Review: 70905 The Batmobile
Posted by iso3200,Since its first announcement at the end of 2015, The LEGO Batman Movie has had fans guessing what we would get as a film, but more importantly for builders and Super Hero collectors, what would the accompanying sets be like? The LEGO Movie sets in my opinion were a mixed bag. It had some real classics like Benny's Spaceship, and even the cheapest two sets were quite good - but it also had a variety of dull filler.
With 2017 a mere breath away, the wait for The LEGO Batman Movie is nearly over. The first sets based on the film are in the wild and the initial reaction to them has been mostly positive. I have been blessed with a copy of 70905 The Batmobile to review, and it looks like the designers have had a bit of fun with it. But does it have Batitude?
The Box
It is a small/medium size, 38cm x 26cm and it feels reassuringly weighty and full. The branding for the range is hard to ignore, with the black and yellow theme working well. The front side shows the vehicle speeding along, and a key to the five minifigures you get inside is printed on the bottom left.
The rear of the box showcases the play features. These all look pretty cool, and the 8-year old inside of me can not wait to try them out. How well they work remains to be seen, so the first thing to do of course is crack the seals and see what falls out.
There are two instruction booklets, just under A4 size. Book 1 concentrates on the chassis and bodywork and has 144-steps in it. Book 2 has a further 100-steps to add the wheel and ride height mechanisms.
The Parts
There are five numbered bags within and there is one minifigure in each bag. I like this minifigure distribution as it feels like a reward every time you complete a section. There are a few interesting parts I have identified - some are new, some are recolours are some are a bit scarce.
We have got black ingots and black 1x2 with 2 studs on one side that have only appeared twice before. The 90 degree elbows in Pearl Dark Grey and 1x1 half round tiles in Light Bluish Grey are both quite new. We have a 6x3 wedge plate recoloured in red, the bat wings are new, as are the 2x2 wedge plates in Dark Bluish Grey which seem very useful. I am pretty certain the 2x2 rounded bottom is a recolour in trans purple too. The windscreen in trans yellow is a 6x6x2 so may find favour with Classic Space MOCers.
Holy adhesives Batman! Is that a large sheet of stickers I see before me? Yes Boy Wonder, I am afraid so. There are 21 stickers to apply to the Batmobile. Some are a bit fiddly, so if you hate centring things, you may want to practice some mindfulness before tackling them. Four of the stickers fit onto 1x2 tiles and slopes, and the four round ones go on 2x2 tile wheel centres. The round ones are the worst, as not getting them bang on means they move up and down when the wheels turn. Given that there are four of these per set, it would have been really nice to have had this part printed. I know stickers are a necessary evil but 21 seems quite a lot.
The Minifigures
Batman
Another year, another Batman. If it is an overdose of Batman you want, then 2017 is the right time for you. He is an okay minifigure, but having looked through the forthcoming set roster, it looks like this variant appears in no less than 11 sets. The new utility belt piece is cool, so he gets to have an updated torso print.
His cape is of the soft cloth variety which helps when squishing him into the Batmobile and he has a dual sided head. Ultimately it is just another Batman minifigure and there are more interesting versions to be found in the forthcoming CMF series and 70909 Batcave Break-In.
Robin
I have always been a fan of the classic coloured versions of Robin and this one does not disappoint. The new hairpiece and bottle eye glasses, which is a one piece combined mould, give him some real character, and you can tell without even seeing the movie trailers that he is going put a lot of fun into the film. He has a decent double sided head print too which would not look out of place on any other fleshie minifig, so very useful.
The split flesh arms and legs along with the printing are excellent. He has a cool accessory – a gun with a Bat Merch attachment and I am keen to find out what he does with it in the movie.
His cape is of the stiffer variety but one side has a pearlescent finish and looks great. Due to the seating arrangement in the Batmobile I would worry about it getting creased a little though. Robin minifigures are nothing new of course but this one just has something about it that I love.
He also appears in the flagship 70912 Arkham Asylum and the cheaper 70902 Catwoman Cycle Chase so whatever your budget, Robin will be easily attainable.
Man Bat
It is a case of deja-vu with Man-Bat as there is nothing remarkable to report on. He has appeared once before in 76011 Man-Bat Attack so if you missed that set, you will be glad for a chance to pick him up again.
For minifigure collectors though, it is a real pity that he is identical as it could have been an ideal time for a torso variation, or to add some dual coloured blue/brown legs.
