THE BATMAN: Masked Manhunter of Gotham City!

[DARKLORD1967]

As a boy and avid Batman fan, growing up in the early 1970’s, I obsessed over owning a MEGO action figure of my favorite character.

Yes, I was fully aware of the campy Adam West TV show, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the TV adventures every afternoon after school.

But it was the dark, grim, mysterious character from the COMIC BOOKS that most intrigued me.

There was something about the HUGE cape (much, much bigger than Adam West’s), the long ears and the blank eye slits on the Bat-Cowl, that really spoke to me. This Batman stalked around at night on Gotham City’s rooftops and scared the bejeesus out of criminals by crashing through skylights and beating them to a pulp.

No corny, campy jokes. No ridiculously convenient gadgets pulled out of his utility belt for just the right situation. No “fully deputized agent of the law”.

This was a masked manhunter… an unstoppable, vigilante creature of the night.

[DARKLORD1967]

Even at the age of 7 (back in 1974), I recognized that MEGO’s version of the character was NOT the one that I admired most.

Over the next 30 years, I never lost my passion for MEGO Superhero action figures. And I certainly never let go of my obsession to own a “spooky” 8 inch MEGO Batman in my collection.

As I began experimenting with action figure customizing in the late 1990’s, I started to imagine what details should be featured on my ideal MEGO Batman figure: A big, shiny bat-cape that could spread into wings… a detailed utility belt… leathery boots and gloves… cool accessories like a Bat-A-Rang and Batrope…

But no detail of the figure was more critical to me than the mask/cowl, which I wanted to be removable (just like on MEGO’s original Batman figure).

[DARKLORD1967]

As far as I was concerned, the design of The Batman’s headgear was going to define the entire look and tone of the figure. I really didn’t want the cowl to fit like an enormous, ill-fitting football helmet. And I really didn’t want any visual associations with the look of Adam West’s mask.

In the end, this custom-made cowl/mask proved to be the greatest challenge in the (already difficult) creation of my custom Action figure, and pushed my sculpting / model-making abilities to the max.

A PROPER “WAYNE-FOUNDATION” FOR A BAT FACE

When it came to designing The Batman’s overall masked face, I first needed to come up with a face sculpt for Bruce Wayne that suited the character, and that would look properly grim when wearing a mask cowl.

The various lines of MEGO 8 inch scale action figures were full of dozens of interesting male face sculpts. Ultimately, it was my hope that with some minor cosmetic changes, a suitable sculpt would present itself to become my Bruce Wayne.

In the end, it was the Mr. Fantastic sculpt from the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes line that most excited me. I thought it was a ruggedly handsome sculpt with beautiful detail, that required very little in the way of re-design to become a proper Bruce Wayne. A simple hair re-sculpt would suffice. Best of all, the sculpt featured one of the very BEST heroic square chins and sunken cheeks that I had ever seen on ANY action figure anywhere! I imagined that those lower face details would look great framed by a Bat-Cowl.

HEAD GEAR, AND COWLS, AND MASKS… OH MY!

Well… I certainly wish that creating The Batman’s mask/cowl for this figure would have been as simple and painless as my selection of MEGO’s Reed Richard sculpt to double as Bruce Wayne.

No such luck.

I had so many specific criteria in mind for The Batman’s mask cowl, that integrating them all into a single head garment was going to be a colossal challenge... beginning with my Bruce Wayne head sculpt foundation:

For the sake of an action figure that wears a removable cowl mask, a (flexible) vinyl head and / or cowl was going to be preferable.

And for the sake of sharpness of facial detail, and overall seamlessness, it was clear to me that my custom MEGO Batman action figure was going to have to wear a tough, rigidly-sculpted cowl.

It would have to be made out of a more rigid plastic than MEGO’s original “rubbery” removable cowl. BUT the lower portion of the bat mask / cowl (neck and front closure portion) would still have to be soft enough to allow for the Action figure’s head movement, form-fitted closure of the mask (along the sides of the face and under the chin), and seamless integration with the planned leathery bat wing-cape.

That’s a tall order.

 

Somehow, I was going to have to invent a way to combine a rigidly sculpted (but flexible) plastic mask /cowl with a soft fabric neck in a way that was totally seamless, strong, and permanent.

[DARKLORD1967]

PEZ AND MEGO GO GREAT TOGETHER!

Most customizers are aware of the relatively frequent compatibility of the heads of Pez Candy dispensers, and MEGO 8 inch scale action figures. This compatibility came to my rescue when trying to devise a mask cowl for my custom Batman action figure.

In 1998, Pez created a candy dispenser head sculpt to represent The Batman. I immediately recognized it as a decent sculpt for creating a nice removable mask cowl for a MEGO Batman.

There were sizing issues and detail issues that were going to have to be addressed, but for better or for worse, THIS was going to be my starting point.

I began by cutting away the sculpted details of this mask that were inappropriate for my needs (rounded rabbit-like cowl ears, overly exaggerated brow ridge, exposed chin portion, etc). Then I extended the front to back cranial measurement of the cowl by cutting out the back of the head and attaching a larger portion of a second Batman Pez dispenser head sculpt.

