TGB

These are awesome! Great work.

In some incarnations, notably the Batman Beyond series (I just watched a few episodes the other day so it's fresh in my mind) there are suit and costume displays scattered amongst the cave as part of his "trophy" collection. Usually it's the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Harley Quinn and the Gray Ghost. I didn't want to do a bunch of individual displays as they'd be difficult to light and place and keep the overall flow of the cave undisturbed so I consolidated them and put them all in one case. In my case, they're simulating wax figures as a reminder of his Rogues Gallery. The display with the Batman/Robin/Nightwing/Batgirl suits was inspired by Batman Beyond as well, where the suits are there as a shrine if you will, to the people who wore the mantle of their respective costumes. I never really had Robin in mind when I started the cave, I've honestly never really been a huge fan of the character. That's why there isn't much associated with him throughout the cave with the exceptions of his water craft and the suit display/Jason Todd memorial. Just a few traces to say, "Yeah, he was here but not anymore." Thank you! I've taken video in the past but nothing really ever good. I'll see if I can grab some better footage at some point and get it uploaded. I'm contemplating making an Instagram account and just uploading pictures from its early stages to now. If I do, I can post the link and have people follow the progress of the build off of the forums.

Thank you! I had 3 days off of work this weekend, most of the time was spent with the cave. I'm not even mad about it. Thank you! I was going to go with the RC rails but then I decided on a transfer system similar to what they use on roller coasters, so I brick built them. I haven't built an actual subway car yet though. Here's a few more pictures, I added lights to the suit display, took out the second Batman suit and added Batgirl. I finished off the suit chamber. I also started working on the Rogues Gallery. Each case will be lit up, I built in a spot for the battery box to mount, now I just need to get my hands on 7 powe function LED sets. Still waiting on parts to finish it off, plus the lights. It's going to be elevated by one or two bricks when she goes into place. The Rogues I used are: The Red Hood (purist) Batzarro Deathstroke Scarecrow Killer Croc Harley Quinn Joker Penguin Catwoman Two Face The Riddler Mr Freeze Poison Ivy Bane I'd love to incorperate a Gray Ghost display somewhere in the cave as well. Does anyone have any suggestions for a purist body that would work out?

It's definitely a plan of mine, will it happen, I hope so. Right now it's so far down my list, I want to get everything into place first this way I can blend everything in and make it as if the cave walls were modified to accept the structures. I'd like to eventually tile the floor and put in stalactites and stalagmites in areas as well. I've been working on this on and off since 2009 or so, didn't really go anywhere until I discovered Bricklink in 2012. It sat dormant for the last year or so, for multiple reasons. No roof and as of right now no Wayne Manor for this build, I'd finish by the time I'm 50 if that was the case. My fascination has always been with the cave itself and the different incarnations of it. While the Manor would be cool, to make it in scale with the cave, I'd have to do a lot of structural additions to hold the weight of it, it would be massive. I definitely have the footprint for a good sized Manor though. I won't say never, but right now it's not even on my radar. This all started in 2006 after I bought the initial Batman wave and had all the vehicles and nowhere to put them. It wasn't until 2008 or 2009 I actually began to mentally plan this. Originally it was a lot smaller. I only had planned on going two layers high. Two turned into three, into four, then finally I decided on 6. If I do another expansion down the line, I definitely need a bigger dock area so I may blow out the face of the cave and add on another section. I was able to knock this out last night, I'm pretty happy with how it came out. I got lucky that everything lined up pretty well and was able to keep with the look of the other major catwalks and didn't have to improvise at all.

I love that gantry machine, the Captain America display is also really neat.

I've never read any of the New 52 stuff but I've heard of the Court of Owls. This is a great piece. Absolutely impressive! Great job. .

Most welcome!\ I got some of my light bley parts in, so I started with the columns for my new levels. I didn't realize when I was designing it that a double convex corner in light bley was next to impossible to obtain so I ordered some light grey. I'll have to live with the color difference when those come in. I added in another level above the subway storage tracks for the suit chamber. I had this massive chamber built and then I decided to go with something a little more streamlined and basic. To add the platform in securely, I had to tear down the elevator and the top two layers of cave walls to get everything in place. I decided to go with a PF motor to drive the mechanism, I routed the cable through the cave sidewall and through the motor housing for the elevator shaft. The two voids on the left hand side will be pull out storage for batarangs and such. I'm also planning on a smaller computer terminal to the right hand side. Waiting on more bricklink orders to finish this area off. You can see the remnants for the suit chamber that I had put together in the bottom right just hanging out there. I think my final design is what may be closer to what's in the BVS film, judging from the trailer. Upcoming additions: The trophy room will be relocated to the new section. The gym will be relocated to the trophy room area, with added equipment. A Rogues Gallery set of display cases will be put in. A cellphone sonar computer display will be implemented. A catwalk will span from the elevator platform to the Bat pad, with a catwalk down to the Batwing pad.

