As part of the Batman Begins marketing machine, Mattel followed its 1989 Hot Wheels' Batmobile diecast with a 1/18 replica based on the Tumbler. Like the '89 car, it came in black, camo, and special Collectors' Edition packaging variants. Reviewed here is the "Batmobile" paint motif.
Packaging
The Tumbler batmobile comes in a large, sturdy window box. Primarily dark gray, there is a pebbled texture printed on the top half of the box, a tire tread printed on the lower half, the Hot Wheels logo in the lower left corner and "Batmobile&tm;" in the lower right corner. The Hot Wheels logo is repeated on either end of the box, and the back of the box is devoted to telling you that it is an exclusive and well-built Hot Wheels car in four different languages. The Batmobile itself is held to a plastic tray inside the box with four screws, and is kept closed thanks to several rubber bands threaded through the body.
Casting/Paint
The work on this Batmobile is very well done, though the casting doesn't seem quite as crisp as the casting of their earlier 1989 Batmobile. It could have more to do with the shape of the car than the quality of the casting, though. Parts fit is good overall, though getting the roof open and closed is a bit tough. I do like the amount of separate details: many of the control cylinders and flaps are separate pieces, which makes the model look that much better. Another very clever idea is the way they handled the side scoops: rather than a solid surface with texture, Mattel opted to use clear pieces with a mesh pattern printed on them to simulate grilles. The final effect is kind of lost, as you get a glare before you can appreciate the mesh in most cases, but they still get credit for trying. The paint is very clean and consistent, and the detail parts are very well done for the most part. there is a little slop around he cylinders on either side of the windshields, but that's about it. Speaking of windshields, clear plastic has been used on both the main windshields and the smaller panels between the front wheels. The side windows are left open to allow for the roof function.
Features/Accessories
The only real "feature" here is the opening roof panel. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work all that well: it doesn't open far enough to really access the interior, and it can be very finicky to get open or closed. I would have preferred a removable panel with solid side windows, but this is by no means a deal-breaker.
Accuracy
Accuracy is good for the most part. The complex panels match up to the 1:1 Tumbler very well, and Mattel did a very nice job capturing it in scale. The interior is beautifully detailed, with sharp detailing of the tech-heavy pit. There are only two areas of inaccuracy that stand out for me. First, the front wheels strike me as being too big. They're not ridiculous looking, but they look a little heftier than the tires on the movie car. Second, like the 1989 car, mattel took some liberties with their "1/18 scale." The Tumbler batmobile is closer to 1/21 or 1/22.
Overall
I've always though the Tumbler looked kind of cool, and Mattel did an admirable job with this. It's not quite the knockout of their 1989 Batmobile, but its still a very well done replica that deserves a place in the collection.
RE: Review: Hot Wheels 1/18 2005 Batmobile -
Posted on 08-08-2006 01:41
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