A deluxe Mego-style Batcave with which you can celebrate the show’s 55th anniversary…
My first Batcave was a shoebox that I designed for my Corgi 1966 Batmobile and Batboat. I was maybe 5 or 6.
My first official Batcave was the Mego version, which I got a couple years later, in 1974. It’s my all-time favorite toy.
Since then, a metric ton of Batman playsets — including the magnificent Mego Wayne Foundation — have been produced for various toylines and at various scales. (The high-end Factory Entertainment edition is the be-all, end-all. Click here.)
Even Figures Toy Company, which re-released Mego’s Batcave, has adapted that playset into a Batman ’66 version.
But there’s one more worthy of your attention on this, the 55th anniversary of the TV show’s premiere: the Toyroom’s deluxe, custom-made, Mego-style, 8-inch-scale 1966 Batcave, created by owner Anthony Durso.
Unlike most of Anthony’s playsets, which are contained to one plastic case, the 1966 Batcave is a double-whammy, with a main case and an add-on case that you can purchase for even more detailed play or display.
Check out these pix, along with Anthony’s quick explainer on how this version evolved from one he did years ago:
“Years ago I did a blueprint poster of the Batcave and tried to include every piece of Bat-gadgetry I remembered from the show,” Anthony said. “At the time I only had The Official Batman Batbook by Joel Eisner as a source. When it came time to do the playsets, I had a bootleg DVD version of the TV series and used that to freeze-frame all of the various equipment, as well as scour the internet for what little I could find. I wanted to try and get every knob and button as close as possible. It’s become a little easier since then.”
Here’s the main case:
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And here’s the add-on case:
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A few thoughts:
— Anthony, who is also a 13th Dimension contributor, has five Batman ’66 playsets available, in addition to the Batcave: Batgirl’s apartment and changing room, the United Underworld HQ, and hideouts for Catwoman, the Penguin and the Riddler. He has a superb Joker Ha-Hacienda playset that combines various versions of the Clown Prince of Crime, including the show’s, but he’s also prepping a TV-only set.
— The Toyroom’s 8-inch-scale sets currently include: Superman’s Fortress of Solitude (click here), Lex Luthor’s Lair (click here), the Batcave/Wayne Foundation (click here), the 1966 Batcave, the 1966 Batgirl apartment and changing room (click here), the 1966 Batman movie United Underworld HQ (click here), the Joker’s Ha-Hacienda (click here), the Riddler’s hideout (click here), the Catwoman Catlair (click here), The Penguin’s Nest, Arkham Asylum (click here), Wonder Woman’s Paradise Island (click here), Wonder Woman’s TV series IADC headquarters (click here), the Green Lantern HQ on Oa (click here), Aquaman’s Aquacave (click here), Captain Marvel’s Rock of Eternity (click here), the JLA Satellite (click here), the JSA Brownstone (click here), the Super Friends Hall of Justice (click here), the Super Powers Hall of Justice (click here), the Hall of Doom (click here), The Fantastic Four’s Baxter Building Lab (click here), Iron Man’s Armory (click here), the X-Men’s Danger Room (click here), the Hulk Gamma Lab Hideaway (click here), a Star Trek: The Animated Series Enterprise (click here) and a Scooby-Doo haunted house (click here) — with more to come.
— As I always feel compelled to point out, I don’t make anything from this. I just love showing it all off. Each set — including case, artwork and complete assembly — is $85 plus shipping. (The two cases in the 1966 Batcave set are sold separately, also at $85 plus shipping each.) Contact thetoyroom@yahoo.com or you can message Anthony, who also owns Retropolis Tees, through his website the-toyroom.com, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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MORE
— INSIDE LOOK: The Groovy ‘MEGO’ BATGIRL Playset You’ve Been Waiting For. Click here.
— FIRST LOOK: The BATMAN ’66 UNITED UNDERWORLD Playset You’ve Waited Decades For. Click here.
