The Penguin

After seeing the new pics, I suppose the time has come to say the truth! P.S. I just couldn't resist posting that, could I? ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

It's on the house for you, my dear! ) We've been through so much together! Even have nearly been sunk on the sub! ) Please do! I'd love to see some Catwoman(and not only!)-related MOCs! ) Are you sure you are NOT a Spider-man fan in disguise?! Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Aw, that is just great! ) Why do you prefer Bats over me then?! Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Thank you, WhiteFang! ) It's the kind and talented members of this community that inspire me to make my MOCs and revies, so thank you all, people! ) I strongly doubt that, but I too hope that the theme will return occasionally! Thank you very much! ) Thank you very much! ) Um, thank you. You think so? Yes, we did miss her, but instead got several other characters I never expected to see, frankly. Thank you! ) I also had to order those, since they were never sold in Russia. ) Thank you very much! ) Ah, thank you very much, TheBrickster! ) That is very kind of you! Well my comic-like manner of presenting MOCs seems to have rooted in my reviews as well. I'm glad the community likes that. ) I hope you'll like the upcoming reviews as well. ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Thank you very much! ) Yes, minifigs is something very special about the whole theme. Though I must say that some sets give a nice selection of parts as well. Not like Castle or some other classical themes though! ) Thank you very much! You're too kind! Yes, quite. In fact I miss that hideout set! Alas, it ws during my dark age! Really? Well I can say that this is one of those parts which seem unlegoish until you have one in your hand. At least it was like that for me! Yes, well I suppose it depends on how you see the character. For me, frankly, he has always been more human than animal one, though. ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

What's so appauling about that? Isn't that what capitalism is about? However, shutting down the theme was indeed a very hard blow to the fans, I'm sure the theme had much greater potential than vehicle vs vehicle sets..... Thank you very much! Well, I have reviewed 3 sets so far, stay tuned for other Bat-review! ) Thank you very much! ) I doubt we'll see any Bat-sets soon, but we can keep the interest and thus the theme alive by making MOCs, reviewibg the sets, etc. Thank you! ) I'm glad you liked it. ) Well, purple hips can be found in other sets, I guess. ) Thank you! ) I beg your pardon? ) Thank you! ) Thanks a lot! ) Yes, the prices are indeed skyrocketing now! Well, that what often happens to excellent sets! ) Thank you very much! ) Yes your model is far more advanced than this one. How big is it, though? Thank you very much, WhiteFang! ) Yes, that's what happened to most people. I still regret not grabbing several Batcopters after buying my first one. They were present on the shelves in huge quantities, but one day I came to buy them and there were none! I still hope that positive emotions I try to share via my reviews overwhelm the sadness from not getting this ot that set! Very nice summary! Thank you. ) Yes and it's the only set it's been released in dark bluesh gray color. Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it! ) Ah, thank you, my dear! Praise from such a lovely cat makes a bird like me turn black white and red! ) Yes, I never understood Bat's addiction to putting his faces and emplems all over the vehicles! I mean penguin faces for my subs are ok, but bats?! Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Very nice creation again, Jedd the Jedi! ) And very clever use of those vines! I guess Batman will find a way to cut free (again! ), but al least we, villains, have several moments of joy, seeing him like that! Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Oh, so we got another Batman fan, even though he has some "Jedi" in his name..... Never heard of such a thing in Gotham! ) Very clever creation! I think it's the first Catwoman jewel robbery MOC around here and it's very well done! At last I know where that jewel came from! Not that I vare much when I'm buying those! Keep up bringing fresh Bat-MOCs! Yours are just great! ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Well-well-well! If it isn't my favourite cat! Long time no see, Selina! ) Welcome to out glorious EB community! I hope you'll enjoy your stay here. Batman fans are very welcome, since only several are left here! ( I hope that you'll share your MOCs with us as well! ) P.S. And do come to Iceberg Lounge one of these days! Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

I don't suppose TLC should be bringing old factions back. They were good (and some even excellent) for their days, but now the world and interests of the kids are different. I'm pretty sure that kids can hardly play knights, only jousting, travelling and saving maids from the robbers. (Not to mention that Crusaders may be found a politically incorrect faction by some liberals.) Modern kids can hardly imagine knights without dragons, dwarfs, elves, magic and stuff like that. Thanks to the films and games. That in its turn is an explanation to the great popularity of Fantasy era Castle and certain lack of one for Kingdoms. If we compare them, of course. It is much easier to throw away fantasy elements from the set and stay "medievil" for old fans than to expect TLC to make 180 turn and start producing sets like in the old days. So my point is that there is neither point, nor the logic in returning back. To the new lands, I say! Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Ah, kris kelvin, thank you! ) You are the one bringing good news today! very nice closeup of the box. I can see the new torsos clearly now. I suppose the dragons have every right to attack the peasants. Why do they have gold in their bsrrels?! Smuggling something, eh? ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Happy birthday, gentlemen! ) Have a very Lego-filled year! Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Thanks a lot for your help! I find the fact that LEGO is actually moving towards new molds and accesories to be very welcome. It's a shame that Heroica has microfigs though. I'd really love to see, say, those orcs in an actual figure-size. Oh, well! For me actually it's kind of a surprise that Kingdoms is becoming better and better because, frankly, I thought that the theme will never be as good as Fantasy used to be. The civillian sets do save the situation. ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Heroes of M&M in Lego - With microfigs?! - But with assortment of pine new pieces - Can be expanded?! - Very clever move on behalf of TLC to my mind. if the game is really that good as it looks and if we get so many new interesting parts in proper colors, then it's going to be the second favourite games set s for me after monster one (which I bought for heads) and pirate ones (bought for crystals). Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Words cnnot express my joy and all the positive emotions! ) Just one quick question. What are those new items that come with the blacksmith set/ i can see the axe, the dagger and some other items but can't tell what they are. I shall be most grateful should anyone help me. That would have been realy nice if they were not weapons but some civillian items. ) Good day, ladies and gentlemjen! )

1) Hailfire droid from W22 to W20 2) DSD from T22 to T20 3) DSD from F22 to F20 4) Hailfire droid from B22 to B20 "Hyena bombers, blast the hell out of M1 coorditates! let them leard the power of the true CIS!"

Time for a new part, ladies and gentlemen! ) Sweet Tooth. Mr. Freeze. Gentleman Ghost. (Not stricktly a Batman villain but still comes across from time to time. ) I hope you liked that part! ) Any comments, please? ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

I have them all together as well. I'll provide the pics pretty soon and not only them. ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

1) CATD from D20 to D19 2) CATD from E20 to E19 3) CATD from U20 to U19 4) CATD from V20 to V19 5) CATD from H20 to H19 CATDs on the roll! Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

"Putting LEGO Batman in fresh prespective" Given to me by WhiteFang for posting three of my Batman set reviews, which have been made in my usual comic-like manner. ) Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

- Commissioner Gordon to Batman! Do you copy? Two-Face has stolen an armored bank truck! I’m following him on a chopper…. - Don’t worry, Commissioner, I’m following the truck. - What? Where? I can’t see you….. *BANG!* - What the heck was that, Batman?! - I blew up the truck. - Sir, car 1356 reports that some lunatic has just blown up a cash transit truck near the docks. - Dammit, Batman! (The pic is an official box art one.) Set Number: 7781 Name: The Batmobile: Two-Face's Escape Theme: Batman Year of Release: 2006 Pieces: 394 Minifigs: 3 Price: $30 USD Brickset, Bricklink, Peeron parts inventory All images can be found in my brickshelf folder. The time has come for my third Batman review. Today I would like to present you easily one of the best sets of the whole line “The Batmobile: Two-Face's Escape”. When the set came out it immediately became one of my most favorite not only because it featured my second favorite villain in Batman universe, but it also had the iconic Batmobile and some great scenery. But I fear I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Let’s have a look….. The Box Despite the fact that the set is almost twice as big as the previously reviewed Croc one, the box is not much bigger. It’s 28,5 x 38,5 cm, which I find to be quite a reasonable size. Surprisingly, out of 7 sets I got back then, only two (!) were in undamaged boxes. One of which has been sold with a considerable profit, and the other was left to be reviewed for our glorious EB community. When I got 3 sets off Briclink later, again two were damaged! The box art is done in a nice black-purple-gray color scheme, which doesn’t quite suit BTASesque Two-Face, but looks perfect, nevertheless. I guess making it black and white would’ve been better, but perhaps it wouldn’t catch the eye on the shelf that way. Another thing which I’d like to draw your attention to is the road on the box art picture. It’s all wet as if after a heavy rain. For some reason I really liked such meaningless but lovely touches made by the artist. In the top right corner(like in all previously reviewed sets) we see a 1989 Batman symbol. Though unlike Catwoman and Croc sets it actually corresponds with the one on Batman’s chest. On the right bottom corner again we see a DC symbol. The side of the box shows the minifigs in their actual size. Batman has some quite weird shape of his cape. Perhaps it just got battered in the fight. Two-Face is obviously trying to shake your hand with his “good side” and holds an armed Tommy gun in his “bad” side hand. I can’t but point out that on the pic he looks quite peachy and healthy! The bank robbery was quite a success, it seems! And