Review: 70908 The Scuttler
Posted by DrDaveWatford,Anticipation continues to grow ahead of the February 2017 release of The LEGO Batman Movie (TLBM). This has undoubtedly been stoked by images of the first wave of TLBM sets, some of which we’ve already reviewed here on Brickset.
As a big fan of LEGO mechs, albeit generally two-legged ones, 70908 The Scuttler immediately caught my eye so I’m pleased to be able to bring you a review of the set ahead of its retail release.
Box & Contents
This was my first sight of a TLBM set outside of published reviews, and I’m definitely a fan of the relatively simple set branding featuring the brick-built movie logo displayed against a tiled yellow background and Batman peering out from the top right corner. The front of the box (below) provides a good clear look at the completed build plus the minifigures without the addition of too much additional clutter, which is a welcome improvement on some of the sets that I’ve reviewed this year.
In addition to providing an alternate view of the Scuttler the back of the box (below) focuses on some of its myriad play features. The builder is encouraged to “Build Something Batman”, and the URL for TLBM microsite is displayed (twice), although unfortunately for me the site doesn’t contain any information about this set or the Scuttler in general at time of writing so I’m somewhat in the dark.
Despite the size of the box it’s secured by thumb tabs rather than tape seals. It contains seven sealed bags of elements numbered from one to seven plus an approximately A4-sized single instruction booklet sealed inside a clear bag. There’s a single sticker sheet (below) which can be found in the bag alongside the instruction booklet.
The front cover of the 120-page instruction booklet can be seen below. A total of 112 pages are dedicated to the building guide, with other content including a one-page guide to a selection of the Scuttler’s play features, a two-page inventory of elements, and a bunch of advertising for some of the LEGO Batman Movie sets, the DC Comics Super Heroes theme, the LEGO Batman Movie app and the upcoming LEGO Life app.
The Minifigures
The set contains six minifigures which are distributed between the first three bags of elements. You can see the first two minifigures – Batman and Dick Grayson – below. Batman has a torso which, while new, appears to be the same as that which appears in other TLBM sets. His yellow tool belt is also a new element, and it’s once again common to a number of TLBM sets in both yellow and orange. I suspect that Batman’s double-sided head, with it’s sneering expression, is currently unique to this set as it doesn’t appear in any of the online part catalogues at time of writing. His soft black cape is however the same as that which has featured in a multitude of Batman sets since 2015, while his cowl dates back to 2012 and his legs are standard unprinted fare. Many of the elements making up Dick Grayson appear to be new and exclusive to this minifigure. These include his back-printed head, his reddish-brown hair complete with huge spectacles, his dark blue bow-tie, and his torso print featuring a medium blue tuxedo sprinkled with silver spangles, a pink ruffled shirt and a dark blue cummerbund. His legs are however black and unprinted.
There’s an ever-increasing tendency for minifigures to have printing on their shoulders and arms, and for this reason I’ve included a few side-on pictures in this review. While Batman’s arms are unprinted, Dick Grayson’s torso features medium blue arms decorated with more silver spangles (below) to match those on the front of his tux.
I’ve removed the hair and headgear from both minifigures plus Batman’s cape prior to shooting the photograph below so that you can see the back-printing on the heads and torsos. The back-printing on Batman’s torso shows commendable attention to detail given that it would normally be hidden under his cape, while Dick Grayson’s torso back-print is a continuation of the medium blue and silver spangled pattern found on the front and arms.
Next up are the villains of the piece. As far as I can tell, every single part of Poison Ivy (below) from her flowing red locks to her printed dark green legs is brand new and unique to this minifigure. Her torso print is detailed and gorgeous, and she even sports a soft fabric wrap-around skirt which, while not strictly necessary, still looks the part. Overall I think she looks amazing. The Joker is also made up of brand new elements, but his double-sided face print, green hair and legs featuring a printed waistband are shared with the version of The Joker found in 70906 The Joker Notorious Lowrider.
Unlike his counterpart in the Notorious Lowrider set, this version of The Joker doesn’t have any printing on his arms. Once again Poison Ivy excels, however – her arms are divided into light flesh and dark green sections, with the latter being beautifully printed with a flowing vegetation pattern which matches the front of her torso.
Looking from the back this version of The Joker again disappoints compared with the Notorious Lowrider version thanks to the lack of a back-printed torso. He is however partially redeemed by his interesting dark purple fabric extended split tails which are unique to this minifigure. No such grumbles with Poison Ivy, though – her torso backprint is superb and it’s nicely complemented by her fabric skirt.