[DARKLORD1967]

After sculpting on all-new bat ears and a new brow ridge, I used my Dremel Rotary tool and hollowed out the cowl. I tested its fit on my “Bruce Wayne” MEGO head.

 

 

[DARKLORD1967]

Using tiny paper cut-outs, I began preliminary lay-outs for the blank eye slits in the cowl.

But in this first attempt, I determined the eyes to be too large... almost Animated Series in their style. They would have to be reduced a bit.

 

[DARKLORD1967]

I needed to begin final smoothing of the sculpt work on the cowl. In order to do that, I needed to see the cowl in one uniform color, so I tinted it with a marker.

In my mind, The Batman's costume should be VERY organic in its appearance with dominant natural textures (mostly leather). The idea here is that The Batman's garb is a throw-back to primitive, tribal warrior traditions of killing a LARGE BEAST, and then wearing its preserved skin as a garment. The vanquished creature's face (up to the upper jaw) becomes a feral mask with the warrior's own lower face (mouth and chin) exposed below.

 

This caused me a slight aesthetic dilema since I really wanted the final cowl to have an almost leathery texture (with tiny wrinkles and whatnot). That meant I would have to avoid smoothing out my sculpt work too perfectly... leaving in some organic imperfections.

[DARKLORD1967]

At this stage, I put together a basic MEGO Type 2 body with a cobbled together bat-suit and test-fit the cowl until I was satisfied that it had a proper fit. I wanted to be sure that this new cowl did not give the overall figure a “big-head / football helmet syndrome”.

 

[DARKLORD1967]

With a re-sculpt of the hair, I converted a stretchy scientist from Marvel into a brooding billionaire playboy from DC!

[DARKLORD1967]

And the bat cowl which I created as a rigid, hard plastic sculpt, has now been molded and cast...

... into a soft, flexy, and wearable cowl!! No more hard cowl cracking apart as I try to place it over the figure's head! Yayyyyyyy!!! :wink_y:

[DARKLORD1967]

The castings required considerable clean-up to make them look smooth and clean...

But once I completed the finish clean-up work, and hollowed out the sculpt into a wearable cowl, I was reasonably pleased with the result.

[DARKLORD1967]

or me, another critical part of The Batman's overall look is his UTILITY BELT

I believe this is a detail that is often not given sufficient consideration in mass produced or custom Batman action figures.

The right utility belt worn by The Batman makes all the difference in the character seeming functional instead of funny... ornerny instead of ordinary... effective and elegant instead of chintzy and cheap.

Back in 1972, our friends at MEGO mass produced The Batman's belt as a simplistic design the reflected the character's vial belt as seen in the comics of the time.

Since I am an afficionado of the classic, dark "Bronze Age" comic book Batman of the 1980's...

...and since this custom action figure will closely duplicate the full sized Bat costume I built for the stage play I produced 2 years ago (which also featured this style belt)...

... it became a no-brainter that this would be the kind of belt I would work to create for my custom Batman.

There would be major differences when compared to MEGO's original utility belt, be sure:

I wanted a belt that was wider and felt more functionally military

I also wanted a belt that felt intricately detailed and not just molded as a single solid piece.

 

Even though I would be creating the belt as the vial design from the comics, the vials would be the later "test tube" design from the 1980's rather than the oblong pointed-tipped vials (as MEGO created).

[DARKLORD1967]

Using hobby Styrene Rods...

... I cut twelve equal lengths to serve as the Utility Belt's vials...

 

I rounded the ends of each vial by hand with sandpaper and then primered and spray painted them all with golden yellow paint.

[DARKLORD1967]

I next turned my attention to the utility belt's BAND being sure to fashion it to be slightly wider than MEGO's belt (which I always considered to be too narrow for The Batman).

I began with a flexible styrene strip in the appropriate width cut to an appropriate length...

I very carefully mapped out and masked off the ends of the belt band to create a clean hold-out area for the belt buckle and its fastening point.

I sprayed the band with 3M adhesive and let it set tacky...

... and then I carefully draped the golden yellow silk fabric over the very sticky band.

[DARKLORD1967]

I pressed the fabric onto the band firmly through a clean plastic sheet (minimal contact of the fabric with human fingers is highly recommended to keep it looking cleanly pristine.

I flipped the band over to its backside, and mapped out the trim areas for fold-over on the fabric...

... and carefully cut them.

 

[DARKLORD1967]

With the back of the band carefully sprayed with more adhesive, the fold-over flaps were tacked down.

 

I cleanly trimmed the ends...

[DARKLORD1967]

...and then used an X-Acto blade to cut the fabric from the buckle and fastening hold-out areas.

I laid golden yellow satin ribbon the the backside of the band to finish off the fabric work.

 

[DARKLORD1967]

Next came the selection of the all-important belt buckle.

Again, my preference was for The Batman's "Bronze Age" rectangular buckle with raised borders and large side latch.

Hasbro's 9 inch Batman action figure (released in the early 2000's, I believe), provided me with what I wanted in terms of this buckle.

Of course, in order to make the buckle compatible with the custom Bat Utility Belt I was fabricating, I would need to paint it in the same deep golden yellow as the rest of the belt.

After carefully cutting the buckle off the Hasbro belt, I built up several layers of air brushed white primer...

... and several layers of golden yellow gloss...

[DARKLORD1967]

With the buckle secured firmly to the band's hold out area with super glue, I next began to carefully map out the positioning of the utility vials by mathematically dividing the length of the band by the 12 vials I planned to attach. That gave me the exact spacing between them. Using my handy digital caliper measuring tool (no customizer should be without one!), I lightly penciled out where the vials should be attached on the belt.

Finally, one by one, I permanently attached my pre-painted vials to the band.

[DARKLORD1967]

 

 

[DARKLORD1967]

Simultaneously while doing this work, I was developing my own 1:9 scale character body archetypes in order to crate these characters of Gotham City.

He went through many incarnations... many different experimental body part combinations. But this is the final Bruce Wayne "heroic male" base body that I have developed for my 9Art custom action figures:

STATS:

Height:. 8.25" tall (nude) translates to a real life man of 6'2" in height in true 1:9 scale.

Construction: Tight, solid, All ball-joint construction (no outdated bungee circuit tension assembly) makes for superior posing integrity and standng stability. 29 points of articulation provide endless options for posing.

Torso and all limbs on this figure are solid (not hollow) resulting in a hefty, weighted figure of increased density. Careful attention to proper body proportions makes for a figure of remarkable anatomical accuracy.

 

[DARKLORD1967]

Here is a size comparison of the 9Art "Athletic Boy Hero" body (developed for Dick Grayson / Robin The Boy Wonder) with the 9Art "Heroic Adult Male" body (developed for Bruce Wayne / The Batman)

 

[DARKLORD1967]

Update: I had cause to completely re-fabricate and upgrade the utility belt for my custom Batman action figure. To my eyes, my first belt attempt simply did not have the “hefty” look I wanted it to have. I believe the reason for this was the lack of adequate size of the (Hasbro-based) belt buckle that I originally used.

As I mentioned before, I am of the belief that The Batman's utility belt (specifically his large belt buckle) simply does not get adequate attention when created for production and custom action figures. The utility belt (and the big buckle) is the all- important visual center balance on any Batman figure, as far as I am concerned. It is one of perhaps 3 major visual focal points on the figure, so it has to be right. The belt design and execution determines the mood and aura of the final Batman figure... It's level of professionalism, elegance, and presentation.

also, when re-visiting construction of The Batman's utility belt, I discovered a simulated leather textured yellow ribbon strip that would serve to make a much more convincing belt strap than the one I originally created.

Since I determined that MEGO's approach to Batman utility belts tended to be a bit under-sized, I decided that a belt buckle in a slightly larger scale than 1/9 would appear more suitably prominent on my custom figure. I wanted a buckle that was slightly wider than the width of the belt strap, (unlike my first attempt where the buckle and strap had the same width measurement). I liked the classic traditional styling (and the size) of the Mego Magnetic Batman belt buckle, but I could not locate one for an affordable price on ebay.

There was another problem too: Original MEGO Magnetic Batman utility belts (even if I did manage to locate an inexpensive one) would likely still be unsuitable for my needs since MEGO's rubbery plastics tend to not accept paint very well. After a search through the MEGO customizing community, I was fortunate enough to have Paul "Doctor Mego" Clarke sell me a resin re-cast of the belt. Unfortunately, the buckle on this re-cast was a little bit warped and useless for my needs.

In the end, I used the resin casting as a reference to scratch-build my own razor sharp and straight buckle with styrene sheet and strip.

 

[DARKLORD1967]

At this stage, it was a relatively simple matter to stitch together some grey milliskin stretch tights, and a pair of black pleather shorts.

 

I next turned my attention to completing the final bat-boots for this custom figure.

I preferred to create boots that are removable (like the original MEGO boots). However, I also wanted the boots to be flexible (unlike rigid MEGO plastic boots) in order to preserve the ankle articulation of the figure. To accomplish this, my strategy was to select an existing boot sculpt that has a foot portion that I find appropriate for the character, and then I re-create the shin extension of the boot in pleather fabric. I give the shin extension a laminated backing of very thin plastic sheet to give the boot its form.

[DARKLORD1967]

Using the same black pleather material, I fashioned The Batman's massive scalloped bat-winged cape from a pattern I devised.

I then temporarily placed the leathery bat-cape on the figure to check all colors and textures, and to make sure everything worked cohesively together.

I also wanted to ensure appropriate harmony between the removable cowl and the cape.

At this stage, there were still some key details still pending on this custom figure (uniform flesh colored air brushing of face and body, lenses on the bat cowl, bat-gauntlets, final machine-sewn grey bodysuit, etc).

But for the most part, I was okay with how the figure was progressing.