Release Date: July 2022 RRP: 8800 yen The 1990s were a strange time for comics, particularly as it seemed like everyone's favourite superheroes were suddenly getting replaced with new versions. Over in Gotham City the Knightfall storyline saw Bruce Wayne crippled at the hands of Bane , with the antihero Azrael (real identity Jean-Paul Valley ) taking the mantle in his absence. As Batman, Valley decided that Bruce's tactics were obsolete – donning enhanced battle armour and dealing with criminals in a far more merciless manner. As his Azrael conditioning continued to make him more and more erratic, Bruce is forced to engage him in battle to reclaim the mantle of the Bat. Now Medicom pay tribute to this pivotal Batman story with the release of MAFEX Knightfall Batman , showing off Valley's armour in all its 90s glory.

Release Date: 7480 yen RRP: September 2020 It's always fun when Bandai Tamashii Nations throw an absolute curveball of a release into the S.H. Figuarts line. While they've done a fair number of DC Universe figures (mostly live action movie-based, but also a couple from Batman Ninja surprisingly), but it's definitely fair to say that they're nowhere near as much a priority for the line as the Marvel Cinematic Universe figures are. So when it was announced that they would be producing a S.H. Figuarts Batman (1989)  figure, based on the Dark Knight's appearance in Tim Burton 's first big budget Batman film where he was portrayed by Michael Keaton , it came as a real surprise. The figure was released as a Tamashii web exclusive in Japan, but unsurprisingly was one of the more readily available Figuarts in foreign markets as well.

Release Date: July 2020 RRP: 7800 yen If there’s one toy line that feels unrivalled when it comes to high-end comic-style superhero figures right now, it’s Medicom’s MAFEX line. Sure they don’t come cheap and long delays are often common, but when it comes to those perfect comic sculpts there’s no one quite like them. But as nice as they are, my previous experience with the MAFEX line has been mixed to say the least. Poor QC is something often on the tip of everyone’s tongues, and after having one figure have both wrist joints completely disintegrate 30 seconds out of the box (followed by months of exchanging emails with Medicom customer service in order to get replacement parts) certainly soured me on them somewhat. However so many of these figures just look so good it’s hard to say no, and MAFEX Batman ( Batman: Hush ) was just one I couldn’t pass up. Based on the caped crusader in the acclaimed 2002 story by Jeph Loeb (which was turned into an animated film in 2019), this is the...

Release Date: August 2016  RRP: $25.99/£22.99 Of all the Batman: The Animated Series characters you'd expect DC Collectibles to release in their highly anticipated yet also highly repeatedly delayed and widely criticised line, Zatanna probably wasn't one of them - until you remember just how much of a fanboy Paul Dini is when it comes to her. What's perhaps stranger though is the fact Zatanna was a single card release, while far more characters and designs would later be shunted off into highly overpriced collectors' sets (looking at you especially B:TAS Mr Freeze and Poison Ivy). Still, one of the main charms of this line has been some of the more left-field choices there's been when it comes to releases, and Zatanna is definitely one of the best among them. Appearing solely in the episode "Zatanna", this version of Zatanna has no apparent magic powers (until her reappearance in Justice League Unlimited that is), but goes back a long way with ...

Release Date: January 2016  RRP: £39.99/$39.99 If there’s one thing DC Collectibles ’ range of Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures figures can’t be faulted for, it’s scope. Although the line has suffered severely from QC issues, delays and most recently an insistence on releasing over-priced sets, the line has done a good job of covering these two landmark series – not only featuring the obvious characters but also welcome surprises like Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Firefly or Talia Al Ghul. In 1993 Batman: The Animated Series spawned The Mask of the Phantasm – a feature-length film that’s not only earned cult status but widely considered among the best animated films ever. So of course DC Collectibles were going to mark this entry in the line somewhere, releasing a special two-pack including both Batman and Phantasm figures.

Release Date: January 2017 RRP: £19.99/$19.99 The LEGO Batman Movie has been out in cinemas now for a few months now and its fair to say that it's been a pretty big success. Once again, Warner Bros and LEGO  have proven that just because a film is based on a toy line, doesn't mean that it can't be something more than a shameless advertisement. That said, the film did a pretty good job of roping me back into a state of brick mania, as can be seen by my rapidly growing collection of LEGO Batman sets. After rounding off the majority of the main cast through the Joker Balloon Escape   and Catwoman Catcycle Chase sets, my attention was turned towards some of the other famous rogues available in the more affordable sets. Mr Freeze has always been a favourite of mine, and given the "upgrades" he's received in this movie set 70901 Mr Freeze Ice Attack was a no brainer.