The Kabuki Twins
The Kabuki Twins are two female bodyguards employed by The Penguin - I had to do a Google to find this out as I was not familiar with them at all. It seems they only made a brief appearance in a Batman Strikes comic and also in several episodes of the animated Batman 2004 TV series. It would seem fitting then that they reappear in another animation. I like the fact that LEGO have chosen to include lesser known characters in the movie.
These minifigures might first appear a little basic but under study, they are actually very good representations of the source material indeed. The printed face masks and use of Wolverines claws are perfect here.
The torso print shows their all in one Zentai style bodysuits, complete with tiny waists. The clue is in the name so there are two identical minifigures included. Decent enough, limited only by the original references. The Kabuki Twins are exclusive to this set.
The Build
Bag 1 is the base. This starts with some Technic beams and pins at the bottom working upwards to add a few bricks and plates, followed by some SNOT additions on all four sides. It makes a very solid slab.
Bag 2 gives the vehicle a bit more shape, and there is a lot of different elements to add which keeps it fresh while building. It also sees the first round of stickers go on.
Bag 3 finishes the bodywork, and again we use a good selection of pieces to hold interest. Some of the details use newer elements – we have got black ingots on the roof (which match the hood nicely), the 90 degree elbows for exhaust, and the subtle inclusion of 1x1 half circle tile on each side. More stickers to apply though.
Bag 4 goes to the rear wheels, adjustable ride height and lights. Two more stickers.
Bag 5 goes to the front wheels, adjustable ride height and lights. Two more stickers.
I really enjoyed the build, though bags 4 and 5 are slightly repetitive by design. Four corners of a vehicle – well there is only so much variation in that, but not enough to dampen any enthusiasm to get to the final result. It is a good mix of Technic, system and SNOT with plenty of interesting elements to add along the to way.
Play features
Before this movie, the design team have always had to follow somebody else's idea of what a Batmobile should be. This one approaches the concept from the other way around. If Batman was only a LEGO character, what would his ride be like and what could it do?
It remains to be seen how the Batmobile will feature in the final film, but I suspect there will be a good chase sequence or two where the unique wheel system will prove very useful. I think that some inspiration may have been taken from the Arkham Knight game – whilst I have not played it myself I believe the Batmobile in that has a wheel concept not too dissimilar to this.
The first feature is that you can lock the suspension on all four wheels independent of each other so the stance of the vehicle can be changed. There is a lot of travel from slung down low as a speedster, to high rise like a 4x4, and everything in between.
It is pretty much The Joker's Lowrider on steroids. You can even have one side of the car on high rise and the opposite set low so it looks like it is riding a banked curve. Its very flexible and the chunky rounded tires maintain ground contact in all but the most asymmetric configurations. This gives plenty of display options on a shelf.
The second more unique feature is that the wheels can be swung to 90 degree positions, so the vehicle can drive quite literally sideways. Bonkers. As an AFOL, it is interesting but this configuration is not so good for shelf display. However kids will absolutely love it and I would bet on them being some good movie scenes to re-enact with this feature. I also think that in a child's imagination the wheels could just as easily become jet engines to make the whole thing take off and swoosh about.
The cockpit area has room for both Batman and Robin to sit, and the windscreen piece comes off easily to facilitate putting them in. The mechanism for popping the roof is just behind them.
By twisting the knob on the back, cunningly disguised as part of the engine, the roof canopy can be ejected. It is a simple mechanism – as the knob turns, a Bionicle tooth twists up and touches the roof, prising it off of its connection.
It works fine, but it is quite easy to turn the knob the wrong way, and with a bit too much force the tooth can drive downwards and get stuck. A minor irritation, as it is always tempting to twist as hard as possible to get some big air for the roof, but once done a couple of times you soon start to remember!
The model is finished with a stud shooter on either side of the canopy. All-in-all The Batmobile has got a lot of play value in it. This should prove a very popular set for its target audience and AFOLs alike.
Overall
I love this Batmobile much more than I thought I would. It reminds me of the Tamiya RC buggies that I always wanted as a child and a trip down nostalgia street is never a bad thing. It looks rugged and strong like the more recent Bat vehicles, but also has a nod to the 1966 version like the V shapes on the front grille and red highlights throughout. The finished size is 27cm x 15cm in speedster mode, or in terms we will recognise more easily, that is just over a 32x32 baseplate in length and covers the same footprint as the 10220 VW Camper. It is bound to be in Brand Store windows as it does look pretty substantial. The design team have ticked a lot of boxes with this.
