I've got BootLEGO bats in my belfry!

Looking at BootLEGOs on eBay the other day, I stumbled on to a brand new Bat-lot of Batmen with the new style cowl (I had yet to own any LEGO or BootLEGO Batmen with the new cowl style) and not only that, but the set included some great Batman variants. So even though I was as yet unfamiliar with the bootleg company that produces this lot (Duo Le Pin) I figured the pennies-on-the-dollar cost was worth the potential risk, so I ordered them...and man am I glad I did!

First up is Batfleck. I am pretty sure I will end up with an official LEGO set or two for the upcoming Batman v Superman movie, but BootLEGOS are so damn inexpensive and WHO CAN WAIT?!?! Also, thankfully I now know that Duo Le Pin is pretty high quality. These BootLEGOS are even closer to LEGO quality than the Sheng Yuan and Decool I have previous experience with! This set is just incredible. Don't get me wrong, they are still bootlegs and there are a couple flaws (one Batman head had the same no-emotion expression printed twice...ironic for Batman who isn't one to emote...and this Batfleck inexplicably has a scuba mask on the other side of his head) but...damn they are great. And they cost me less than 75 cents each with free shipping from China! And it only took less than a week for them to arrive! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Up next: at first I wasn't sure if this were an 'official' Batman or not, it actually took me a minute to realize that this is the Batman: Arkham Knight Batman! How cool is that?!?!

This Batman even has printing on his arms and the sides of his legs! QUALITY! Another fun detail is that Arkham Batman has a calm expression without stubble while his angry expression has stubble. Like in the game, Batman gets angrier and less fresh as he battles throughout the night!

Next: Batman Begins. Each Batman minifigure comes with a batarang, a base and a bunch of pieces to make some little Batmobile/Batdrone or something. I left those out of the shoot because they are really just filler.

Next: Batman from The Dark Knight (in grey.) Some of the Batman minifigures came with plastic extended wings, and some came with cloth capes. I actually did a little mixing/matching to suit my desires, this one may have come with the cloth cape that I gave to Batfleck. Whatever, the whole point of these buildable minifigures is mixing and matching!

Batman Beyond. HOLY MOLEY! This guy alone is worth the low low price of admission! Other BootLEGOers have made half-assed attempts at Batman Beyond, but this is the first correct and screen accurate one I've ever seen. He came with a red cloth cape (another irony, THIS is one that should have the solid wings...in red) but Batman Beyond does not have a red cape, he has red retractable wings, so I left it off the minifigure.

Batman of Zur En Arrh! This is now the third BootLEGO Batman of Zur En Arrh I own (each from a different BootLEGO company. Wow!) We do indeed live in incredible times. I will have to do a side by side by side shoot of this version of Batman soon.

All these Batmen have back printing too, BTW. MOAR QUALITY!

Green Lantern Batman! Another wonderful and surprising addition. Now that I think about it, this guy had a cloth cape, so I switched it out with Batfleck. He looks better with solid wings (although they would look better still in green. GL Batman also came with flesh colored hands...weird...so I switched them with some spare black hands (BootLEGOS always seem to come with additional hands.)

Last but...well...least...is Space Batman! I think this Batman appeared in the LEGO Batman 3 video game. He has a normal face and a space face but the 'normal' face is weird because it is printed on the white plastic head. No skin tone. He looks more like Batzarro with the other face. So I'm sticking with space face!

Man, what a set! The quality of Duo Le Pin is incredible, even the cloth capes are better than anything I've experienced from BootLEGOS to date (while still falling short of LEGO quality...but not by much.) The unique characters and the use of the new style cowl makes this set a must have for anyone who likes to dip their toes in the BootLEGO pool from time to time.

Batman of Zur-En-Arrh LEGO Bootlegs

Left: Sheng Yuan. Right: Decool.

I was shocked and amazed that LEGO made a Batman of Zur-En-Arrh minifigure, albeit a super limited 2014 SDCC exclusive. I was equally shocked and amazed when Sheng Yuan made a bootleg of it later that year.

Then fellow LEGO bootlegger Decool made a Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. Honestly at this point the only thing that would shock me is if one of these bootleggers made a minfigure of me.

Anyways, I now own both bootleg versions, so why not a side-by-side comparison?

