- I'd like to have three or four of the different Batman variants to line up in a display. 

Below, Bat Tech Batman XL with my Imaginext 

Batwing and Apokolips Armor Batman minifigures:

Again, the Fisher-Price Imaginext line is a fantastic, successful toy line I'd recommend for any kid, vast in scope with countless minifigures, fun playsets, and vehicles that will set their imagination alight. These XL figures are very affordable at ten bucks each, and are sturdily constructed for rough play. Mine will sit on the shelf where I can simply enjoy it's clean toyetic design- perhaps with a few more in a small collection. Recommended!

Follow the Super-DuperToyBox on Instagram!

More Later- Make It FUN!

8" Mego-Styled Figures Toy Co. Super Friends Batman & Robin

This blog exists due in large part to the resurgence of these 8" Mego-styled action figures/dolls, modeled after the wildly successful World's Greatest Heroes line from the 70's. In fact, he second post on the Super-DuperToyBox was about Mattel's DC Retro-Action Batman & Superman, bringing the excitement of action figures from my childhood back to life. Check out the video:

Guest starring in the video above are the DC Retro-Action Batman and Two-Face. While the line suffered from some pelvic joint issues, these Figures Toy Co. figures had their own problems, namely a very loose head atop the Robin that had a hard times standing up due to balance issues. I'm unsure I prefer the wired capes on the Figures Toy Co. figures, but there quality and black inner-lined construction are certainly nice looking. I loved the Mattel Retro-Action figures and their upgraded styling, which Figures Toy Co. follows in this series, also making more exact replicas of the original Mego World's Greatest Heroes characters, complete with oven mitt gloves! In spite of their issues, Figures Toy Co. did reproduce the look and feel of the Super Friends Batman and Robin here, the Saturday morning cartoon from which was a childhood favorite and appealed to my desire for Mego World's Greatest action figures.

*Read my past posts on DC Retro-Action figures!

*Check out the online Mego Museum for all of what's new and old!

More Later- Make It FUN!

DC SuperFriends Robin

 

I'd had no luck finding this little guy for under fifty bucks in the past year or so, but stumbled upon a cache of these going for for $16.50 each, shipping included. Oh Glorious Day! Like my Hawkman from this series, this 5 1/2" Robin was a 2009 MattyCollector exclusive and came in their protective white box. 

I've said before that while these are simple toys, I appreciate their design as much as any DCUC, DC Direct, or Marvel Legends figure. Their happy colors and chunky build make them both comforting and inviting- "Play with me, I'm cute!"  And Robin is no exception...

 

They could not have made this little guy any cuter- his enthusiastic smile captures the young, energetic spirit of the Boy Wonder perfectly. Robin is sort of a mix of the Batman the Animated Series Boy Wonder and the Warner Brothers Teen Titans Dick Grayson. His buck is appropriately smaller than the "adult" counterparts in the series, as it should be- in my imagination, Robin is a boy of thirteen or fourteen, and it's cool to see the buck of an action figure/toy reflect that. While this whole line meant for ages 3 and up are very limited in articulation, they skipped the elbow hinges on this Robin, but they did give him swivel wrists. He also has an anchor peg for attachment to vehicles like the others- it's pretty ugly, but is what it is. As best I can gather, these were intended to activate sounds in some of the vehicles from this line of toys, but I'm unsure how this feature worked and it doesn't seem to activate anything when seated in my Batmobile. If anyone knows what I'm missing here, please leave a comment below and enlighten me.

I was likely more amused by the accessory included with this figure than the parent that bought him- the disc launcher packs a wallop! There's a warning sticker on the card backer about not aiming at the face, but you know some kid shot his sister with it. I'll keep this handy  ;D

Finally, my SuperFriends Batman has his partner in crime fighting by his side!

 

Of course this also meant Batman could have the right kid riding shotgun in the Batmobile! This was a fun moment, akin to my recollections of having a Batman & Robin to plop into my Mego Batmobile as a kid in the 70's- not quite as cool, but there's a certain satisfaction in having a dynamic duo to ride in your Batmobile   :D

 

Pictured below are DC SuperFriends Batman & Robin with the more recent Mattel Power Attack Batman & Robin. These guys also had a cool Batmobile I skipped on because I don't really even have room for the SuperFriends Batmobile.

 

SuperFriends Robin is a welcome addition to my Boy Wonder collection. See my posts on DC Direct Arkham Asylum Robin and Batman Incorporated Robin, my Kenner Turbo Glider Robin from 1992, and my Imaginext Robin w/cycle...  

 

More Later- Make It FUN!

Hey, Mr. Postman!

 

It's been a couple months since I got toys in the mail   :)    I ran across a couple things I've wanted for awhile, but wanted at a better price than they had been previously available. Some things I'll pick up no matter what, but some I'll hold out for a deal. My advice when searching on eBay for that special find would be to mix up your keywords. For example, with action figures, search with combinations of the figure's name, manufacturer, series, and height, such as Mattel 8" Retro-Action Martian Manhunter. You will often see more than you were looking for, and with luck see something you would not have when leaving out the height or manufacturer.

