LIMITED EDITION HOT WHEELS BATMOBILE

SMN report:

Mattel’s Hot Wheels line has released a treat for Batman fans, with the latest Limited Edition Batmobile. “Not another Batmobile...” I hear you sigh, but read on, for this is a biggie 1:18 scale diecast model, with opening sections that reveal enough inner details to make it a unique entry for the Batman memorabilia shelf.

What you get

Features include a lift-up front panel, under which lurks a neatly-produced engine, and next to it, a standard-issue car battery. Venture inside the double-bubble canopy via the opening doors, and you should see the red Batphone, complete with retro-style wiggly wiring; there’s also fine red piping adorning the seat trim and plenty of cabin detail. Behind the seating area are a trio of rocket launchers, while continuing aft, you find another lift-up panel, revealing computer systems and some fairly mysterious Bat-tech equipment. Winning touches for me are the finely-lettered twin parachute packs (labelled 'Bat chutes') positioned either side of the atomic turbine exhaust. All in all, this is the best and most-detailed Batmobile we’ve seen at this scale. 

Car of the future

The Batmobile story is a long one, originating with the gorgeous Lincoln Futura concept car that was unveiled at the 1955 Chicago Auto Show. The Futura was a two-seater, with instruments in the steering wheel, push-button transmission, exterior microphones to receive and transmit traffic sounds, and a galaxy of other futuristic stuff. The car was hand-built in Turin, Italy, and was never put into production. Instead it was bought - for a nominal one dollar - by the legendary designer-customizer George Barris. 

Futura to Batmobile

It’s said that the transformation from Futura concept car to Batmobile star car took place because Barris was the only source of rolling hardware that could be modded in a few weeks for an upcoming Batman TV series. As built, the Barris Batmobile tipped the scales with a curb weight of nearly 2.5 tonnes, was 5.74 m (18.8 ft) long, and powered by a V-8 engine masquerading as a super-advanced atomic turbine.

Hot Wheels availability

The model is also available in black or chrome, 3000 of each, and helps celebrate the 70th year since the Batmobile first drove across the frames of the Batman comic book, way back in 1941.

Cute toy

Last but not least, here’s a fun little Louis Marx Batcraft toy we chanced on recently - a rare gem for a serious Batman collector, and here just for fun!

More Batmobile articles here and here.

Lincoln Futura here.

ModelZone has the Batmobile here.

The Dark Knight Tumbler version of the Batmobile is also available here.

And more Batmobiles here.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER? ANOTHER BATMOBILE COMING SOON - THIS TIME FOR KIT BUILDERS

Mat Irvine reports

It’s one of the mysteries of the modelling universe - why has there never been a conventional injection-moulded styrene kit the Batmobile in traditional 1:25 scale? Well, now there is.

Batmobile on a tight schedule

The vehicle in question is the Batmobile, as built for the 1960s television series, starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The series was less ‘dark’, more ‘comic book capers’, than the more recent movies, and in keeping with the action-adventure rhythm, the TV studio decided it needed a ‘star car’ in just three weeks. The well known car customizer Dean Jefferies started work on adapting a Cadillac, but had to turn the job down as being too impracticable in the time available. However, another Los Angeles customizer took up the challenge - mainly because he had the raw material parked outside his workshop.

George Barris and the Lincoln Futura

The man in question was ‘King of the Kustomizers’ (his spelling) George Barris, and the car in question was the Lincoln Futura. This styling exercise, produced by the Ford Motor Company in the mid-1950s was a real looker, with a twin bubble canopy, was built by Ghia in Italy, painted a pearlescent white (which invariably looked slightly greenish) and which had toured the Car Shows to much acclaim.

Star car for Debbie Reynolds

The Futura was already a star car - it has been used in the 1959 movie It Started With a Kiss starring Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds, in which it was painted red, a colour that looked better onscreen than white. After that appearance, Barris obtained the car for himself - the actual details are a murky automotive urban myth, though the cost was supposedly just a single dollar. And it was because the Futura was ready in his yard that Barris could turn the design around in the allotted time. 

Many Batmobile kits

The 1960s were a big time for TV and movie star cars, and many were made as kits by the likes of AMT and MPC, plus a few by Revell and Monogram. But not the Batmobile, at least not in 1:25 scale. Instead, Aurora made it in 1:32 scale, and for decades this was really the only example generally available, although there were a few Japanese copies. There were resin versions for the specialist modeller, some based on the 1:25 scale Revell Futura kit, and of course many of the later movie cars, but no conventional kit in 1:25. 

The Polar Lights 1:25 scale Batmobile

But now, even if it is a mere 47 years late, we are due for a 1:25 scale injection-moulded kit of the Barris Batmobile, this time from one of the ‘New Aurora’ companies, Polar Lights. There will be three versions of the kit: a snap version, a conventional glue version, plus - and this sounds really mouthwatering - a super-detail De Luxe Edition with photo-etch parts. The release date is still uncertain, but hopefully we’ll see it by mid-2011.

