Over the years, and even as recently as a few months ago, I've written so, so many words about how much I love Batman: The Animated Series. I don't need to tell you that any more, nor do I need to tell you about it either, because you know. It's BTAS. We all know it.
I will say that in writing these action figure articles, this is the line I was most afraid to approach, because I thought it would be too daunting. Instead, even though there are a lot of pieces to cover, I might have had the most fun looking these over out of any toy line I've ranked so far. So, pull up your favorite episode and let's dive in.
Vehicles and Playsets
14. Ice Hammer: None of these vehicles are awful, so this particular list goes from "good" to "great." I'd gladly take an Ice Hammer vehicle any day without hesitation, but would prefer the other 13 just a bit more.
13. Electronic Crime Stalker: For when you want to stalk crime, electronically.
12. B.A.T.V.: Love that acronym. Truth be told, the first half of this list is full of vehicles that look like they were left over from, like, Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe other '80s toy lines. They still rock, and I would have loved to have been able to see them in the cartoon.
11. Hoverbat: A little over-designed for a vehicle that should be relatively simple, I like this more because of the art on the box. Two-Face looks so mad to have been captured, while Batman has an expression of annoyance as if he missed his exit on the freeway. Amazing.
10. Bruce Wayne Street Jet: I keep looking at this and the Bruce Wayne Custom Coupe from the Batman Returns line and I can't tell if it's the exact same mold or just incredibly similar. Either way, Bruce needs a sweet ride when he isn't in costume, and props for giving him a yellow shirt. Just needs to look a bit more like mustard to be perfect.
9. Hydro Bat: The vehicle itself has a nice, compact design, and the ability to play with it in water is a plus. My absolute favorite aspect, though, is that Batman looks like he's hanging on for dear life on the package. That man is not in control of the situation at all.
8. Bat-Signal Jet: "Why would Batman need a jet with a Batsignal on it?", you ask? Why wouldn't he? What better way to fight crime than by flying around on a little rocket and blinding your enemies with a huge floodlight? Plus, it's a fun looking toy, and that's what really matters.
7. Aero Bat: The nice, compact design is fun, and the fact that the windshield has eyes painted on it so the whole vehicle looks like a giant Batman face is just beautiful.
6. Batcave Command Central: While playsets can be relatively hit or miss, this one definitely hits. Multiple levels of play, including facades for Wayne Manor, the Batcave, and the exit for the Batmobile, and it even looks like it can fold up for ease of storage and transportation. Can't go wrong with any of that.
5. The Jokermobile: The only thing I dislike about this is that it never appeared in the series, because this is 100% something Joker would have driven around in. And the launching smile missile is simply perfect.
4. Robin Dragster: Also something that never appeared on the show, though it isn't quite as on-brand as the Jokermobile. Mainly, I just like Robin, and was near impossible to find back in the day due to a tragic factory fire.
3. Batmobile: Sleek and classic, this is about as perfect an Animated Batmobile as you could hope for. I only like this design, without full on loving it, as there are other Batmobiles I prefer over this one. Still, it's awesome and perfectly fits the aesthetic of the show.
2. Batcycle: Great design, and I'm pretty sure it has pull-and-release action. That's much better than a ripcord. No other notes.
1. Batplane: The only knock I have toward this is that "Batwing" sounds cooler than "Batplane." This rocks, though, and I honestly like its design more than the show's Batmobile. It's a perfect Bat-themed flying vehicle, any way you look at it. Fantastic.
Miniatures
12. Gotham City Police Helicopter: Should have been a Police Blimp. F-.
11. Bruce Wayne's Car: If this were a Hot Wheel or something, I might like it more. As part of a line with much more interesting vehicles and characters, it's just kind of bland.
10. Batman: A solid, good looking Batman. Very, very basic, though, when most of the other figures look much more interesting.
9. Catwoman: Her pose is better than Batman's, but kind of awkward. I would have liked it more had she had her hand on her hip, exuding grace, confidence, and a bit of danger. This just looks like she's saying "rawr!"
