Batman (1989)

My first ONE:12 Collective purchase was the standard version of Batman: Ascending Knight, which I reviewed previously. Love it, and have kept my eye on the line since then, picking up a figure here & there. But somehow, I was late to the news that another Batman, based on the 1989 movie, was happening. I immediately went online to pre-order, but it was too late. Everyone, everywhere, was sold out. On a whim, I decided to join the waitlist on Mezco’s website, and that was that. Time passed and I forgot about it.

Fast-forward to early 2023. The toy, like many others, was massively delayed due to the impacts of COVID. And I guess some people got tired of waiting. Because I got an email from Mezco saying a spot had opened up. I gratefully jumped on it, and got the package a few weeks later.

Most One:12 Collective releases come in slipcases, but this is actually a box with flaps. The front is adorned with the film’s logo and its version of the Bat symbol, both absolutely iconic.

At first glance, the back looks full of images taken from the movie and promotional materials. But they’re all actually recreations using the toy.

Contents are packed into two plastic trays, along with two different sets of instructions.

To the right are the instructions every ONE:12 comes with. To the left is specific to this figure, because it’s got very unique construction.

Lots of toys have been made over the years based on Batman from the 1989 movie, but Mezco got my attention because of how they approached it, and what resulted. Director Tim Burton didn’t want anything resembling tights, spandex, or underwear. And Michael Keaton, cast as the titular hero, was a normal looking man. So, the result was a suit that visually transformed him.

It’s practically a suit of armor, legit weighing over 70 lbs. So thick & heavy, Keaton couldn’t turn his head without damaging the cowl. Which is why he always moves his entire body to change his point of view.

To capture all of that, Mezco made a seamless body with an internal skeleton. The boots and gloves are hard plastic, but everything else is more like thick rubber. The look is spot-on.

The cape & cowl are removable. We got a glimpse of this in the movie and in the comic adaptation, but it’s wild seeing the body, the suit without them. It looks so incomplete without them.

So, a lot of people rag on this figure because of the way it came out. They don’t like the surface texture. And they don’t like how prone to dust or other airborne crud it is. I don’t mind either of those things, and I’m not worried about dust.

But like everyone else, I will gripe about how the capes work. There are two, one soft and one with internal posing wires. Taking them off is easy. Just lift and pull. But putting them on? So hard, it almost ruins the toy. It’s like the treads on the MG Guntank, infuriating. The instructions are there, but don’t cut it. The collars are just big enough to fit over the neck socket, making a tight, snug connection. Which is good. But the cape material gets in the way, and it’s really hard to get the rings snapped down all the way around.

Two days later, after looking online and lots of deep breathing, I figured out a method that works for me, my fingertips right below the nails and lots of pressure.

Of course, you don’t have to get the capes on properly. But if you don’t, it looks weird.

On the bright side, the magnets work perfectly for the cowls. And there are three included. This one has a lever in the back that lets you move the eyes from side to side. Which is really cool. Again, because Keaton couldn’t turn his head in the suit, a lot of his expressions came from his eyes and how he turned them.

And that’s the hype behind this figure. It really captures the specific look of Batman from the movie. Kind of like a smaller Hot Toys figure, but less doll and more action figure. Articulation is good, appropriate. He can do anything you see in the movie. There are swivel/tilt ankles & wrists. And you can swivel the boots & gloves. But all the other joints are internal & stiff. It’s interesting. I’ve never handled a toy like this.

Of the other cowls, one has a slightly opened mouth.

The other has a bloody cut from his crash in the Batwing.

For accessories, he has multiple hands so detailed, you can see the studs on each one. And it’s the usual mix of fists, relaxed hands, and different grips for the various gadgets & weapons. Everything was designed for the movie, but some didn’t make it into the finished film.

Bomb? Check.

Throwing stars? Check.

Batarangs? Obviously. There are several included. One has a poseable wire attached.

He also has several versions of the grappling gun. All are magnetic and actually attach to his utility belt, in the same spot as seen in the movie.  This is the folded up version, but there are two unfolded versions, and one can hold an included grappling hook in the barrel…

…Which also has a poseable wire attached.

Smoke bomb? Check.

Voice controller for the Batmobile? Check.

The only gear funky out the box is the other grappling device that he used in the museum. It actually has moving parts, and one of the spikes was loose, where it attached to the bracket. I glued it in place, and it’s fine now.

Because of the struggle with getting the capes on properly, it took me a bit to get into this guy. But now that I’ve figured that part out, I’m really happy to have him. Batman is one of my three favorite superheroes, and has a lot of special meaning for me. There’s a lot on why, but I won’t go into that here. Simply put, the 1989 movie is one I love, and now I have a great action figure that represents that version of Batman perfectly for me.

If you’re a serious Batman fan, this may be for you too. Otherwise, for $110+ (some places sell him for way more), you may want to stick to something simpler & cheaper.