Kenner Batman: The Animated Series Ra's Al Ghul Kenner, 1993
Day #457: August 3, 2012
Ra's Al Ghul with Strike Shooter and Combat Sword
The Adventures of Batman & Robin Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. 61145 No. 64088 Manufacturer:Kenner Includes:Sword, Mask, Rocket Launcher Action Feature:n/a Retail:$5.99 Availability: ca. 1993 Other: I Don't Get It Either
On Batman: The Animated SeriesRa's Al Ghul was a heck of an amazing villain. He was smart, connected, and a powerful man. Not in some hulking brute way, but he could probably organize and think his way out of any of a variety of problems, even a little one called death. He usually dressed like a more or less normal guy, so it was odd to see his action figure give him a sort of jackal armor. It's consistent with how Kenner did dynamic toys for active boys in the 1990s, but it looks nothing like anyone's memories of the show. A figure in that costume exists, but it's sort of tough to get and wasn't one of the worst pegwarmers in the line.
While fans always wanted more villains in this line, they were shortpacked for a reason. Man-Bat was available for about two or three bucks at Toys R Us with clearance tags on it for a long time, and figures like Bane and Ra's Al Ghul performed poorly. How poorly? Piles at Kay-Bee Toys for $3 or less for years poorly. This is almost more amazing than the fact that it exists, as "old man" figures are always a tough sell to toymakers when involved with kid-driven action figure lines, which Batman certainly was and had been for quite some time.
In all its weirdness, it's a pretty nice little toy. The jackal helmet fits really well, and helmet size was still something of an issue in the 1990s. The armor had some nice sculpting, the sword was durable, and the rocket launcher... I could do without the rocket launcher. Like many of the spring-loaded weapons, it works fairly well but adds so much weight to the figure that he will have difficulty holding it up and standing at the same time. Gravity, thou art cruel.
I bought this figure specifically because it was dirt cheap. I was hoping to get a suited version of the character, but by the time it came out I'd moved on to other lines (and didn't want to buy more Batmen.) Ra's has minimal paint and with only 5 points of articulation, feels pretty ancient today. Still, he's colorful and bizarre, which is why I'd say you should go ahead and get this unusual take on one of Batman's most enigmatic villains.
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