as a bonus we get a generic Two-Face’s goon, wielding a uzi gun. I tend to think that all those goons in Batman theme are either brothers or go to the same stylist. TLC could’ve given us some different faces I guess, but did not for the sake of keeping them “generic”, so to say. The back of the box shows us so-called playing features of the set. The standard set of guns and bat-gadgets is also included. There are supposed to be two (yep, Two-Face would be happy!) major features: the opening cockpit and firing Batmobile’s engine cannon. Since I highly doubt that putting Batman in and out of the vehicle (meanwhile torturing his cape) is a playing feature, I’ll skip to the firing mechanism. I sure hope that the size of the missile, flying from the Batmobile, is an exaggeration, since it could easily blast not only the back door of the truck but the whole truck with Two-Face and his goons to bits! Ah, no! Here’s another playing feature: the opening missile hatches on each side of the truck. Though the designer thought it does not deserve its own picture. Perhaps, he’s right. As in each and every Batman set we get a lovely comic story. This one tells us about Two-Face robbing a bank. The plot is pretty plain and standard (somewhat even cliché-like), but shows the characters quite well. An interesting thing I noticed is that there’re two goons in the bank and only one in the set. Perhaps, Two-Face left the second one to cover his escape, or just shot him because the coin told him to do so. Who knows? On the first pic Two-Face is laughing maniacally while throwing his coin up. I find quite dangerous, since he can easily lose the one, among all those lying all over the floor. The second pic shows us Batman jumping from Batwing to Batmobile, which indicates he’s having a pretty tough night. Robin must be on vacation or something….. The third pic shows us how cool it is to have the Batmobile, when Two-Face is trying to shoot Bats through the glass. The fourth pic shows us Two-Face flying “towards the camera”. I feel a bit sad for him, though it’s his own fault. If you want to rob a bank in Gotham, do it at daytime! Interesting and unusual parts The set provides us with a nice selection of interesting parts, such as the rare-in-2006 “tooth” bricks, silver stud for Two-Face’s coin, a pillar in dark gray and some nice pearl gold bricks. Sticker sheet The sticker sheet is perhaps the main disappointment in the set. Everything that could’ve been printed is stickered here! The glass, the roof, even the controls in Batmobile! The second thing I find odd is the fact that Two-Face has his coin drawn on Gotham City Bank truck in three places: on the roof and on each side of it. Why would he do that, anyway!? The sticker that is applied to the windscreen of the truck looks just awful and doesn’t give the impression of it being armored at all. Looks more like a decoy to me. Instructions booklet I got a slightly curved and battered booklet, but it’s really ok. Just the same box art on it. Nothing really special here. He’s a random instructions page. The build may seem a bit boring for some, especially when it comes to Batmobile, but I really did not mind. The set itself is just so good, that you do not even notice such minor flaws. As in every Batman set we get an alternative models page, which is definitely worth showing. Again, like Croc, Two-Face is attempting to shoot down some nice-looking Bat-flyer! The Minifigs As said in previous reviews, practically every Batman set has a unique minifigure in it. This set has two. (Have you noticed that the number two is constantly appearing in the review? ) Batman in this set finally appears not in his BTASesque outfit as in the Catwoman and Croc sets, but in his black leather costume, inspired obviously by 1989, 1993 Tim Burton films. Which I find to be a very nice variation for a change. However, I personally prefer the BTAS one. Now, Two-Face is one masterpiece minifigure. No, really. I consider him to be one of the best and most accurate licensed figures so far. The figure back in 2006 was innovative in two ways: 1) the way it’s been painted, 2) the new hair mold. Two-Face’s tricky costume was no doubt a hard task for the designer of the set. Not only should he have looked “split in two”, but his “good” and “evil” sides should’ve been strikingly different. And the task has been solved exemplary. He had not only his suit painted, but the back as well. Not to mention the minifig’s “belt”. And that was an extremely rare occasion back then. The fig also had a new revolutionary hair mold. I’m no expert, but it’s been made using some different hard plastic, a very nice choice if we compare that with some Exo-Force ones. As far as I know it has been the first case of such a complicated new hair mold and its painting. And if you look carefully you’ll see that the “good side” hair looks pretty much like standard LEGO’s wig, as far as the “evil side” one, looks all messed up and even somewhat menacing. His face(s) also look(s) revolutionary. Never before has a LEGO minifigure received such a complicated and gruesome head. Scarred, deformed and burned “evil” side has been very innovative. Not to mention the fact that it completely killed LEGO’s “non-violence” policy. It may sound odd, but I really find his face a bit scary even now. Just like in the comic stories and BTAS series. (Actually he’s been done exactly like his BTAS counterpart. You can see that on the fourth picture.) Now to criticism. What I really don’t get about the figure is the hand. Why would he have a dark gray hand? Either he should have been given two flesh