Don't cry too hard! I've been putting time between the cave and the Tumbler. I finally got my BL order in, so I was able to get some more work done, redesigned some stuff, tore a bunch of stuff down and rebuilt it. I'll have some pictures posted tomorrow of different things. Put in a bunch of orders these last two days so things should really start shaping up next week and I can start moving things around to their new homes.

I picked up 76023, the UCS Tumbler, yesterday. About 3/4's of the way finished with it. Trying to enjoy the build.

As promised, here's the picture: Also picked up this behemoth yesterday, I'm 4.5 hours into it and about halfway done.

Thanks! I'm in a bit of a stall at the moment. I'm waiting on a huge bricklink order I placed mid to late last month and it still hasn't shipped. Not quite thrilled about it but I don't want to double order at the same time. Thank you! It's easily the most advanced technique I've used so far and it's really worked out, it's also my first time using it. I can't wait until I've got it finished off completely. Thanks! I don't have a current overview shot but I can take one tonight and have it posted tomorrow at some point. Things will be moving around a bit soon as I get the bricklink order that I'm waiting on. I'm moving the trophy room to the new area and I'm going to rework the suit display cases with LED lighting eventually. But for reference, it's 6 feet by 4 feet (2 meter by 1 meter).

The title of the thread is borrowed from the final minutes of Batman Begins between Alfred and Bruce. A lot of my progress on my build has been recorded in another thread found here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=86363&st=25#entry1995899, but that thread has laid dormant for almost a year now and rather than resurface it, I felt as if there was enough work done to warrant a new thread. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It'll bring you up to speed. So where I left off was a cave that sits on a 4 foot by 4 foot base and I was quickly running out of room to add bigger and better features, so I tore down the southeast wall coincidentally, added an extra table, some more wood for support and bought three more 48x48 baseplates to get things under way. And then it sat... For months... Untouched by human hands... It looked like this until mid-June... I added in an aqua duct, mainly to support and brace the other and inner walls. I briefly covered this in my other thread... But I hated it. It was functional but not aesthetic and even using Lego physics, I couldn't even begin to justify its existence... So I tore it down and started over and came up with this design. My plans are to tile the sides and the center of the 8x8 grille plates, but I'm waiting on a ton of BL orders to come in and unfortunately, they're all in there. As you can see in the bottom left of that photo, I added a new platform. I was inspired by one of the comics where the cave features a similarly tiered structure, so I went for it. There are going to be three tiers total, with columns supporting each level, eventually. I'm trying to design a stairwell that will reach each tier, that's structurally sound and visibly appealing but I'm not quite there yet. I've got a few ideas up my sleeve, if anybody has any feedback or ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it! I had enough plates in my inventory to completely finish off the second tier to the structure. After a lot of back and forth, I picked up Man-Bat Attack #76011, I liked the helicopter a lot more than my original 2006 model but wasn't entirely sold on the new Nightwing but decided to grab it anyway, so I needed to add in a landing pad somewhere. So I finished off my columns, spanned the gap and added a pad on the top. I think the best feature that I've added so far is something that's not as mainstream with Batman and the Batcave but still an important part of the mythos none the less, access the the subway system of Gotham City, so I built a subway tunnel. The tunnel serves two purposes, one being it looks pretty cool if you ask me. The second is when I was laying out the expansion, to match my existing footprints, things weren't lining up 100% because of the indentations on the cave side walls on the other half whereas this section goes straight all the way down and doesn't indent. It's going to make things look less uniform, as you'll see later on but I'll do my best to blend it in or incorporate something into it so it looks as if it belongs. The tunnel features a manual sliding transfer section, that can join two storage track sections, that will be enclosed at a later time. Storage Position #1. Storage Position 2. I have it designed so when the transfer track is completely over into the second track, the edge of the platform stops on the side buffers. I will eventually incorporate a locking pin to add another level of detail to it. I've got a few ideas with what I want to do with this area, none of which I think will actually work with the space that I have, so I'm going to come up with a happy medium but it will be vehicle storage. I wanted to house a carousel that was featured in A Long Halloween but I don't think I'm going to go down that road. When I come to a final decision with what I'm going with, I'll enclose the tunnel accordingly. It's either going to be a stand alone cave enclosure or somehow built into this open half of the cave. Also, under the PF Battery Box, I blew a section of the wall out and created an entrance way into this half of the cave. Eventually it will be tied into the rest of this expansion using a catwalk system. One final thing I'm working on at the moment is a rotating suit chamber, similar in style to the one seen in the DoJ trailer... My hope is that they will release the battle suit shown in the trailer and I will keep it housed in here. It rotates manually and I'm going to try and hide the mechanism as best as I can. I could throw a motor on it but it seems like a lot of work for a small effect. Anyway, that's it for now. A lot of it is still underway and unfinished but I wanted to get these pictures out so I could post final product images as they're taken. I don't have a desktop at home so my updates and activity on the forums aren't a daily thing. Hope you guys enjoy the work so far, I've put a lot of time into it these last couple of months. The frustrating part is having an idea, executing it, running out of parts and waiting for bricklink orders. Any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas are welcome and greatly appreciated. Enjoy, TGB

