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Review: 2000 DC Comics Batmobile - Posted on 28-07-2005 11:28
User Avatar spencer1984
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2000 DC Comics Batmobile
Corgi Model #77601




When Corgi picked up the license to create Batmobile replicas, one of the first cars they produced was a 1/18 scale replica of the batmobile that first appeared in Batman #615. The first cars came in traditional black, with more recent versions painted medium-dark blue.



Packaging



The Batmobile comes in the standard blue & yellow Corgi window box, with a picture of Batman & the traditional DC bullet to the left of the window, the name of the car under the window, and the Corgi logo on the bottom right. A hole toward the right end of the box lets you accesss the Batcommunicator (more on that shortly). The car name along with a bat signal appears on the top & both ends, the DC bullet appers again on the top of the box, and the Corgi logo appears on both ends. The back of the box has cross-sells for the 1/43 vehicle line, the 1/16 bat cycle, and the 1/24 '60s Batmobile. The name, bullet, and logo are all repeated on the back as well. Four giant twisties hold the Batmobile into a plastic tray that doubles as a hood prop of sorts.



Casting/Paint



The body is made of both plastic and metal parts, primarily painted a very understated metallic black (including the plastic parts, a nice touch). The hood and canopy are tinted translucent plastic, the tires are vinyl, and the wheels, engine, and exhaust nozzle are chrome plated. In addition to the bat mask on the nose, there are bat logos molded into the wheels, dashboard, steering wheel, and both seats. The chassis features Corgi's typical era-appropriate Batman cast into the floor pan. The interior is dark gray with black & silver accents. The overall finish is nice & smooth, with no overspray or runs that I can see, and the paint ops throughout the car are very clean, with almost no slop or overspray.



Features/Accessories



The hood opens easily with the hinge at the front bottom edge, and snaps closed tightly. The canopy can be easily removed by lightly sqeezing the sides of the canopy just behind the front seat, giving you access to the cockpit. The rearward engine and forward engine intake both rotate as you roll the car along, thanks to a rubber ring going around the axles and engine shafts. This works surprisingly well, though it's difficult to see the intake spinning because of its position behind the mask.

The Batmobile also comes packaged with a Batcommunicator to play with. It features an image of Batman on the main screen, and pushing the button makes the communicator speak one of four phrases: "Activate the bulletproof plating," "Danger lurks in ever corner of this city," "Only Catwoman is clever enough for this heist," and "Access the Bat Computer; we need answers fast."



Accuracy



The car is instantly recognizable, and Corgi did an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the Batmobile. Looking at the comics from Batman #615 through the car's destruction in Batman #619, several details of the car wander, including the taillight location & style, the shape of the rear fenders, and the shape of the bat mask. Corgi did take some liberties with the shape of the exhaust nozzle & headlights, and the hood & rear engine cowling aren't clear in the comics. The overall effect is very good, though.

The only place Corgi falls short is their "to scale" accuracy. Measuring 12" long, 4-1/8" wide at the rear fenders, and 3" to the top of the fins, this works out to 18' long x 6' 2" wide x 4' 6" tall - pretty small for a Batmobile. Throw in the fact that the cockpit is only 18" wide at the widest point, and that makes the whole car too small. The length and height would be good for 1/24 (working out to be 24' x 6', with a 2' wide cockpit), but that scale would make it too wide by nearly one scale foot. The model is really somewhere between the two - maybe 1/22.



Overall
Despite the questionable scale issue, this really is a great model. I very seldom buy Batmobiles out of my preferred scale, but I did pick up one of these almost as soon as it hit the shelves. Highly recommended, whether you choose the traditional black or the more recent blue release.
Edited by spencer1984 on 01-08-2005 21:05
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RE: Review: 2000 DC Comics Batmobile - Posted on 01-08-2005 22:10
User Avatar FlaBat
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I have noted that there are now two versions of this Batmobile. The first was black, the newer one is blue.

There is also a blue version of the 1960's 1:24 Scale Batmobile as well.

So far, I've only seen them at Toys R Us so maybe the blue versions are store exclusives.


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RE: Review: 2000 DC Comics Batmobile - Posted on 07-01-2006 19:16
User Avatar spencer1984
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Addendum:

This Batmobile was featured prominently in Legends of the Dark Knight #198. Chris Weston was the artist, and clearly used it as the model when he was drawing any scenes involving the Batmobile (details are accurate to the Corgi car down to the details inside the exhaust nozzle). It also shows it as being substantially larger than other cars on the road.
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