It's AzBout Time!

I've owned this AzBats for a couple years now, but am only now blogging about him!

I believe Azrael Batman here was the last DCUC figure I actively pursued until the recent slew of cool Batman Unlimited figures like the Batman of Zur Ehn Arrh and The Dark Knight Returns Batman.

I'm surprised I ever did find this guy to be honest - After months and months of this toy being in the 'marketplace' and me wishing to find it like a normal person, you know, at a store!!!! and seeing all the cool kids find it and blog about it before me, I finally procured a DCUC AzBats from an actual honest to goodness retail establishment! For an honest to goodness retail price!

The left leg was of course wonky in package, something that is always expected from Mattel, but otherwise the figure looked fine on the shelf...exceptional actually...dare I say...flawless...until I got it home and looked much closer at the belt.

THE DAMN THING IS ON UPSIDE-DOWN! I know he's a Bat-imposter, but he's not Batzarro fer cryin' out loud!!!

Dammit Mattel, can't you get ANYTHING right? Bad enough his gauntlet/scallops/bat-thingamajig-wrist-whatevers are wrong and were wrong from the point of design forward yet no one caught the problem, but now my AzBats is dropping smoke pellets and flash-bang grenades and his Ritalin all over the street every time he swigs through Gotham because his stupid utility belt pouches are UPSIDE-FREAKIN-DOWN!

Whatever. He is very cool nonetheless and I am glad to have him in my collection.

AzBats is a great looking figure and the first blue/grey 'almost final iteration' AzBats action figure ever as far as I am aware.

A repainted two-pack version was around for a while, but I never saw it at retail. Apparently it later ended up at discount stores like Ross for super cheap too - I also did not find it there either! I'd love to have found AzBats in his FINAL final iteration and maybe with his belt on correct too, and for CHEAP, but you can't have everything I suppose. I'll stay content with the blue/grey version of this costume.

The two pack re-paint re-release also came with a Bruce batman with some battle damage...

Methinks Batman in a wheelchair would have been more apropos: