#964 ERTL – BATMAN and THE JOKER METALLIC MINI FIGURES (1990)

 

I presented a long time ago an ERTL Batmobile from the original 1989 movie. Recently I got two more figurines of the same series, which, to my surprise, it is quite long. Ertl did not only manfucture these two main characters plus the car, there are also many other figures vehicles, including even characters which do not appear in the first movie, and others in the style of Batman the Animated Series, so I guess the DC comics license was granted for a series of years starting in 1989 to sometime in the mid-90s.

These two were sold together in a blister card with a mini-comic that I do not have, and represent the main characters in the 1989 movie style and outfits.

On the back of the card, we see that Ertl also manufactured other DC characters, such as Superman or Shazam! So I guess there must be an alternative card design for these.

The figures are in excellent shape, they have not been played with, so the paintwork is almost perfect. Like die-cast cars and other toys, they tend to get chips and loose paint, but these are still mint. Note the nose of The Joker... maybe I can restore it soon.

pics: amazon.com y collectors.com

 

The first series from 1990 include:

• Batman –standing (#715) blue and grey suit, pre-movie
• Superman –standing (#716)
• The Penguin (#718)
• Shazam! (#719)
• Batman –Raised Fist (#723) blue and grey suit, pre-movie
• Superman –Raised Fist (#724)
• Robin (#726)
• Green Lantern (#727)
• The Joker (#728)
• Supergirl (#729)

Plus the vehicles:

• Batwing (1:90) (2495EF)
• Batmobile (1:64) (1064FF)
• Joker Van (1:64) (1532F0)
• Batmobile + Joker Van set (2497FF)
• Batmobile (1:43) (2575EF)
• Joker Van (1:48) (2494EF)
• Micro Set (Batwing, Batmobile, Joker Van) (2498FF)
  

pics: theangryspider.com

The second series, from 1992 came together with Batman Returns and include:

• Batman
• Catwoman
• Penguin
• Penguin Commando

And the vehicles:

• Batmobile
• Batmissile
• Batskiboatpics: theangryspider.com
• Penguin’s Duck Vehicle  

 

 pics: bonanza.com

 

And finally, from 1993 the Animated Series series.

• Batman (1)
• Batman (2)
• The Joker
• The Penguin
• Catwoman
• Robin

And the vehicles:

• Batmobile
• Batplane
• Batboat
• Batcycle
• Gotham City Police Helicopter
• Bruce Wayne’s Car

From the pictures they all look great! And the scale is especially appealing to me (the smaller, the better).

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Names: BATMAN and THE JOKER METALLIC MINIFIGURES
• Toy Line: Batman
• Year: 1990
• Company: Ertl (U.S.A.)
• Size: Around 4 cm

#963 SIMPLE WISHES – SEVERAL PHAT BOYZ MODELS (2003)

The Phat Boyz are sometimes mixed with Micro Machines or with other 3 inches cars, since they have a size that does not match either of them. We could say they are approximately as long as a Micro Machine, but as wide as a 3 inches model. All are marked PB CHINA in the base, but, in any case, they are nearly unmistakable.

I knew them from sites like puremicros.com, where there is a nice and almost complete gallery of Phat Boyz toys. Everytime I saw them there, I thought they were ugly, (maybe you have the same thoughts right now while reading these lines), but as soon as I got this little lot in my hands, I changed my opinion. They are beautifully casted, you can absolutely recognize which model is being represented, and the selection is also quite remarkable; where can you otherwise find a Ford Focus or a Ford Ka (from around the year 2000)?

I have 5 models, from which 4 of them are Fords, so I guess maybe they came in a set, as I got all of them from the same person. Some of them are European sets that differ in the colour from the American issues.

The models are:

• Ford T-Bird (1957) - purple

       

• Ford Mustang (1990) - yellow

        

• Ford Focus (2003) - gold

  

• Ford Ka (2003) - green

• Toyota Celica (2002) – light blue

 

They were advertised as “Phlat, Phat and Phast!” and sold mostly in two-packs. There were also three-packs, five-packs, carrying cases and playsets available. They were available at Walmart, and I tried to find an old website for these cars, but the only url stated in the blister card is Walmart.com; “Marketed by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Bentonville AR 72716 shop at Walmart.com.

I’ve seen some for sale on eBay, but they are rare and tend to appear in foreign countries, so most of the times it is not worth paying the shipping costs.

UPDATE (2023/Oct): Two more for the road!

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: SEVERAL PHAT BOYZ MODELS
• Scale: unknown
• Year: 2003
• Company: Simple Wishes (U.S.A.)
• Size: approx. 3 cm long