TDK Wayne Head
WO Jacket Logan torso
Cobra Commander waist
CG legs
two partbo-stick using long Q-tip stem and coffee stirrer, with elastic strap

It was Bruce Wayne's worst nightmare realized. Not that his ward of the last ten years, Dick Grayson, had turned 18. But that he chose to use his birthday as an opportunity to go so severely against Wayne's wishes by enlisting in the Army.

It had been an ongoing debate at Wayne Manor, to be sure. Grayson (known by all by his nickname "Robin") petitioning Wayne for a place within the EXCAL organization, and Wayne responding that school was the most important thing for Grayson at the time.

Wayne's job was no doubt a difficult one. He had taken Robin under his wing when the boy was just 8. After failing to come to the rescue of his parents, in time to prevent their murder, Wayne did at least rescue young Grayson from the same fate. But given his own history, he felt a duty and obligation to provide the boy a home and a life, despite being a very young man in his own right. The paperwork to secure the adoption was easy. Taking on a strong willed 8 year old, in light of his own lifestyle and obligations was not.

Certainly, it was a task set up to fail if not for dear old Alfred. But while Alfred played the part of nanny to a "T", there is no doubt that Robin looked up to none other than Bruce Wayne. It was a tough time for Wayne, keeping his alternate identity a secret from an inquisitive child. And the result was inevitable. By the time Robin was 13, he had a full working knowledge of the Bat Man's operation. He was adding strength and muscle to his already wiry agile frame. And his intellect was being honed as well, not so much via the lofty private schools Wayne enrolled him in, but via the hands-on education he received in the Bat Cave instead. Robin had learned to assist Alfred in the repair of all of the Bat vehicles, and could manipulate the Bat computer like a pro. He was soon designing and engineering new systems or improving upon existing ones, in each of the Bat Man's vehicles and suits.

Wayne faced an uncomfortable dichotomy in the raising of Robin, not unlike that which was the theme of his life. He wanted to protect Robin, and help him lead the normal life that had escaped his own childhood. Yet, protecting a boy such as this often required teaching him to protect himself. So Wayne taught Robin how to fight, and how to fight well, teaching him techniques from each of the martial arts Wayne had mastered.

By the time Robin was 16 he was an accomplished combatant. He took especially well to the use of a bo-stick, and he had grown in size and strength to the point where Wayne suspected the Bat armor would be worn well by the kid, if push came to shove. But Wayne tried his best to put such thoughts from his mind. This kid needed to be in the Ivy Leagues soon, not the Bat Cave.

And the Ivy Leagues were certainly calling (amongst other schools - of which only 10 or so had any real hope of netting him). Not only was Robin at the top of his class from the famed Gotham Academy, but he was also the star of both its football and gymnastics teams, an unusual combination of skills that had 'All American' written all over him. Given that he had grown to be 6-3, 200 pounds by his senior year of high school, it was not unrealistic to envision a pro football career in his future as well.

But Dick Grayson had no aspirations to play pro football. He certainly didn't need the money of a pro contract, and he had viewed both football and gymnastics as nothing more than additional physical training for his intended career path - a justice fighter on par with none other than the Bat Man himself.

Just over a year before Grayson graduated from Gotham Academy, Wayne's involvement in the EXCAL organization became a prominent story in the local New York papers. At that same time, the Bat Man began to take his justice fighting enterprise from the dirty streets of "Gotham" to an international stage. That the freedom loving nations of the world seemed to be losing their war with tyranny was not lost on Grayson, and he vowed to aid the fight in any way he could. When he finally declared to his mentor that he would not attend school, but would instead offer his services to EXCAL, Wayne said (as an EXCAL Director) that his application was flatly denied.

Believing his word to be final, Wayne did not realize the depth of his ward's conviction on the issue until reading the letter left in his office from Robin, on the boy's 18th birthday, indicating his enlistment in the Army. It pained him to give in. But if young Robin was going to fight for freedom and put himself in harm's way, Wayne would be damned if he'd let him do it anywhere other than by his side. And with one simple phone call, Grayson's enlistment was transferred to EXCAL, and he was immediately enrolled as a trainee in the Paladin Knight Program.