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Batmobile Maquette |
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I collect Batmobiles - I have over fifty different versions, and it's been
one of those items that I've kept collecting for years when other things
have fell by the wayside. One of my favorite designs is the second
animated style, so I was very happy to hear that Warner Brothers would be
doing one of their 'maquettes' in this style. A little surprised,
since I didn't think there were too many Batfans out there that would be
willing to shell out $150 for a ceramic Batmobile, but pleased
nonetheless.
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Front view
Rear view
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Even I wasn't sure I was going to be able to justify the cost.
But then my wife and kids came through, and picked this up for me as my
Father's Day gift. Ya gotta love 'em :-)
To be honest, this is a very simple sculpt. I'm sure they had
little trouble capturing the style and lines, and in that there is little
surprise. This Batmobile looks just as sleek and smooth as it
should.
No, the trick here was producing something that looked just like it
should, but somehow giving it an edge - a reason to plunk down serious
money. And for the serious Batman fan, I think they managed to do
that.
Size Comparison
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How? It's all in the paint, baby. First, you'll be shocked at
the sheer weight of this think - a lot of material was required for this
sculpt. The base is painted a flat black, with an attractive 'Batmobile'
name on the side. The car itself is done in a metallic black, to set
it apart from the base, and just about everything else. Then a high
gloss finish was applied to the entire car.
Overall - ***
The use of the metallic paint works terrific - I hadn't expected it, and
it makes this Batmobile stand out wonderfully on the shelf. I still
can only give it *** because of the high price tag - I would have felt
much better about a price tag in the $60-$75 range for a piece like this -
but it is still a beautiful rendition of the Batmobile that fans are going
to love.
By the way, there were 2500 made, and it appears as though they are
selling better than I would have expected. They were released back
on May 8th, and my local WB store just got them in this week, and only
four at that. All four sold the first day. While it may hang
around awhile like the Robin and Wonder Woman maquettes have, you might
want to grab it early if you're seriously interested and avoid any
troubles finding it.
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Figure from the collection of
Michael Crawford.
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