Release Date: January 2017 RRP: £14.99/$14.99 The LEGO Batman Movie has just been released in cinemas worldwide and it comes highly recommended, whether you're a LEGO fan, a Batman fan or someone with just a passing interest in either (or someone who's just into really good films). Of course being a LEGO movie there's also plenty of kits coming out to go with it, making 2017 truly the year of the bat. With the whole minifigure wave  under my belt, I'm now turning my attention towards some of the larger construction kits - starting with set 70900 The Joker Balloon Escape . Like most of the sets released so far this appears at the very beginning of the film, and has featured rather heavily in the trailers and promotional material so even if you haven't had a chance to catch it yet.

As was probably the case with many collectors reading this, my first real introduction into the world of toy buying and more importantly collecting was with LEGO. From age seven to about 14 I was truly LEGO obsessed, and counted the UFO, Aquanauts, Insectoids and original Bionicle  ranges among my favourites. While my LEGO buying has slowed down with age, the love for the brand never left. However the sheer variety of LEGO on offer these days - from the various movie and comic licenses to the LEGO Ideas sets and the wonderful LEGO Movie, have really ignited that dormant flame. With The LEGO Batman Movie 's release imminent, it was finally time to jump back on the LEGO wagon. The various sets from the movie are also accompanied by a new wave of blind-bagged minifigures , with a total of 20 different figures (including villains scoured from the history of DC Comics ) on offer.

In some respects DC Collectibles ’ range of Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures figures are the Batman toys fans have always dreamed of. Articulated and accessory-laden cartoon-accurate depictions of one of the most renowned pieces of Batman media – what’s not to love? However at the same time this line has proved to be an absolute nightmare, with multiple figures subject to delays, quality control problems or both. But thanks to the draw of these characters, fans keep coming back for more. Here we look at one of the earliest releases in the line – fan-favourite Mr Freeze , as he appeared in The New Batman Adventures episode “Cold Comfort” .

My Shiny Toy Robots may be a website dedicated to toys, toku, anime and of course robots, but every so often something particularly cool comes along that's a little bit different. This feature is one of those times, as UK music distributor Access All Areas gave us the opportunity to take a look at two pieces in their various comic/cartoon-inspired instrument line. These are the Batman Rooftops Ukulele as well as the Adventure Time Oookulele . Both instruments are officially licensed and real musical instruments, retailing for around £34.99 each. Since I'm not much of ukulele player myself I've also teamed up with my partner in crime Bethanwi and her Youtube account for some additional video content, which can be found embedded just below.

When Batman: The Animated Series made its transition to The New Batman Adventures , it brought about a lot of changes. The most obvious of these was the somewhat simplified art style, but also a time skip that changed the character dynamics of the Bat Family. Batgirl became a regular, Tim Drake joined the team as the new Robin , and Dick Grayson broke away from Batman’s shadow to establish himself as Nightwing . Despite playing a more limited role in the series, Nightwing was still a big part of it – appearing in the series logo while the more frequent Batgirl was inexplicably absent. Now DC Collectibles have added Nightwing to their new range of figures covering Batman’s main entries into the DC Animated Universe , completing the Bat Family in action figure form.

Although my relationship with DC Collectibles ’ animated Batman figures has been rocky to say the least, there were always some characters I was going to by without question. And perhaps the biggest of those was Batgirl . Whether it’s her tenure as Batgirl (particularly in her utterly fantastic current ongoing) or assisting the Bat family and the Birds of Prey as Oracle , Barbara Gordon is undoubtedly one of my favourite DC Comics characters. So there was some considerable excitement when Batgirl was revealed to be joining the line, with a figure based on her black-costumed appearance in The New Batman Adventures – where she was promoted to main character and full-time member of the Bat family. As well as a new costume, Batgirl received a new voice actress in the form of Tara Strong – taking over from Melissa Gilbert and the late Mary Kay Bergman (who voiced the character in Batman: The Animated Series and Batman & Mr Freeze: Sub Zero respectively).

Although the supposed improvements to the sturdiness of the figures might meet up to everyone’s expectations, to their credit DC Collectibles have really been churning out their line of animated Batman figures from Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures lately. After months of nothing, the backlog of previously revealed figures came through one by one with plenty of new ones announced at the same time. Among the more recent releases was the B:TAS version of the Riddler – a character who appearances were few, but pretty notable in the series (by the time TBNA rolled around, he was reduced to near-cameo status and a horrible redesign). This version of Edward Nygma also holds a special significance to me as well, with the original 1992 version being one of the first action figures I ever owned. Will this new release provide a worthy update with a healthy dose of nostalgia added into the mix? Read on to find out!

