Review : LEGO DC 76240 Batman Batmobile Tumbler

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO DC set 76240 Batman Batmobile Tumbler, a box of 2049 pieces that will be available from November 1, 2021 at the public price of € 229.99.

This new version of the Tumbler finally takes over from that of the set 76023 The Tumbler (1869 pieces) marketed in 2014 at the public price of 199.99 € and allows the passage a presentation a priori a little more sexy of the vehicle. LEGO keeps the principle of the display with two minifigs and moves the vehicle identification plate on the edge of the gray base with rotating head provided.

The designers do not hide it from the first pages of the instruction booklet, this is a reissue of the 2014 set which once again makes the emblematic vehicle of the trilogy accessible. The Dark Knight to all those who until now refused to spend 300 € on the secondary market: Despite some notable modifications, this new Tumbler is not a technical or aesthetic revolution, even if it offers some welcome evolutions. The box is always too big for what it contains and the box is very flexible, pay attention to the delivery if you consider that a packaging in perfect condition is an integral part of the pleasure of receiving the product.

Those who assembled the 2014 version will be on familiar ground here from the opening of the first bag, with a similar structure based on Frames Technic which serves as a floor and around which it will be necessary to install various sub-assemblies to obtain the final result. Note also that despite the general aesthetics of the model which highlights "classic" bricks on its exterior surface, the set offers an inventory very rich in elements of the Technic universe, a particularity to be taken into account for those who would be more or less allergic to pine trees (230), beams, panels and others Frames.

The internal structure of the vehicle is almost identical to that of the Tumbler marketed in 2014. The same solutions are used to create the skeleton of the vehicle, up to the uprights which define the angle of the side faces of the cockpit. We see that the designers have kept the good ideas of the previous set without trying to innovate in a frank way for this "refreshed" version of the vehicle.

The Tumbler is an unusually shaped vehicle and the transition to the LEGO universe is unquestionably difficult. We can say that the designer is doing quite well once again given the design of the reference vehicle but this Tumbler is definitely a model to be observed from a certain distance to escape a little from the tangle of parts that make up the body. The few gray or colored details Pearl Gold distributed over the structure of the vehicle break up the visual monotony of the whole thing a little, but the gray ski-based jacks which are placed on the front fenders seem a little too visible to me not to appear off topic. Like the gray barrel protruding from the central nozzle at the rear.

Some might also be a little surprised by the unusual techniques, one in any case pushed to their limits, at work here: it is often a question of assembling many small substructures which will only find their justification definitively thanks to the orientation they take on the final model. It is therefore not so much what we build that makes the aesthetic of the model as the way in which it is fixed and oriented to embody the improbable curves of this resolutely futuristic-looking vehicle.

Good news, the window of the vehicle is now smoked, and the overall aesthetic a little muddled in places really takes advantage of this subtle change of color. The general appearance of the Tumbler is there, but we stay far from the very smooth rendering of the Batmobile of 1989 or the well-defined shapes of the Batwing. It is therefore much less readable visually but it is the starting subject that dictates the final result, the challenge being complicated by the use of bricks and others. plates to symbolize angular surfaces without leaving too much empty space between the different zones.

The most notable change in the product compared to the 2014 version: the use of tractor wheels at the rear. Everyone will have an opinion on this aesthetic choice and I think that LEGO could have made an effort to offer tires with a less rustic tread and more faithful to that of the tires seen on the screen. The good compromise would have been to keep the 2014 version by simply increasing the diameter of the tire to confirm the size difference between the two trains. As it stands, the choice of the designer, undoubtedly dictated by the economic logic of the manufacturer, is in my opinion lazy and too typical "all-terrain".

The other modification which on the other hand brings a little cachet to this "new" Tumbler and frankly improves the finish of the vehicle: the tampographed smoked glass which dresses the central nose of the machine with a very faithful motif. The 2014 version of the Tumbler was satisfied here with a few black pieces and this modification is appreciable. The Tumbler in the film is well equipped with a window in this location and the effort of LEGO to integrate this significant aesthetic detail is therefore to be underlined.

