There are, in my mind, only two actors who are worthy of donning the cowl and cape: Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. Keaton’s Batman performances in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), and most recently in The Flash (2023), holds a special place in heart as how I imagined a hard boiled Batman. Bale’s Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) reclaimed for the character what had been lost in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995) and Batman and Robin (1998), and Nolan’s trilogy elevated Batman’s narrative providing character development and science fictional plausibility. Keaton and Bale are my favorites for sharing certain elements while also approaching the character in subtly different ways.
LEGO first captured Batman’s primary vehicle The Tumbler in set 7888, The Tumbler: Joker’s Ice Cream Surprise shown above and below. The micro Tumbler below is from The Batman Tumbler polybag 30300.
Unfortunately, LEGO didn’t make a widely available minifigure-scale Batpod, Batman’s motorcycle escape system from The Tumbler. Instead, they had a competition for VIP members for an extremely limited set, which resulted in what I see as further erosion of what LEGO could be (play) and instantiation of what it is (making money for LEGO and aftermarket resellers).
Thankfully, a LEGO enthusiast designed the MOC below and offered reasonably priced kits with the parts on eBay. I picked one up to go along with my Tumbler. It includes an electromagnetic pulse gun mounted on the rear quarter.
While LEGO had done alright I thought with The Tumbler, they really dropped the ball with their The Dark Knight Rises set, 76001: The Bat vs. Bane: Tumbler Chase. The Bat, Batman’s VTOL aircraft, was cartoonish with the blue accents and lack of detail, and the military Tumbler was anemic. I would like to build a MOC of The Bat that does it justice–perhaps one day . . .