The pictures show, top to bottom:

1  From left, Batmobiles in a collectible tin, and original-style Aurora box, plus a Batcycle and Batboat.

2  One of the original Batmobiles built by George Barris, now on display at the Volo Auto Museum, Illinois. Just exactly how many Batmobiles there are is another urban myth, but the usually quoted number is four. The first one came from the Futura, then three more were made in glass-fibre from a mould pulled from the first body. These last three cars used Ford Thunderbird running gear. Actually, there was a ‘Barris Number Five’ - this wasn’t built by George, but he later acquired it. 

3  Boxes for the conventional glue (left) and Snap-Together versions.

4  Deluxe Edition Batmobile. This will have photo-etch parts and a pinstripe paint mask.

For information on the history of the TV Batmobile visit here.   

Visit the online home of the ‘King of the Kustomizers’ here.

View a whole colony of Batmobiles here.

And tour the Volo Auto Museum here.

BATMOBILE SOLD AT AUCTION FOR SIX FIGURES

David Jefferis reports

Holy Moley, we like Batmobiles, but $370,100 USD (£232,000 GBP) is stretching the SMN wallet way past breaking point. But eBay buyers certainly didn’t think so, for that’s what the befinned black beast (top pic above) that starred in two Tim Burton Batman movies fetched on Wednesday this week. Mind you, the car - from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) - didn’t hit the ‘Buy It Now’ price of $499,000.

Batmobile's atomic engine

For power, Burton’s Batmobile had an ‘atomic-turbine’ engine, with a neat flamethrower-style exhaust, just the thing to toast the toes of an unwary bad guy. The real thing that just found a new buyer has a somewhat more prosaic Chevy 350 cu in engine, though we have to admit even that puts the tiny three-cylinder motor that powers the SMN Ibiza in the shade!

Batmobile for model makers

The white-finish Batmobile we show here originated with the 235 mm (9.25 in) long 1:25 scale AMT kit, and conceptually describes what Batman did with his car when he retired from the crimefighting business. Yep, it’s a 'mature driver' race version, with a few extras to make it street-legal, such as the wire-mesh flameguard around the atomic exhaust, and removal of the weaponry. 

A rear spoiler between the fins keeps the Batmobile firmly on the tarmac when it’s nailing around a race track, and flipout side-strakes adjust the airflow through tight twisties. We’re not too sure what racing class this Batmobile should be in - maybe ‘classic cars’ with appropriate handicap. The white finish gives it a totally different feel from all the other Batmobiles, and suitable decals and some carefully airbrushed weathering give the model that well-used look.

Range of kits and models

Batmobiles you can buy today in kit form are rather thin on the ground, though diecasts and toys appear randomly all over, from Toys ‘R’ Us to your local corner store. Here are some to browse, at the UK’s sci-fi store chain Forbidden Planet. As you’ll see when you hit the link, four are on special offer, while the upcoming Polar Lights snap-kit features too. 

New Batmobile kit to come

This 1:25 scale kit is due for release in May 2011, and is based on the classic 1960s TV series design by US customizer George Barris. It’s looking like an interesting kit, especially as scale figures of the dynamic duo, Batman and Robin, are included. More on this nearer release date, when we get a sample here in SMN Towers. 

Visit Forbidden Planet here.

More Batmobiles here.

Thanks to PistonHeads for the auction heads-up.

STAR CARS OF ‘THE MUNSTERS’ TV SHOW REISSUED

Mat Irvine reports
The Munster Koach is one of the most famous ‘Star Cars’ ever built, and was the main mode of transport for Herman Munster, the Frankenstein-lookalike husband in the 1960s family sitcom, The Munsters. The real-life Koach used in the series was built by George Barris, self-styled ‘King of the Kustomizers’ (his spelling), from three Ford Model T-bucket bodies. It sits on a custom chassis, with hand-formed brass radiator and scrollwork, and stretches 5.5 m (18 ft) in length. Power comes from a 289 cu in Ford Cobra engine, bored out to 425 cu in, with a four-speed stick shift. All in all, the Munster Koach was certainly large enough to transport the five members of the Munster family in style. It still exists too - you can see it at the UK’s Cars of the Stars Museum.

AMT Koach kit
AMT was quick to produce a 1:25 kit of the Koach, which first appeared in 1964 and although one of the simpler kits compared to many of the company’s offerings, it still looked the part when built. In addition to the Koach, there was also Grandpa Munster’s Drag-U-La. Built around a real coffin purchased from a Hollywood funeral parlour, it was powered by a Ford Mustang engine. The car actually worked as a dragster, and could turn in a reasonable elapsed time (ET) down the quarter-mile drag strip. AMT’s kit Drag-U-La kit was issued later in 1964, and had the Surf Slab surfboard as a load, otherwise the kit’s parts-count may have seemed a bit ‘thin’.