I managed to find a few photos that I haven't posted. Everything is still of course a work in progress and subject to change. This is the boat lift/maintenance lift for the docks. Not what I originally envisioned, but what it developed into: Platform underneath the Bat landing pad and behind the turntable, with 2 motorcycle bays: Staircase to the platform: The platform is going to serve as the location for a device inspired by Injustice:Gods Among Us incase any one member of the Justice League gets out of control. That's all I've got for now, enjoy. If you guys want photos of anything specific, let me know and I'll do my best to get them for you. Sadly, no. I overwrote them. My desktop at home isn't working so when I have the chance, I'll disassemble them and recreate the file for you unless you want to take a stab at them yourself. Thanks! I'll check out the link. It's a huge process but my ultimate goal is to have everything pretty well blended in.

Sadly, I haven't made too much progress on it recently. Lack of funds/time to invest into it. That's my ultimate goal. It's a massive layout and there's lots to be done before I get to that point, but I'll get there someday. It's a labor of love.

Thanks! Sadly no progress worth noting, I'm still waiting on my baseplates from BL. They came from Germany and I don't really order internationally so I'm unsure of how long they should really take. It's been a little less than a month, I'm being patient before I start asking questions. Thank you! I've got a stack of graphic novels I've yet to read just for pictures of the cave. Thanks! I'll most certainly try. My ultimate goal is to blend all the BURPS in so they're not as noticeable.

This is great! Definitely captures the BTAS feel! Good job!

Well if you have some suggestions, let's hear them. I'm open to constructive criticisms, I don't know everything nor do I claim to. Am I a super experienced builder? No. If you have some ideas that would improve the quality of the build, let me know. I'll give you credit if I decide to use them.

I've got two "Batmobiles" at the moment. I have the entire line that was released in 2006. I skipped a majority of the line that was released in 2008, as most were just rehashed versions of the 2006 line. And I just picked up The Riddler Chase, so that makes my second Batmobile. I plan on making a version of the BTAS Batmobile and Batman Beyond Batmobile at some point in the future. I will as I make progress! I work insane hours during the summer, this allows me to buy more Lego but takes away some serious time actually getting to build with it. I got two BL orders in yesterday so I can build more on the aqueduct but I'm still waiting on my baseplates (they're coming in from Germany), and I have to place an order in for my mountain bases. The expansion itself is pretty expensive, the whole project so far has been quite the investment.

Thanks! I appreciate it! I had a few hours over the weekend to spare so I spent the time wisely! Started with the expansion, as far as I could go. Waiting on my baseplates to come in and a couple of BL orders I placed over the last few days. I'm adding in an aqueduct, mainly to brace the outer walls and to act as a "portal" to the new section. I also got to work on the Maintenance Bay. So far I've only gotten the ramp built, but I'll be adding in details later... Planning on work lights, tool area, spare tires and rims, engine hoist and other small details. I'm thinking about a sliding creeper that will allow access to the undercarriage of the cars. My JLA lot came in today so I'll have some sets to look forward to keep me busy until my BL orders come through, plus I should have everything I need to finish the Maintenance Bay.