8. Batcycle: Usually I think miniature motorcycle figures are weird, because they look strange without a rider. The Batcycle design is so sleek that it doesn't really matter, though, so this looks cool.
7. The Batmobile: Simple. Cool. Simply cool.
6. The Penguin: Short and squat, as it should be. Love the umbrella, and the fun sticker art.
5. Batboat: That there isn't a larger Batboat toy is weird, so having this included in miniature kind of makes up for that. Kind of.
4. Robin: No joke, I bought this off eBay on a whim a few months ago, when it just popped up in a search for other items. Nice pose and a great sticker.
3. Batplane: Looks great, and would no doubt be fun to play with.
2. The Joker: Great colors and a dynamic sculpt, this looks and feels like the Joker.
1. Batman (crouched): Simply a better, much more interesting sculpt and pose than the other Batman, and I love the illustration on the sticker.
Action Figures 36-31
36. Bola Trap Robin: Unsurprisingly, a lot of these low rankings are going to be arbitrary, because they're all relatively the same: repainted figures with bizarre names, accessories, and/or designs. This is definitely at least one of those.
35. Cyber Gear Batman: Also weird, and looks slightly less cheap than that Robin. Just slightly.
34. Glider Robin: The idea is there, and I like that glider pack quite a bit. The colors are just too out there.
33. Ninja Power Pack Batman and Robin: Again, good idea that lacks execution. Even dressing them up in ninja-ish garb would have helped this. The two huge shuriken are a cool touch, but other than that this only feels tangentially ninja-related. Two-pack sets are always a plus, though.
32. Sky Dive Batman: Cool parachute and a Batsuit that makes me want a Dreamsicle. Could be worse.
31. Knight Star Batman: Takes the cool accessories from the Ninja Power Pack and gives us a Batman with a slightly better costume. The gold suit is pretty sharp, not gonna lie.
Action Figures 30-21
30. Anti-Freeze Batman: One of those figures I always think of when I think of this line, as I remember seeing it all the time in stores. Never owned it, but I'm nonetheless very familiar with it. The fact that it kind of looks like what the concept is selling helps, with white evoking "freeze" and the red piping potentially being used for generating heat.
29. Lightning Strike Batman: Same as Anti-Freeze Batman, this comes to mind when I think of this line. That the name "Lightning Strike Batman" could either be "Batman who uses lightning" or "Batman who gets struck by lightning" makes me laugh and edges it ahead one slot.
28. High Wire Batman: Might have made more sense as a Robin figure, because circus and what not. Cool accessory and play action, and I kind of dig those yellow highlights on the suit.
27. Ground Assault Batman: Kind of digging those colors, and the large bat-shaped plate on his chest. Random glider/board accessory could be for anything, so otherwise it's relatively nondescript.
26. Radar Scope Batman: Another cool suit design, with some nice paneling on the legs and arms. Being a little more creative with the "radar " concept than just sticking a huge circular dish on his back is a bonus.
25. Dick Grayson Robin: Good Dick Grayson figure, just kind of okay Robin. If the tunic snapped on over his black shirt and didn't have anything else attached that might look really sharp, but the silly radar dish on the right shoulder and clunky mask attachment on the left drags it down. I do like that wrist-mounted Batarang launcher, though.
24. Infrared Batman: Love the look of the suit itself, as the deep red as kind of an update of the Batman: The Movie poster (which I think I've said about another figure in another line). The accessory is just kind of whatever, not moving the needle one way or the other.
23. Tornado Batman: Love the colors of the suit, with that silver and blue popping out against the black of the cowl, cape, boots, and gloves. The launcher accessory looks fun, though I bet something would get lost pretty quickly, be it the flying disc, ripcord, or launcher itself.
22. Turbojet Batman: A good looking Batman that is pretty on model, when it comes to colors. I don't hate the harnesses and straps criss-crossing his body, though I do wish they were maybe a dark brown. The jetpack is kind of fun, if a bit small.
21. Ninja Robin: Not a bad looking Robin here, either. The accessories fit the ninja theme this time around, and "chopping arm action" is a fun feature. Could almost be a regular Robin figure all around, if not for the black accents.
