'LEGO DC Comics - The Dark Knight, Tumbler' Review

[Adeel Zubair]

"Why So Serious? This Baby Works Just Fine!”

"Let's put a smile on that face!" - The Joker by Adeel Zubair, on Flickr

First Impression

2014 was a very impressive year for LEGO fans; a huge number superb sets that were released including this impressive and outstanding recreation of the Tumbler from The Dark Knight Trilogy. It was first mentioned by Jason from The Brick Show on Youtube that we have a UCS Tumbler on the way. Since then many have speculated the set would be released because last year was the 75th anniversary of the Caped Crusader and we would see a Batman vehicle based off the classic Batman comics or movies such as Jerry Robinson’s, Batman 66’s, Batman Animated Series or even a redesign of the Batman & Robin Batmobile. In fact I would love for LEGO to release those but the popularity of The Dark Knight movie made this model happen. After many fans have trying to replicate this iconic vehicle and many LEGO Ideas submissions we have finally got a UCS Batman Tumbler from LEGO themselves! I was super pumped for this set: one hand it's a large scale car model (which I enjoy) and it's based on a very much loved film franchise and character that I and others enjoy; the price just put me off until now! Was it worth it though?

Unique Parts

Besides the obvious exclusive minifigure parts there are two exclusive pieces those being the Tyre Wide Ø81,6X44 (front wheels) and the Pearl Gold Wheel Bearing Back. Surprisingly the Batman head is exclusive.

Minifigures

This set includes Batman and the Joker minifigures, I guess they are only included to boost sales for rather large set; even though they are not in scale with the model as the box states. Those minifigures will drive collectors and people to purchase the set who are not even interested in the model (who wouldn't be?) which is pretty sad if you ask me. I got it purely for the model; the minifigures and stand are bonuses! They both can be displayed on a sleek and simple display stand with the information plaque in the centre which has many different stats and information about the vehicle. I like that The Dark Knight logo isn't placed at the top of the plaque, were it could have been cheesy. The plaque is instead titled 'Wayne Industries - Applied Science Division' which makes more sense as the Tumbler was known for all its cool facts and makes the model feel authentic. This is my first set with a display stand and plaque so I can say it took about 15-20 minutes to get the sticker right but it did catch some dust after multiple times so I have very few bumps on the stand but it's very minor. I like that it's not that sticky as other stickers which made it much easier to apply.

The Christian Bale Batman is based on the Batman Begins suit since we have already got The Dark Knight Rises one in 2013. I'm really digging the level of details on the front and back of the torso; it's very movie accurate and doesn't look cartoony which 2013 one did. The most disappointing part about this minifigure is the lack of leg and arm printing, if this was based off a comic version of Batman it wouldn't be a problem but the fact it's not as detailed as the Marvel movie variants it's really disappointing for such a large set. Batman comes with a Batarang but it's the one that we have always had, I would have liked an exclusive Dark Knight Batarang instead. The main highlight for this set is the first ever Heath Ledger Joker who has been a fan requested minifigure for a very long time. He is pretty much perfect unlike Batman; he has a detailed torso and legs. I really like that just front of the head has white faded printing to give it the face paint effect, whereas normally he has a white head instead. His smirk is so sinister. I'm not sure if the Earth Blue hands are accurate. Like the Batman minifigure he also doesn't come with an exclusive accessory but at least Batman came with one but the Joker doesn't have anything; maybe an exclusive knife or Joker card would have been cool. I have put the pair of very precious minifigures free from dust so they are not on the display stand but it still does look good without them.

Playability

Besides rolling it backwards and forwards, several adjustable flaps, some movable interior details and the two sections of the removable roof it doesn't have anything else. It's hasn't got is primary features from the movie; those being an ejectable Bat-Pod, opening doors and steering. I understand and can see that the main goal was to get all those angles and shapes that we see on the actual Tumbler which the designer at LEGO has achieved. It's such a shame as it would have completed the model but I guess LEGO have given the fans an opportunity to modify the model and do it ourselves. I must say that getting its wheels to turn and motorize it must be really difficult. Not to mention ejecting a Bat-Pot from the model. Maybe there is a person out there who could figure it all out and make it work successfully and keep all the great angles and shapes Adam has put into the model. I had problems with adding the sub-assemblies during the end since they can be fragile which means it's not recommend for play.

Build Experience

This set contains 18 numbered bags (1-11.) This set contains five instruction booklets and two sticker sheets which come in a cardboard sleeve to keep them straight. To note, I got an extra sheet of the smaller stickers for some odd reason? Really, for a set this size they could have made it into a thick square bound book like they have done with a few sets already and included some facts about the movie vehicle and the LEGO design process.

