RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books The Collector: Custom Spotlight - Batman

“This is torture, at its most bizarre and terrible.”

Adam West once uttered the above phrase during his tenure as Batman. Years later, his words that ring true…particularly to the action figure aficionados who have viewed DC Direct’s most recent Batman, based on the artwork of Michael Turner. The disdain for Turner’s “hover harness” Batman (a slightly modified of DCD’s Identity Crisis Batman, due for release in December) seems to be universal, as complaints over Batman (and Turner-styled figures in general) are accumulating on DC Direct’s message boards as well as the RKMBs.

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Chewy Walrus said:
These action figures are making my eyes bleed...

Killconey said:
I feel like crying... Can their really be a light at the end of the tunnel if the darkness looks like that?


anonymous DCMB posters have said:

Batman's face looks like he is going to have a difficult bowel movement!!

…to the higher-ups [at] DC Direct: What are you, high? Seriously!

Absolute crap.

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The fans’ negative reaction is partly the result of DC Direct’s seeming inability to produce a non-stylized, comic book accurate Modern Age Batman. To date, the closest the company has come to producing such a figure is the Hush Batman, based on the artwork of Jim Lee. Though well-sculpted and accurate to Lee’s rendition of the Dark Knight, the figure has almost as many critics as it does supporters. Furthermore, DCD threw away an opportunity to produce a Modern Age Batman by re-using its Silver Age Batman figure for the JLA gift set released in late September.

As the old saying goes, “if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” That the philosophy “Boy Blunder” applied to his interpretation of Batman.




The action figure customizer hailing from the Philippines was inspired by the work of another custom Batman figure; one that combines the body of an Attack Armor Batman figure with a DC Direct Hush Batman head.



Blunder’s Batman utilized the above formula, yet refines it with a darker color scheme. “I was going for a [modern] Neal Adams or Jim Aparo look,” says the customizer.



While the artistic influence of Neal Adams or Jim Aparo is debatable, this Batman certainly has a modern influence. The artwork of Jim Lee is prevalent, which can be attributed to the fact it was rendition of Batman which served as the basis of Hush Batman’s head. What may not be apparent is the attention to detail this figure displays. The head, cowl, gloves, briefs, and boots on the figure were repainted by hand. Also hand crafted is the cape, which was constructed using “umbrella material.” There are few words to describe how well crafted the figure is…so I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Additional notes on the figures used:

Attack Armor Batman was released by Mattel earlier this year. The figure (and its counterpart, Bat Signal Batman) are currently retailed exclusively to the Philippines. Both figures are currently being sold on eBay.

Hush Batman was released by DC Direct in June of 2004.

That has got to be the best cape on an action figure that I have ever seen.

A great looking figure overall too.

Indeed it is. I'm on the verge of buying an Attack Armor Batman and making that custom for myself.

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Jeremy said:
That has got to be the best cape on an action figure that I have ever seen.

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You're not the only person who thinks so. In fact, Boy Blunder received so much praise for the cape alone, he posted a tutorial on the Fwooshnet forums titled "Batcapes 101":

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Hey all!
I'm posting a short "how to" on the bat capes for those who want to make their own or as a base to improve upon. Hope that helps!

Just some prepping. You will need to cut out the 3 posts on the underside of the shoulder piece to allow the new cape to fit properly.



This is how the material will most likely look after being liberated from the umbrella. Just remember that the cape at its widest point (shown here) should be equivalent to twice the height of your figure from foot to the base of the neck post PLUS the width of the neck post. It is important to iron (low heat pls!) a crease down the center of the material (don't forget this!)



Next fold the cape like so and cut off everything below the green line.



Next, join the two front sides of the cape right where the red dot is. Make sure not to involve the material behind it when stitching! Fit this onto your figure to see how it fits with the neck post. Next, stitch the front and back portion of the cape as indicated by the blue lines (reverse-stitch if desired). They are slightly higher than the red dot. Make sure to leave a space for your neck post to fit through. you will need to cut a small amount of material (indicated by the green curve) for a proper fit. Remember to fit after every step. And when in doubt go slow and cut only half of what you re aiming for...its hard to put material back once its been trimmed off. Cut the ends of the cape in a scalloped fashion. note: smaller arcs for an older cape design and bigger shallower ones for the ala-Jim Lee version.



Remember to always fit after each step! (Not the revers-stitch on this sample) Fit on the head and shoulder assembly. At this point the cape will look like a rain poncho…stop here if so desired.



Finally take the ends of the poncho on either side and fold them in at the points (in yellow) making small stitches by the small of the figures back (in red). Notice how the center crease allows some play in the material whilst taking up some slack. You are now done with your Boy Blunder style cape! Enjoy!



op off with a repainted Hush Batman head from DCD (if so desired). Enjoy! Here are some pics of the finished figures.

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Aaaaand because I just posted a picture of it in the tutorial, the blue variant:





Boy Blunder used the Attack Armor body, but substituted a Mattel Hydro Suit Batman head for the Hush version. As always, the cape was his original creation.

brian is gay!