Keaton’s Batman Returns with the Batcave Shadowbox

It was 1992, and the long awaited sequel to Time Butron’s Batman was released: Batman Returns took a left turn on the tone set by the first film, and felt like Tim Burton was well and truly establishing the franchise as his own. While 1989’s Batman was a single villain romp, retaining a bit of campiness thanks to Jack Nicholson’s portrayal as the Joker, this film felt more serious, introducing Catwoman, the Penguin and the self-serving Max Shreck. With a more wintry setting, it was a darker film to watch, without the same bursts of colour that we saw from the Joker in the earlier film. We have seen a couple of releases related to Batman – the 89 Batmobile and the ’89 Batwing, along with a smaller version of the Batmobile, but we have not ventured further in to franchise yet.

Today, we see a unique display model with play features unveiled: the Batcave Shadow Box. With 3981 pieces, and priced at $USD399.99 /£344.99/€ 399.99/ 599.99 AUD/8999.9 TRY/3699.0 CNY/169990.0 HUF/519.99 CAD, this set pushes the boundaries of what has been previously attempted with LEGO Batman, and brings us a new format for displaying such models.

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In Color! 76188 Batmobile ’66 Hands On Review

It was 1977. Already the series was a decade old, and it was screening after school in melbourne. My family had just bought their first colour television, and the theme music started pulsing through the house. The title card promised that the program would be in colour… and it was. I was still of an age where I was somewhat disappointed to discover that the characters were all ‘Live Action’ after the animated titles. But never mind. This was the program that introduced me to the cliffhanger episodeic ending….Tune in Tomorrow: Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel. The program was about as serious as eight year old me could deal with.

But there was, undoubtedly, one thing that made this series realy cool: and extended into the world outside the living room: The Batmobile. This modified Ford Futura allowed Batman and Robin to leap over the door, and into their respective sets. Thank heavens it was never raining in Gotham City! But the really awesome thing was the Corgi Batmobile car: gloss black, with small figures of batman and Robin, as well as an image of Batman embossed on the bottom service of the car. But it had other great play features: push on the radar on the hood, and a blade would flick out ( of course, it was not sharp enough to inflict actual injury) and the rocket launcher. I have no idea what the actual rockets were like that came with the toy. My friends had long lost theirs. Instead, we used matchsticks. It was all fun and games, unless somebody loses an eye…

Source: Wikimedia, user PDpH under Creative Commons.

I never owned that car. That’s OK. With Mint in sealed Box versions going for thousands, and well played with, but restored versions selling for many hundreds, I can live with it. However, I’d be lying if I were to say I was not in any way excited when I discovered this set amongst some that the LEGO Group had sent over for me to take a look at.

The Batman Classic TV Series Batmobile has 345 parts, 2 minfigures and will retail for $USD29.99/ €29.99 / £34.99. It will be available from the usual sources from April 26, 2021. Read on after the break to see how the build comes together.

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Building the ’89 Batwing – Review: 76161

The Batwing was only given a couple of minutes of screen time in Tim Burton’s BATMAN (1989), but it was key to a number of iconic images from that film. The LEGO Group sent over a copy of the new 76161 to review: how does it fit in

It was the mid-year holidays in 1989, and Blockbuster movies were yet to have global release dates. And in the Northern Summer of 1989, this was one of the greatest years for the popcorn industry: Ghostbusters II, Star Trek V, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: as these franchises were coming to an end, one was threatening to rise up: In Australia, we had heard tales from across the seas, of people buying a full priced ticket in the US that summer, just to see the trailer for Tim Burton’s Batman – and then leaving the cinema.

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Where Does He Get those Wonderful Toys: 76161 1989 Batwing Announced

It’s the Third Saturday in September: 81 years ago this week, Batman made his debut in Detective Comics #27. A year ago, we got our first official glimpse of the LEGO Batmobile, based on the 1989 movie, directed by Tim Buron, and starring Michael Keaton. Of course, this was not the only attention grabbing vehicle of Batman’s in that movie.

Its not just the car: The Batwing made a pretty impressive entrance in that film too, up until the moment that the Joker stopped it with a comedically outside handgun. And now it’s going to be released as a LEGO Set!

Coming on 21st October (for VIPs) and 1st of November more generally at LEGO Branded retail, the set has 2,363 pieces, 3 minifigures, and has a RRP of £179.99, €199.99, $199.99,

With an ominous silhouette, the final model has a wingspan of 58cm and is designed to support being wall mounted.

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Announcing 76139: Bringing Back Burton’s Big Black Batmobile!

Thirty Years Ago, Comics had undergone a Dark and Gritty Rebirth. Inspired in part by stories such as Frank Miller’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns’, and Alan Moore’s ‘Watchmen’ in the mid 80’s, super hero comics went from bright and fun and dark and gritty, almost overnight. It was on the crest of this wave that design cues were drawn, and Tim Burton’s BATMAN was born. Up until now, most people who didn’t read comics only remembered Batman in the form of Adam West’s performances in the late 1960’s. Bright, colourful and camp. In the eyes of the movie going public, Burton’s film changed the public perception of the Dark Knight, from one of Camp Crusader to a Dark and Brooding Knight, taking on the crime and corruption of Gotham.

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Bringing Down Brother Eye with Batman and Batwoman [Review 76111]

In which I am astounded to find a LEGO Batman set to related to a relatively recent storyline from the comics.  In putting the set together, I reach new highs, new lows and breathe a sigh of relief as I get my hands on a colour I hadn’t seen for a while…

Batman, Batwoman and OMAC. (Oh My!)

