We like a good mash-up here at The Lego Car Blog, even if we don’t really understand one or more of the things being mashed. Cue previous bloggee Slick_Brick, who has successfully merged Christopher Nolan era Batman (aka the best Batman) with the Mass Effect video game, of which we know nothing. We assume it has some lovely flowers in it though. Anyway, the results are excellent, with a neat Tumbler-esque rover driving through a wonderfully constructed alien landscape, and there’s more to see of Slick’s Bat Effect mash-up via the link above.
It’s been thirteen years since Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’ re-set the bar for Batman movies. It’s also been thirteen years since the best Batmobile of all time crashed onto screens, and seven since LEGO’s own 76023 Tumbler set first crashed across bedroom floors.
Time therefore for an update, which LEGO have revealed today in the form of the new 76240 Batmobile Tumbler.
76240 looks fairly similar to the first set to recreate the Tumbler, because… well, it is, but the new version includes 200 more pieces for a total parts count of over 2,000. It also features the awesome tyres first released with the 42054 Technic Claas Xerion 5000 – although we’re not actually sure they’re that accurate for the Tumbler – along with LEGO’s new all-black marketing for their adult sets, which is rather appropriate for ‘The Dark Knight’.
The ’18+’ bit is probably just marketing guff though, allowing adults to feel more comfortable purchasing a toy / justifying it to a perplexed partner. “Honestly Barbara, this isn’t for kids. It’s a sophisticated interlocking building system!” “OK, just buy the damn thing. (Sigh….)”.
Nevertheless – and unlike the Batman films that followed ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy – 76240 looks a good update to bring the Tumbler back to Batman fans in LEGO form, and the new set will be available to buy for around $230/£170 when it reaches stores later this year.
Mini-figure Batman is looking particularly moody in this shot, no doubt pondering darkness, no parents, and upgrades to his sound system. KitKat1414 is the builder behind it and there’s more to see of his Tumbler and Dark Knight on Flickr here.
Batman’s job has got a lot easier lately. Gone are the days of people holding up banks (they’re closed), robbing stores (closed), even walking out of a restaurant without paying (closed). Instead the Dark Knight is enforcing social distancing rules and breaking up groups of teens in the park. Still, at least he’s still got the Tumbler, which means he remains unbelievably cool. This brilliant Lego version comes from Riskjockey, there are instructions available, and you can see more on Flickr. Click the link above to order that old lady to stop hoarding toilet paper.
Batman has had some good, bad and ugly vehicles over the years. By far our favourite is this, the Tumbler from The Dark Knight trilogy, built for real for the movies and managing to be both believable and brilliantly wild at the same time.
This superb mini-figure scale version of Batman’s coolest whip comes from previous bloggee hachiroku24 who has not only recreated the Tumbler perfectly he’s made video instructions available too so that you can build your very own. Head to hachiroku’s photostream via the link above to find the link.
Batman has had manyvehiclesovertheyears, however our favourite by some considerable margin is the Tumbler from The Dark Knight trilogy. Several full-size Tumblers were built for real to star in the movie (you can even see one in action here), and The Dark Knight’s dark ride has inspired a few Lego versions too. Today’s by newcomer Dominik Novak is a neat addition, being fully Technic, fairly small-scale, and thoroughly excellent looking too. Dominik’s Tumbler features a detailed cockpit, Hand-of-God steering and working suspension, and there’s more to see on both Flickr and Eurobricks via the links.
Still the pinnacle of the Batman franchise, Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy created easily the best Batmobile in the Caped Crusader’s history (we don’t even recognise ‘Batman V Superman’ as a legitimate movie here in TLCB office). Recreated many times in LEGO form the Tumbler is a favourite among Technic builders. Flickr’s _Tiler though, has built one rather smaller, and it’s magnificent.
Beautifully photographed (and enhanced with non-LEGO tyres at the front and a custom Batman), _Tiler’s Tumbler is probably the coolest mini-figure vehicle we’ve ever seen, and if you you agree you can see more at his photostream via the link above.
When Christopher Nolan reloaded the tired Batman franchise back in 2005 his critically-acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy created new icons in cinema history. The late Heath Ledger will probably best be remembered for his spectacular performance as the Joker, and Batman’s new (completely real, drivable and road-legal) wheels blew away anything that had been seen before.