 

 

Speaking of J'onn J'onzz, I found yet another Mattel dolly I couldn't live without. I never saw one of these series 4 DC Retro-Action figures in these parts, and while I'd paid $20.00 + shipping for my Green Arrow off MattyCollector, I always held out on the Martian Manhunter- I knew there'd be plenty around later, in spite of the line being cancelled. This was smart as I finally scored him for $12.50. If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you have a pretty good idea of what a big nerd I am about J'onn, and this blog was really founded on my fond memories of the old Mego World's Greatest Superheroes and Mattel's revival of the 8" scale dolls action figures with real fabric outfits. I don't have any of my childhood Megos, but if you want to see a pretty sweet collection, go over to the Batcave Toyroom.

 

 

Another favorite character of mine is obviously Robin the Boy Wonder- who for myself embodies a boyish spirit and youthful enthusiasm I find refreshing. Ask Denny O'Neil how important Robin is some time and he'll tell you about the consequences of writing Death in the Family (which I thought was great, not sorry). I 'd been waiting a long time to find this DC SuperFriends Robin to put in my Batmobile with my Batman. I'm funny like that  :D   I have several of these cute Mattel action figures, which feature cloth capes, solid construction, and great design. Their accessories are kiddie stuff, but their sculpts & colors are fun!  Always saw this MattyCollector exclusive online for north of forty bucks, but finally grabbed him for $16.50, shipping included. Love!

 

 

More Later- Make It FUN!

DC Super Friends Lex Luthor

After my post on the DC Super Friends Hawkman, I couldn't resist cracking open my Lex Luthor from this brief but fun line of toys. I've been catching a lot of Justice League Unlimited episodes on YouTube lately that feature some great episodes starring Superman's brilliant arch nemesis, and I read Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, in which then-U.S. President Lex Luthor declares Superman and Batman enemies of the state, claiming that a Kryptonite asteroid headed for Earth is connected to an evil plot by Superman - what a FUN supervillain!

Lex's body armor is removable, I just didn't remove it for the photo session for fear of breaking it. His shoulder harness in tampographed onto the torso underneath, too- see Cool Toy Review for more pictures. Lex came with a picture card, and a folded product sheet advertising othe toys from the DC Super Friends line, including the My First Batmobile I have:

 

 Released in 2007, these 6" figures have very basic articulation: swivel hips, wrists, & shoulders, and a pretty expressive ball-jointed head. The line didn't last too long, but they were pretty simple toys meant for younger children and made for play- I mean, how many of these does a 3 year old need to throw at his sister?   :D   I was mad about them at first sight and have seven; I love their chunky design and think they are super cute!  

The included accessory has an action figure, albeit a sleepy one- by pumping the balloon in Lex's pack, the green "Kryptonite" missile at the end of his weapon pumps in & out of the barrel. I wish it shot out the barrel of course, but these action figures are for ages 3 and up. I loved the geared out aesthetic of this particular figure from the DC Super Friends line, and the translucent green portions in his weapon and armor give him extra eye appeal.

  

Lex is a great companion piece for the variant DC Super Friends Superman I have- he is perhaps my favorite Superman figure due to his unusual costume deco- Love!

Looks like Hawkman had to step in and help Superman handling Lex on account of the Kryptonite!

DC Super Friends Lex with Mattel Retro-Action Lex Luthor and DC Direct Battle Armor Lex Luthor:

More Later- Make It FUN!

DC Super Friends Matty Collector Hawkman

I found several of these DC Super Friends action figures on eBay last summer, including this Matty Collector exclusive Hawkman. The DC Super Friends figures have a lot in common with the DC Imaginext and DC Hero World lines produced by Fisher-Price, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel Toys. These also remind me of the Mattel Batman: The Brave & The Bold series, in their chunky, pre-school design. 

Mattel released a version of this Hawkman in his conventional red & green color scheme a year or two before this Matty exclusive was released on their website back in 2009, but he's not easy to come by. This version's deco emulates the Hawkworld outfit, the 1989 reboot featuring Katar Hol and Shayera Thal's adventures on Thanagar. This MattyCollector release unfortunately came without a mace: according to BubbaShelby over at Toyriffic, after acquiring exclusive distribution rights to the line, Target had safety concerns over the said accessory and stopped selling him altogether. Mine was still in his white MattyCollector box when I got him.

While these are simple toys, I appreciate the design of these as much as any DCUC, DC Direct, or Marvel Legends figure. Their happy colors and bulky tactile appeal make them both comforting and inviting- "Play with me, I'm cute!" Like any good toy, these are made for play.

While limited in his articulation, Katar does have cut joints in the wrist and a ball-jointed neck in addition to shoulders/hips/elbows, greatly improving his expressiveness. His nicely sculpted wings are also articulated. As best I can gather, the clip on the backs of these figures were intended to activate sounds in some of the vehicles from this line of toys, but I'm not sure how this feature worked.

While the JLA color scheme version of this guy is undeniably classic DC goodness, this Hawkworld variant has a certain charm I'm quite fond of. I'm a sucker for a variant, and think Katar's darker color scheme here looks really cool!

Hawkman's accessory is this peculiar glider apparatus, the mace that came with the JLA version fired out of the end of this, capped on this variant release. The gripping claws on the underside flex by pressing the button on the side, in case Hawkman needs to swoop in and rescue a friend   :D

Super Friends Hawkman with Imaginext Hawkman and  ShadowTek Hawkman:

More Later- Make It FUN!