hands, or one black, one white, or something of this kind. Still, I’ve noticed that in the theme practically all villains got quite odd hands, so, I guess there must have been some logic behind that. The second point is the coin. I agree that expecting a new mold of scarred coin would be too much to ask from LEGO, but I guess they’d better not given him any then. Because I really hate the silver stud that is meant to be used as his coin, I just pretend that it’s not there. Just some spare part. Though to be fair I should say that silver back then was a very rare color, so I guess TLC tried their best. Well, the goon has no comic or animated counterpart, so I presume he’s just supposed to be some random Gotham mob without any interesting back-story or major role. The only interesting thing about him is his two-sided costume that may be used for some City or even Castle custom figures. I do not like the boring and generic face, so there’s really not much to say about him. Two-Face’s armored truck Earlier I have showed my doubts about the stickers, so the truck may look less imposing without them, but it’s still a very nice vehicle. As said before Two-Face has painted it to match his duality, and I must say that was a very unreasonable thing to do. I mean, does he really expect to just take the van and be riding it all over Gotham City without being noticed? I mean, every cop or just ordinary citizen will recognize him, not to mention Batman. Perhaps there’s just no drama in my soul. Interesting that the truck is actually not black and white but dark gray and white. I find that pretty nice, since I guess originally the bank truck was dark gray and half of it just got painted white. Very economically efficient! For some reason the front lights are trans-neon green. I can’t really understand why not yellow or say, just transparent, but it still looks good. Here’s one side of the truck. As you can see the truck has a rocket-launcher installed. (I wonder if it has been there before Two-Face stole it. Kind of a new Gotham Bank security system!) For some reason unknown it has yellow cone cylinders, which I find pretty disturbing for the eye, if we take into consideration the general dark atmosphere of the set. Nevertheless it is not something you can’t easily mod. What o really like about Batman sets is the fact that practically all vehicles are “compatible”, so to say, with the City theme. The truck is neither bigger nor smaller than the rest of the City vehicles, which I find a very nice and useful. I wish I could say the same about he Batmobile. The back of the van looks really nice with that round plates attached there which give an impression of some round safe door. Unfortunately you can’t open it and put some money inside, but still it looks good for the shelf. And if you’re eager to replay some scenes from the game, you can always mod it and install some doors in the back. Batmobile The Batmobile is something that makes this set a must-buy. I have no doubts that the designer(s) spent hours on that model, but the result was definitely worth that. It’s just amazing how detailed the Batmobile is for a relatively small vehicle. Speaking of sizes….. One of the main grudges I used to have against the set, as well as some other fans, was the size of the Batmobile, and indeed if we compare it to the truck it looks huge. I don’t suppose that Batman has any complexes about sizes, it’s just the Batmobile that inspired the LEGO version. It’s obviously based on Tim Burton 1989, 1993 films version, which looked to me like a mixture of some BDSM tool and a steam engine. Not that I didn’t like that! See what I mean? What? No!? You can see that they look fairly the same and I must say that I really like the fact that this model has been chosen. It would have been much worse if they used, say, 60-s version. However in that case the Batmobile would be for two people, at least! Not like that one which seems to have been designed specifically for Batman, and him alone. You can see that this Batmobile has some nice golden wheel discs. Pimp my Batmobile! Here we can see the Batmobile’s open-fire engine, which burns oxygen and clowns as I’ve shown in Catwoman review. Apart from the engine you can see some nice red stop-signal lamps which are supposed to warn the drivers behind that the Batmobile is going to stop. As if it has ever been in a traffic jam or you'll be able to see anything apart from the flames at night time! But let us remember “the only true Batman” Adam West: “Safety first!”. General view of the set Here’s the usual general pic of the set, includig some of the surroundings elements. We’ll discuss them later. What amazes me about the Batmobile is its maneuverability! I mean its somewhat twice as long as the truck and it can still move freely on high speeds without causing much damage: Well, relatively, of course! Play features When at the beginning of the review I said that the set was one of the best in the whole theme, I meant first of all its playability. Surprisingly, this set offers us not only one “right’ scenario, as shown on the back of the box, but also provides us with a lamppost, a toll gate and some spiky thing on a chain, the name of which I do not know in either of the four languages I speak, including the mother-tongue. (Actually, while the review was still in the Academy, I was told that it's called spike strip! Or ежи in Russian, which can be translated as "hedgehogs"! ) So there are at least three possible scenarios: 1) Batman pursuing the truck and firing his huge missile. (Damn you, Tim Burton with your perverted hints in Batman