1/50 1966 TV Series Batmobile
Asst. L8788/M7097-0980
When Hot Wheels finally snagged the licene to reproduce the '66 TV Batmobile, fans were thrilled at the opportunity to see their favorite car back on the market. The first version to hit stores was the 1/64 Mainline car, which was repainted twice, for a SDCC exclusive and a RedLine Club exclusive. Then the 1/18 version was released, with much more accurate lines than the 1/64 version thanks to the team at Mattel taking scans of the original 1:1 car. Most recently, the 1/50 car has started popping up. It also used the scanned prototype for the body, although many of the details were traditionally sculpted (a necessary result of the smaller size of this car).
Packaging
The 1/50 Bat-vehicle series are all packaged on similar blister cards, about 7.25" (18.5cm) high and 5.25" (13.5cm) wide, with a 2" (5.5cm) deep blister. Although the cards are constructed the same way, they are all unique to the vehilce inside. For this car, the Batman logo is the TV style logo, complete with the scalloped letters and Batman's face in the head of the bat. "1966 TV Series Batmobile" is written across the front of the tray in the bottom of the blister. The card back has a general blurb about the line, a stylized photo of the replica, and a second blurb specific to this car:
"The Batmobile designed for the TV series was based on the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln Futura concept car. Custom car builder George Barris bought the design from Ford in the mid-1960s for $1 and when approached to create a car for the TV show, he decided the Futura was the perfect fit. With existing bat-like features such as long fins and a bubble canopy, it also included 'bat-gadgets' such as the nose-mounted chain slicer, on-board telephone, and police beacon."
(To clarify the "bought the design" part: Barris bought the actual prototype, not blueprints)
The rest of the cars from this wave are printed near the bottom (this wave features the Dark Knight Tumbler, the BTAS car, a comic book car, this car, and the TV Batcycle).
Casting/Paint
These are definitely collector-quality replicas. The casting appears flawless, with no parting lines or release points, and everything fits together tightly. There's also a lot of fine deail work going on, from the detailed door handles & locks to the ports on the back dash.
The base black looks great, with a smooth finish and no visible blemishes. The stripes are decent for the most part, including a couple of details Hot Wheels missed in he past like the stripes around the turn signals and shorter nose stripes. My car has two bad spots, though: the right hood scoop stripe is spotty, and the stripe on the outside of the left headlight cowl is missing entirely. The beacon and antler lights are red, and the arch is gloss black. There are a couple of seemingly unnecessary paint applications that are nice to see, like the flat black parachute packs. HW could have left these gloss black and 9 out of 10 people wouldn't have noticed, but they added the extra paint application. The wheels and exhaust wrap are chrome, the canopies are clear, and the antenna is cast in gold.
The chassis is detailed with the bottom half of the turbine engine, dual exhaust tubes, full driveline, and detailed suspension components.
Features/Accessories
There are no opening panels or special features, but the wheels all spin freely and the car rolls easily.
Accuracy
As noted above, the body of this replica was created using a scan of Batmobile #1 (the modified Futura), and the result is amazingly accurate. Every seam, character line, and body contour is captured perfectly - even the fuel door next to the right rear canopy is where it belongs.
Unfortunately, some of the details don't retain that high standard. The most obvious problem areas are the antlers (which are splayed out rather than parallel and upright), oversized door bats, and the rocket tubes (which are too short and angled incorrectly). The wheel bats are also shaped incorrectly, but they're so well done as far as size and proportion to the wheels that you likely won't even notice. There are also a lot of nice features going on to offset the few trouble spots: the wheels are the correct Radir style, and the interior features a ton of correct details like a separate phone, detailed dashboard, detailed door panels, yoke-style steering wheel, and textured seats.
Overall
The only real trouble spots, are those that I've noted above. Although there were also a couple of paint errors, I haven't heard of anyone else having these issues so I likely just got an "oops" car. Everything else that I see here is truly outstanding, and Mattel deserves a lot of credit for not only giving fans a '66 replica, but giving us one that is so well done. Highly recommended.
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