Poison Ivy can be posed atop the structure below which is included in the set. It’s primarily made up of reddish brown and green vine elements attached to a central hub. Poison Ivy appears to float above the ground thanks to the use of trans–clear supporting structures including a trans-clear 3 x 3 inverted dish
Last but not least are Commissioner Gordon and Barbara Gordon (below). Commissioner Gordon has a splendidly detailed torso print featuring among other things a red diagonal sash, a number of medals on his breast and richly decorated lapels. His reversible head print appears to be new and exclusive to this minifigure as does his hair, in dark bluish grey at least. His legs are unprinted and generic, however. Barbara Gordon has a black, unprinted torso. This is covered front and back by Gotham City Police Department-branded moulded body armour which is I assume is new and which will surely appear in other TLBM sets. Her lovely dark red hair pulled back into a ponytail and her reversible head also appear to be new elements, as do her printed black legs.
As you can see in the picture below, Commissioner Gordon has detailed printing on his arms featuring a gold police badge on his shoulders and gold stripes on his wrists. Barbara Gordon’s arms are divided into black and medium dark flesh sections although are unprinted.
The Commissioner’s torso back-print features a red diagonal sash. Barbara Gordon’s torso isn’t back-printed, but her body armour makes up for that with more Gotham City Police Department branding.
The Build
The build is split into seven stages, with a single numbered bag of elements for each stage. Building commences with the construction of Batman’s jet pack. The presence of Batman’s cape prevents the jet pack from being attached to the minifigure via a neck bracket or a stud on the back of the torso as is often the case; instead Batman stands on a 1 x 2 ledge protruding forward from the base of the jet pack (below), making it easy to attach and detach the minifigure. The bulky thrusters are attached via small ball and socket joints, meaning that they can be angled as desired.
With the jet pack complete it’s time to start assembling the Scuttler. The first section to be built is the body, which requires the contents of the first two numbered bags of elements. The body is built on a black 6 x 12 plate and is predominantly comprised of a sprinkling of Technic elements together with a bunch of SNOT bricks at the front and sides which enclose a hollow interior. A couple of elements stood out for me during the build, namely a light bluish grey modified 2 x 4 plate with pin holes which has previously only appeared in the Caterham Seven Ideas set, and a few black ingots which have appeared in less than ten sets to date. For reasons unknown the set utilises dark orange 2 x 2 round plates as ‘filler’ in some areas; these are the only dark orange elements to be found in the set, and are almost invisible in the completed build.
Building the body is slightly disorienting. When I started to build the body I assumed that the enclosed interior was the cockpit of the Scuttler and the large transparent canopy was the windscreen; it later transpired however that the canopy is in fact an engine cover, and the interior houses the Scuttler’s engine. The picture above is therefore a view of the front of the body, to which the head of the Scuttler will eventually attach, while the picture below is a shot of the rear. The sides of the body feature black left and right 10 x 3 wedges, to which stickers are attached. Another sticker, which is horrible to accurately apply, is used to embellish the transparent engine cover . Beneath the engine cover is a modestly-sized engine which utilises a pair of light bluish grey droid legs in its construction; these have only appeared in a couple of sets to date. The structure sticking out of the top of the body is a net launcher, variants of which have previously appeared in sets such as 75915 Pteranodon Capture and 9468 Vampyre Castle. It can be rotated to fire horizontally in any direction but can’t be angled upwards or downwards.
Bags 3, 4 and 5 contain the elements needed to build the upper section of the front legs and the entirety of the back legs. Both the front and back legs articulate with the body via heavy-duty Technic disc rotation joints; the front legs are attached to the body at a slight angle and are therefore splayed slightly outwards, making the Scuttler more stable as well as providing more space between the front legs for the head. A few dark bluish grey 45 degree inverted 3 x 1 double slopes make an appearance at this stage of the build; these have only previously appeared in seven sets in this colour. Oh, and having previously mentioned the random dark orange 2 x 2 round plates which make an appearance in this set, I guess I should also mention the single bright pink 1 x 4 brick which is inexplicably used in the interior of each front leg and which is completely invisible in the finished build – you’ve got to love LEGO designers!
Each of the back legs has a foot which articulates via a Technic pin and socket rotation joint. This joint allows both flexion/extension and rotation of the foot, as well as providing a strong and stable connection. Each foot incorporates a single dark tan modified 1 x 2 brick with studs on two sides, an element which has only previously appeared in two sets in this colour, and also a couple of black 2 x 1 inverted curved slopes which can be found in fewer than ten sets to date in this colour.
The lower section of the front legs is next to be built, and the necessary elements can be found in Bag 6. Each lower leg section incorporates a row of 1 x 4 Technic gear racks, and when it’s inserted into the upper leg section the gear racks engage with a pair of 8-tooth Technic gears. This arrangement holds the leg sections in position while also allowing the leg length to be manually adjusted to some extent. There are a pair of stud shooters mounted on the top of each front leg, and each leg has a foot which attaches via a pair of small ball and socket joints, thus allowing approximately 180 degrees of flexion/extension.
