Batman Forever Merchandise Review: Robin figure from McFarlane

Apologies for taking so long to getting around to reviewing this figure. I actually took SO long that news just hit McFarlane will be losing the DC license next year (it's going back to Mattel - read more about that here).

Anyway, on to the figure itself. This is a nice figure. I'm a big fan of the costume in this movie. I love that it takes most of its cues from the Tim Drake comic book suit. 

Some stuff they've done well. I love that they've kept the interior of the cape yellow (lots of other toy versions skip over that). The head sculpt is good too. I don't know if it's up there with McFarlane's Poison Ivy but it's a solid representation of Chris O'Donnell. I was quite surprised that this is a completely different head sculpt from the Batman & Robin one.

I love that it comes with extra hands. I don't know why it has hands for grasping things - maybe the makers are expecting us to borrow some of the gadgets like the batarang and grapnel launcher from the Batman figure. But I do enjoy the pointing finger and open palm hand. It means you can give the character a bit more personality when you pose them. These McFarlane figures are so flexible they deserve to be put in good poses.

On to the bad, the colours of the suit are kind of flat and matt. Not the muted metallic tones that the movie version had. That's a shame. I have seen people do good custom paint jobs but I don't know that I have the skill to tackle this one.

All in all, a solid start to the Batman Forever line.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batmobile vehicle from Spin Master

Although it's meant to be exclusive to Target Stores in the US I have my hands of the Spin Master "Retro Collection" Batman Forever Batmobile. I found them being sold on Amazon UK and initially they said it would ship in June! Thankfully that turned out to be false and my order got moved up to the end of January.

It's pretty surreal to see. They really have designed this to be almost indistinguishable from the original Kenner version. There are a number of changes though. It doesn't light up (but it you have some blue LED lights yu can stick them inside) and doesn't fire a missile out the front.

However, the car is much more accurate to the film. It has the headlights, the correct bonnet and the canopy slides forward. The latter is a great update as that always frustrated me about the old Kenner one that just had a hinge.

You do get a bonus figure which is nice but it's not a great representation of the Sonar Suit.

Still for £20 there's very little I can complain about. It would have been nice to get a new mold but I get that these figures are beloved by the 30/40 year old parents who will be buying them for their kids.

New audiobook - Robin Facing the Enemy read by Drew Griffin

In the run up to the release of the Batman & Robin movie, two short books aimed at kids were released alongside Michael Jan Friedman's novelisation - "Batgirl To Dare the Darkness" by Doug Moench and "Robin Facing the Enemy" by Alan Grant. Both of whom were noted comic book writers at the time. 

While the Batgirl story is set after the 1997 movie and sees her going up against Black Mask, the Robin novel is set in between the two Schumacher films and sees him finding his feet as Batman sidekick (by going off on his own... again).

It's a short, fun read and I'll do a little video with more of my feelings on it at some point in the future. There's some references to the events of Batman Forever but they aren't huge. It's maybe a stretch to call it a full fledged interquel. More of a solo spin-off.

While the Batgirl novel received a short 30 minute "audio drama" in 1997, the Robin novel didn't receive anything. 

Thankfully that has now been corrected by our resident audiobook reader - Drew Griffin (so all thanks to him, not me!) - who has done another great job and brought this story to life. I hope you all enjoy it.

Have a listen to it in the link below. It's two hours of your time and it breezes by:-

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Triple Action Vehicle Set from Kenner

I can't tell you how long I've waited to find this pretty rare vehicle set for the Batman Forever toy line. It's the last bit of the Kenner toy line - not counting the role play sets like the Combat Utility Belt - that I needed.

One slipped through my fingers on eBay three years ago and I've only ever seen about 3 or 4 for sale in my whole life. I don't know if they just weren't sold over here in the UK or they came so late in the toy line's shelf life that not many were sold/made.

Anyway, I had one shipped from the US which was expensive but it was definitely worth the cost. Bless the seller, he included a few Batman Returns Statues inside the package as a bonus. I think he thought I was nuts paying so much for shipping.

