“Oh, you’re everything they say you are, aren’t ya???”
I really enjoyed The Batman. I recently reviewed it on my blog and loved almost everything about it. I was recently offered the chance to review one of the Spin Master toys based upon the film and decided to give it a shot. In all honesty I haven’t collected any Spin Master toys from the film because I’m much more interested in the McFarlane Toys figures that are being produced. Spin Master’s line is geared toward children and I love the company for that fact, but this film’s toys need to be grittier and more adult in my opinion. With that being said, here’s my review for Spin Master’s The Batman “Batman Batcave.”
This is definitely the biggest play set that I’ve ever personally reviewed from Spin Master. It comes with quite a few pieces. There’s the Batcave stairwell that must be assembled (two sets of stairs and the walkway snap together), a multi-screen computer desk, a work bench with places to store the included cowl and chest plate, the Batcycle, a red grappling gun, two Batarangs, a suitcase that opens, cash that can be stored in the suitcase, the Penguin’s umbrella with a blade that can be hidden in the handle, and two figures, an unmasked Batman and the Penguin. There’s also a parking stand for the Batcycle. I plan on using it in the future to display pretty much all of my Spin Master stuff as I review it.
The walkway features a trapdoor that opens whenever you apply just a little bit of pressure to it. There’s also a detachable rail that you can toss figures through but it’s locked in place rather tightly. I don’t see kids getting much use out of the rail but they’ll probably enjoy the trapdoor. The computer desk features monitors that have stickers on them. The stickers on the one that I received were bubbled up a bit and I had to smooth them out a bit. Once I did this, the desk looked great. I love the work bench. There are tools, Batarangs, and a pair of Batman’s gloves molded into the desktop and a place to store the cowl and chest plate. The cowl slides onto a molded head and the chest plate snaps into place on a molded chest. They look great on the desk. The grappling gun and extra Batarangs look fine enough, but the grappling gun looks nothing like the one from the film and that Batarangs fit poorly in Batman’s hands. Penguin’s suitcase and umbrella fit his hands better than than Batman’s accessories and, at least in my opinion, look better as well.
The Batcycle looks cool and is very similar to the one featured in the film. It’s a slick looking bike and it look great on its stand. It features a kickstand that prevents it from falling on its side. The best thing about this bike to me is the fact that Batman can actually sit on it without any difficulties or awkward posing. This is one of the first Spin Master vehicles that I’ve found that actually fits their action figures properly.
The two action figures that come with this set are pretty good. The likeness of Robert Pattinson as Batman/Bruce Wayne is okay, especially for a Spin Master figure, but the figure’s cape sits loosely on its back and looks very cheap. The cowl that comes with the set can be placed on Batman’s head, but the back of the cowl is completely open and looks oversized on the figure. I recommend purchasing another cowled Batman figure if you want that look and keep this one unmasked. The Penguin figure doesn’t look much like Colin Farrell in the film. The figure features a much gentler looking face without all of the scarring that Farrell’s version of the character features in the film. Despite this fact, I love this figure. There’ssomething about him that screams “Businessman who just had a bad day” and I love it. Both of the figures feature the standard eleven points of articulation expected to come with Spin Master figures.
I’m sure that kids will get a kick out of playing with the Batcycle, the workbench, and the computer desk as well as both figures. The stairs and walkway aren’t as impressive, but they make for a darn nice display. I think that collectors will appreciate both of the figures and the Batcycle. I also believe that they’ll love using one or all of the pieces for display. Overall, a decent set with just a few minor issues.
Thanks for checking out this review. Let me know what you think about this set in the comments.
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