films! Those were my favorite ones when I was a kid! Look what you have done! ) 2) Some policemen throwing a spiky thing and thus stopping the truck. (Or better Batmobile! Ha!) 3) The toll gate blocking the way, or on the contrary, being crushed by the truck as it is shown on the box art. Apart from that we can see some pseudo-features such as opening cockpit of the Batmobile which is very comfortable and cosy-looking, like in the Batboat, and a very neat but somewhat small baggage compartment. You can’t even fit a person there! Bah, dilettantes! Ratings Design:5/5 Despite my slight grumbling about small design flaws and stickers it’s a great set from every point of view. The truck looks great with other City vehicles and the Batmobile is a great-looking vehicle on its own. Build: 4/5 The build is somewhat interesting when it concerns the Batmobile. The truck is pretty simple, but in no way boring or repetitive. Minifigs: 5/5 Perhaps adding another goon would have been better, but we get an awesome Two-Face. What else do we need? Playability: 5/5 – Three playable scenarios? Lots of features and surroundings? That set is just made for playing! Parts: 4/5 – A nice collection of useful parts, but the dreaded stickers spoil it all. And no really unusual or new parts apart from “tooth” bricks. Price:5/5 – $30 for such a set is just ridiculously cheap. I mean look t $30 sets now. See what I mean? Overall: 5/5 – This set is a must-buy for practically every LEGO fan. With the design of such a high level and price of such a low one, you should have bought at least one back then. If you don’t care for the set, get your Two-Face fig, which has been a revolutionary one in many kinds. If you care neither for the set, nor the fig….. Well….. What are you? A Megablocks fan!? Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

- Commissioner Gordon to Batman! Do you copy?! Answer me, dammit! - What’s wrong, Commissioner? - The whole City is being torn apart! Joker is threatening to blow our Police department HQ in 5 minutes. Where are you??? - I’m in the jungle. - Where?! What are you doing there? - Chasing Killer Croc. He’s bound to be up to no good…. I don’t like his smile. - What the ………! *END TRANSMISSION* (The pic is an official box art one.) Set Number: 7780 Name: The Batboat: Hunt for Killer Croc Theme: Batman Year of Release: 2006 Pieces: 188 Minifigs: 2 Price: $20 USD Brickset, Bricklink, Peeron parts inventory Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present you my second review of the Batman theme set. The Hunt for Killer Croc is twice as big as the Catwoman one, by piece count and price. (92 pcs vs 188, $10 vs $20). Even the box is somewhat twice as big. Is the set two times better than the smallest one? Let’s find out….. The Box The box is somewhat big to my taste, being 28,5 x 28,5 cm, which is good for the Company, because it really catches the eye, but is very inconvenient for me, because I remember having bought five of those back in 2007 and had quite a nasty experience taking them home. Nevertheless, the box (actually the box art) has the same virtue as all Batman theme boxes - the style. It’s done in black and green color scheme, which kind of symbolizes the Batman vs Croc conflict, which is the main idea of the set. In the top right corner there is the same 1989 Batman symbol, which, again like in Catwoman set, does not correspond with the one on Batman’s chest. On the right bottom corner again we see a DC Comics symbol. The side of the box shows the minifigs in their actual size with Croc holding an Uzi submachine gun (at least I always thought it to be one!) and Batman with his faithful batarang. I have no idea, why Croc would be using guns, since I can’t really recall any story either from animated series or from comic stories where he uses those. Perhaps he just looks more menacing that way. The back of the box shows Batman and Croc’s boats and their playing features. Again you can see that the pictures are given in a comic story manner, with pic bubbles one over another, which I find a very interesting and stylish touch. The pictures show us the mechanism of attaching Croc’s boat to Batman’s, the rotating engines, the opening cockpit and flying missiles. I really long for those good old times when missiles were technic axles! What really gives me much pain is to see that the third pic suggests that we should put Batman inside with his cape on! Oh, the heresy! It will all get battered! Battered, I tell you! You can also see a pic showing the weapons and gadgets included, such as 5 batarangs, a pair of batcuffs and a uzi with a Tommy gun. If I recall it correctly it was the first theme to include proper weapons after the Wild West theme. The fact that they mixed quite modern uzi with a Tommy gun is a direct tribute to Batman: The Animated Series, which was undoubtedly a source of inspiration most of the theme’s sets. We also get a wonderful comic story, showing how Croc managed to sink at least two ships in Gotham harbor. Then a short pursuit and Batman with quite a nasty face gets Croc chained up. Actually, after being captured, Croc looks pretty much like the fantasy troll from Castle! Oh, wait! What’s that on the last picture!? Why, it’s a periscope! No doubt, it’s my submarine spying on Bats….. I suppose I was out of torpedoes then, or I would have blasted them both for good, ha! Interesting and unusual parts Well, apart from the weapons we can find several interesting parts here. Such as the printed (!) Croc’s boat hull piece and Batboat’s pontoons. I suppose they were originally used for City sets, but for me those