This is a really clever toy that allows you to recreate all 3 (or 4) vehicles from the film. Kudos to the designers at Kenner for thinking this up. 

You just know they knew that kids would "frankenstein" their own crazy vehicles with wings and wheels.

News: Spin Master to release NEW Batman Forever figures in January 2025

Well, this took everyone by surprise. Toy manufacturer Spin Master has just announced they're releasing Batman Forever figures in January 2025.

The news broke quite strangely over the last few days. There was no big announcement. It all started when people in Malaysia started posting images of a Batman Forever batmobile that was on toy shelves over there. It turns out they were shipped slightly early over there.

The internet became obsessed with finding out answers and eventually the VP of Spin Master did this interview with Screen Rant to explain that 1) yes, these are Spin Master products and 2) they will be on shelves exclusively at Target Stores in the US in January 2025.

No word on if these will go to other territories but I think they will.

Anyway Spin Master have released these promotional images which show Batman, Robin and Two-Face on card as well as the Batmobile (with exclusive Batman figure). The promo poster for the line also shows the Riddler too but no sign of what his card will look like.

As I'm sure you've noticed these are almost identical to the old Kenner figures from back in the day. It looks like Spin Master is reproducing the exact same 5 inch molds with some small tweaks. Two-Face for instance has lost the gun that was fixed in one hand. Robin has the movie accurate Robin symbol now. And they've tried to make Batman closer to his panther suit appearance.

The Batman figure (both the exclusive figure that comes with the Batmobile and the single figure) look like they are based on Blast Cape Batman (without the cape missile accessory).

The Robin figure is based on Hydro Claw Robin (without the scuba backpack).

And Two-Face is based on the original Two-Face (without the cannon and coin he came with).

I could be wrong but all three figures look like they have much more articulation in the shoulder that the original figures so their arms can go out to the side, not just up and down.

The Batmobile looks to be the same as the original Kenner one just without the light up feature and missile at the front. It also has a sliding canopy which is much better that the original where the canopy had a hinge at the front.

All the figures have quite a vibrant colourful look and are different enough that they'll look good alongside the original Kenner ones. I'm a little sad Spin Master didn't create their own sculpts - the 3.75 in figure they did for Batman Returns last year was an outstanding original mold. I also don't know they picked the best Kenner molds. I feel Night Flight Batman was the best match to the Sonar Suit and Skyboard Robin was the better, more accurate Robin figure.

Anyway, I'll definitely be picking these up when I can get them. Let me know if you will be and what you're hoping Spin Master will do next - the VP mentions in the interview that more will be revealed soon!

Neon Knight Forever audiobook - read by Drew Griffin

Once again Drew Griffin has provided us with another audiobook. This it's time it's Tomasz Zaglewski's Neon Knight Forever book that charts the evolution of how Joel Schumacher's Batman duology has been perceived by fans and critics over the last 30 years. 

Check out my review here.

Also if you enjoy this recording, I'm excited to say Tomasz's book is coming out in paperback in June 2025 - just in time for the 30th anniversary of Batman Forever. 

Pre-order your copy here for UK or here for US.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Sticker Album from Merlin

Years ago I posted scans of the Merlin Sticker Album for Batman Forever but I realised recently I've never taken the time to just flick through it in a video. So here's a video of me talking about it as I go through page by page. 

This sticker album is great to look at. Not only does it have a really colourful, dynamic layout but it also has some super 90s glittery designs.

Most importantly though it's got a ton of "unit stills" - which are photos rather than screengrabs from the film. All major feature films have a dedicated photographer on set who captures high quality stills of the scenes that are filmed as well as the sets and props. Often these are taken during filming or immediately after. As such they give you a unique angle on the film given that they are taken from different perspective - as the photographer will be somewhere other than where the film camera is. Sometimes (and I have been guilty of thinking this) they are mistaken as stills from deleted scenes.

