We all know Batman only builds in black, and sometimes in very, very dark grey. But it seems like he’s made an exception to his rule, and it turned out pretty sweet. We have to thank Lucas for giving the Batmobile from Dawn of Justice a new shade — even if the light grey sees it remains at the darker end of the spectrum. A little something special for Comish Gordon too — a redesigned Bat-Signal in the same hue.
The LEGO Batman Movie has been out for over a month and it’s still going strong in the weekend box office sales race. Last week, for example, it was the fifth highest grossing film of the weekend. Not too shabby for a kids movie featuring LEGO minifigures.
By now, most of you have probably picked up a few of the LEGO Batman Movie sets (or at least eye-balled the back of the boxes in the store). And while we here at the Brothers Brick have already reviewed many sets from this line, there are still a couple of LEGO Batman Movie sets that we haven’t looked at yet. Here’s a look at one of the entry-level sets…
Joker Balloon Escape [70900] retails for $14.99 and contains 124 pieces. At LEGO’s standard price of $0.10 per piece, this small set may be slightly overpriced. However, since it contains two minifigures and some new, useful parts, many Batman fans may choose to overlook that fact.
The main components are the two minifigures, a power plant console, a comically over-complicated bomb, and the Joker’s balloon pack. There’s also a play feature where the two halves of the tank break away from each other, simulating a bomb explosion. (You know, just in case Batman doesn’t make it in time.)
Interestingly, this set can combine with Mr. Freeze Ice Attack [70901] and Scarecrow Special Delivery Vehicle [70910] to form a mega-set: the Gotham power plant featured in the beginning of the movie.
Some things in pop culture are so iconic as to be forever ingrained in the collective memory. Builder Martin Redfern brings us a dose of instantly recognizable brick-built nostalgia with the wall-climbing dynamic duo from the 60’s TV Series. While the “na na na na na na na… Batman!!!” themed earworm starts to play in your head, you can almost hear the Boy Wonder whine “Holy predictable moves, Batman! Could we start working on a flight contraption? Let’s call it the Bat Wing perhaps?”
Character builds are one of the hardest to accomplish with bricks and it’s likely the reason you don’t see Billund doing much of these aside from the Constraction series. Builder Roy of Floremheim
does a pretty cool Batman with the parts at his disposal and with clever use of elements. While you’ve got to love that 6-pack, my favourite use of parts are the reversed Minifiigure flippers representing the bat insignia.
Builder Tan Kok Mun recreates a rooftop scene between the Dark Knight and his ally Commissioner Gordon. There are three things that stand out to me in this build: first, the Gothic motif of the rooftop, which is intricate and a clever use of bricks. The next is the ingenious use of the bat signal — especially the projection of the signal into the night. Lastly, and most definitely my favourite of all, is the city skyline. It is so simple and enchanting, giving a sense of surrealism to the scene.
The relationship between Batman and The Joker has been the source of countless LEGO creations, not to mention the main theme of the recent LEGO Batman Movie. However, we don’t often see large-scale interpretations of where it all began, the confrontation between Batman and the leader of the Red Hood Gang at Gotham’s Ace Chemical Plant — as depicted in the classic graphic novel The Killing Joke. Once again Tim Lydy proves he’s a master of LEGO Batman creations, following up on his wonderful large-scale figures with this brilliant diorama.
I love what Tim’s done with the chemical tanks — their contents look suitably toxic. And the level of detail and greebling creates a fantastic impression of a working plant, full of pipes and valves and gauges. As soon as I saw the Red Hood figure in the Batman Collectible Minifig range, I knew someone would have a go at this scene. I’m just glad it was Tim — he’s certainly done it justice.
We’re giving away 10 pairs of tickets to see The LEGO Batman Movie, and the contest ends tonight at midnight PST! Entry is simple: just click on the image below and leave a comment on that post telling us what you think Batman’s favorite LEGO set is. We’ll be randomly selecting 10 winners from the eligible entries (US readers only). Click below for entry and full rules.
Undoubtedly you’ve noticed from our weekend posts that Toy Fair New York began on Saturday, and we were there in person to bring you coverage of LEGO’s latest news. This year I had the pleasure of attending as the representative from The Brothers Brick, tasked with the oh-so-onerous duties of getting a hands-on look at new LEGO sets months in advance of their release and bringing our readers photographs of them.
Who will win is anyone’s guess as these delightful poseable figures go brick head to brick head. Featuring fantastic custom LEGO minifig capes, these custom BrickHeadz designed by Kale Frost are simply brilliant! The scene pits two of DC’s most popular superheroes against each other in a friendly game, as these characters battle it out across the table. Judging by the pieces left on the Chess board, it looks like Superman is losing pieces faster than a speeding bullet.
What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age! Whether you love him for his puns or hate him for the same reason, Mr. Freeze is an excellent counterpoint to the broody Bat of Gotham. So buckle up readers and get nostalgic for icy puns because it’s time to review Mr. Freeze Ice Attack (Set 70901).
This set retails for $19.99 and has 201 pieces. Based on LEGO’s standard pricing of $0.10 per piece, this price tag is pretty much spot on. It comes with three minifigs (Batman, Mr. Freeze, and a Security Guard), Mr. Freeze’s Exosuit, a power plant console, and a minifig-sized chunk of ice. Interestingly, this set combines with two other new Batman sets: 70900 The Joker Balloon Escape and 70910 Scarecrow Special Delivery. The end result is a mega-set that looks like the power station from the opening scene of the LEGO Batman Movie. Pretty nifty, right?
Read the full review after the jump
Batman has no shortage of specialized and well-equipped vehicles at his disposal, ranging from fighter jets to submersibles, but this touring Batbus by Jme Wheeler is ready to rock your world.
See more of this rockin’ Batbus
Haven’t seen The LEGO Batman Movie yet? We thought it was a great comedic take on the all-too-serious Batman in our review, and if you want to check it out for yourself we can help out. We’re giving away 10 codes for free tickets to The LEGO Batman Movie! Each winner will receive 2 free tickets to see The LEGO Batman Movie.