You can get an alternative look at how the upper and lower sections making up the front legs fit together in the rear view below; the lower section of each leg is fully retracted in the picture, thus shortening the front legs to the minimum extent. The blue pins protruding from the sides of the lower leg sections are yet to be hidden at this stage, but otherwise all four legs are now complete.
Last to be built is the Scuttler’s compact head which accommodates the cockpit. This incorporates some interior detailing including a couple of stickered double cheese slopes which represent control panels and a trans-light blue 1 x 2 x 1 panel which presumably represents a heads-up display. The driver looks out through a canopy made up of a trans-black 4 x 4 x 4 2/3 windscreen with handle which has only previously appeared in ten sets. The canopy is hinged at the front and opens to allow access to the interior of the cockpit. As if two stud shooters on each front leg weren’t enough, there’s a further pair of stud shooters attached to the head, one on each side - clearly you can never have too many stud shooters….
The head is topped off with a couple of black 4 x 2 wedge plates which project upwards and backwards and look suspiciously like bat ears…. The head attaches to the body via a Technic pin and socket rotation joint. This allows the head to move up and down and also to rotate about its axis. With the head assembled and attached we’re done.
The Verdict
The Scuttler is a pretty bizarre-looking machine, and I repeatedly found myself wishing that I’d had an opportunity to watch the LEGO Batman Movie prior to building and reviewing it as I didn’t really know what to make of it. The best description I can come up with for its appearance is that it’s akin to a bat walking on its wings; this would certainly fit the Batman theme and is also consistent with the bat-like appearance of the head complete with bat ears, but I guess we’ll have to wait for the movie to find out.
The completed Scuttler build incorporates a number of play features. Some of these, notably the front and rear opening canopies, the extendable front legs, and the ability to pose the machine thanks to the variety of articulation points, are demonstrated in the picture below. When you add the net launcher and the stud shooters into the mix, not to mention the six minifigures, there’s little doubt that the set’s target audience of 9 to 14-year olds will find much to entertain them in this set. For my part, I enjoyed the build, the quirky nature of the finished model and the fact that the Scuttler can be readily posed without collapsing, although I guess I’ll need to reserve final judgement until I’ve seen the Movie and can ascertain how faithful the Scuttler is to its silver screen counterpart…. I’m also very taken with the Poison Ivy minifigure which is wonderful.
Set 70908 The Scuttler contains 775 elements and will retail for £84.99 / US$79.99 when it hits the shelves next year; I’ve not seen a formal release date but would assume that it’ll be available ahead of the movie’s February 2017 release.
Many thanks as ever to the LEGO company for providing Brickset with a copy of the set to review ahead of its retail release.
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44 comments on this article
Good review. Gotta love all of the arm prints, wow!
I really love Poison Ivy as well, but this vehicle is very unusual. I might buy the minifig separate from the set...
It might be meant to be her shoulder blades but Poison Ivy looks like she has cleavage on her back.
Love it - it looks like a Zoid! I'll be waiting for a bit of a discount as £85 seems a bit steep.
Is that price point correct? 85 GBP but only 80 USD?
What a bizarre mecha this is. I like it more now that I've seen more pictures of it, but still...
Also: That particular Joker minifigure (with the really long coat-tails) is not unique to this set. It also appears in The Joker Balloon Escape.
According to the US LEGO.com, it releases on Jan 1st with some of the other Batman sets.
This was love at first sight. It immediately brought an, ahem, scuttling bat to mind when I saw it which is fun in a random way.
Great review, i would never buy this thing, it's odd looking and what can we do with that?
I'm not too interested in this set, as it looks kind of strange as was pointed out. I suspect my opinion might change some when I see the movie. Looks cool for what it is though.
The hairpiece on Commissioner Gordon, while new, is not exclusive to this set. It also appears in the CMF line for the film.
@Bricklunch, I thought the same thing. Don't put her torso on backwards or it'll look like she has sagging boobs!
This is a great mecha, not in my aisle but it's great.
Edit: when are you doing the movie comparison of the Rogue One sets oh right, there are still a couple that are missing (Y-Wing and the two BP).
@mcjaco, you have said exactly what I was thinking but was avoiding saying.
I don't think BatMan would approve of the orange and pink pieces used (even if they are hidden away), but I love the attention to detail in these reviews (even mentioning parts that you can't see) and like the quirky nature of the builds for this new film - it's Lego being Lego - I'm looking forward to it more and more
Looks cool. Love the way it poses on its front legs.
Found this at WalMart yesterday. Looks like an amazing set.