Anyway, there's some great ones in here. Not least the still (to me) mysterious shots of Edward Nygma driving around Claw Island wearing a green hardhat and seemingly opening the building with two red haired assistants either side of him.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Old Housekeeper (Alfred) figure from Mars Toys

Honestly I don't know if I've ever been so excited about a figure before. It sounds crazy but I've seen a lot of Batman, Robin, Two-Face, Riddler, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson figures.

But this figure from Mars Toys is something pretty rare - an Alfred Pennyworth figure specifically based on Michael Gough. I know Mattel did one a while back and McFarlane are including one with the Forever Batmobile - but they were 6 inch scale this is 1/6 scale and it's exquisitely detailed and furnished.

I can't really fault it. The thing that made me HAVE to buy it is of course the silver tray with the food that Alfred offers Dick when he shows up on his motorcycle. What an amazing touch.

I hope Mars Toys do more  - a Kilmer Bruce Wayne? A Chris O'Donnell Robin in leather jacket?

I see they are doing a Two-Face next year but I already got the TruboToyz one. Who knows? I may have to sell that and get the Mars version.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - White Suit Riddler figure from Funko Pop

Pleased to say that the 85th Anniversary of the Batman character has meant that Funko have released some new Schumacher movie figures. We've got a white suit Riddler and a cloaked Poison Ivy.

Very surprised they've made these considering they are new sculpts. The last Batman Forever figures they released were some cheaply made, hydro-dipped versions of the original Riddler and Two-Face.

As usual Funko have done a good job at capturing the details. The cane has the little skull on the end, the suit is shiny, the hair is pinky and flipped up. Love it but surely we need a Chris O'Donnell figure. Maybe that will come next year for the 85th Anniversary of the Robin character???

A double dose of thoughts, insights and observations at seeing Batman Forever on the big screen

Well, I managed to get out and see Batman Forever at the cinema and it was absolutely brilliant. I always get a little bit of trepidation rewatching the film in case my feelings have shifted but I'm pleased to say it played as well now as it did back in 1995 when I was 11.

It's such a different experience seeing it at the cinema. The surround sound really amplified the Goldenthal score and the clarity and size of the screen meant you could take in all the details and colour.

I've rounded up some of my thoughts in the video below.

But wait, there's more! I've recently struck up a friendship and found myself with a new partner. I'll let him introduce himself...

Hope you enjoyed these videos. If you managed to catch it at one of these one-off revival screenings or just have some cool memories from back in the day, let us know in the comments either here or on the YouTube videos.

The complete Batman Forever merchandise list

Someone asked me the other day if I had a list of all the Batman Forever merchandise that's out there so I started putting together this list. 

It's still a bit of a work in progress and I'll be updating over time.

I'll try and get photos of everything too but for now, this is everything I know about.

If there's anything you think I'm missing, let me know in the comments.

Toys and action figures (vintage) - pre 2000

Ultimate Batman - 15" Scale (Kenner) (with Powerful Batarang Weapon, Detachable Flowing Cape, Batman Forever Movie Costume, Battle-Ready Stance, Bat Emblem Display Stand) 

Action figures 2-packs (Kenner)

Guardians of Gotham City- 2-Packs

Riddler & Two-Face- 2-Packs

Action figures Deluxe (Kenner)

Deluxe Batman (Attack Wing) (with Power-Flex Attack Cape)

Deluxe Batman (Laser Disc) (with Flashing Color "Laser" Launcher)

Deluxe Batman (Lightwing) (with Electra-Glow Wings and Lightning Launcher)

Deluxe Riddler (Talking) (with 3 Real Movie Phrases!)

Deluxe Robin (Martial Arts) (with Ninja Kicking Action and Battle Weapons)

Action figures Series 1 (Kenner)

Batman (Blast Cape) (with Assault Blades and Launching Attack Cape!)

Batman (Fireguard) (with Spinning Attack Cape Action!)

Batman (Manta Ray) (with Firing Sea Sled and Pop-Out Breathing Gear!)

Batman (Night Hunter) (with Claw Glider Wing and Night Vision Goggles!)

Batman (Sonar Sensor) (with Flying Disc Blaster and Pop-Up Sonar Scope!)

