Review: 7782 Batman - The Batwing: Joker's Aerial Assault

[The Middleman]

7782 The Batwing: Joker's Aerial Assault

The Figs

Okay, okay, let's get this out of the way; it's a $50 set with just three figures, one of which is available in a $10 set and one of which is creatable out of common elements. That being said, the Joker is awesome, and more henchmen are always appreciated (although two or three would have been appreciated more). And don't you just love the BANG! gun!?

The Copter

It starts out great and just kind of... deteriorates. You're building this and you think 'oh, wow, this is AWESOME!' and then by the end it's the 'well crap, that sucks, but this, this, and this are still cool.' The first 'this' is the rope ladder; yes, it's cool. Unfortunately, it's not actually locked into place, and there's no storage place for it.

I think it's that huge window that really kills it.

The opening guns. I LOVE these. This is the second 'this.' It's just so cool to flip these things out.

The tail. By pulling that little trans-green cone, you release...

SMILEY BOMBS! Yes, there are two. The final 'this.'

The Batwing

A bigger pic.

HOLY GUANO, BATMAN! This is my absolute favorite build in a LONG time. A VERY long time. Everything about the Batwing is just incredible. I love it.

The underside.

The stand. Much sturdier than the B-Wing stand, works very well. I APPROVE!

Basic flight position.

The cockpit. Least detailed of the lot, although it does have that nice compartment to store the standard accessories in (uzi, tommygun, batcuffs, three standard batarangs, two flip-flop batarangs).

Flaps raised!

Guns extended!

That feature is just so cool, yet so simple. I can't get over it. Flip the wings up, extend guns, swoosh, retract guns, flips wings down, repeat. It's an addiction.

The big wedge in the back, when pushed down, reveals the missile launcher.

... and when pushed down further, actually LAUNCHES the missile. Shot myself in the face with it once trying to figure out how I was supposed to launch the missile. Oops.

FINAL VERDICT: 8.9/10

Figs: 7/10

Pieces: 8/10

Set: 9/10

Playability: 9/10

I LOVE THIS SET. I LOVE IT. The Batwing is just INCREDIBLY COOL. This is the best of the line so far, with NO CONTEST. Sleek, elegant, awesome construction, awesome playability, sturdy, great pieces, all of it! Buy this NOW! Preferably, pick up the Batmobile to go with it; those two sets will really give a solid base to your Batman collection.

This set is so cool I forgot my sign-off.

~ Bloody Jay

Edited March 11, 2006 by Bloody Jay

[Deinonychus]

Hmmm...

Smiley Bombs

OR

Those would make nice little "infected with Joker Venom" heads for hapless victim Minifigs...

Oh yes, I can't wait until my set arrives Monday

[Starwars4J]

Well, maybe I'll keep this set whole too ;-) Might even need to pick up a second one if I ever see it on sale...

I LOVE those heads! I'm sure I'll find a place for those Joker-bombs in a space MOC of some kind

Am I the only one who would've preferred the animated-series Joker to the Jack Nicholson one?

[Deinonychus]

Am I the only one who would've preferred the animated-series Joker to the Jack Nicholson one?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(comics)

I dunno...he looks pretty "animated" to me...perhaps it's just the face detailing...

But I agree, Nicholson Joker is overrated...animated Hamill Joker rules! *skull*

[Starwars4J]

Exactly! Nobody can beat the Hammil laugh!

this joker>>this joker

But back on topic! I think I'll have a lot of fun swooshing the Batwing, it looks like one of the most swooshible things TLG has made since the Jedi Starfighter

[Kahgarak]

Awesome set!I think many space fans will buy this to build their own spaceships with it.

[Aredhel]

The Batwing is really amazing, but I do not like the Batman-Fig with the grey torso. The one with the black is just better!

[sam89]

Thanks again for the review, Jay! It really does look great.

I'm definitely going to get this and the Batmobile, but would you recommend then Dragster and the Boat as well? Are they really worth it?

[The Middleman]

The way I see it, you only need the Batboat and the Dragster if you want a complete Batman collection; I enjoy them, I don't regret buying them, but if you're on a tight budget, go for the other two only. The Batwing and the Batmobile are really the staple vehicles of the Batman universe, Two-Face and Joker are the most prominent villains, and you get two sets of accessories plus both versions of Batman. The other two are great (well, maybe not the dragster, but it's cheap), but you'd only need them to round out your collection.

