Review : LEGO Batman 76139 1989 Batmobile

As promised, we take a quick look at the news LEGO Batmobile from the set 76139 which pays homage to the vehicle seen in the Tim Burton film released in theaters in 1989. The official product announcement has just taken place, so you have been able to discover this new product from all angles and get your first opinion. As usual, therefore, I am content to give you some personal thoughts here and to illustrate everything with many photos of the different stages of construction. The rest will be up to you.

As much to tell you right away, I am conquered by this set. The 1989 Batmobile is for me the ultimate Batmobile, the one that best embodies the powerful, organically shaped vehicle piloted by the vigilante of Gotham City. The 1989 film then developed a much more serious and dark atmosphere than that of the wacky TV series broadcast so far and this vision of the Batmobile looking like a classic American vehicle boosted with elements of fighter aircraft had made me strong. impression.

3.50 kg of bricks divided into 24 bags, for 24 construction stages and here we find the techniques often used for vehicles in the LEGO Creator Expert range, with an internal structure based on Technic parts on which different sub-assemblies are placed made up of classic pieces.

If you regularly assemble products from this range, you will be in familiar territory here and you will discover in passing the ingenious solutions implemented to reproduce the curves of the vehicle as faithfully as possible. The final model of over 60cm long and 22cm wide is impressive. The overall look of the vehicle is consistent with the version seen on the screen, with some compromises on angles and other roundings on which I am happy to indulge here.

The whole remains fragile in places, but the vehicle is generally manageable without breaking everything. The presence of the supplied rotating support allows you to admire the Batmobile from all angles without having to grab it by the sides and risk picking up a few parts. The location of the chassis to be aligned with the protuberances of the support is materialized by blue Technic parts, this is clever and it avoids looking for the vehicle's point of balance.

As usual, the inventory is rich in colorful pieces that find their place in the heart of the Batmobile. This mix of colors is very useful for better decoding the instructions which quickly become more difficult to visualize as you move through the ranges of the booklet. The body of the Batmobile being black, the red border around the parts to be added at each stage is very useful here.

No barrels or other parts too diverted from their usual use here and in my opinion so much the better. The designer has also worked to limit the use of very large parts and this is a good thing, both for the overall rendering of the model and for the construction process. The top-of-the-range model aspect is only reinforced, as is the pleasure of reproducing the curves of the vehicle with the help of carefully placed small parts. I'm not always a fan of the exposed studs on the LEGO models for the exhibition, but for once I find the balance between smooth surfaces and visible stud areas here to be quite consistent.

If the designer was able to show incredible creativity in the reproduction of the body of this Batmobile, he did not forget to add some features that add character to the product.

The steering of the front wheels is functional, the two on-board machine guns are deployed by turning the engine placed at the rear and the canopy of the cockpit slides forward to reveal the spacious interior. The two grapples placed on the sides of the vehicle which allow in the film to take very tight turns are fixed, they are not ejectable.

These different functions may seem anecdotal to some collectors who will be content to exhibit this Batmobile, but they at least have the merit of being present and making the difference with a "real" static model. Those who saw the film at the time will remember being impressed by the process of opening the canopy and the system of deploying the two machine guns. Finding these two flagship features of the 1989 Batmobile here is therefore really appreciable.

Two somewhat embarrassing details stand out as you move forward in the construction of the model: many parts are more or less scratched and on a black set, it shows. You should not hesitate to contact the brand's customer service to obtain the replacement of these excessively scratched or damaged parts which are detrimental to the mock-up appearance of the product.

On the canopy of the cockpit, the body incorporates a matt plate while the rest of the elements used for the exterior cladding of the upper face of the vehicle are rather shiny. As a bonus, the unsightly injection point placed in the center of this room is really too visible for my taste.

The many stickers provided are mainly used on interior elements of the vehicle such as the cockpit or the headlights, which they provide opacity. Without counting the big sticker to stick on the identification plate fixed to the presentation support, there are hardly any more than the two stickers to put on the rear wings and those which dress the sides of the retractable machine guns which remain visible. The wheel covers with the logo are pad printed, as is the canopy.

This box also allows you to obtain three minifigs: Batman (Michael Keaton), The Joker (Jack Nicholson) and Vicky Vale (Kim Basinger), the journalist and fiancee of Bruce Wayne in the 1989 film. The three characters enjoy a small display in the form of a roof cornice dressed with two gargoyles seen in many scenes of the film.

Vicky Vale's outfit is simple but consistent with that worn on screen by Kim Basinger in some scenes, except perhaps for the legs which should be flesh-colored at least from the knees to better reproduce the skirt effect of the costume from the movie. The character's face is not new, it is also that of Black Widow, Jyn Erso, Mera or Padme in some sets.

The Joker minifig is 100% new and perfectly reproduces the version of the character played by Jack Nicholson. The continuity of the sides of the coat to the legs is ensured, too bad the pattern of the pants does not go down a little lower.

If LEGO had decided to only provide Batman in this box, I would have been satisfied. The minifigure looks gorgeous with a one-piece mask / cloak set that perfectly mimics Michael Keaton's outfit in the movie. The drape effect of the cloak is very interesting here and the accessory almost ridicules the usual scraps of fabric provided by LEGO. The pad printing of the minifig is not to be outdone and the conversion to minifig format of this iconic outfit is in my opinion very successful.

In short, you will understand that I am very enthusiastic about this box, to the point of being more indulgent than usual on a few points. As far as I'm concerned, it's a big yes and a purchase as soon as the product goes on sale on November 29th.

I know many fans will have to think twice before spending the £ 250 demanded by LEGO on this premium product, but I think it would be a shame to miss out on what I already consider the set of year 2019.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the November 24, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.