Not Your Father's Batmobile... [PIC]

Having watched the 2022 "The Batman", I was both disappointed and intrigued by this latest Batmobile. Gone were all the classic 'Bat" styling cues. It looks more at home on the set of "Mad Max- Road Warriors than in the Batcave. It's hard to really get a good overall look at this Batmobile in this film noir version where virtually all the cation is on the dimly lit streets of a nighttime Gotham City. The 1/18 Jada model was fairly cheap (for good reason) so I sprung for it. Heavens knows I don't have enough Batmobile models! When I researched the movie car, I had to be impressed with the engineering that went into the 4 different cars that were built. The first build was based on a '69 Charger. 3 of the cars were powered by front mounted LS3s that were bumped to 700HP. When fired up, multiple scoops open on the hood as auxillary intakes. All the cars have uniquely designed 4 wheel drive. The exposed rear "jet" engine is non-functional but for the exhaust but made from hundred of parts including 3-D printed aluminum and a steel block. Of the 4 cars built, each had their unique functions. One was beefed up for ramming; one was a light weight with special long throw suspension with special wheels and tires for jumps; one with a roll caged seat on the roof where it could be driven; and the last was an all-electric vehicle so it could be shot silently prowling the streets. There's a video that shows these cars all being tested on what appears to be an abandoned road and they performed impressively.

    The model comes in unweathered matte black although the movie cars were all scuffed and had painted on mud splatters. Panel fit is rather poor and lacks positive seating. There are LEDs for the headlamps grill, hood and fender exhausts on the front end and tail lights and jet exhaust on the rear. They don't look bad in a darkened room, but with any ambient light, they could have at least doubled up on the LED where a wider or multiple apertures had to be evenly illuminated. Unless you a rabid Batmobile collector, I don't really recommend the model due its poor quality.