After some thought, I initially concluded that the Scuttler might represent a giant ape, what with the large arms and small back legs. However, the suggestion of a bat walking on its wings makes a lot of sense too (and would better suit the set's name) I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
I expect the orange and pink bricks are placeholders, coloured that way purely to aid in the building process (it's often easier to count X studs from the pink brick, etc., when trying to place something correctly); it would explain why they're hidden in the final model.
Your review has only added to my excitement about the Scuttler - like someone said above, it's very Zoid-like and just looks so cool to me...
I can't help but think that this could be used as the basis for an excellent pterosaur mech.
I figured this was a bat crawling along on its wings and legs the second I saw it. It fits the bat-theme, after all. But it just seems a very strange basis for a mech.
Gorgeous minifigs, though.
It looks exactly like a bat walking on its legs/wings. The designers did a great job. The set looks wacky and so does this movie. I can't wait to pick it up on a sale. While, the MSRP is decent for something of the size plus new figures, I will still wait for a sale because who can afford the entire line at $800 (not including summer wave).
Either way, the figures are great. Nice that we have the dress blues for both Jim and Barbara Gordon now. And I would love to get more of those SWAT vests.
Barbara's vest is too thick, which leaves her head too far from her shoulders. It looks really out of place.
The Joker's button is on the wrong side of his jacket. I wonder whether this is TLG's mistake or the film's animators did it. Either way, it's annoying.
Dave, the lighting is bad in all of your photos, since there's no light shining on the front of the objects.
@Huey1 I'm glad I'm not the only one who's bothered by what you're mentioning about Barbara's minifig. It annoys the hell out of me when armors, capes or whatever make the head look too separated from the torso...
I think you have Batman's utility belt backwards and upside down. Definitely upside down - the flaps for the different pouches should be on top.
Thanks for the excellent and detailed review! This set looks brilliant.
@Huey I agree entirely about the Barbara minfig. It was the first thing I noticed. I was very bothered but didn't want to say anything as an experiment to see if anyone else would point it out.
The main build is to weird for me. One of my least favorite of the tlbm line so far.
Ivy's new hair piece is AWESOME
I think Barbara's head is a little too far from the shoulders with the vest in place. It makes it look like her neck is either elongated or that her head is about to become detached entirely from her torso. I think the padding is just right for the vest when it's seen from the side for the front and back. It gives it that sturdiness that is befitting of a police vest, but I guess they would have to reduce the thickness for the shoulder portion in order to make it minifig-proportional overall.
I hadn't noticed Barbara's head being so high. Now I can never unsee it :(
Are these the same vests as from the lego movie and Jurassic Park? I don't remember those heads being so high (or maybe I just never noticed).
@flipus74 this is no doubt due to TLG increasing prices on the 1st january in the uk due to the weak pound. which means they're apparently not making enough profit. most likely because of brexit: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/14/lego-to-raise-its-prices-in-uk-from-january-sterling
That is the best poison ivy minifigure we've ever seen IMO. I didn't even notice the white flower in her hair haha!
The punch tab on large boxes is a big new thing this year, it thankfully to those in North America, the large U.S./Canada/Mexico packaging on sets, including this one, is the typical taped boxes.
Barbara's neck looks stretched.
I want Poison Ivy but the rest of the set I could do without. I want Commissioner Gordon as well but the collectible minifig version is superior.
This was on the shelf in a Target I stopped at in Florida on 12/26 don't remember the price tho.
Is the UK price rise definitely confirmed now? I've only ever seen it reported second hand, never directly from TLG. Surely it would be the sort of thing that would be announces on LEGO.com or somewhere official.
That GCPD vest is great, but why does it result in the figure looking so odd? No other similar torso accessory that I have results in the same effect. Poor design?
Have we heard anything about tabs being standard on all boxes going forward, vs. using tape/seals?
Understandably box-collectors will be annoyed, but I for one will DEFINITELY appreciate no longer having to wonder if some yahoo stole the contents of a box only to re-seal and return it later...
I suspect the US will continue to get taped boxes while the ROW will continue to have glued ones.
Pricing makes perfect sense, as usual. It is the new 79108: Stagecoach Escape, which was 30$ and 50 Euros. No wonder I pretty much only buy Lego when there is a discount of at least 25%.
DrDaveWatson, if you remain curious about the Scuttler, one of the key scenes explaining it is in one of the movie trailers. Basically this movie is about Batman from The Lego Movie. "Master Builder" Batman. The Scuttler is a vehicle he cobbles together to escape something.
You can open the glued boxes without any damage by using a sharp knife. It's not a problem.
THis looks like a cool set.
I keep thinking it looks like a rat creature from the comic Bone.