The Dark Knight has been around for 85 years at the time of writing, and during that time he has amassed an enormous amount of merchandise. Lunchboxes, action figures, heck, even weirdly shaped water pistols. Yet out of all of this, the most iconic is arguably the LEGO Batman line. Starting in 2006 off the heels of Batman Begins, the series celebrates its 18th birthday this year. What better time to take a look back on the sets, see what they did well, what they didn't and discuss my personal favourites?
Before we get started, I'd just like to mention a few things! First of all, I will only be covering the original 2006 to 2008 line of sets released under the LEGO Batman name. The LEGO DC Superheroes series launched in 2012 will be discussed at a later date. Most of the information I found for this article is from the LEGO Batman Visual Dictionary. I'm using the one released in 2012 which comes with a pretty sweet electric suit Batman minifigure. So without further ado, let's get stuck in.
Set 7779, The Batman Dragster: Catwoman Pursuit
To capture the essence of one of the most iconic superheroes on the planet, his first LEGO set decides to use one of his most recognisable vehicles. The Batman... Dragster?
Jokes aside, this set is a lot smaller in scale than the ones coming up and is supposed to be a budget set of sorts. Releasing at $9.99 containing 92 pieces and 2 minifigures. Yes, this set contains our beloved caped crusader in his black and grey suit, as well as Catwoman. This of course marks the first appearance of these two minifigs and vehicles.
Though the set itself is alright, the dragster is an odd choice for a budget set. Its slim shape combined with its lack of doors and singular fin at the back makes it look more like put together out of spare pieces than something designed by professionals. Why not go for a motorbike instead, and make the set chase-themed? The flick-fire missiles are a nice touch though, as they give the set some extra play features even if they aren't complex. Despite its odd choice of car, I commend it for including 2 vehicles and 2 characters for just under $10.
Score: 7/10
Set 7780, The Batboat: Hunt for Killer Croc
Now we move on to a slightly more acceptable vehicle. The Batboat set contains 188 pieces, 2 minifigures and released for $19.99. Included is the titular Batboat, as well as Killer Croc's swamp jet ski. We see the debut of Killer Croc in LEGO form and of course the return of the black and grey batsuit.
The Batboat is well-designed. Its all-black colour scheme is broken up by grey in the fans and the stickers, and flecks of yellow in the lights and bat symbol. A smaller bat-speedboat can be ejected from the back and even be replaced by Croc's jet ski. Speaking of which, why does he have a jet ski? In any case, it looks nice, emulating the character's face print in a slightly less bright green.
Overall, the set works. Both boats have play features, with the flick fire missiles and speedboat. The Batboat still isn't one of the vehicles I would have chosen to launch the line, but it's not offensive or anything. I just wish we could have got another minifig with this, maybe a henchman or a Robin to go in the bat speedboat to back up its price a little bit.
Score: 7/10
Set 7781, The Batmobile: Two-Face's Escape
Wooo-ee, this is it! In my mind, this is the first truly great set in this series. For $29.99 you can get: 3 minigs, 2 vehicles and other environmental items (street lamps, barricades). All that comes together to be a whopping 386 pieces!
It's the Batmobile, as iconic as they come. It has echoes of the 1989 design with the missile at the front, but it has some unique features. For one, the missile is launchable. It also has tubing at the sides, tilted fins and gold wheel rims which not only look superb but go fantastically with this set's Batman. Featured here is a black and gold Batman, not to be confused with the black and yellow one that featured in the 2012 sets. The gold on the suit goes brilliantly with the gold on the car, and it all looks fantastic.
Two-Face's armoured car continues this visual resemblance. The villain appears here in a black and white suit. So naturally, his van is split down the middle to be black and white. It's not exactly subtle, but it's a nice detail to add. The sides also flip down to reveal weapons which is a great, if simple, feature. The set also features a Two-face goon who continues this two-tone scheme.
What a set. 2 of the best-made vehicles so far, and the most minifigures and extra environment? Wow. This package feels the most full out of all of them with its extra environment, and the inclusion of the new batsuit is very welcome.
Score: 9/10
Set 7782, The Batwing: The Joker's Aerial Assault
The trend of more recognisable machines continues with the inclusion of the Batwing! I feel like I should say, I'm not giving specific sets higher scores just because they're more iconic or recognisable. It just so happens that most of the time those sets are better. Which is the case here. The Batwing looks great. The split-wing design is something I instantly associate with LEGO Batman. The small details like the air brakes, secret flick-fire missiles and the rubber-tipped missiles also work well, and really shows attention to detail. If anything, I think this model suffers from over-design. The grey piping looks a little out of place and doesn't completely work with the overall look.
The figure included is the grey and black batsuit in its last appearance. I don't think this figure is the correct choice. The Batwing is like the Batmobile in two ways: It follows a black and gold colour scheme, and it's somewhat similar to the 1989 movie. The inclusion of the black and gold suit there worked wonderfully. That makes its lack of appearance here hurt even more. The Joker and Goon minifig design is pretty great though and again, the helicopter looks like it's been ripped straight out of Batman 1989.
This set retailed at $49.99 and included 523 pieces and 3 minfigs with Batman, The Joker and a Henchman. While the set looks great, it doesn't quite justify it's price point, and the wrong choice of suit definitely hurts my view of it. A few tweaks would have improved the visual flow, and maybe knocking off $5 wouldn't hurt either...