To be revealed at Comic-Con this week, LEGO has immortalised both Ledger and the Tumbler in brick form, with the incredible 76023 Ultimate Collector Series Tumbler.
Measuring over 15 inches long and 9 inches wide the Tumbler features 1,869 pieces – including both Batman and Heath-Ledger-Joker mini-figures – as well as the usual UCS fact sheet.
Expect 76023 to retail for around $199 when it reaches stores in September of this year. We can’t wait!
For today’s post we hand TLCB reigns over to Nils O who, as well as being a previously blogged builder, contacted us to highlight a creation he thought we should publicise. Over to Nils…
The Tumbler Batmobile from Chris Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy is definitely one of the most popular LEGO car models, but there have only been very few attempts to build a Steampunk version of this iconic car. Legopard has picked up the idea of this theme mix. He’s not only built a fantastic wooden Tumbler Batmobile, but also added a matching Batcave. Check out this beauty and more of his fantastic creations on MOCpages and on Flickr.
A big thank you to Nils O for becoming a TLCB Guest Author for the day. You can check out his own work here, and if you too like the idea of writing for TLCB then you can contact us in the usual way, and we might take you up on it.
There is a generation for whom a tumbler will always be something from which to sip a single malt. Clayton Marchetti has posted this 1960’s classic over on MOCpages. The car features a jet engine under its hood, chromed missile launcher tubes and a fire extinguisher (or is it a big cannister of shark-repellent?) in the cabin. This mini-fig scale creation uses conventional, studs-up building techniques but still manages to capture the complicated shaping at the front of the vehicle, which was originally built by the Ghia workshop in the mid-fifties.
Please remember never to offer any passing TLCB Elf a tot of whisky: even if it’s a cold, snowy night and the Elf is looking particularly bedraggled. Alcohol goes straight to their heads and they fall asleep in the dungeons of castle MOCs.
The Elves are still out searching the farthest corners of the internet for amazing LEGO creations, and today one entered the office holding something that got us all very excited. Sariel is one of our favourite Technic builders, squeezing some utterly genius functions into his models, and when he turns his talented hands to a vehicle as iconic as the Tumbler from Nolan’s Batman trology, you know it’s going to be very good.
Last week LEGO celebrated their 80th Birthday, and so, slightly late, The Lego Car Blog Team are delighted to bring you…
The Lego Car Blog 80th Birthday Extravaganza!
Some have described it as a marginally elongated post shamelessly linked to LEGO’s Birthday celebrations in order to increase hits. And they’d be right. So without further ado, we bring you Act One.
Act One: A very special Birthday needs a very special MOC, and the Elves have found just the thing. This incredible creation is Mahjqa’s Bat Wing, pictured alongside his equally incredible Tumbler, and as featured in the Batman finale, The Dark Knight Rises.
The Dark Knight Rises
As always, Mahjqa’s work is stuffed full of witchcraft and wizardry which can only really be explained in a video. Fortunately he’s made one, and it might just be the Lego video of the year. Prepare to pick your jaws up…
If you’d like to see more you can visit Mahjqa’s Flickr photostream for the full gallery, as well as an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the video was made.
Act Two: Hitachi, best known as a manufacturer of soulless reasonably priced TVs and DVD players, also do a line of, er… slightly bigger products. This is one of them; their monstrous ZW 310 earthmover.
My other car is a TV
Dfs473 has recreated the 22 tonne wheel-loader in Technic, including its complete array of movements via Power Functions remote control. To see the MOC in detail, including close-up shots of the mechanicals, swing by Dfs’s Flickr page at the aforementioned link.
Act Three: And finally; as The LEGO Group turns 80 years old, we take a look back to their humble beginnings in a carpenter’s shed in Billund. The story of LEGO’s formation is one of hard work, tragedy, perseverance, and one little idea that changed the way children would play forever. LEGO commissioned a film to bring their story to life, and we’re delighted to share this with you today:
Happy 80th Birthday LEGO, and here’s to the next 80 years!
Yes, yes, we know the Tumbler’s been done before; but rarely this well. This one even has working bits and bobs and room for the figs inside its multi – faceted form. Plaudits should go to Marcus Paul over on MOCpages. Find it here http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/325295
