THE SIGN OF THE BAT...

BATMAN copyright DC COMICS

I've shown this MARX TOYS TWISTABLE BATMAN before on the blog, but I thought I'd let you see him with his new Bat emblem.  See, when I first acquired this replacement in the early or mid-'90s for the original ones I'd had as a kid (that's right, I had more than one), he came without his utility belt, Bat-a-rang, and Bat-sign.  He still had his original cape with copyright label attached, but it was a little the worse-for-wear.  So I promptly made him a new cape (using the original as a template), new utility belt, and new Bat-a-rang.

His original cape was a darker blue than his mask, boots, and gloves, so I used a darker blue for the replacement.  Eventually, I replaced it with one that was closer to his blue plastic parts, but still just slightly darker.  I made the Bat-a-rang from a piece of perspex, the belt out of felt (hey, a poem), and the Bat-emblem I photocopied from the official one at the time used on merchandise.  Later on, I replaced it with one copied from the '60s AURORA Batman model kit, and last night I made one copied from ADAM WEST's Batman costume.  Sure, I could've copied the original Marx one (got a photo of it in a book), but West is best (hey, another poem), so that's what I've gone with.

These figures are quite hard to come by in any condition and command a pretty penny when they occasionally turn up, so I'm extremely glad to have one.  He's been a work in progress over the years, but at last I'm satisfied with his overall appearance.  (However, if there's anyone out there with a spare original emblem, belt and Bat-a-rang, get in touch.)  His previous looks are still on the blog, so why not have some fun tracking them down and comparing them?

Posted in: Cartoons