Faults
Well, not much for me really. On each side of the canopy there is a grey technic pin inserted into a holder. I naturally want to pick the vehicle up around this point, and I have found it can prise off easily with my pinch pressure. It is not much, but if I am looking for a wart and I find one then there it is. Oh, and I suppose the wheels seem a bit wobbly – however this does give the impression of suspension so maybe we should call that a feature and not a fault.
Conclusion
I went into the review knowing what the price is and thought it may be a bit expensive. It is £54.99 in the UK and $59.99 in the US. What is with that?
You get 581-pieces (though around 60 of these are Technic pins and smalls), and five minifigures. Two of the minifigures, whilst admittedly new and exclusive to this set, are identical, one minifigure is a straight copy from a previous and Batman is just another Batman - so the best figure in the box for me is Robin, and he is still ultimately a rehash. Good figures yes, but not all are must haves.
IP based sets always have a premium so between this and 70906 Jokers Lowrider it would appear to be better value - but it does not explain the price differences between each regional market. Compare it to a similar sized Star Wars set though and the price actually looks about right. After building it I have found it probably is not far off the money either.
The main thing that you need to know is that it is an extremely likeable set indeed. Good build. Good playability. Good display piece.
If it has caught your eye, then I would certainly recommend it and say that you should buy it at the first price you are happy with.
Batitude? Yes indeed.
Thanks to LEGO for providing this set for review. The review is an expression of my own opinions.
63 likes
24 comments on this article
"you should buy it at the first price you are happy with" I totally agree. Certainly not a day one purchase for me, it wasn't even wanted until this review.... thankyou. £39.99 im going for... in...... march i suspect.
"What's with that?" [the price]
One word: Brexit. Specifically, the bad exchange rate as a result of it is now starting to filter through to set prices. Get used to it!
Great images and good review! Looks like a fun ride. I like the view from the side in its natural position if you can call it that. Your final image is a lot of fun with the whole set in one! Well done!
@MBJosh04 There are several new members doing reviews but they are not new to the site if you hang around the forum at all.
Love how you filed the front image of the minifigures from a slight angle. Looks more dynamic and you can see the arm printing better. Very nice job!
Good review. I hesitate to buy this because of the tones of black ingot and of the look. I bought earlier this year the BvsS batmobile and it would too much batitude for me
Man, iso3200, this is one of the best reviews I have ever seen on this site. I'm not mincing words here- this was fantastic. :) You are direct but also engaging in describing the set, your photography is awesome and very clean (that roof ejection shot was great!), you pay attention to small details like stickers and building steps, and I love that you play around with the finished model at the very end. Keep up the good work! I want to read more of these reviews!
Excellent review. I'm really thinking of buying it because of your description. The set is not in the wild as you say, though. It's been in North America since late November and I saw the sets from the movie last night at Walmart.
I agree with everything chrismajor2124 said. Truly a wonderfully written review. That mid-flight canopy shot was fantastic.
Great review!
Very thorough review but it hasn't really changed my mind. I find these giant vehicles more of a novelty, but they're not really ticking any of my Lego boxes. I love that both heroes can sit side-by-side in the cockpit, and the Kabuki twins are cool, but I'm not too impressed by this one.
I yearn to own this set!
Turning the Set car to a RC one would be outstanding.
In general, it would be nice if the stickers in reviewed sets were applied as a final touch, this allowing a without and with sticker photo.
Nice idea but it's often not practical to do that if you want to apply them accurately.
Ooh. You've piqued my interest.
I'm still on the fence about this set... but this was a nice review. In particular, the photography was excellent!
I don't collect Batman... but now I want this set :-( Really great review @iso3200, it was a well thought out and enjoyable read.
Great review and excellent pictures!
Thanks for all your comments and positive feedback people :-)
Looks more like iso100 to me...
Nice set, but I'm really not loving these prices. Joker and Batmans rides will be a miss for me I think.
Unrelated: Does anyone else agree that the Kubo movie ripped off the Kabuki Twins with the two evil sisters?
Great review, got to echo the sentiments about the photographs too, that 'top' flipping away is great.
Looks like a great set, but to bad about the man-bar figure being a straight re-hash. Also would love if TLG would included different Batmans in one wave since we'll be picking up most of these (if money situation allowes us). But I guess there might be also lots of kids only getting one so for them it's a good thing :)
Absolutely excellent review! Very well written and I especially like the shear amount of great photos. Thank You very much - I would like to see more of Your reviews in the future... :)
Nice review! I'd get this set if not for the fact that it comes with a duplicate version of Man-Bat. I don't understand... every other minifigure gets an update for TLBM, except for Man-Bat? It's like TLG had a bunch of extras laying around and just decided to throw them in with this set to get rid of them.