The cockpit is vaguely accessible by removing two roof panels, but there is nothing to do there anyway except admire the finish of the various elements. This limited access is therefore in my opinion sufficient to take a look at the ten stickers present.

You won't mind if I go there with a recurring remark: there are a lot of striped or marked black pieces and it's still disappointing in a high-end set aimed at an adult audience. My record may also seem broken to you, but I'm still disappointed to see plates with a large stripe ending on the visible part of a model.

The final model is at the same time very rigid but also a little fragile. The floor does not move and this is obviously where you have to grab the vehicle to move it. The various sub-assemblies grafted onto the structure are often held by one or two tenons or by a simple clip and time is also spent replacing a panel or reorienting a block of parts to restore the general aerodynamics. This Tumbler is really just an exhibition mockup that does not offer any integrated functionality.

No retractable missile launcher, mobile door or steering connected to the front wheels to bring a little fun to the machine, there are only the few mobile elements present in the cockpit and even the two suspensions placed at the back are dummy. Need it be said, this Tumbler is not on the minifig scale, the two unpublished figurines provided are simply there to convince those who already have the 2014 version to reinvest their money in this variant. Don't expect to find a Batpod or an engine hidden under the body, there isn't one.

The sheet of stickers delivered in the box allows the dressing of the various screens of the cockpit and the vehicle presentation plate purged this year of the Wayne Industries logo and embellished with some technical data of no great interest identical to those already present on the 2014 version of the sticker. The electrical charging interfaces and the two fuel tank caps are pad printed here, they were embodied by simple stickers in 2014. Bravo for the effort with no exterior sticker on arrival except the one on the presentation plate.

The display of a hundred pieces to build at the end of assembly seemed to me rather well designed at first glance but it is in fact a little disappointing. It does have a rotating head which fits into the white Technic frame placed in the center of the frame, but the Tumbler then leans slightly backwards due to the weight distribution of the model. The presentation plate is found stuck under the vehicle and it will be necessary in all cases to remove it or to place it almost horizontally in order to be able to turn the Tumbler on its base without risking it to be caught in the process. The designer wanted to keep the presentation base of the minifigs disguised as a roof cornice already seen in the sets. 76139 1989 Batmobile et 76161 1989 Bat Wing, it was therefore necessary to put the plate elsewhere.

The two new minifigs provided are there to give an "exclusive" side to the product and to flirt with collectors who do not find this variant sufficiently innovative to justify its acquisition. The pad prints are very correct, except for the continuity of the Joker's vest which is not perfectly guaranteed between the torso and the hips.

The patterned shirt worn by Heath Ledger, on the other hand, is perfectly executed with pretty sleeves and a collar that comes out on the jacket as on the screen. The Batman minifigure is also very well done, although we have to be content with a flexible cape with a single hole and the head available since 2012. The torso and legs might have deserved less contrasting patterns and more subtle with a darker shade of gray.

This 2021 version of the Tumbler is therefore not a revolution but it is a nice evolution of that of 2014 thanks to some efforts on the part of LEGO to improve the overall aesthetics of the vehicle. We can discuss the choice of tractor tires for the rear, a solution that will not appeal to everyone, and we will probably have to wait for a next version to finally get tires with the right diameter and with a conforming tread. The product does not reach in my eyes the level of the Batmobile of the set 76139 1989 Batmobile with its organic look and licked down to the last detail, but the Tumbler is a complex subject to deal with.

So there is no need to procrastinate for long, if you are a fan, this new version of the Tumbler is well worth the previous one and it will cost you less. Only those who own the 2014 set and don't want to bring out 230 € for two minifigs will tell you the opposite.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at 22th October, 2021 next at 23pm. 

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.