Mattel Retro-Action DC Super Heroes Two-Face

This is Mattel's new Retro-Action Two-Face. Two-Face is part of Wave 2 that also includes Batman, Aquaman, and Black Manta.

Two-Face is another tribute to the Mego figures of a bygone era (the 1970s, to be specific). This time, however, the figure isn't a recreation of an existing Mego figure but a "Mego-ized" version of a character that hasn't been done in this format before. Mego produced several Batman villains like Joker, Penguin, and Riddler, but they didn't produce a Two-Face. So, now, we old guys have a Two-Face to go on the shelf with our original Mego Bat-Villains. I hope this is the beginning of a trend and we end up with a shelf full of Bat-Villains that were never produced by Mego.

Like Batman, Two-Face is packaged on a pink card back that is a huge nod to the original Mego packaging. In fact, the only thing that differentiates Two-Face's packaging from others in the series is his name above the figure's clear package bubble.


Mattel and Emce Toys (Mattel's Mego expert partners in the Retro Action line) really did an amazing job on Two-Face. Of the Retro-Action figures released, so far, this one feels the most "Mego-ey" to me. He really looks like a true Mego figure.

Two-Face's head sculpt and paint job really capture the look of a vintage Mego. He has just the right level of detail to look like a Mego and not like a modern sculpt slapped on an 8" figure. All the other Retro Action figures released, so far, have also done a good job of this.... but Two-Face really "nails it," as far as I'm concerned.

Two-Face's duo-toned suit is also very well-done. The tie is a bit over-sized but that can be expected when producing clothing in this scale. Overall, I would say that the suit is nicely tailored and fits the figure well. There's even a full, long-sleeved shirt under the jacket. I was surprised by this since layers of clothing at this scale usually lead to a figure that looks overly-bulky and "stuffed," for lack of a better term. I hope that Mattel, at some point, will use this suit pattern to produce Secret Identity versions of Bruce Wane and Clark Kent. That would actually make a nice Mattycollector exclusive two-pack... don't you think?

Two-Face has the same loose body issues I harped on in my Retro-Action Batman review. I won't harp on them again in this review.


As far as accessories go, Two-Face is lacking. Two-Face, as a character, just begs for accessories. We all know about Two-Face's trademark coin. That might have been a tough accessory to include, due to it's size. It's also an accessory that Mego probably would have left out of the package. What about a gun, though? A pair of pistols or a Tommy Gun would have been nice. Has our world become so completely PC that a "bad guy" figure can no longer include a gun? I think I've got an old Mego CHiPs pistol somewhere...

In closing, I would say that Mattel's Retro-Action Two-Face really hits the mark it was intended to hit. He screams "classic Mego" while still feeling new and up-to-date. I wasn't expecting it, but Two-Face has turned out to be my favorite Retro-Action figure produced, so far.

Mattel Retro-Action DC Super Heroes Batman

This is Mattel's brand spankin' new 8" Retro-Action DC Super Heroes Batman. Batman is from wave 2 of the Retro Action figures line and is hitting Toys R Us and Comic Book store shelves as I type.

Mattel's Retro-Action line of figures are an homage to the highly-successful Mego figures of the 1970s that were produced in the same 8" scale. For those of you that "weren't there," you may not see these figures through the same rose-colored glasses that many of us old-timers do. To us, there's a certain charm in the slightly "clunky" look of these figures. These new Retro Action figures aren't so much replicas of the original figures as they are a re-imagining and tribute to the Megos we knew and loved as kids (well, some of us). Many Bat-fans, like myself have been anxious to see how the new Mattel Mego-style Batman would turn out. (I should mention Emce Toys, as well. Emce Toys is Mattel's partner in this endeavor and they are doing a great job with the design of these figures, including things like head sculpture and costuming. In a nutshell, they are the creators and driving force of this line.).

Original Mego Batman (left) with 2010 Retro-Action Batman (right)

Original Mego (left) and Retro-Action (right) card backs

As you can see, Mattel really tried to capture the look of the packaging of the original Mego action figures. While not a 100% copy, it's apparent that many of the same design cues were used in designing the new package. The new package even goes so far as to include a bit of "distressing" in the printwork to make the new package not look quite so new. Notice that both packages are pink, as well. While all four figures released in this wave (Batman, Aquaman, Two-Face, and Black Manta) are on pink card backs, I'm sure pink was chosen because Batman is the most popular character in this wave and the original 1970s Mego Batman's packaging was pink.