The Koach reissued
The Koach has been reissued a few times over the years, Drag-U-La less so. Both appeared as the Graveyard Ghoul Duo, (1970) with no reference to the Munsters at all, then later as a Blueprinter Special (1991) in a plain white box. In more recent years (1999) the Koach had a reissue with a box style closely matching the original.

The latest Koach and Drag-U-La from Round 2
Now we have a brand new reissue of both 1:25 scale kits in one box - or rather, in a tin - as it is one of the new ‘Collector’s Tin’ series, with full-colour artwork and a booklet that features images from the original builds, many likely never seen before. There are also stand-up signs for the nameplates and family. All this neat presentation was co-ordinated and assembled by John Greczula of Xenolab Design for Round 2, the new AMT license holder.

The kit was obtained from Al’s Hobby Shop in Elmhurst, Illinois. Thanks to Jeff Clark.

Visit Al’s Hobby Shop here.

Visit Round 2 here.

Visit the Cars of the Stars Museum here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  The new AMT Collector’s Tin contains both the Munster Koach and Drag-U-La kits.
2  What you get in the new issue: two kits, both moulded in white, with chrome and clear parts; a booklet, and even ‘stand ups’ for display.
3  For the record, the previous issues of the Koach - (from top left), 1964, 1970, 1991 and 1999 issues.
4  The parts layout for the Blueprinter kits. They are moulded in approximate colours for the plastic - black for the Koach, ‘gold’ for Drag-U-La.
5  The 1964 kits as built. The figures come from Jimmy Flintstone and are, strictly speaking, ‘just’ figures of the Frankenstein Monster and Dracula - you make any connection to the TV series!

BATMOBILE EVOLUTION - FROM LINCOLN FUTURA TO MONSTER TRUCK

The famed Batmobile has a long history, and more design changes than we can count. The tale of this fabled vehicle began with the 1955 Lincoln Futura 'dream car', touted at the time as: ‘A $250,000 laboratory on wheels’, complete with twin plexiglass canopies, hooded lights and air scoops for cooling the brakes. However, after successful display at various auto shows, the car was sold to the ace of auto-customizers, George Barris, who a decade later worked with stylist Dean Jeffries to produce the Batmobile of 1966 we know so well from the successful TV series.

Before that however, the Futura had been modelled to 1:25 scale by Revell as part of the Modern Car Kit series and the pictures we show here are of the kit's 1995 reissue. It’s simple enough, containing just 36 parts plus a pair of metal axles. The wheels were moulded in two halves as standard hard-plastic components - car kits had not yet evolved to include separate tyres. The box art is typical Revell of the time - drop-dead gorgeous, with a very happy pair of middle-class consumers under those twin canopies.

The instruction leaflet doesn’t stop at assembly notes, but also includes display suggestions, such as modding the Futura to make a bookend, an ash tray, or a TV-top decoration. Ah, those were the days!

Coming up to date, we show a recent Hot Wheels 1:64 scale Batmobile in the form of a ‘Monster Jam’ truck. Hot Wheels designers have had a field day with the swoopy finned design to produce a nice little model, with satin-finish paint, lots of chrome (even if it is somewhat overbright), and those huge tyres. A nice feature from Hot Wheels is the steering mechanism - just lean the vehicle to left or right and all four wheels twist and turn to match your movement.

You’ll have to hunt around a bit for the Lincoln Futura. We found one for sale on eBay here.

The Monster Jam truck is widely available, and we also found one on eBay here.

BATMOBILE 1:1 REPLICA SEEN IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

This little movie is doing the internet rounds at the moment, and according to reports elsewhere it cost more than $1 million USD (£630,000 GBP) to construct. Hmmm... that sounds a bit of a hyped-up figure to SMN, but short of seeing the till receipts, we won't quibble. The vehicle, built by Stockholm resident Leif Garvin, is apparently based on the running gear from a 1973 Lincoln Continental, typical current asking price a definitely non-stellar $3000 USD (£1893 GBP). However, Leif's Batmobile took over three years to build, and as you can see, it’s a very impressive piece of work, packed with technoid gadgets, and with a paint job that Batman would be proud of - and in SMN satin-finish too ;)

Our own AMT Batmobile refurb is coming on a storm, and we’ll be able to show her off very soon. Meantime, there are lots of Batmobiles out there, and don’t forget that the Batman franchise has churned out many variations over the years.

SMN current favourites are both 1:18 diecast models. The Hot Wheels 1960s-era Batmobile is the TV-series design, created by customizer-king George Barris from a Lincoln Futura concept car. The other is a pricey but interesting Corgi bare-metal casting, based around a 1940s comic design, and an unusual addition to any collection.

Pictures show, from top:
1 Hot Wheels 1:18 1960s Barris Batmobile.
2 Corgi 1:18 1940s bare-metal Batmobile.

Video courtesy 'Simonize82'.

View the Hot Wheels Batmobile model here.
The Corgi bare-metal Batmobile can be seen here.