were new back then. Pearl gold bricks were also rare in 2006. Sticker sheet The sticker sheet is quite tolerable in the set and you can easily do without applying any. The set won’t look blank or boring at all. And thanks to the printed pieces even the average Croc’s boat looks great! Instructions booklet The booklet is a bit battered, but it’s okay, I never mind such things. And it’s always nice to have a look at the lovely box art, isn’t it? Here’s a random page of the booklet. The build is pretty interesting, but I can’t say it has any special or extremely fascinating techniques or ideas. Still I was not bored at all. Yep, like in the smaller Catwoman set, we get an alternative design page which is just great. We get a decent flyer for Batman and some kind of an artillery piece for Croc! Who would've thought! The Minifigs As I have already said I get sets mostly for figures nowadays. In this matter that set is one of a kind. Why? Because like in most Batman sets the villain figure is exclusive to the set and can not be found anywhere else. Batman has a BTASesque outfit as in the Catwoman set, but here he’s at least armed with batarangs (x5). I bet he’ll need all of them to bring down such a vile creature as Killer Croc! Killer Croc is a nice figure. But one thing has been bugging me for a long time and I really couldn’t put my finger to it. Now, as I’m typing that I understand that it’s the color. Croc has a standard LEGO green color, which is ok, but to my mind dark green would have been better. The only problem is that dark green as far as I remember was introduced in Fantasy Castle theme for the first time, so it was a rare color back then. That is the only explanation I can find. What really disappoints me about the figure is the wide green grin and red eyes Croc has. The grin looks a bit cartoony to me and red demon eyes a bit out of place. Why would Croc have red eyes, anyway? Hm, perhaps my suspicions about him being related to Castle trolls are indeed true….. No back printing for him which is quite a disappointment to me, but at least he has nice scales over his muscled body. (Again, isn’t it the first time we got a naked, let green, male torso?) Killer Croc’s boat The boat has a simple design on the verge of being boring. What really saves it is the printed hull and a color scheme, which, if we take that brown is actually rust and corrosion, looks quite nice and not out of place. As I have said before the missiles were much more interesting back then. Though they could fall out easily if used without proper attention and care. The back shows us the engine and a cross-shaped hole so that Batman can attach his Batboat to the Croc's one. I should quit reading Freud before sleep! Batboat The Batboat is a formidable piece of work, pretty compact and still sleek-looking. At first, frankly I was a bit disappointed to see that design, since I got used to a race motorboat style of Batboat, but after having played the game I feel much warmer to it. Or is it because I have to compare it with Robin’s ridiculous vehicles?! The engines are quite nice and I really like the way the black bat-wings are attached to it. Looks very imposing. Still I wonder if it’s an amphibious boat or not. We have never seen it being onshore, but I guess it’s left for you to imagine. Now the thing I really hate in the set is the small boat (I like to think of it as a lifeboat for Bats). It looks just ridiculous with it attached there, but even more without it! Though such an unfortunate design flaw can easily be modded, I guess. And, dear colleague-villains, always clean your monocles before attacking Bats. See for yourself what it may end like if you don’t: General view of the set Here’s a general view of the set. Well, I wouldn’t like to skip to conclusions now, l’ll better leave it to you to make up your mind about the set. Spare parts There are few spare parts in the set, so nothing really special here. Though I was surprised to get only two bricks. I guess it's good, is it not? Play features Now from the point of view of play features the set is somewhat really nice. You can imagine tons of interesting stories with it! Actualy the only “true” play feature is launching the missiles, since rotating engines and opening cockpits can hardly be called ones. It should be quite exciting for kids to be trying to hit Batboat with those, but TFOLs and AFOLs wouldn’t be very much impressed. They would find much more interesting stories with Croc jumping out of the water, biting the pontoons, etc….. I won’t stop on engines and cockpit since I don’t consider them to be play features. Still I find it to be pretty neat and cosy-looking. Ratings Design: 4/5 I had many doubts about that one, still I’ll give it an above average rating. From 3 it has been saved by the Batboat, but I suppose that Croc's vehicle could’ve been much better. Build: 3/5 The build is average. No interesting techniques, no repetitive moments. No nothing, so to say. Minifigs: 3/5 Earlier I showed my doubts about Croc’s figure. And since Batman is also quite standard here, I’ll give it an average mark. For me it’s a set of lost opportunities. Playability: 4/5 – The set has a great potential for playing through different stories. And mind that, no roof jumping! Parts: 4/5 – A nice collection of useful and some quite interesting printed parts. Though I doubt that they can be intensively used in other themes. Price:5/5 – 188 pieces in a licensed set for only $20 is a dream come true. Take that, SW fans! Overall: 3/5 – As with practically the whole Batman theme, it’s a must buy if you are a fan. It’s a very good set if you’re interested in the topic, but pretty useless if you don’t care. All images can be found in my brickshelf folder. Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