Score: 8/10
Set 7783, The Batcave: The Penguin and Mr. Freeze's Invasion
In the deep dark lair of The Batman...
$89.99. 1071 pieces. 7 minifigures. A lazy Susan. I present to you, one of the best LEGO sets ever made.
So first of all, the main build. To the left, we have a missile and net launcher which goes down into a dock featuring a mooring point for the Batboat from set 7780. The main structure features a bat computer with some great stickers on it. I love the massive central screen with the two smaller ones adjacent to it. There are a few trophies dotted around and a bat table that can open up. Descending the spiral staircase, we reach the garage. This includes a tool rack and the aforementioned lazy Susan. This can not only hold the Batblade (we'll get to that) featured in the set, but the Batmobile too.
Lastly, the right-most structure features a small gym, but more importantly the Batsuit changing pod. Placing the Bruce Wayne figure in the set into the pod allows you to spin the top and turn into Batman! I'm a sucker for these quick-change points whenever they're featured and this one works excellently. There's also a trapdoor that can be opened to drop any evildoers into the jail cell below.
The Batblade appears only as part of this set. The design is very reminiscent of the Bathammer from Batman and Robin (remember that?) but with a much darker palette. It certainly looks the part of an ice vehicle with all its skates but suffers from the same grey trimming as the Batwing. Speaking of, the Batwing set includes a vertical ladder stand if you want to display it upright in the Batcave.
We also see one of two inclusions of Robin throughout the 2006-2008 line. This Robin has been confirmed to be Tim Drake, and the suit is heavily based on his early comic look. This is the only set to feature his curly (and superior) hairpiece. He comes with a small but much-appreciated Jetski, themed around all three of his costume colours.
The villains in this set are obviously Mr. Freeze and Penguin. Mr. Freeze especially rocks an awesome design. I love the choice of helmet and the bright blue outfit. He comes with a henchman, with the Penguin also having a submarine. To wrap up, this is also the only set to include an Alfred minifigure. Everything is well designed and there is a slew of awesome figures. A class job all around. I think you can guess how I'm going to score this one.
Score: 10/10
Set 7784, The Batmobile: Ultimate Collector's Edition
Everyone had a childhood crush. Mine was the Ultimate Collectors Batmobile. Holy awesomeness Batman, this car is gorgeous. It isn't just a large-scale version of any previous Batmobile, LEGO or live-action, but is it's entirely unique thing. It's 16.75 inches long, 7.5 inches wide and 8.6 inches high. It's also the only non-Star Wars UCS set!
Turning the steering wheel lifts and lowers the front Bat-shield battering ram to reveal two turbines. Along with the flames at the back of the car, the turbines spin around as the car moves back and forward. The gold flashes on the wheels and the red driver's seat break up the immense darkness of the car, with the white eyes piercing out the front. I would like there to be some plastic for a windshield instead of just empty space, but I can excuse the fact that there weren't any at the time.
It's a lovely looking set, released at $69.99 with 1045 pieces with 0 minifigures, the first and only set in the line to do this. While I love this design, I understand that it is more of a display piece than a toy. I think a small minifig display like the one featured with the 1989 Batmobile/Batwing would go a long way in making it feel more complete.
Score: 8/10
Set 7785, Arkham Asylum
This is the last set released in 2006. This is the second most expensive set, released at $79.99 with 860 pieces and 7 minifigs. This entry is most similar to the Batcave, being a location-based set, and it palesin comparison. It's not that it's not well designed, it certainly looks like Arkham Asylum, but compared to the Batcave and even Batmobile, it just feels empty. It feels as though the set tries to cover too much ground with too few pieces. It contains 5 structures and 3 vehicles which is more than the Batcave but none of them really stand out.
That isn't to say it's bad. Arkham still looks fantastic and includes a few decent features. If you push in the skull with the Scarecrow hat, the door pops open and Dr. Crane is released! The minifigure collection is plentiful including 2 Arkham guards, Batman, Nightwing, The Riddler, Poison Ivy and the Scarecrow. The last 3 all have cells specially designed for them. There are even doors for Penguin and Two-Face from the Batcave!
The Nightwing fig is great (love the haircut) and he rocks transparent blue escrima sticks. I wish the motorcycle had a bit more blue in it but it's serviceable. Batman has a Batglider which lends itself to the same criticism as the Dragster. Why not make it a motorcycle to match with Nightwing, or remove both vehicles and drop the price. As it stands, this set was only $10 less than the Batcave which is far superior. Removing some items like the guard tower or the Batglider would help knock the price down. Then it would be worth getting instead of spending a little more on a far superior set.
The minifigures make this set. Nightwing, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and Riddler all look great and for me, they're the only reason to get this. The structures and vehicles are pretty stock, and it really doesn't match up to the Batcave.
Score: 7/10
The Scores
That's it, folks! All the sets released in 2006. My ranking of the current sets are:
7. The Batman Dragster
6. The Batboat
5. Arkham Asylum
4. The Batwing
3. The Ultimate Collectors Batmobile
2. The Batmobile
1. The Batcave
The next article will look at the 6 sets released in 2007 and 8, and see how they stack up with these ones. Until then, feel free to let me know about what you think of the sets, how you think they rank up, etc. So see you next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel for the rest of the line!