Bruce Wayne (Transforming) (with Quick-Change Bat Suit and Battle Blades!)

Dick Grayson (Transforming) (with Crime Fighting Suit and Sudden-Reveal Mask!) - 3 variants of this with black cape, gold cape, and no eyes

Riddler (Trapping Brain-Drain Helmet) (with Trapping Brain-Drain Helmet!)

Robin (Hydro Claw) (with Aqua Attack Launcher and Diving Gear!)

Robin (Street Biker) (with Launching Grappling Hooks and Battle Staff!)

Two-Face (with Turbo-Charge Cannon and Good/Evil Coin!) 

Action figures Series 2 (Kenner)

Batman (Batarang) (with Spinning Batarang and Radar System!)

Batman (Ice Blade) (with Quick-Deploy Ski Sled and Blade Runners!)

Batman (Neon Armor) (with Snap-On Armor Shield)

Batman (Night Flight) (with Bat Attack Action)

Batman (Power Beacon) (with Light Force Suit and Flashfire Weapon!)

Batman (Recon Hunter) (with Missile-Firing Surveillance Drone)

Batman (Solar Shield) (with Heat Deflection Cape)

Batman (Street Racer) (with Missile-Firing Pursuit Cycle)

Batman (Wing Blast) (with Sudden-Alert Bio Wings)

Riddler (Question Mark Bazooka) (with Blasting Question Mark Bazooka)

Robin (Skyboard) (with Missile-Blasting Pursuit Vehicle)

Robin (Triple Strike) (with Multi-Cannon Slinger)

Action figures Target exclusives (Kenner)

Target exclusive Bruce Wayne (with Snap-on Crimefighting Armor and Side Swords)

Target exclusive Riddler (Capture Brain Drain Helmet)

Target exclusive Robin (Tide Racer) (with Deep Dive Gear and Sea Claw Launcher)

Action figures vehicles (Kenner)

Batmobile (with Light-up Chassis and Firing Long-Rand Missile!)

Batwing

Robin Cycle

Triple Action Vehicle Set

RC Batmobile (wired)

RC Batmobile (wireless)

Action figures playsets (Kenner)

Wayne Manor Batcave Compound playset + UK variant has cardboard extension for batcave area

Batcave Playset

Diecast vehicles (Kenner)

Die-Cast 5-Pack Vehicle set

Die-Cast Batboat

Die-Cast Batmobile

Die-Cast Batwing

Die-Cast Two-Face Armored Car

Mini figures and playsets (Bluebird)

Batcave Power Center - Mini Playsets

Batmobile Power Center - Mini Playsets

Riddler Power Center - Mini Playsets

Mini Batboat - with Robin, Riddler, Batman

Mini Batsub - with Batman, Riddler (white suit), Robin

Toys and action figures (modern) - post 2000

Mattel Multiverse Panther Suit Figure

Mattel Multiverse Alfred (with Michael Gough head)

Jada Batmobile 1:32

Jada Batmobile 1:24 (with figure)

Eaglemoss Batmobile (+ magazine)

Eaglemoss Batboat (+ magazine)

McFarlane Batman Ultimate set - including 6 modern Batman movies Batmen plus batsignal with replaceable bat symbol

McFarlane Batman 

McFarlane Robin 

McFarlane Riddler 

McFarlane Two-Face 

McFarlane Nightmare Bat (Build a figure)

McFarlane Light Up Batmobile with Alfred figure

McFarlane Glow in the Dark Batmobile

Beast Kingdom Sonar Suit Batman figure

Beast Kingdom Batmobile pull back car

Hot Toys 1/6 scale Batman

Hot Toys 1/6 scale Robin

Statues

Applause 3" PVC statue set

Applause Batman statue 12"

Applause Robin statue 12"

Applause Riddler statue 12"

Applause Two Face statue 12"

Applause Batman vs Riddler

Applause Robin vs Two Face

Applause Leaping Batman

Funko Pop Batman

Funko Pop Riddler

Funko Pop Two-Face

Funko Pop Riddler (Art series)

Funko Pop Two-Face (Art series)

Funko Pop Riddler (White suit)

Funko Bitty Pop Batman

Funko Bitty Pop Riddler 

Funko Bitty Pop Two-Face 

Cosbaby Batman and Robin set

Cosbaby Two-Face and Riddler set

Cosrider Batman and Batmobile 

Iron Studios Mini Co Batman

Iron Studios Mini Co Robin

Iron Studios Mini Co Riddler

Prime 1 Studios Batman (Panther Suit)

Prime 1 Studios Robin

Prime 1 Batman (Sonar Suit)

Prime 1 Bat gadget display

Prime 1 Studios Robin - Night colour variant 

Prime 1 Batman (Sonar Suit) - Night colour variant

Model kits

Revell Batman

Revell Robin

Revell Riddler

Revell Batmobile 

Revell Batwing

Revell Batboat

AMT Batmobile 

AMT Batwing

Kitchenware

Applause Colour Changing Mug Batwing

Applause Colour Changing Mug Batmobile

Applause Colour Changing Mug Batboat

Applause Batman Head mug (ceramic)

Applause Robin Head mug (ceramic)

Applause Riddler Head mug (ceramic)

Applause Two-Face Head mug (ceramic)

Applause Batman Head mug (plastic)

Applause Robin Head mug (plastic)

Applause Riddler Head mug (plastic)

Applause Two-Face Head mug (plastic)

Applause mugs - other

Dress up / Roleplay

Signal Blaster (Kenner)

Combat Utility Belt (Kenner)

Batman Rubber Mask

Riddler Rubber Mask

Two-Face Rubber Mask

Robin Rubber Mask

Butterrick costume pattern Batman

Butterrick costume pattern Robin

Butterrick costume pattern Riddler

Butterrick costume pattern Two-Face

Rubies Batman costume

Rubies Robin costume

Fast food tie-ins

McDonalds Glass Mug Batman

McDonalds Glass Mug Robin

McDonalds Glass Mug Riddler

McDonalds Glass Mug Two-Face

McDonalds Lenticular discs x 4 (Australia)

McDonalds Pop-up Cards (Australia)

McDonalds Pogs (Canada)

McDonalds Cardboard Mask (UK)

Video Games

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (Genesis/Mega Drive)

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (SNES)

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (PC)

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (Game Gear)

Batman Forever The Real Game Begins (Gameboy)

Batman Forever The Arcade Game (Playstation)

Batman Forever The Arcade Game (Sega Saturn)

Tiger Double Dose of Doom handheld

R-Zone Batman Forever

Home video/media

VHS

DVD 

UMD (PSP)

VCD

Batman Anthology DVD set

Batman Anthology Blu-Ray set

4K UHD Blu-Ray

Music

Soundtrack by various artists (CD/Vinyl/cassette)

Score by Elliot Goldenthal (CD/Vinyl)

Expanded Score by Elliot Goldenthal (LaLa Land) (CD)

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me single by U2 (CD/Vinyl/cassette) + animated variant

Kiss from a Rose single by Seal (CD/Vinyl/cassette)

The Riddler single by Method Man (CD/Vinyl/cassette)

Books

Batman Forever: The Making of the Movie by Michael Singer

Batman Forever novelisation by Peter David

Batman Forever junior novelisation by Alan Grant

Batman Forever Kids Golden Books

Batman Forever audiobook read by Rene Auberjonois

Batman Forever TW Kids junior audiobook

Colouring book

Sticker book (Merlin)

Sticker book (Topps)

Official Magazine

Poster Magazines x 6

Miscellaneous 

Skycaps Pogs (8 sets)

Fleer Card Basic Set

Fleer Card Metal set + Flasher variants

Fleer Card Gold silhouette chase set

Fleer Card Video Game Set

Fleer Card Metal Prints

Dynamic Marketing Card Set (Australia)

Noctovision Card Set

Sticker album Merlin (UK & Europe)

Sticker album Topps (US)