With th Sheng Yuan version, yo have to buy him with a silly Bat-vehicle. Decool's comes with a silver batarang.

Point: Decool.

Sheng Yuan has a better 5 o'clock shadow print, but Decoool's has a double printed face. BUT Decool's cowl is so tight, I cannot remove it to switch faces.

Not sure if this is across the board or just for my figure, but for my specific experience: Point: Sheng Yuan.

Cape color for Sheng Yuan is lighter than for Decool.

Point: Decool.

I personally like the dark lined print for the abs.

Point: Decool.

Left: Sheng Yuan. Right: Decool.

Finally, Decool's version includes the Bat-Radia printed on the back, while Sheng Yuan just reprinted their front belt print sans belt buckle details.

Point: Decool.

Bottom line, if you have the option, get the Decool version. Oh hell, just get both, They're damn cheap.

More Decool Superhero BootLEGOs available now!

I discovered another sweet lot of Decool brand superhero BootLEGOs the other day that includes another Batman of Zur-En-Arrh as well as an Anne Hathaway The Dark Knight Rises Catwoman! Also included in the lot is a masked brown costume Wolverine, Storm, Magneto and TDKR Batman.

I ordered my set off eBay and they just arrived (I will do a more in depth post soon.) They can also be purchased from Aliexpress.

Like all other BootLEGOs they are not 100% LEGO quality but they are pretty close. Both Decool and Sheng Yuan are good bootlegs and I recommend them if you are looking for cheap alternatives to impossible to find or insanely expensive LEGO minifigures.

I was primarily sold on this set because of the TDKR Catwoman, a minifig you can't get in any official LEGO release. But having a masked brown costume Wolverine and yes, a second Batman of Zur-En-Arrh (because let's face it, who ever expected one official LEGO version, let alone a bootleg, let alone a SECOND BOOTLEG!!!!) pushed me right over to the Buy It Now button. Storm and Magneto and a Bale Batman are just icing on the cake at this point. And I got them all plus shipping for less than an official brown costume Wolverine LEGO minifigure would cost me!

We live in wonderful, interesting times indeed.

Batman of Zur-En-Arrh LEGO Minifigure Bootleg

At San Diego Comic Con this past summer (2014) one of LEGO's super limited exclusives was The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. I was at ComiCon but didn't realize this fact until after it had sold out. That said, I would not have likely gotten it anyways as the LEGO exclusives are painfully difficult to obtain even if you attend the Con. Not surprisingly, The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh LEGO minifigure is now going for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market.

Thank God for Chinese bootleggers!

Every so often I seek out what's new in the Chinese BootLEGO world, so imagine my joy when I discovered they are now making a Batman of Zur-En-Arrh minifigure!

He's not an exact duplicate of the LEGO version: The symbol is slightly different, he doesn't have his 'Bat-Radia' printed on his belt (but he does have printing on his back torso,) his head only has one face printed on it, and his cape is scalloped instead of flat at the base.

He also does not come with a bat (I borrowed mine from another LEGO minifigure.)

He does come with a Bat...umm...mobile?

As far as I am aware, this vehicle is a bootleg original, and not based off of any official (or unofficial) LEGO build.

I suppose the jalopy-esque cobbled-together nature of the Batmobile or Batscooter or whatever it is  does fit into the character as envisioned by Grant Morrison, so it is a fun addition to the minifigure. But honestly they had me at 'Batman of Zur-En-Arrh.'

I believe this set is by ShengYuan, and the quality is incredible. Seriously on par with LEGO at this point. The cape material is flimsier than official LEGO capes, but that's a minor quibble. In fact, if you wanted your Batman of Zur-En-Arrh to look even more like the official version, you can use the LEGO Magneto's cape, as it is an exact match for the SDCC exclusive Batman version's cape, no scallops and all.

I got this guy off eBay and so far this minifigure is only available in a set of four Batman minifigures/mini vehicles. I can't complain, I got the whole set for less than ten bucks shipped, making this guy no more than a couple bucks alone. An incredible alternative to 200 plus dollars for an official version!

The fact that the Chinese bootleggers made this guy makes me think they really have their fingers on the pulse of LEGO minifigure fandom, and it gives me high hopes for some incredible bootlegs based on the new LEGO Batman 3 video game. I expect some great and unexpected LEGO DC and Batman themed bootlegs within the next year!

