Toy Review: McFarlane Toys’ The Batman and His Batcycles

For the first time since acquiring the DC action figure license, Todd McFarlane has an all-new Batman solo movie opening on his watch. Which means he gets to be first to do action figures in the 6-7 inch scale, rather than having to follow in any footsteps. Naturally, he’s going all out, even though, in many respects, The Batman looks like maybe the least “toyetic” Batman movie ever. (Even Christopher Nolan had the Batpod and the Tumbler looking slightly sci-fi.) Most Batmobile toy rights appear tied up with Spin Master, hence why McFarlane Toys mainly makes Bat-Raptors, Bat-cycles, and Batmobeasts. (The 1966 Batmobile, built by George Barris, may be under a different license.) But the company surprised by making two Batcycles from the movie: an official Batcycle and a Bruce Wayne “Drifter” Motorcycle.

The logic of this at first seems odd. Who wants to play with — or even display — Bruce Wayne in thrift-store clothing on a generic motorcycle? But it makes more sense in the bigger picture. And that is this: motorcycles for 7-inch figures aren’t really a thing. Despite being requested. Think of the Terminator, for example. Often thought of as riding a motorbike. And yet, because NECA could never license the actual model of bike seen in the movies, their many Terminator figures never caught a ride.

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Until now, that is. The downward angle of the handlebars makes his holding them a challenge, but he only needs one hand on them.

And Arnold’s not the only one. Doesn’t the 6.5-inch WWE Undertaker figure deserve a decent ride too?

Not that there aren’t other McFarlane figures who could also use a ride.

So never mind emo Bruce. The real audience here is anyone who needs a realistic motorcycle for any figure this size. Though for McFarlanes in particular, it includes an alternate helmet-head, mainly for Bruce but probably compatible with Selina Kyle too. (McFarlane only sent the bikes for review; The Batman figure was purchased from Amazon.) Because McFarlane pegs don’t always work universally, here’s the head precariously balancing on a NECA Terminator figure’s skinny neck. The dings and paint scratches on it are a nice extra detail. The visor is not translucent or removable.

The Batcycle comes with an extra right hand for Batman, with handlebar grip, as his regular hand is a karate chop hand with a hole in the palm for the peg in his grapnel gun. Combined with the grip in his left hand, this creates a default two-handed launch pose.

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The peg on the gun also attaches to a loop in his belt, though not as tidily.

Understanding that this Bruce is a bike enthusiast explains his Batsuit a bit better. The leathery legs and chest armor suggest a competitive biker, while the shoulder pads and collar offer hints of Gotham by Gaslight and the hockey-pads fan from The Dark Knight. It looks all black from a distance, but lit properly, the main suit gets revealed as a more gunmetal gray, with black highlights, making it more comic-accurate than it initially seemed.

The likeness is absolutely one of McFarlane’s best.

As for size, it’s close to other DCs, but not perfect. Compare him to the Ben Affleck Batman who’s supposed to be wearing bulky armor, and he looks scaled up just slightly. Affleck IRL is allegedly two inches taller than Robert Pattinson. We doubt his head is that much smaller.

On the whole, the figure is one of the company’s best. The wrists still suffer a little from exposed Revoltech-style ball-joint syndrome, but the boot cuffs cover it on the ankles. And those hands, after all, do require a switch-out to put him properly on the cycle.

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The motorcycles feature turning steering, and do not stand by themselves. That’s why both come with a clip to hold the rear wheel upright. Different sizes, of course. Details are good on both, from the scuffmarks on the front to the scorching on the exhaust. It does seem odd, though, that the pedals are located such that Batman’s feet go right at the exhaust ports. Seems like that might hurt a bit.

Oh, and Batman’s not really showy at this stage, so no logos to designate it an official Batcycle. It’s just sleeker than his usual.

Will kids play with these a bunch? Probably not. But as diorama display pieces, they’re excellently detailed. And it’s easy to imagine collectors buying more than one to customize; even the Batcycle is generic enough that it’d work with other figures.

Both the Batcycle and Drifter Motorcycle go for $29.99, with Batman himself at $19.99. Pretty good deals, as current prices go. (Note: Superhero Hype participates in the Entertainment Earth Affiliate Program, designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Entertainment Earth.)

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