Action Figures 20-11
20. Bane: Yep. Definitely Bane.
19. Bruce Wayne: Imagining Bruce Wayne donning his Batman costume only for it to be this super bulky outfit makes me laugh. The fact that the boots and leggings are the same color, so it looks like he's wearing jammies, makes it all the funnier.
18. The Joker: Genuinely love the gas mask, and the gun that squirts water is a nice touch. Something about this just seems a bit plain and uninspired, though, even if I can't quite put my finger on it.
17. Mech-Wing Batman: Better strap color against a shiny silver suit. The oversized wing pack rocks, and makes me love this in all its ridiculousness.
16. The Riddler: Not a bad Nygma at all. Kind of wish the question mark bazooka had more color, but being able to type "question mark bazooka" made my day, so it's a wash.
15. Power Vision Batman: Great suit, cool light up feature, and a huge backpack accessory. That's a pretty apt distillation of this entire line, in a way.
14. Killer Croc: Plain and simple. Croc, with a croc to wrestle. Only thing that would improve it is if he came with a big rock.
13. Poison Ivy: When you have a good character design with an interesting gimmick, you don't need a bunch of frills. Poison Ivy would work just fine with that little crossbow, but including a giant piranha plant bazooka thing? Sometimes, frills are nice.
12. Rapid Attack Batman: Great grapple launcher and some nice colors. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else is needed.
11. Ultimate Batman: Even when the batteries die and the eyes and Batsymbol no longer light up, this will still be a stunning, no-frills Batman figure. Can't beat that, can you?
Action Figures 10-1
10. Two-Face: The top 10 is villain-heavy, and it was incredibly hard picking and choosing. As a figure, Two-Face looks excellent. What kept him from ranking higher is his accessory, which looks kind of fun, but it's also incredibly odd and random. Give him a Tommy gun and he'd shoot up the list, but as he is, he's a respectable number 10.
9. Battle Helmet Batman: Even though the blueish hue of the suit isn't quite a match with the show, I think it looks stellar. Give him a better accessory and this might be the best Batman in the line, even if he's a mailaway toy.
8. Catwoman: The slightly awkward pose and silly cat claw accessories are the only drawbacks, though they're relatively minor. She looks great, comes with a whip, and even has a little kitty. Solid all around.
7. Mr. Freeze: Great sculpt all around, and a water squirting accessory is inspired. Just wish he had a smaller, more screen-accurate freeze gun too.
6. The Penguin: Like Freeze, the sculpt is fantastic and I like the idea behind the accessory. The only thing I'd change is giving him an actual umbrella too, not just the launcher device. But, again, the smallest of nitpicks.
5. Man-Bat: Now the rankings are getting really hard to decide. You don't need to do much with Man-Bat, because he's a man. Who is also a bat. Including a length of string with hooks on each end so he can be suspended in the air is a great idea, and I love the sculpting on his wings and face in particular.
4. Scarecrow: Think about how a BTAS Scarecrow figure should look, and it would be this. The face is maybe a tad off, kind of an amalgam of the two looks he had on the show, but that's literally my only quibble. And considering he had a few different looks on the show, having a figure that looks a bit different still tracks.
3. Combat Belt Batman: The top three are going to be practically interchangeable. This Batman has a perfect suit, tons of cool accessories, and a clean, classic paint job. I honestly can't think of a single thing I'd change.
2. Robin: Like Combat Belt Batman, the Robin figure is perfect as-is. Fantastic sculpt and gorgeous colors, and I love the look of his hair and that smile. The glider accessory is big, bright, and a ton of fun too. Great, great Robin figure.
1. Clayface: Ol' Matt Hagen here is big, lumpy, and kind of gross, as he should be. Excellent sculpt, and the firing mace hand is just flat-out awesome. While as a kid we would understandably gravitate more toward the hero figures, I think as adults we can appreciate a truly well-made villain all the more. Especially when it's as cool as Clayface here.
All images were obtained from Figure-Archive.net, unless otherwise noted.
