Michael Keaton’s Batman was the first film in an installment of Batman movies that fans enjoyed until the late 1990’s. This film introduced the Dark Knight to a new generation that wasn’t familiar with the comics, and introduced The Joker as the films villain. Back then, the earlier Batman films had a bit more of a comic-inspired vibe to them, and were no where near as dark and disturbing for younger audiences as 2008’s The Dark Knight, or more accurately, the portrayal of The Joker. The 1989 Batman always had a differently styled batsuit in each of the films he had appeared in, and this particular film’s batsuit is most remembered for the circular yellow bat symbol on his chest, along with the shape of the costume itself.
Thank you to NJ Croce for sending along their NJ Croce Batman 1989 Batmobile With 3″ Batman and 5 1/2″ Bendable Figures for review.
Availability: August 2017
The Batmobile is scaled to 1:24 and comes with a 3″ batman bendable figure. Batman and the Batmobile are based on the 1989 film starring Michael Keaton. The batmobile is designed just as it appeared in the film, and features an opening hood that slides open on the top, non-rotating tires, and remarkable details showcasing the turbo engine on back, bat symbols on the rims, as well as the sides of the vehicles. The wings on back are nicely detailed and are on either side of the turbo engine. One of the most detailed aspects about this Batmobile are the knobs and controls inside the drivers seats (there are tw0), with all kinds of gears, and other details as seen in the film. Although the seating is small, and we actually couldn’t get the 3″ bendable Batman figure to fit inside the cockpit, the details are just remarkable given the size that the designers had to work with. A lot of these details are stickers with different colored buttons and switches, and there is also an arrow on the clock and gauge, with sculpted line indicating numbers.
The 3″ Batman figure is similar to the 5 1/2″ version offered separately, and includes a plastic cape, with costume details such as the gold utility belt, yellow and black bat logo on the chest, and a basic likeness to Michael Keaton. The 5 1/2″ figure is a set up from this, and includes a fabric cape, silver deco on the wrists, a gold utility belt, the yellow and black logo on the chest, and a better likeness to Michael Keaton. The suit fits firmly and both figures are sculpted with muscular details, and each can stand on his own, but it does take the right pose as both may fall over easily.
The only downside to this set is the difficulty or more accurate, impossibility to get the 3″ Batman figure to fit inside the Batmobile. On the drivers seat, the steering wheel is in the way, and even though spreading the legs apart and bending him in a seating position is possible, the cape is made of plastic and doesn’t bend, and there isn’t enough room to get it him seated without the risk of breaking the steering wheel in the process. On the passenger seat, it’s the same problem without the steering wheel. The legs just don’t go in deep enough, and the cape gets in the way. If the cape was made of fabric like the 5 1/2″ figure, it might work better, but then the legs don’t go in far enough, so we’re not sure if it would even fit regardless.
Overall, this is a nice looking set with a great likeness to the batmobile as seen in the film, and both the 3″ and 5 1/2″ Batman figures are nicely done and detailed.
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