Boy was very challenging, I really enjoyed the build, it took me around 8 hours to build which was very surprising since most people took about 4-5 hours; it's very different to the models I normally build which are rather simple like the Modular Buildings. It takes a while to build the main frame of the model but after that it quickly comes together with many sub-assemblies. I understand that most of the time man made things are symmetrical so this had a mirrored build and it does get slightly repetitive but at least I didn't see more than 'x2' in the instructions. I had a hard time attaching the front wheel assembly that attaches to the Technic panel; it took some time to actually make it stay on since it's held on with many studs. I also found out that the design could have easily made that area stronger with a few of Connector Peg W. Knob; we get loads of extras of those so it's not really a problem. I also thought a few more of Slide Shoe Round 2X2 could have been used to make some of the assemblies much stronger like the chairs. The stickers where the only down side to the build which slightly stressed me out but I found out that sticking a corner of the sticker on the back of the actual sticker sheet makes it much easier and fingerprint proof. The main frame is very study when complete but like I said the sub-assemblies are the weak areas in terms of stability but I don't know how else it would have been possible. -What makes this model different from many other LEGO models is that you cannot easily tell how it's built; due to all the non-linear shapes and angles achieved throughout the model. I can say we do have two elements in the front wheels which are visible, that’s not intentionally part of the design but that fact that only the black is visible throughout the whole with a few hints of grey and gold details; normally we would have exposed blue or red LEGO Technic pins which normally takes away from most LEGO models but in this case it's only very minor which is great for a model at this scale.

Value for Money

This retails for £159.99 in the UK and contains 1869 pieces. The price shocked me; then I saw the designer video and was impressed with the size; now that I own it I can say it’s damn huge. It's beauty is the size and details; just speechless. The Dark Knight and Batman fans will really appreciate this model, it delivers a different and educational build experience, compared to your average set as it’s aimed towards adults and collectors. The other day I checked the price for the Tyre Wide Ø81,6X44 and I discovered that they are on the LEGO Bricks and Pieces feature and they go for about £8 each! Now I can understand why the set costs so much, the large tires must be very hard to make and manufacture so therefore the price reflects that. I added all the tires and rims and it came out close to £40. What this means is it would have cost £120 without the tires and rims. You have to understand that's the main reason why the set costs so much. Just like real cars. I plan to buy two more for a Bat-Pod MOC in scale with this Tumbler.

Theme Popularity

LEGO Batman sets always to well and this will make a great collector’s item.

Exclusivity

This set is available at LEGO Stores and Shop.LEGO.com and other selected retailers. Surprisingly it’s still listed 1 per customer online which means resellers will be upset and tells us that there is limited availability.

Packaging

I like the fact they changed the colour of the banner for this set and made is a mix of grey and black. The way they presented the model is just like it's jumped off the screen. On the back of the box we see a main image of the model in the basement, and just below it we have several technical views of the Tumbler. The back also gives us a good look at the interior which is pretty much impossible to see once built.

Growth Potential

This will do very well as an investment just because LEGO Batman has always done well in the secondary market plus the popularity of The Dark Knight will make it stand out. I can see its price tripled when it's discontinued since LEGO has limited one per customer on Shop.LEGO.com.

Display Attributes

Yes, this is a great collector’s item and display piece with minor flaws like: It's hasn't got is primary features from the movie; those being an ejectable Bat-Pod, opening doors and steering. I understand and can see that the main goal was to get all those angles and shapes that we see on the actual Tumbler which the designer at LEGO has achieved. The model looks how you would expect it to look, it’s definitely looks like a Tumbler and is instantly recognisable; it's not a very pretty model as it's a military tank therefore it's won't be target to some individuals who like models from LEGO Creator Expert but it's a great and cool vehicle and a great addition to any LEGO Batman collection. It would be a nightmare dusting this model as it has many different angles whilst using elements with visible studs. Whist having all those studs showing takes away from the Tumbler look and looks like random selections of elements put together; one way they should have avoid this if they tiled the entire model, but it would have greatly affected the RRP making it harder for us and costs to make new molds and colours would have been as issue for LEGO. So in a nutshell it had to be done like this. The back view is its most comfortable and standout area in the entire model. The tires are another standout in the set they are so sleek; I wouldn't want those catching any dust! I can see people modifying this in ‘5 - Brick Yellow’ and ‘138 - Sand Yellow’ for the Tumblers used in The Dark Knight Rises, it would take quite a bit of planning to accomplish.

Final Analysis/ Conclusion

Overall this set it is a must have set for every Batman or The Dark Knight fan. If you’re a LEGO collector of cars this will also be a unique model and it will stand out from other LEGO cars since it's probably one of the biggest car or vehicle of this scale. This set has two unique and exclusive minifigures so if you’re a Batman fan it’s defiantly worth. It also leaves you hanging to try and modify it because it wasn't realistic enough for the designers to get all its primary features into a model of this size but purely as a display pieces it defiantly triumphs as a model and stands out to the other exclusives that are currently available. This set is a best seller so get your hands on it while you can! Hopefully with the success of this set we get a UCS Batmobile from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice next year!

Adeel

Edited March 25, 2015 by Adeel Zubair