- Commissioner Gordon to Batman! Do you copy? - Yes, Commissioner? - Catwoman has been spotted driving downtown to Hill Valley Street! - What has she stolen? - Um…. Well…. Nothing, it seems…. - I’m on it, Jim! (The pic is an official box art one.) Set Number: 7779 Name: The Batman Dragster: Catwoman Pursuit Theme: Batman Year of Release: 2006 Pieces: 92 Minifigs: 2 Price: $10 USD Brickset, Bricklink, Peeron parts inventory The theme was a blast. It was something fans like me could only dream about and in year 2006 it happened. LEGO actually launched another licensed theme in association with DC Comics and the name of it was Batman! The theme had several waves and lasted for two full years. As a result we got 13 sets: ranging from average to awesome. We also got some very good and unique minifigs. But what is even more important that we got a theme that still inspires LEGO fans to be making MOCs, custom figures, comic stories and stop motion films about the adventures of the Caped Crusader. Today I would like to share some of my ideas about the smallest set of Wave 1. The Box The box is rather small if we compare it to other ones of the theme, but big enough to catch an eye on the toy store shelf. The thing that I always liked about Batman boxes is the style. That set is done in black-violet color scheme which works pu-u-urfectly for Catwoman. In the top right corner we see a Batman symbol, which first appeared in Tim Burton’s 1989 "Batman" movie, and later was intensively used in the Batman: The Animated Series cartoons (BTAS for short). I guess it has been done because it is one of the most popular symbols, however, in later waves the insignia was changed. On the left bottom corner we see a DC Comics symbol, which I really like a lot. No idea why I like it so much. The side of the box shows the minifigs in their actual size and gives some boring and not important information! The back of the box shows playing features of the set, focusing, however only on the Dragster for some reason. The interesting thing is that the pictures come in boxes that give an impression of a comic story. They show a rotating front gun of the Dragster, but I don't know why Batman would be using guns. (Some may argue that it’s not a gun, but in other Batman and Exo-Force sets the same design is used for one.) You can also see a moving front wheels feature as well as the dreaded flick fire missiles, which back in 2006 were actually Technic axles. A comic story is another great thing about the theme. Most of them are pretty short but give nice plots for the game and show the characters of the heroes and villains. Catwoman, stealing a gem and luring Batman to kiss her, and Batman pursuing her is just what a person who has never heard of them needs to know about their complex relations. Interesting and unusual parts There can hardly be many new or unusual parts in such a small set, but LEGO managed to give us some new molds and colors. Back in 2006 pearl gold was a new color and we get several pieces in it. The windscreen was also a new mold for me, though some Exo-Force and City fans may easily prove me wrong, I guess. Sticker sheet The sticker sheet is more or less tolerable here and even if you do not apply them (like me) the set won’t look blank and boring. I can’t really think of many uses for the stickers apart from Batman MOCs. However the eyes could be used in some mystical Castle MOCs. Instructions booklet The booklet I got in the set was a bit battered (heh!), but it is typical nowadays for most LEGO sets, so I don’t mind anymore. The back of instructions shows a different picture from the one that can be seen nowadays. Kids back in 2006 were not shouting at you from every last page! Here’s a random page of the booklet. Nothing special really, the build is pretty simple. No interesting or unusual techniques. However, what could we expect from such a small set? While making a review I was amazed to see that TLC actually gave us two alternative models. I was pretty sure that giving alternatives was something that TLC stopped doing in the beginning of 2000-s, so I was pretty glad to find out that I was wrong. Here we have a decent looking Bat-cart and Bat-flyer. The Minifigs I suppose the minifigs are now becoming the main reason I buy LEGO sets. In that matter LEGO Batman was a superb theme, because practically each set had a unique minifig. For example, Catwoman never made an appearance in any other set. Batman has a BTASesque outfit, which can be seen in many other sets and is not very interesting. He does not even have any batarangs with him! Or Bat-cuffs! How on earth was he going to tame such a wild cat as Catwoman? I always felt a bit sad about the fact that Batman never had a double face. However, when I come to think about it now, what could it possibly be like? One grumpy face, the other even grumpier? Catwoman looks superb. Despite the fact that her motorcycle looks a bit cheesy, almost 60-s style, TLC made her pretty modern-looking and very comic-like. Catwoman does have a double face, which is very neat. Her “normal” head looks as if she’s plotting something, or being sarcastic towards somebody. I really like the face, but to my taste the eyebrows are somewhat odd and have a strange shape. Oh well, I never liked Batman’s taste anyway! What really disappoints me about the set, and in my opinion is a big flaw, is a lack of stolen treasure for Catwoman. I mean, a ruby, a crystal or some other item of a kind would make sense since Batman should be pursuing her for some reason, shouldn’t he? The Dragster The Dragster has always been one of the most controversial vehicles in the whole line for me. I know that some hate it and some say that it has a very sleek design. To me it has always been a part of a never-after-released-Batmobile. Have I gone mad? What am I talking about? Have a look for yourself! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SqwMMj2wvA&feature=related See? See? Well, the Dragster could have been a great part of a bigger and better model. Actually, that would make sense since adding parts that, when combined, form some unique item is a usual thing with DC Batman action figures. But I guess, it’s wishful thinking in LEGO. The front part can rotate practically 360 degree which should give us an impression of its fantastic maneuverability. I however find it a bit odd. Perhaps, it’s just me. Interesting that the exhaust fire is exactly the same size as the one on Catwoman’s motorcycle. Energy efficiency! I always found it amusing how Batman used open fire exhaust engines for his vehicles. Does he look more menacing that way? Or does he use it to burn clowns like in the "Batman Returns" film? If so, it’s ok with me. I HATE CLOWNS! The color scheme is pretty neat with that shining black and gold, as well as the overall sleek and blade-like design. The Dragster has a Tim Burton Batman insignia on it, though the Batman in the set has a different one on the chest. I wouldn’t say it’s a big flaw, still quite noticeable. Catwoman’s Motorcycle I don’t think I can say much about the motorcycle. It is a standard “police” mold, which comes in a rare and beautiful purple color. I have about 3-4 of those now, and they can easily be used not only for Catwoman but for Joker’s goons as well, taking into account his love for the color. The motorcycle has somewhat 60-s style look when heroes and villains used to use that kind of transport pretty intensively. Take Adam West Batman or Batgirl for example. What I really like about the simple design is the way the side mirrors have been made to look like cat ears. Simple, plain, yet so stylish and neat looking! As for the flaws, it’s the fire at the back. I suppose it’s pretty silly looking with a clip holding it. Still you can easily mod it, of course. Spare parts There are obviously not many spare parts in such a small set, so nothing really special here. Play features I suppose that this set has pretty good potential for play, in addition to vrooming and whooshing the vehicles around. First of all it’s the gun on the front. Earlier I did show my doubts about Batman using guns. In fact I wouldn’t wish to be in Catwoman’s or any other villain’s place should Batman be pursuing me on this thing. If he opens fire with that thing he can easily blast the motorcycle (and several nearby cars) to pieces! And taking into account how well the front part rotates. The area under fire will be pretty broad. The second major play feature is the flick-fire Technic missiles, which are pretty fun in the set, even though I always hated them. If you put them horizontally and start driving the Dragster at a high speed, when you decide to hit the brakes, they will fly out automatically. Blasting the Dragster to bits! I’m sure that it’s some kind of clever anti-hijacking system, not just a flaw in the design. Unlike the Dragster, the motorcycle has no special features or armament. Just Catmoman and her whip. I wonder how she would try to fight Batman with that? Still, I’m pretty sure she’ll find a way to get away. Chase Me If pursuing Catwoman day and night and blasting Gotham with guns and rockets is ok with kids, TFOLs and AFOLs require more complex and less trivial plots. When I first got the set I immediately thought that it would be just great for making scenes like in the short but very stylish movie “Chase me”, which came as a bonus material with my favourite “Mystery of Batwoman” film (featuring me in the main role!). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19qdCEPFz4w Ratings Design: 3/5 – I gave it an average grade mostly because of the Dragster. It is good, yes, but still could be improved or replaced by some other proper vehicle with the same bricks quantity. Build: 3/5 The build is average as well. No interesting techniques, apart from the gun design. Still I imagine that it was pretty popular in Exo-Force sets at the time, so it’s not unique to the theme either. Minifigs: 4/5 Catwoman fig is exclusive to the set and is just perfect interpretation of the character. Batman is pretty plain and as stated above in the review doesn’t match the Tim Burton Batman insignia. Yes, I’m being picky! Playability: 5/5 – Despite certain flaws in the design, the set is pretty playable for both kids and adults. Catwoman-Batman relations never get old! Parts: 4/5 – A decent collection of parts and bits, nothing special, nothing outstanding. I gave it a 4 for the lack of Batman accessories and catwoman’s stolen jem. Price:5/5 – 92 bricks in a licensed set? In a playable set? For 10 bucks!? Yes, please! The grass was green and the sky was blue in 2006. Overall: 4/5 – The set is a definite must-buy for every person who’s interested in the theme. However nowadays you should also have around $100 to get one. Yep, prices for Batman sets are hitting the roof, still my advice would be to get them now, because later they will be even higher. All images can be found in my brickshelf folder. Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )

Whirly-bat? Good day, ladies and gentlemen! )