Pocket Super Heroes Catwoman and Robin

I have a handful (or perhaps I should say pocket full) of these DC Direct Pocket Superheroes figures lying around Toyriffic Central.

They are basic and silly but charming in their own way. And who can resist a Silver Age Catwoman?! This one is probably my favorite of the few I have. for all the costume designs Catwoman has had over the years, this one may be my favorite.

I picked these figures up from the flea market many years ago, and my oldest daughter played with them for a while. I had actually forgotten that I owned Catwoman and Robin ans they had been stored separately from the other few I have at hand (Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Dr. Fate and Spectre.)

I'm a fan of all things Robin, so this one will have to be added to my primary Robin display now that I have dug him up again after all these years.

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Custom LEGO Catmobile

The modern LEGO Catwoman minifigure originally came with a motorcycle. DULLSVILLE! Catwoman needs a car, so I made her one!

I wanted to make the Catmobile carry some Batmobile aesthetics, but with a Cat theme instead of a Bat theme (natch.) I gave it a tail, some claws/fangs, and...

...a cat face up front that rotates to a 90 degree angle or slides back for high speed pursuits (or more apt: escapes.)

'Ramming speed!'

The cockpit is a removable piece, with Catwoman fitting snugly inside.

I'm not sure if I'm completely satisfied with my custom Catmobile, as I tend to work on and update stuff like this over and over again for months on end. But at this juncture I think it's pretty neat.

Preschool Week :: Gotham Girls

Just a pair of pictures featuring everyone you've seen this Preschool Week, together with their respective toyline teammates: Gotham Girls - Imaginext and Playmobil style!

Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, official members of the Imaginext DC Universe lineup, and custom members of the world of Playmobil.

I have yet to come up with a way to give Catwoman cat ears (without her looking like a cheap custom job that is.) I keep hoping Playmobil will make a cat ear headband or hood or something for some Halloween themed figure or somesuch. Like I said before, these are just kitbash customs, no paintwork or part modification whatsoever. Just parts swapping. Doing these customs is challenging and fun, and while I am sure I could do all sorts of paint work or craft custom parts, I like to keep these things simple yet creative. At least for now. Who knows what the future holds?!

Preschool Week :: Playmobil Catwoman Custom Figure

I've added a couple parts to my Playmobil Catwoman custom figure since first putting her together. Namely the gloves and the bandanna mask. Since there's no official Playmobil part that can effectively represent cat ears (that I am aware of at least), I am going with the more basic 'cat burglar' representation of the character. This is Selina Kyle out stealing stuff, plain and simple. She even has a bag of ill-gotten goods in her clutches!

I'm positive they make a Playmobil whip, so I should really track one of those down. It would complete the look, at least until I can get her some cat ears! I've also toyed (hahaha get it? Toy humor!) with the idea of losing the domino masked head and just going with one that would allow her eyes to show, but Catwoman has always kept most of her face hidden so I think I like her this way better. I do have some Playmobil sunglasses, but they don't work with any of the short female dark hair pieces I have.

I've clearly given this figure WAY too much thought!

Preschool Week :: Imaginext Catwoman by Fisher-Price

Imaginext Catwoman. The one that started it all - at least as far as female DC Universe characters go. Catwoman was made right before Imaginext shifted their designs from sculpted heads to featureless heads (except for noses) and painted on faces. If she came out today, you can bet her lips would be painted on. One wonders if the goggles would have been painted on too?

Honestly, some red lips would really enhance Catwoman's face, which is sort of bland as it is; but if it would have meant losing the sculpted goggles, then I am much happier with this version.

DC Collectibles 2014 Line-up Toy Fair Reveals :: TAKE ALL MY MONEY!

DC Collectibles just released to the media a sneak peek at all of their 2014 releases, and all I can say is DC Collectibles is about to get a ton of my money this year!

Say it with me kids: O-M-F-G! in 2014 DC Collectibles will be releasing all new action figures based on the penultimate in Batman on screen: Batman Animated action figures with multiple points of articulation and screen accurate sculpts! This Batman Animated Catwoman action figure WILL BE MINE...

...as will this GORGEOUS The New Batman Adventures Batman action figure. These are simply incredible looking action figures - no word yet on scale (I dare assume 6") or price etc. etc. but I will update you as soon as I find out because I am buying these on day one! EDIT: According to USA Today these will be 6" scale, retail for $24.95, and will be available November 2014. And according to MTV.com Two-Face and Mr. Freeze have also been announced! No word yet on Harley Quinn but my God will I plotz when she's announced!

And speaking of Harley Quinn:

Cuteness overload! DC Collectibles is releasing a Lil' Gotham series, and Harley Quinn is one of the first releases. Yup, buying this one on the spot too.