Sorry to drudge up the thread but I figured I'd post a few updates in lieu of starting a fresh topic... The build has pretty much been dormant as I haven't had the time (or money) to really do what I've wanted to do with it, but I've made a few changes... I've changed and restructured the Batwing landing pad and built in an exit for the Batmobile from the turn table. I've also added a catwalk from the Med Bay to the Bat landing pad. I've also added a staircase from the docks to the landing to the Batcomputer/Turntable. I also made improvements to the Batcomputer area, giving it a more enclosed and secluded feeling from the rest of the cave. Right now I'm working on an addition to the cave to it's left-hand side to bring it's footprint to a total of 114 studs x 208 studs. I'm doing this for a few reasons, mainly because I'm planning on adding more levels and sections that I currently don't have room for. I'm also going to seize the opportunity to use it for more/better vehicle storage and at least one more entrance to the cave, possibly two. I'm going to have to add some serious bracing to keep the walls from flexing too much. I'm also working on adding a carousel inspired by the one from the graphic novels. I'm drawing a blank on which one, I think it was "Hush". I've designed the mechanism in LDD, will build it and then build the structure to fit when I have my final dimensions. Now time for some pictures, I'll post them in order I talked about them from to top to bottom. I'm looking to build a boat hoist in the docks to hold the smaller crafts, which is why the 4 columns are in the middle of nowhere. I'm also adding an elevated platform under the Bat platform for a "contingency plan" based from the "Injustice" game. I'm blowing out the back wall and continuing on in an "L" shape down towards the front of the cave for the expansion. My baseplates are on order. Here's the inspiration for my vehicle carousel. Mine won't be able to hold as many. And the mechanism I designed in LDD. I have little to no experience with Technic but I think this should be able to handle the job... I'll find out. If anyone has any input (especially on the carousel) please speak up! Here's the look I'm trying to achieve with the new section. I've still got to add a crime lab and plenty of "trophies" so this should give me plenty of space! I'm also looking to incorporate the Justice League a little more, I've got Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash and Martian Manhunter on their way (should be here on Tuesday), how I'm going to do it, I'm not entirely sure yet. Comments or constructive criticism are welcome, and of course any questions! Enjoy.

I just ordered The Penguin Face Off, The Riddler Chase, Power Armor Lex Luthor and Metropolis Showdown and got the Martian Manhunter polybag. I haven't really bought sets in quite sometime, been focusing on my MOC but I wanted to flesh out my JLA minifigs, so I did in one shot.

It doesn't show up for me. I have the shortcut under "Quick Links" on the bottom of the page but clicking on that brings me back to the Shop mainpage.

Nice job on the batmobile! I think the batwing would look better if you lost the bat symbols. Once I get my cave in order, I'm going to start on custom vehicles. One thing at a time though.

The '14 figure looks to be inspired from Batman '89, but yes the bowtie closely matches the one found in AA/AC. The bowtie from your middle photo more resembles the one from '89 that Jack Nicholson wore.

A small update, haven't had much time to spend with it due to life and the harsh realities of a day job and waiting on BL orders. We recently had an exposition in the area and in one of the buildings there was a Lego exhibit with some pretty nice builds. A couple from the upcoming Lego movie and an Ironman, although I wouldv'e rather had it been Batman, but I like Ironman too so... Also there's an event in Hartford, CT for those of you who are local to the area, December 6th - 8th. I'll probably be going with my nieces and nephews. Here's a link: http://www.legokidsfest.com/hartford/ Now onto the update: I got some BL orders in and finally added to the Medical Bay... X-ray machine, CT Scanner, Microscope, relocated the Lazarus Pit, Computer Terminals and a Refridgerator... Also added another platform overlooking the turntable: I've got the Bat on it for now, it might stay there. I might move it. I'm not totally sure at this point. Although I'm going to add a walk way from that platform to the Medical Bay, but staying to the cave walls and not diagonal. I'm going to keep it similar in appearance to the other catwalks. I'm contemplating a raised platform off the corner of the turntable closest to the vault, for a security device inspired from Injustice: Gods Among Us. And of course, the platform extended too far out to be self supportive, so I had to add bracing... Which caused some clearance issues with the Batmobiles overly large and unappealing wings that came original to the set... So I gave them the TAS treatment and modded them... I think it looks okay, certainly sleeker and more refined. And it no longer hangs up on the turntable. I need to add a few more pieces but surprisingly enough... my black and dark bley pieces are running low. I also want to change that light bley cone to black when I have the chance. Well that's it for now guys, enjoy!