I really like the artwork that Mattel is using on the packaging. It's very cool to see Silver Age style artwork representing all the characters on the back of the package.


The figure itself is also a nice homage to the original Mego Batman. Both the current and vintage figures feature removable cowls (although, Mego would go on to release a molded, non-removable cowl version of Batman after the first year...see packaged photo). Both figures also have very similar jumpsuits, belts, and boots. The new Retro-Action Batman figure even features a similar nylon cape to the original. With all the similarities, there are also differences. The gloves are a major difference with the original Mego wearing "oven mitts" and the new version utilizing a different approach. The new figure uses molded blue hands and vinyl cuffs attached to the suit to give the illusion of gloves. While I'm an advocate of making these new figures as close to the originals as possible, I do like the new figure's solution for gloves. Even Mego started using this same solution on some of the characters they produced in later years.


All in all, I think this and other figures in Mattel's Retro-Action line are very well-done and are wonderful tributes to the original Megos. However, I feel I need to mention a problem or two that I have with this Batman and the Retro-Action line, in general.

Specifically, Batman's emblem wasn't heat-sealed properly (it's like a mini iron-on) and mine started coming loose from the costume almost as soon as I had the figure out of the package. I managed to use heat to re-seal the emblem back on the costume. However, the results ended up a bit uneven.

The other issue is with the body of the figure. Every Retro-Action figure utilizes the same body... and every Retro-Action figure I've purchased is extremely loose in the waist and hips. Also, I don't think there is enough friction in the waist and hip joints for the figure to hold any kind of pose below the waist. So, if you lift one of the figure's legs, it will "flop" back down into it's original position. If you bend the figure at the waist... or twist it, the figure will snap back the moment you let go. This issue wasn't a problem with original Mego figures, although they shared the same internal elastic band design for construction.

I sincerely hope that Mattel will address these issues with the articulation of the body at the waist and hips in further waves of these figures. I know it's a major point of concern for collectors and I would imagine children playing with these would take issue, as well. These are wonderful figures with just a few "kinks" that need addressed. I know that some collectors are currently avoiding this line because of the body issues present. I do have to say that with 45 or so years of action figure history behind us, a working base body should be a "given."

With all that said, I really do like this figure very much. The costume and head sculpt are a nice tribute to the original Mego Batman. I guess it's just frustrating that it would take so little (it seems) to make this figure (and other Retro-Action figures) a complete "homerun." Although original Megos had a certain "clunky charm," the problems with the new Mattel body do not fall under "clunky charm" territory, so to speak. Some of Mego's design choices may have been questionable (oven mitts), but their base bodies held pretty much any pose you put them in. We should expect no less from Mattel... and for the asking price, we deserve no less.

2010 Retro-Action Batman (left) with orginal removable cowl Mego Batman

Look Ma, no cowls! ... and one of us is baking cookies.

Retro-Action Batman sans cowl...WAIT, Bruce Wayne is Batman?!!

Mattel Superfriends Batman

Look at this guy! Doesn't he just make you want to smile? Just a few years ago, Mattel produced a somewhat short-lived line of of Rescue Hero-esgue figures and vehicles under the "Superfriends" label (Batman has a copyright date of 2007). Batman, naturally, is my favorite from the line. Several other characters like Superman, Aquaman, and even Hawkman were produced.


Even though this version of Batman is meant to be kid-friendly and stylized, he's one of my favorite Batman figures that has EVER been released. He stands proudly on my shelf and exudes classic "Bat-goodness" day after day.

I guess he's kind of a reminder of how fun Batman was to me as a kid and how fun he still can be today. Sure, I like Batman to be menacing and scary as much as the next guy, but you can't deny that there's something very cool and fun about Batman being depicted as he is with this toy.

Mattel also produced a very cool Batmobile to go with this figure, as well as a MattyCollector exclusive Robin. I'll probably do a post on each of them in the future.