Batman Unlimited Dark Knight Returns and Batman of Planet X

These two Batmen are starting to hit retail, but when I first heard of their existence late last year I pre-ordered them on the spot - something I dread because I don't trust Mattel's QC. But they are both such perfect representations of personal-favorite Batman moments, so I couldn't risk not finding them at retail! If there's one thing I trust less than Mattel's QC, it's Mattel's distribution!

Well they arrived yesterday from BigBadToyStore and I lucked out in the QC department! No double left feet or detached limbs! YAY!

And as I had hoped, both Batmen are extraordinary toys! These two are absolutely wonderful!.

First - The Dark Knight Returns Batman. This toy is incredible for many reasons. First, it is an excellent toy representation of the aged and enlarged Frank Miller Batman from the classic Dark Knight Returns storyline. As everyone knows by now, Mattel used their Masters of the Universe Classics body to make this Batman and a more perfect mass market buck for said Batman does not exist.

Secondly, the details that make this Batman and not simply a Batman head on a He-Man body are all extraordinarily executed. The head sculpt, the massive bat emblem, the multi-pocketed belt, the leathery cape, the stubby scalloped gloves. It's all been lovingly recreated in plastic form!

Batman even gets an accessory! Albeit a small one, but that's ok. His Batarang fits well in his meaty grip.

Easily rocketing to the top of my 'favorite Batman action figures of all time' list, The Dark Knight Returns Batman is a must for anyone with eyeballs, functioning or not.

I only dare wish, but wouldn't expect in a million years, for a Carrie Kelley Robin in this line.

Next up is The Batman of Planet X. Or at least that's how this one is labeled, recalling a Silver Age story from Batman #113 wherein an alien named Tlano from the planet Zur-En-Arrh has watched Batman through a telescope and fashioned his crime fighting persona, if not his application of color theory, after our Earth Batman.

If this action figure were simply that 'Batman' he would be awesome yes, but this is not that 'Batman.'

This is clearly not the alien Tlano, this is Bruce Wayne as re-imagined by Grant Morrison in his Batman: R.I.P. storyline.

In this imagining, Bruce has created an alternate personality deeply hidden within his psyche, to take dominance if Bruce is ever mindwiped or otherwise mentally controlled or incapacitated. Which happens in Grant Morrison's storyline, and mad hobo Batman fashions his new costume (complete with broken 'Bat-Radia' on his belt, torn and tattered cape and baseball bat because...bat man!)

I need to go back a re-read this storyline, but I do recall loving it (as I do all Grant Morrison's Batman stuff.)

The toy beautifully recreates hobo-Batman down to the stitches on the makeshift costume and even his stubble!

The Batman of Planet X comes with a bat and Bat-Mite, who, in the story, was a delusional apparition of Batman's, part of his post-hypnotic mental re-creation or somesuch. This Bat-Mite is similar to the Bat-Mite released as a K-Mart exclusive pack-in with the Silver Age Batman, but has a different head sculpt and a black and grey paint job instead of the blue and grey of the previous Bat-Mite.

You can't go wrong with either of these Batman action figures, but if you are budgeting and can only afford one, I recommend you get The Dark Knight Batman. He's unique yet fits right in with all your Mattel DC 6" figures or works well as a stand-alone Batman for display. He's so great I'm considering buying another to keep on card if I do see him at retail, something I haven't done as a toy collector for a long long time!

Just when you think you are out, they pull you back in

Mattel's Batcentric DCUC replacement line 'Batman Unlimited' reveals, due out some time in 2013:

The Dark Knight Returns Batman who, if I am not mistaken, appears to be made up of parts from the Masters of the Universe Classics toyline. VERY interesting if so.UPDATE: I am not mistaken.

And the Batman of Zur-en-Arrh! Sure, a simple repaint (with new head/cape) but damn this is a repaint I can really get behind. Bat-Mite also has a new face sculpt.

Shit on a swizzlestick, I gotta have these bastards. The QC and availability on these better not suck ass.

DAMN YOU MATTEL!

UPDATE: I preordered. So keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned.

via BigBadToyStore