Anybody
remember that song from the early ‘90s with the refrain, “Do the
Bartman”?It peaked on
the charts then vanished.Of
course, none of this reflects on the Bartman action figure.
Bart’s
super human alter ego, Bartman, hasn’t been seen of late.Did Bart outgrow him?Or
did Time-Warner threaten to sue because it was too close to Batman in
name and likeness?Either way, we’ve got this figure and once again – I’m
starting to sound like a broken record – a sterling cartoon to action
figure translation.
Bartman
isn’t much different than the plain Bart figure.He has a different head sculpt and wears a cape, but other than
that they’re the same.Even
the phrases available when installed on the bases don’t vary.The articulation is limited to shoulders, neck, and waist.He isn’t exactly a thrill a minute as far as action figures go.The paint job is very solid.The
tones and hues have been nailed, right down to the blue cape
and cowl.Attention has
been paid to his accessories as well, the best being the Capt. Atom
comics.Just as all the
other Simpson figures, the accessories are compatible across the board.
Playability
is right up there with the other Simpson figures, with the usually
docking of points due to small and easy to lose accessories.His basic nature allows him to be extremely tough.Let me tell you a story about how durable he is.As you’ll know from previous reviews, I usually let my two
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year-old play with the toys to really put them to the test.He does things with them I’d never dream of doing – like
flushing Bartman down the toilet.(If
you’ve got kids, watch them like hawks, because you turn your back for
a minute and suddenly you’ve got an overflowing toilet.)After plunging the toilet for a couple of hours to no avail, I
pulled the toilet off the floor and used an auger (read: bent coat
hanger) to clear the obstruction.At
this point I had no idea what was jammed in there, but after slashing
around for 20 more minutes I finally removed Bartman, which was jammed
in the trap.He did pick up
a couple of scratches from the coat hanger, but after giving him a
thorough wash, he was back in action.He’s very compatible with the other Simpson figures,
heightening the play factor.And
the fact he’s so much like the plain Bart figure helps when you want
to play super hero. (“Bart ducks into the tree house, and emerges as
BARTMAN!”)