Mattel Batman The Brave and the Bold Transforming Batmobile

As I've gotten older (ouch), I've found that I have a deeper appreciation for toys that are meant to be toys. In other words, there's something special about a toy that was designed for children to love and play with verses something that has been created for adult collectors to admire and put on a shelf... never to be played with. Now, I'm just as guilty as everyone else for succumbing to things that companies like Hot Toys or DC Direct are producing. Usually, they are very nice, high-end items that look fantastic. However, due to their high price tags and limited availability, the vast majority of these "collector toys" never reach the eyes or hands of children. When the kids of today grow up, they probably won't have much interest in a lot of the stuff that we older Batfans are filling our shelves up with these days. They will be interested in the things that they ACTUALLY played with as children. Case in point, I think most of us nutty collectors agree that the most cherished pieces in our collections are the ones that we had when we were kids.

All this rambling brings me to the item in today's post, the Mattel Batman The Brave and the Bold Transforming Batmobile. This is a TOY...with a capital "T." This is exactly the type of thing that I would have loved to have played with as a child. Mattel's Batman Brave and the Bold line has been very "kid centered" from it's inception. Almost as if thumbing their noses at collectors and the collector's mentality, Mattel chose to make their Brave and the Bold toys very kid friendly with play features that are meant to make them TOYS. The figures themselves feature peg holes up and down their arms and legs for attaching accessories. Whether you like the holes or not, they are there for play value and nothing else... and I think this speaks volumes about who these toys were designed for...kids. I think that's pretty cool.


Back to the toy pictured, the Transforming Batmobile. Mattel could have just made a Batmobile that rolled, made sounds, lit up, and shot missiles... just like about every Batmobile toy that's been produced in the past 20 years or so. However, they went the extra mile and produced a toy that not only looks like a great deal like the Batmobile from the Brave and the Bold cartoon, but also TRANSFORMS into a Batplane. How cool is that?!


Also, the way that this toy transforms is pretty amazing and a sight to behold. You only have to pull or push the front and back (via a lever and "grab" point on the bottom) and the toy does all the work in an instant. No pouring over instructions to figure out which panel to twist where and in what order. Nope...just give it a pull and "BAM!" it's a plane. Give it a push and "Wham!" it's a car! This mechanism works extremely well and is very fluid. My hat is off to the person (or people) that designed this fantastic toy and it's "magic" mechanism. Great work!

Oh, and it does shoot missiles, also. There are four missiles included that plug into four "missile ports" and can each be shot with the press of a button (one button per missile).

My only "nitpick" is that the Batman figure (not included with the Batmobile) from this line has to almost lay completely horizontal to fit inside the cockpit. This is a pretty minor issue but was something that jumped out at me while shooting the pictures for this post.





I can't recommend this toy enough for kids OR the Batman collector that wants to feel like a kid. I was debating on whether to open this toy or not. Boy, am I glad I did. I have a feeling this toy is going to see some true kid playtime when my 6 year-old spots it on the shelf, though. He may need one of his own. Don't feel too bad for him, though. He just received a whole slew of Imaginext Batman stuff (including a really cool Batmobile) for Christmas. The Transforming Batmobile was a gift from my wife that realizes she needs to keep the ten year-old inside of me happy from time to time.

Recent Bat-Finds

Okay...this post isn't going to be nearly as cool as having a photo with THE original Batmobile. In fact, it's pretty lame in comparison.

These are a couple of items I picked up on a recent trip to Target.

The first item is a Batman "Bye-Bye Boo-Boo." I always find it fun to roam around stores and see what kinds of odd things I can find that feature our favorite Caped Crusader. Sometimes it's toothbrushes or bandaids. Once, I saw a Batman branded Hamster cage...no joke. I didn't pick that one up. I did, however, pick up this odd little thing. It's one of those gel packs that you freeze and hold on an injury to reduce swelling. This was the only one I saw. So, I imagine there's a sullen, injured kid somewhere nursing a sprained-ankle with a Hello Kitty Bye-Bye Boo-Boo and secretly plotting my demise for taking the last Batman one.

I would imagine Batman, himself, uses these after a night of crime fighting... "Alfred, please bring down several more Bye-Bye Boo-Boos...it's been a rough one."

The second item is a pack of Mattel Batman mini-figures from the new cartoon, The Brave and the Bold. I love the somewhat distorted, stylized look of these little guys. They are about 2 and a half inches tall and have a bit of articulation (neck, shoulders, waist). The first wave features quite a few different characters as you can see on the back of the package. There is also a Batmobile that goes with these guys. It's very cool and will be mine, soon... hopefully. (The last photo shows just how diminutive these guys really are when standing next to a 6 and a half inch tall Super Friends Batman figure.)

Brian A