Leaving the more cartoony spectrum for a moment - get a load of Pajama Party Harley Quinn (from DC Collectible's Infinite Crisis line). Oh my God another must have! Harley Quinn in her pajamas, with a teddy bear taped to a bedpost and a super-soaker. LOVE!

And speaking of love...

Harley Quinn in Batman panties. Action figures have come a loooong way in my time. Expect me to own this one immediately too!

Other highlights (and figures on my list of 'almost must haves') include:

Designer Series Thrasher Armor Batman based on the art of Greg Capullo.

Infinite Crisis Atomic Poison Ivy.

Lil' Gotham Damian Wayne.

New 52 Batgirl.

And New 52 Supergirl.

Phenomenal action figures one and all - an incredible set of good Harley Quinns, an amazing surprise with the Batman Animated figures (and the sky is the limit as far as potential for that line goes!), and some good fun comic book accurate toys. I've got to get to my comic book store immediately to get my orders in!

To see more of what's coming from DC Collectibles in 2014, check out Toy News International, MTV.com, and the video below:

A Tale of Two Kitties :: A Very Special Catwoman Purrrsday

What's this? That isn't Catwoman?!?!
It's true, but I happened to have a chance to look at both the newest Black Cat action figure to hit the market and the recent Batman Classic TV Catwoman which I had purchased way before the holidays but had yet to open - with the opportunity to comment on the differences between the two action figures at the same time. Lucky you!

And I have to admit - I had originally expected my fondness of one of these to minxes to eclipse the other by quite a high degree, but was pleasantly surprised to find that I like them both quite a lot, and that the contest isn't nearly the landslide I had expected it to be. Yes, one is better than the other in my mind, but not by too much!

So...what we have here are two famous comic book kitties for today's special Catwoman Purrrsday: Black Cat and Catwoman.

Black Cat is from the most recent iteration of Marvel Legends, and is one of the 50/50 variant 'Skyline Sirens' figures (along with Spider-Girl) in the Marvel Infinite Spider-Man themed wave from Hasbro.

Catwoman is the Julie Newmar version from the 1966 television series, as envisioned in plastic in the Batman Classic TV Series of action figures from Mattel.

The vast differences in source material notwithstanding, these two tabbies actually look pretty good together!

Black Cat is a much more modern, stylized, comic-book art/cartoony inspired action figure, while Catwoman is a pretty good attempt to mimic the likeness of an actual living and breathing human being...from the nineteen-sixties.

Like I said earlier, I really thought I'd like Black Cat way more than I like Catwoman. How great a job Hasbro did on this Black Cat is pretty obvious. But Mattel did a really good job on Catwoman too. And while they are both different beasts entirely, they are both great representations of their respective sources.

I will say that Black Cat is a better value for your money. She's much more substantial (and not just...THERE...) and comes with a really great grappling hook/whip accessory. She also comes with a BAF part for Ultimates Green Goblin, of which I do not intend to complete, but one can usually trade or sell these parts away and re-coup some of the cost of the full figure. But as far as action figure costs go these days, you wouldn't have gotten this Black Cat for any less money without the BAF piece as part of the overall package, so at least you have a little something extra to deal with as you wish.

Basically the bottom line is: the only thing that should hold you back from owning either of these figures is your fondness for the characters themselves.

Catwoman's packaging is the same as all of the Batman Classic TV Series figures, with Robin saying 'Holy Cats! A CAT! It is good looking packaging and beats Black Cat's boring black, but Black Cat's packaging is re-sealable, so it has that advantage if that is something that appeals to you.

Also of note: the 'Only at Toys R Us' sticker on Catwoman. Fans of this line know there has been some strange doings at the retail level for these, namely they have appeared at very few brick and mortar locations. Yet they are almost everywhere online, and have seen drastic clearance prices at places like Amazon.com. My theory is that Toys R Us made some sort of agreement with Mattel and that future waves will be exclusive to Toys R Us both online and at physical locations. Only time will tell.

There is no doubting this as a 1966 TV representation of Catwoman, and the likeness to Julie Newmar is pretty good for this scale and cost. The eye make-up could be better, but the eyebrows are pretty classic and well done.

Catwoman moves well - all the same DCUC engineering we all know and...know. Nothing new here. I was surprised that her head moves easily - the hair is short enough not to hinder movement all that much.

All the Batman Classic figures are pretty scrawny, and DCUC females have always been scrawny with flat butts. Again, none of this is new news to those of us who have been collecting Mattel's DC offerings for years.

Catwoman's costume is well sculpted and there's a nice difference between her bodysuit (subtle sparkles) and her gloves and boots (shiny!)