Batmobile telephone from Micro Games of America

Medallion FM Radio Bat symbol

Medallion FM Radio Two Face coin

Wooden wall plaque Batman

Wooden wall plaque Robin

Wooden wall plaque Riddler

Wooden wall plaque Two-Face

Battle at the Big Top board game

Crime Fighting Card Game

Audio Tape Game

Playing Cards (Batman painting)

Playing Cards (illustrated drawings)

Jigsaws by Milton Bradley (multiple)

3-D Stand-up puzzle

Batmobile Bubblebath by Prelude UK

Batman Bubblebath by Prelude UK

Super Soaker Batmobile

Creepy Crawlers

Magic Rocks Batboat

T-shirt in a plastic Batmobile

T-shirts (vintage)

T-shirts (modern)

Phonecards

Blank Cassette tapes

Various watches by Amitron

Baseball caps

Hat and scarf set from M&S (UK)

Erasers from Noteworthy

Necklaces (various)

Straw toppers

News: Batman Forever is back on the big screen in the UK this weekend

To celebrate this year being the 85th anniversary of Batman, Cineworld and Vue cinemas are showing 7 Batman movies.

Most important to readers of this blog, Batman Forever will be back on the big screen for one night only.

Details for Vue cinemas (Friday 6th September) here

Details for Cineworld (Saturday 7th September) here

If you do go, please post something on social media and use the hashtag #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut

It will be great if Warner Brothers can see what demand there is for an extended cut of this movie.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Cookie Jar from Applause

This thing was a bit of grail for me. I've been looking for one of these for many years and finally found a decently priced one in eBay.

It's an enormous piece, that measure about 35cm tall and 30cm across. I can almost guarantee you NO ONE has ever used this to store cookies. However, it is a great bust of the Sonar Suit.

As I say in the video, I'm fairly certain this uses the same sculpt as the ceramic Batman head mug. The eye paint work however is much better.

Very glad to finally own this. Let me know in the comments what I should keep in it.

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Batman figure from Hot Toys

Super excited to finally own one of these amazing Hot Toys Batman figures. My god are they expensive but the detail is superb.

This Batman one has some advantages over the Robin figure. For one, you get many more gadgets. The one I couldn't identify in the video I did find out later was the grapple hook that Batman fires when Claw Island starts rising into the air.

I would have love to have seen more but I guess they were restricting them to the ones he uses while wearing the Sonar Suit. Maybe if they do a Panther suit later they'll include the ones he uses during the bank heist.

Anyway, not a lot to critique. The sculpt is great and the face in particular in superb. I love that they included the ability to remove the eyes and replace them with the "Sonar Grid" ones. I think they should have been a bit more blue though.

Unfortunately, like the Robin figure, this one is also very difficult to pose in any kind of dynamic way. That's fine though, I tend to keep all my stuff in "museum poses" anyway.

Anyway, as I say in the video, lots more 1/6 scale figures to follow.

News: McFarlane Toys unveils Forever Batmobile at San Diego Comic Con

McFarlane Toys have just unveiled the light up Forever Batmobile with exclusive Alfred figure. 

Yup... it's green... for some reason. I have no idea why this is and hope the finished version will light up blue like it did in the movie. I'm not holding my breath though.

The vehicle has a button near the front of the canopy to activate the light up feature.

Presumably the canopy opens but I haven't seen that part in action. I really hope they've ironed out the issues that the Flash Batmobile had with the canopy sliding open.

Not sure if the giant fin on the top will be able to split in two like it did in the film.

Overall I think it looks solid and will definitely be picking it up - in spite of the green colour.

The Alfred figure looks really solid. Can definitely see the Michael Gough likeness there. Would be nice if he had a tray accessory or something but I doubt it will. I'll definitely pick this set up as it's unclear if they'll sell the figure separately.

Also remember, the leaked listing mentioned a second batmobile that would have a glow in the dark feature (and I would presume be without the Alfred figure). Be interested to see what that looks like.

Anyway, here's some rough photos. 

To see a video, follow this link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C95VjxKSYxu/?igsh=MW5rbXF2cjZ3MjhmeA==