It’s the moment that collectors around the world have been waiting for… Warner Bros. Consumer Entertainment has licensed the Classic Batman TV Show from the 1960’s so that action figures could be made. Mattel has already released their figures with a standard retail price point, but now it’s time for the high-end Hot Toys Batman 1966 sixth scale figure, with a much higher price point, to make his debut into the collectors market.
They were able to release both Batman and Robin at about the same time. Today we are going to be doing a full-blown review of Adam West as Batman, with Burt Ward as Robin coming in the next few weeks.
The Review
Perhaps one of the most improved pieces from previous Hot Toys releases is the packaging. The 1966 Batman figure comes packaged in a Batman TV series themed box, which also doubles as a diorama piece. The colors on the box have the retro feel, which you are guaranteed to love if you were a fan of the TV show. The diorama piece is an addition to the standard Hot Toys box piece that houses the figure and his accessories. You with this piece you can recreate the famous ‘wall climbing’ scene.
The box is definitely not the best part about this figure, as he comes absolutely loaded with accessories. He comes with 13 various interchangeable hands (enough to use every accessory), a Batarang, a big bomb, a can of shark repellent, 3 interchangeable Adam West portraits (attached via magnets), a Bat-radio, and a standard figure stand.
Batman’s original costume had the cowl, cape, underwear, gloves and boots in the same purple material, but Hot Toys has decided to go a different route and sculpt the cowl, collar, gloves and boots (likely a cost cutting measure). So the Hot Toys figure isn’t exactly 100% accurate, but it works for me.
Now I did have some serious issues with Batman’s costume. The instructions warn about this, but the suit snags very, very easily. Before I even handled my figure for the first time it was covered in snags! There were snags on every limb and even under his belt. I contacted Sideshow Collectibles about this issue and they say that the issue is from the material that the costume is made it. It just has a tendency to snag. Since this is a widespread issue, Sideshow wouldn’t replace my figure, but they would take it back for a full refund. Since the costume just had so many snags, I returned it for a full refund, but of course re-bought it instantly. The new figure that I received now is snag free.
Each of the included Adam West portraits has perfect likeness to the actor. The paint job also complements this, with Batman’s skin to looking nearly as realistic as it could get.
For articulation, Batman sports the usual TrueType body that Hot Toys is known for. While it can’t exactly obtain full upper body movement, there should be more than enough articulation to pull off most of Batman’s signature poses. I found that the other joints have very little to no trouble at all getting the most extreme poses.
Overall
Overall I was very impressed for this figure, but I will say that I was expecting more. He has several problems that can make him pretty frustrating but I have been dying to add him to my collection ever since he was announced. Now that he’s finally here I would highly recommend him to any fan of the 1960’s Batman TV show.
The figure has a bunch of great accessories and a perfect sculpt and complementing paint job. The only thing that you need to watch out for are snags on the suit.
Robin is going to be the next figure in this line, with who knows what after that. I can only hope for more characters from this series, but I guess we will just have to wait and see what Hot Toys announces.
Check out the full gallery of images at the bottom of the page.
Where to Buy?
If you are interested in buying the Hot Toys Batman 1966 sixths scale figure, he’s still available for purchase directly from Sideshow Collectibles. I’m really not sure how long this guy will last before the only way to get him is through the secondary market.
If you don’t want to shop at Sideshow Collectibles you can always try to score a deal on eBay.
Also, if you want to score a 1966 Robin to go along with him you can find him on Big Bad Toy Store, and you can find him on Amazon as well: Hot Toys DC Comics Robin (1966 film) Burt Ward 1/6 Scale 12″ Figure
UPDATE: The figure is sold out on Sideshow. However, you can find him on Amazon: Batman 1966 Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece 1/6 Scale Collectible Figure Batman
And you can always pop on over to eBay and see if you can score a Hot Toys 1966 Batman, or even Robin as well.
