A look back at the Batman Unmasked exhibition

Another different type of video this week - a look back at the temporary Batman Unmasked exhibition that was in Covent Garden in London from September to December 2024 (and also Manchester before that).

I meant to get this edited last year when I actually went to the exhibition as a way to show people what it was like before they went. Unfortunately I ended up not getting around to editing it until this year, after the exhibition had closed. Oops. Oh well I guess at least I didn't spoil all the surprises.

Anyway, hope this is of interest. It was really great to see all these old Schumacher Batman movie costumes and props up close - the actual things that the actors used and wore. You could see all the scuffs and marks on them and paint was visibly peeling off some bits. There was a little bit from all the Batman movies from the last 35 years but the Schumacher stuff was what stuck out. The costumes and props from those two films are so colourful and over the top. It's probably what got me so interested in making props recently. 

When you see this stuff up close you realise how important all the camera work and lighting and effects are - because the reality is that lots of this stuff looks kinda cheap when you're eyes are inches from it. It was never built to be poured over like this or last as long as it has.

The exhibition was a little pricey and short for what you got but I'm still glad I went. I appreciate the theatricality that went into it. It certain made it feel a little grander than it actually was. 

What's on all our minds? Props

Bit of a different type of video this week. I've been bitten by the replica prop making bug so I'm looking to start putting together some more.

Batman Forever had such a great collection of imaginative and elaborate props. I don't know which direction to go. 

I want some challenging stuff as well as some easy ones. I want the really iconic stuff as well as the super niche stuff. Any suggestions for what to make, let me know.

Here are all the links that I put up in the video:-

The mini Nygmatech box is available from: https://www.theartoframses.com/ and Ramses' instagram link is: https://www.instagram.com/koolpropstudio/

Links to my elements to make Riddle 1 is here: https://archive.org/details/if-you-look-3 and Riddle 2 is here: https://archive.org/details/tear-one-off

Link to magazine prop photos if you want to print them off are here: https://archive.org/details/mag-architectural-diary

I'll hopefully be doing some more of these types of videos where I just talk about stuff rather than constantly showing off toys and figures so let me know if there's a topic you want me to discuss.

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.