When DC Collectibles first announced their range of screen accurate Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures figures, it seems to fair to say that Harley Quinn was one of the most anticipated. Not only is she arguably the DC Animated Universe’s biggest export, but thanks to the likes of the recent Arkham series video games, the forthcoming Suicide Squad movie and her own ongoing comic series her popularity is at an even bigger high right now. But right now we’re looking back at where it all began – the 1992 B:TAS episode J oker’s Favor and the iconic red and black jester costume that still remains her definitive look even to this day.

DC Collectibles line of animated Batman figures had a rather interesting year in 2015. After the hotly anticipated figures burst onto the scene at the end of 2014, they quickly received criticism for their fragility – leading the designers to take a step back and look at the how they could improve the builds for future figures. This led to delay after delay for the majority of the line planned throughout 2015, until they all seemed to hit in rapid succession towards the years’ end. Among these delayed figures was the subject of this review – The New Batman Adventures ’ iteration of the boy wonder himself, Robin . Taking place after Dick Grayson had moved on to take up the mantle of Nightwing, this version of Robin is instead Tim Drake – considerably younger looking than his predecessor and sporting a rather different origin to his comics counterpart.

Joining the Joker as part of wave two of DC Collectibles new range of figures based on Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures is the Boy Wonder himself, Robin ! More specifically, the original Dick Grayson variety. Although Robin made regular appearances in the first half of B:TAS , he really came into his own in the later half - at which point the show became titled The Adventures of Batman & Robin . Just how much of the show falls under this banner is up for debate - production wise there are only two seasons (with the second using this name) but the DVD releases split it up into three, with only the third using that name. Either way it doesn't really make a whole lot of difference, because this line isn't acknowledging the name or logo change anyway. I can kind of understand since it isn't a major difference like the huge change between Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, but it would have been nice to get it acknowledg...

There have been many different popular interpretations of the Joker in television and film over the years - Caesar Romero in the Adam West Batman series, Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 movie, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight , and a variety of different animated versions voiced by different actors. But when asked which of all of these versions is the best, it's fair to say that most fans will agree on the DC Animated Universe version voiced by Mark Hamill. Appearing in Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures all the way up into Batman Beyond and  Justice League , Hamill's Joker has even reached a new audience in the form of the Arkham series video games. So when DC Collectibles revealed they would be doing a new line of animated series figures based on Bruce Timm's iconic designs, it's unsurprising that the Joker was quickly among the planned lineup. However not being in the first wave of figures seems to have worked to the Joker's...

Arguably  Batman: The Animated Series and it's follow up The New Batman Adventures owe a lot of their success to the brilliance of how it handled the Caped Crusader's rogues gallery. Whether it's Mark Hamill's portrayal of the Joker, Paul Dini's incredible reimagining of Mr. Freeze or the creation of the one and only Harley Quinn - many of Batman's most famous villains received some of their finest moments in these cartoons. So to kick off DC Collectibles new range of animated Batman figures, the first villain to follow Batman himself is none other than Two-Face , the criminal persona of former Gotham district attorney Harvey Dent . Though many of Two-Face's strongest episodes appeared in the original animated series, he also played a significant part in The New Batman Adventures - having close ties to the second Robin's origin as well as having his split personality fragment even more. As such, the toyline has turned to these appearances to craft a...

Batman: The Animated Series is widely considered to be one of the greatest cartoons of all time, but despite this has never received any toys outside those that were released during it's original run (and those were actual toys rather than collectibles). But with the recent 75th anniversary of the Dark Knight, DC Collectibles have revisited the iconic show for a brand new range of high-end figures. Aiming to be as accurate to Bruce Timm 's original designs as possible, this line not only features designs from B:TAS, but also the follow-up series The New Batman Adventures - which simplified the art-style somewhat to bring it more in line with Superman: The Animated Series and subsequently the rest of the DC Animated Universe . So to kick off the line is of course Batman, based on his 1997 New Batman Adventures look.

Who can have a Batman without a Joker? When I received the LEGO DC Universe Super Heroes Batman set (#4526), I was ecstatic to see I was also given his arch nemesis for him to be posed with/battle against. Like Batman, the DC Universe Super Heroes Joker set (#4527) can be combined with the Green Lantern set (#4528) to create a powered up Joker. The Joker is made up of slightly more parts than Batman - 57 as opposed to Batman's 40 (although there were a few spare pieces left over when I was finished building). Once you build the skeleton frame, armour pieces clip on to make out the bulk of the Joker. Save for the small orange spikes decorating the shoulders, there aren't any small pieces making up the Joker himself (there is however a bag of small pieces in the box for the weapon). One thing I have to commend on this kit is the head, they absolutely nailed it. From the rubbery hair to the glaring eyes and huge grin, LEGO couldn't have done any better in portr...