Ultimate Justice League Batmobile: a childhood dream comes true
17.1.2018
At last, Mattel’s Batmobile from the movie «Justice League» is available. Having dreamed of such an RC vehicle since childhood, I couldn’t help but give it a go. Doesn’t it look simply awesome?!
I must admit, I’ve always dreamed of owning a Batmobile. When I was about eight years old, one of the boys in my neighbourhood had one. He was the kind of kid who always had the newest toys – the ones I always wished for, but never got. Boy, was I jealous! His Batmobile was the coolest thing out there: black, edgy and dangerous. It was the Batmobile from the movie «Batman Forever» (1995).
Owning a Batmobile has been a dream of mine ever since; one that never came true – until today! When I found out that we added Mattel’s Ultimate Justice League Batmobile to our range of products, I knew my time had come. I was going to get it, I was going to test it and I was going to play with it. For hours, days, years, for evermore!
Jaw-dropping looks
What's past is past; let’s take a look at today’s Batmobile version. First impressions? It looks awesome! Batmobiles have always looked amazing, but this one is by far the most impressive version. It comes in a typical matte black finish, making it look cool and sleek. A perfect match for Batman. The sharp edges add a touch of danger to this exceptional car tank. Equipped with a multitude of weapons, Batman could take on an entire nation with this Batmobile by his side.
Vehicle body
The body is made of hard plastic in matte black. It looks rather robust, but I’d be careful not to smash into walls when you’re playing around with it. And keep it away from puddles; it’s slightly allergic to water.
Made at a scale of 1:10 to the original, this true-to-movie Batmobile weighs 9 kg and has dimensions of 45 x 63 x 21.7 cm. Not exactly a lightweight. With a special jump mode, the vehicle is elevated another 5 cm, allowing for better aim.
Weapons
Right and proper for a Batmobile, it’s equipped with countless weapons. In my opinion, the manufacturers went over the top with the weapons; this Batmobile makes every tank look like a Barbie car. What’s important to mention is that all weapons are fake; they don’t actually fire off anything.
The Batmobile has a rocket launcher at the front of the bumper, which moves simultaneously with the steering axle and therefore always points at the direction of travel. Two Gatling guns are positioned directly behind the front axle on both sides of the vehicle. Just like the rocket launcher, they also move in the direction of travel. If you fire them off, the individual barrels turn clockwise, just as you’d expect from this type of weapon. There’s a turret on the roof of the cockpit that’s controlled via app. It can be placed in two positions; either aiming straight ahead or at an angle, allowing the imaginary ammunition to travel a greater distance.
Missile launchers with six missiles each are installed on both sides of the body. However, these are only decoration and cannot be controlled via app. What's a little strange is that they aim directly at the front axle. If you were to fire them, you’d blow yourself up. 💩
Cockpit
The Batmobile comes with a one-man cockpit, which is lucky, as Batman travels on his own most of the time. The matching Batman action figure sits comfortably in the cockpit and even has his hands on the steering wheel. When you’re driving around a bend, the steering wheel (and with it the action figure) follows the movement.
There’s a small camera behind the seat that transmits the driver’s POV directly to your smartphone or tablet with a decent resolution of 720p. Although this is supposed to be a real-time video, there were slight lags when I tested the function. What’s important to know is that you need to open the cockpit to get a good view; if it’s closed, you’ll only see what’s happening inside the cockpit – not the most interesting view.
Tailpipe
The tailpipe is my personal highlight of the Batmobile. It turns red and releases smoke when you’re driving. How cool is that?! To get this running, you’ll need to fill the included liquid (fog juice) into the tank, as the smoke comes from a built-on fog machine. If you run out of liquid, just get regular fog machine fluid.
Action figure
Mattel has produced a Batman action figure especially and exclusively for this Batmobile. The figure is just the right size to fit into the cockpit comfortably and looks the part. Batman can move arms and legs in all directions and is wearing a pair of aviator goggles. Don’t ask me why. After all, the cockpit is closed off with a roof, so he doesn’t really need protection from airflow. But it makes him look rather cool and adds to the dynamics of this action figure.
More show than speed
Let me put it this way: You’re not going to win any races with this vehicle. It has a maximum speed of about 10 km/h and a huge turning circle. You’ll soon recognise that this version of the Batmobile is all about the looks. It comes with a 9.9 V battery that takes 30 minutes to charge and allows for 30 minutes of fun.
The free Batmobile app is available for iOS and Android. The connection to the vehicle is established via Wi-Fi, providing a range of about 20 metres. The app features two weapon systems, which activates realistic simple effects thanks to Augmented Reality animations.
Last but not least, the Batmobile comes with a built-in loudspeaker that plays engine noise and other audio effects. Unfortunately, there’s no way to adjust the volume of these sounds or switch them off entirely.
Conclusion
This RC vehicle is a well-made and highly detailed model of the original Justice League Batmobile. It comes with a range of weapons, releases real smoke from the tailpipe and has a built-in loudspeaker that plays realistic engine noise. Sadly, it leaves much to be desired when it comes to driving and it’s not exactly a bargain. Nevertheless, I must admit that I had loads of fun with it. If you’re a huge Batman or comic fan, I’d say you should get yourself one of these Batmobiles. But if you’re looking for an RC vehicle for your kid, I advise against it. For this price, you’ll get an RC car with much better manoeuvrability.
Riding my motorbike makes me feel free, fishing brings out my inner hunter, using my camera gets me creative. I make my money messing around with toys all day.
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