Super Powers: Batman's Wayne Foundation Playset

Here is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while, recreate the Mego Wayne Foundation Playset for the Super Powers Collection.

What a lot of folks may not know or remember is that in 1970s during the Bronze Age of comics Batman relocated his entire base of operations into the very heart of Gotham City!

After Dick (Robin) Grayson left for college at Hudson University, Batman decided he needed to be closer to the city to fight crime so as Bruce Wayne he became more involved in the day to day operations of the Wayne Foundation and moved from Stately Wayne Manor to the penthouse of the Wayne Foundation Building in downtown Gotham City. The Wayne Foundation is a charitable organization created in memory of Bruce's Father Dr. Thomas Wayne.

During this period of time, a secret sub-basement of the building along with an old abandoned subway tunnel would become the new Batcave II. Batman moved his entire base of operations with all of his crime-fighting equipment, including his famed hall of trophies, to this new location. A secret tunnel leading to an old warehouse, blocks away on a seldom traveled dead-end street, would serve as the secret exit for the Batmobile.

Of course, eventually the Batcave and all of its equipment would be moved back to Wayne Manor, but for nearly a decade Batman's base of operations was under the Wayne Foundation Building in the center of downtown Gotham City!

In 1977 Mego would release the Wayne Foundation playset as part of its World's Greatest Superheroes action figure line.
Probably the most elaborate and awesome playset ever released for their line of 8" action figures, this playset stood over 40 inches tall, and came with numerous accessories and features, including:

• 4-story structure
• Working elevator
• Computer console with 2 chairs
• Conference table with viewscreen and 2 chairs
• Bookcase with secret compartment.

The different floors of the playset were meant to simulate different levels of Wayne Foundation Building as well as the Batcave underneath. The interior artwork (by celebrated artist Neal Adams, none-the-less!) was accurate to what appeared in the Batman comic book during this period.


An Ultarama Display System has been used to create a Wayne Foundation playset for the Super Powers Collection! When the original backdrops were resized to fit the Ultarama, they scaled perfectly for 4.5 inch (1:16 scale) Super Powers Collection figures. The new playset even features all 4 floors of the original Mego version. Lets take a look at each one:

The top floor features the penthouse/crime lab and has an open area that can serve as a landing pad for the Batcopter.

The next floor is the garage and workshop for the Batmobile and Bat-Cycle and also features an aircraft hangar for the Batplane.

The second floor is the famed trophy room, where the robotic T-Rex from Dinosaur Island and the Giant Penny from the Case of the Penny Plunderer are displayed. There is even an exhibit dedicated to Bat-Mite!

Finally we reach the bottom floor, where the Bat-Computers and the power generation plant are located. In a sly nod to the old '66 TV series, the power plant features an atomic pile!

Here are all the background images that were used, just download them and print them out as 8x10s on card stock to make your own Super Powers Wayne Foundation Playset:

Level One Level Two Level Three Level Four Logo Strip
Let's hear what you think about today's adventure! Did you ever have the original Wayne Foundation or any other Mego playset? What other Mego playsets do you think could work for the Super Powers Collection? Tell us in the comments section below.

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