Catwoman is a great action figure for any fan of the '66 TV Series. I only have two others from this line: Surf's Up Batman and The Joker. Surf's Up is awesome on concept alone, and Joker is pretty plain and really only appealing to the hardcore fan, so I didn't really know what to expect before opening up this Catwoman. But I was happy with a nice quality, good looking Catwoman action figure.

She REALLY could have used a whip or a cat-statue or something though. The lack of accessories in this line is a bit of a rip-off, especially when she retails for the same price as Black Cat. She does come with a card and a base, and the base is handy with her little feet, but Mattel could have done more.

By looking at Black Cat side-by-side with Catwoman, I kind of feel like I'm comparing apples to oranges here. But I think it also allows for a nice examination of multiple facets of the toy collecting game. I've already noted the huge difference between an illustration-to-plastic as opposed to a person on TV-to-plastic action figure, but there's even more here beyond the obvious. For instance, Black Cat is essentially a 'chase' figure. Now I don't know what numbers either figure are made in, but Catwoman is simply a figure in a wave. Black Cat will eventually be replaced by Spider-Girl in shipments of this wave. Meaning: If you want her and see her on the shelf...BUY HER. Otherwise you will pay a mark-up on the secondary market.

Black Cat comes with a BAF (or Build-A-Figure) piece of Green Goblin (the Hulk-like one, not the classic version.) I REALLY wish Mattel had taken this road with their Classic TV Series figures. They could have put a piece of one of the most off-the-wall and unlikely to ever sell well individually at retail characters: Egghead, King Tut, False Face, Clock King - someone like that. I would have bought the whole wave to have a Shame action figure, and many hardcore fans would have followed suit. And causal fans wouldn't have felt like they missed out on anything. It's win win!

Back to Black Cat. This kitty is krazy kool! The sculpt is top notch, and this female body design is the best I've seen from Marvel Legends.

Her face sculpt is beautiful from multiple angles, which isn't always the case in female action figures.

Her hair is sculpted from a softer plastic than the rest of her, so her head has a surprising range of motion.

In fact Black Cat has many spectacular...assets.

Black Cat comes with her grappling hook tipped whip, and it is both well sculpted and painted silver at the 'metal' end. Mattel didn't even give us a monochromatic thin strand of plastic string and pass it off as a 'whip' with Catwoman. Point: Black Cat.

So even though I am more of a fan of the character of Catwoman, and have a lifelong fondness for Julie Newmar's television portrayal, Marvel Infinite Series Black Cat is a better toy and a better bargain. That isn't saying Catwoman isn't good, and Hasbro released a real dog with their last attempt at a Marvel Legends Black Cat. But Hasbro brought their A game this time.

I used to own a Marvel Select Black Cat, and while she looked good she was nothing more than a statue with little functional articulation. This Black Cat has an excellent range of motion and much the superior toy. Unfortunately I don't own any in-scale Spider-Man action figures, so for now Black Cat will have to hang out in the Gotham City that is my action figure collection. I hope she feels welcome.

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Frank Miller's Detective Comics #27 Cover

Next year, to celebrate Batman's 75th anniversary, the 'New 52' version of Detective Comics #27 (reflecting 1939's Detective Comics #27 debut of Batman) will be released. The issue includes contributions from many notable Batman artists, including Frank Miller, whose illustration of Catwoman graces the cover.

I suppose an illustration of Batman himself would have made a heck of a lot more sense for this upcoming issue, but who are we to argue with the wisdom of DC Editorial *end sarcasm.

Via Comics Alliance.

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Catwoman in a Zombie Cage Cosplay :: Countdown to Halloween 2013

Despite all my rage I am still just Catwoman in a zombie cage!

Not exactly a Zombie Catwoman...yet! But with only one week until Halloween, one can't be too cautious.

Via Maikaleigh on deviantArt

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Zombie Catwoman Cosplay :: Countdown to Halloween 2013

Via NicciFett on deviantArt.com

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Zombie Catwoman Cosplay :: Countdown to Halloween 2013

 

Via NurseJoy at deviantArt.com

Catwoman Purrrsday :: TV Inspired Catwoman Costume :: Countdown to Halloween 2013

One of the best things to come out of the recent licensing of all things Batman sixties TV show (besides a surfing Batman action figure) is all the great TV show inspired Halloween costumes!

Here's the Catwoman one, which looks pretty keen:

Other available costumes include Batgirl, Batman himself, and of course Robin.

Image found at CostumeCraze.com

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Custom Playmobil Catwoman

 Finishing off my week of custom Playmobil Gotham Girls: Catwoman!

Unfortunately Playmobil has yet to make any Cat-ear type parts, so I will either have to wing-it later or stick with the 'goggles down' version I have come up with for simplicity's sake.

And here are all three of my custom Playmobil Gotham Girls together: Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn and Catwoman!