Theme: DC Comics Super Heroes
No: 76139
Release Year: 2019
Cost: AU $399.99
Pieces: 3306
Batmobiles are nothing new to LEGO. They’ve been making them since 2006 and have covered a number of different designs, colours and scales. Some have been great, some have not, and some have been a little weird, but none have been this big.
Thanks to the sheer size of this vehicle, the level of accuracy is second to none. The massive box contains 24 numbered bags across 24 steps, two un-numbered bags containing larger items, four tyres – two big and two small, an instruction manual and a sticker sheet with 19 stickers.
The set also includes three minifigures – Batman, The Joker and Vicki Vale, the reporter. Coming from one of the greatest Batman movies ever, the three characters portrayed in LEGO were played by Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basigner. These minifigures are stunning.
Batman comes with some excellent printing, but the drawcard is the cape and cowl. Made from a softer plastic, it features a dramatic swooping shape, and the Batman logo emblazoned on the front. His head is printed on both sides, with the white bar across the front. Batman carries a batarang. Due to the cape’s shape it’s not possible to put him in the vehicle, but it’s the wrong scale anyway.
The Joker is one of my favourite minifigures this year so far – with the unmistakable Jack Nicholson maniacal grin and colourful suit. The printing on this minifigure is exquisite.
Vicki Vale comes with her character’s sand green wrap style dress and flowing blonde hair. She’s also got a camera.
The build process is massive – it’s long and detailed and is full of studs going in all sorts of directions. I’m not going to go through the whole lot as it could take forever – but I will point out some of my favourite sections. The beginning stage of the bed of Technic really describes just how big this set will be, but only to an extent. It ends up getting a lot wider (and a lot heavier) which is super exciting. The steering mechanism at the front is different to usual steering and is a bit more complicated but works well.
The machine gun mechanisms work well and were fun to build – I had no idea what I was building until I inserted the first one. The best part for me was seeing the shape come together. It takes a while as it’s so large, but it’s extremely satisfying to watch. Building the sliding canopy structure is excellent and very clever in it’s simplicity. The sliding is just so smooth!
The set also has a rotating stand to sit on, complete with a UCS style information plaque and a detailed stand for the minifigures to stand on in the style of a building’s roof detail. I really like the stand, although the plaque can get covered up by the vehicle itself.
The overall build is spectacular, and actually quite heavy! The shaping is beautiful. Long, smooth sweeping lines in sleek black. The overall shape is spot on – aerodynamic, imposing and 100% batmobile.
The greebling on the side is beautiful, as are the headlights at the front and the taillights at the back – simple but effective. The headlights use a small white sticker behind them to make them stand out a little more.
The large turbine at the front looks brilliant, using train wheels for details. The hubs on each of the large four tyres look great, but I have noticed a couple of things about the wheels.
The front wheels are able to turn, but they don’t turn a lot. Combine that with the length of the vehicle, and the turning circle ends up being huge – I actually measured it – over 2 metres wide from the edge of the outside wheels. Good luck driving this thing around your house! The huge rear tyres are also quite soft, so after a while the weight of the car will cause flat spots to appear on the tyres, if you don’t use the stand. To be honest, I don’t think this will be a play set for many people.
The two M1919 Browning machine guns are covered up by a couple of plates, but when the turbine at the back is turned, the guns pop up nicely, only just clearing the front wheel arches.
Inside that smooth sliding cockpit (featuring a brand new windscreen element), there are two large chairs, a steering wheel, some levers, pedals and the most dials and buttons you’ll ever see.
The wings at the back are fantastic – an iconic feature of the 1989 Batmobile. The shaping has been cleverly replicated with the use of an upside down portion of build.
All in all this is a seriously excellent set. It’s massive, has a great display stand and the attention to detail in the shaping is wonderful. It’s not cheap, but for the fans of the franchise – this is a must buy. There are some excellent minifigures included and it’s a display piece that will capture the eyes of many.
ELEMENTS & MINIFIGURES: 17/20
SWOOSHABILITY: 10/20
BUILD: 17/20
DESIGN / APPEARANCE: 20/20
VALUE FOR MONEY: 8/10
COLLECTIBILITY: 10/10
OVERALL: 82/100
A special thank you to LEGO for sending me a copy to review. All thoughts on this set are my own and are not influenced in any way, shape or form. The provision of sets for review does not guarantee a favourable review.
What a beast of a set! Looks amazing, and LEGO did such an amazing job capturing that iconic shape. Almost worth it just for the minifigures. Just not sure I can justify the shelf space!
Do you think it is a good set?