Review – Batman Legacy “Golden Age” Batman

When Mattel released their Batman Legacy series a few years ago they found ways to sell old tooling to everyone, including this Golden Age Batman which is basically the DC Universe Classics action figure with a newly-sculpted head. So what we’ve got is a Batman we’ve seen many times before . . . but with a few small differences.

The New Head

The above shot shows us the new Golden Age Batman head sculpt, which is clearly Batman but with shorter ears than we usually see these days and a much happier expression than we usually get. But that’s definitely appropriate since the Batman of the Golden Age comics was nothing like the Batman of the seventies or later. And it’s a great sculpt, with just the right amount of detail and smooth lines that make it work.

Paint is Different

The below pic shows the Golden Age Batman along with a fairly standard DC Universe Classics Batman, and besides the head the only differences between the two are in the paint applications. The “bat” symbols are different, the Golden Age action figure uses a lighter shade of gray, and the trunks are different colors.

It’s amazing how the new head and some slight paint changes make this work, but unless you’re gonna get insanely interested in details then this figure works. Sure the belt should be changed, but that’s minor and even though the OAFE review notes the belt issue I’m gonna say I don’t care. This guy works great . . . especially when he’s displayed with all of the other Batman action figures.

Rough Paint Work and Gray Misses

With the toy being one we’ve seen so very many times before I’m not gonna stress about the articulation — if you’re not familiar with the DC Universe Classics articulation a quick search should reveal more reviews than anyone needs to read — but I do want to point out that some of the paint apps (mostly on the head) are a little rougher than I like. To be fair, though, that only really became obvious when I was editing these pics. There’s something about Batman’s chin filling a ten-inch netbook display to make you really see the paint flaws.

The other minor color problem is that the gray of the suit isn’t exactly the same shade everywhere. The forearm gray parts are just slightly darker than the gray of the upper arms; again, this is picking nits and not really an issue at all. This is a fun Batman action figure!

Closing Thoughts

Mattel’s Batman Legacy series didn’t last long at all, but since it has been replaced by the Batman Unlimited series we can basically say these lines are directly connected. And mix in DC Universe Classics, DC Unlimited, and any number of other Mattel lines and their entire DC action figure series is almost one giant collection; someone should build a family tree for this line.

The Golden Age Batman isn’t a must-own action figure, but it’s well-made and a nice addition to my collection of Batman action figures. And if you can find the K-Mart exclusive version then you’ll get a Bat-Mite, so it’s possible you should stop reading and go out and search for a Golden Age Batman of your own.

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