IMG_2768The 76111 Brother Eye Takedown set is part of the DC Superheroes line, and was released in the second half of 2018.  I was intrigued by the existence of this set: while an ongoing part of the DC (comics) Universe continuity, Brother Eye and OMAC are not necessarily widely recognised by the non comics reading public. In it’s current guise, Brother Eye comes across as a DC satellite equivalent of Marvel’s Ultron: an artificial intelligence with the ability to take down Earth’s Greatest Heroes.  I was even more intrigued by it’s presence here as I was reading the ‘Lonely Place of Living’ as well as the ‘Batmen: Eternal’ storylines in Detective Comics when I saw the set announced.  Brother Eye, the OMACs and Batwoman play an important part of these storylines. Beyond this I shall not elaborate, as I don’t want to hit you with too many spoilers, and I don’t want to give away the fact that I have misplaced a couple of issues, making a complete rereading of the storyline impossible for me at present.

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Rediscovering play with The Joker Batcave Attack 10753

IMG_0481Sometimes, I forget about the importance of Play. And the way that it can be a fun thing to do with your LEGO® Bricks.  I don’t just mean take a couple of bricks and roll them around until they click together in a novel way. I mean, let my imagination kick in, and have stories unfold in front of me, with no idea where they might be going or how they will get there. Some sets set themselves up for rough and tumble storytelling, where kids can assemble them quickly before getting on with all the serious zooming and swooshing that comes with putting a vehicle together.

The back of the box…showing just how simple a Batwing can be to build…

These sets are designed to be easily assembled by young builders, and ready for play.  Even if you are only partway through the final construction. That’s right: the Juniors sets: designed for younger builders, these sets span the LEGO themes, from City, to Ninjago and Friends to Disney Princess and Superheroes. Many of the sets feature larger elements to simplify the construction process. Today, I would like to take a look at the Juniors set 10753 The Joker Batcave Attack.

IMG_0098After looking at the box art and instruction booklet, I realise that today I have returned to an world of instant gratification.  A world where a vehicle can be put together in seconds.  From memory. After only a cursory examination of the box art.  And it’s all in the first bag, along with our hero mini figures.  The second bag contains the second vehicle, and the villain. And the third contains a building.  And there are precisely NO stickers.  That’s right: would a sticker slow down the time it takes to produce a playable toy? Leave it out. Include a printed element instead.

The Joker Batcave attack is the third DC Superheroes Juniors Batcave set, previously featuring a blue and grey ‘classic’ batman and robin, looking as if they were coming straight from Super Friends, in 1972. Then we had the same Batman, with Superman and Lex Luthor. Each of these came with a Batmobile. This year, we have something a little different…

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Play On: The LEGO Batman Movie App.

Are you Game?

There I was, browsing through my LEGO Life newsfeed, and the announcement leapt out at me: The LEGO® Batman™ Movie App, now available for download.  So I visited my App Store of choice and tracked it down.  It had the right price: this App is free, with no claim of in-app purchases. But what would the cost be?

The opening splash screen give you some options for where to start. You can choose to watch videos, read about the Lego sets, play the game,customize your vehicle or purchase upgrades in return for studs that you collect around the game..

Let us start with the game…

The game starts of interestingly enough: Select your character: Batman or BatGirl with the promise of many others to unlock as you gain the universal unit of LEGO®game currency: the stud.  And run.  Just run. Dodge, jump over, or slide under obstacles. Occasionally, you may gain the use of a vehicle – initially the standard Batmobile from the movie, but able to be customised – and crash through barricades.

Start with Batman and Batgirl unlocked, and unlock other suits in return for studs.

Swipe left and right to dodge gates. Continue reading

I don’t want to grow up: Printed parts in the Junior’s Range

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Batman and Superman: They are on the same team, and that team’s name is Friendship!

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to place more than 20 stickers on a single lego car.  It was a bit challenging: frustrating when the stickers wouldn’t quite line up, and in some areas looking like a cop out in the place of a more complex build.

 

So today, I was pleasantly surprised as I assembled the new DC Superheroes for Juniors set, 10724 Batman & Superman vs. Lex Luthor.  The last time Batman, Superman and Lex Luthor were in a set together, it was the Batman vs Superman Set 76046 Heroes of Justice: Sky High Battle.  While this set has some good points – primarily  two tone boot printing and the presence of Wonder Woman, it primarily reminds people of the cinematic disappointment that was Batmans vs Superman.

Our Juniors set however, is much more friendly: Bats and Supes have buried the hatchet, and are now playing well with others.  Of course, Lex isn’t one of those others.  But that’s OK.  He is the central villain of the piece.
IMG_9986Let’s look at the figures first: Lex appears with the Power Armour first seen in 30164:Power Armour Lex, a poly bag released at the same time as the Lego Batman 2 video game. He has changed his shirt and trousers, however.  IMG_9987So much Green and Purple, you’d almost think he was one of the Joker’s henchmen (or vice versa). Neither superman or Batman have new printings on their bodies: Batman is a carbon copy of the figure that appeared in 10672: Defend the Batcave, although on that occasion we had Batman and Robin, as well as the Joker.  The cowl, smirk and cape are all identical (even if i didn’t take the cape out of its box!).  Superman’s body is a copy of the one seen in 6862: Superman vs Power Armour Lex.  Although, here he has the same face as seen in Batman vs Superman: 76044: Clash of the Heroes.  Old ‘comic style’ body, ‘new movie’ head, complete with angry heat vision eyes. Continue reading