[KimT]

I can't wait to swoosh this set. At first I thought the Batwing would be crappy, but thanks to you for the pics, I now see that I was wrong - THIS LOOKS AWESOME *wub*

KimT

[Zane]

Might buy this....is the Batwing fragile?

TT

[The Middleman]

Might buy this....is the Batwing fragile?

TT

Not in any way. Actually a VERY sturdy set.

[Deinonychus]

I can't wait to swoosh this set. At first I thought the Batwing would be crappy, but thanks to you for the pics, I now see that I was wrong - THIS LOOKS AWESOME *wub*

KimT

My cat now hates the Batwing because of it's swooshability ;-)

But the Batwing is indeed an AWESOME model. It looks so slick and wicked plus it has great play-value and is a LOT sturdier then it looks. I think I actually enjoy this more then most of the Star Wars ships I bought last year. A future classic

[Zane]

Thanks BJ!

Looks like this'll be on my Christmas list. Or on my Birthday, and Jabba's Sailbarge for Christmas. Whatever. It won't take up too much room though, which is good.

You have convinced me, BJ!

TT

[ApophisV]

On small idea for better pictures the next time: Buy yourself a huge sheet of white paper (maybe 1 x 1,5 meters) and place it like the attached image shows beneath and behind the thing you want to photorgraph!

This way you won't have any annyoing shelves or doors or wood structures distracting from your main object! ;-)

[Norro]

Looks awesome, but $50?! Oh well I'll probably cave... (no pun intended to another batman set ;-) )

God Bless,

Nathan

[Mithrandir]

I was originally not going to get this set, but after reading a few reviews, I decided to break down and get it.

First off, I was disappointed by the huge rotor piece on the jokers copter... but I didn't get this set for that anyways.

The most striking thing about this set is: Whoa. The wings on the Batwing are a HELL of a lot sturdier than you would think. From the pics it looks like they'd fall apart in a second, but that's not so! In fact they haven't fallen off on me once!

9/10

Side note:

I remember when I was little, the pirate cannons were supposed to shoot stuff. Then, when I got a pirate set, I was sooo bummed out that it didn't actually shoot anything (stupid "safety" concerns).

So now, 15 years later, how come lego seems to have fallen in love with the technic competition cannon? Those things are appearing on more and more sets lately, and you'd think they would be just as cautious?

*shrug*

[Starwars4J]

I was originally not going to get this set, but after reading a few reviews, I decided to break down and get it.

First off, I was disappointed by the huge rotor piece on the jokers copter... but I didn't get this set for that anyways.

The most striking thing about this set is: Whoa. The wings on the Batwing are a HELL of a lot sturdier than you would think. From the pics it looks like they'd fall apart in a second, but that's not so! In fact they haven't fallen off on me once!

9/10

Side note:

I remember when I was little, the pirate cannons were supposed to shoot stuff. Then, when I got a pirate set, I was sooo bummed out that it didn't actually shoot anything (stupid "safety" concerns).

So now, 15 years later, how come lego seems to have fallen in love with the technic competition cannon? Those things are appearing on more and more sets lately, and you'd think they would be just as cautious?

*shrug*

The old pirate shooting cannons shot the little 1x1 cylinders, those could easily choke a child, or get in an eye. The technic cannons shoot huge rubber-tipped projectiles with long tails, much safer.

[Dino_Bot]

O M G

O M G

I am absolutely astounded. I will buy it the moment I see it. Its beautiful..Its...Spectacular. Its...just...Wow

I've been a rabid Bat-Fan since I was a 4 yr old...this is...just beautiful...I love the way the back wings split and reveals the missiles. That's pure awesomeness.

[JoeMI6]

Damn, once again it has happened. Another great review from Jay has forced Lego to eat into my savings. Looks like i'll be getting this as well as the Batcave and Batmobile. Curse you and your great reviews Jay!!!! ;-)

[Zane]

Just, wondered, does anyone have the box dimensions? Oddly, that'll just about decide if I buy it...