Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Model Kit of The Week: Batmobile (AMT/ERTL; 1989)

Do you remember when there was all this crazy hype about a new Batman movie? Oh no wait...that was this summer. But okay, remember when there was all this hype about a new Batman movie...way back in 1989?

That was the year director Tim Burton, and actors Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson revived the franchise for the silver screen, pushing DC's caped crusader into new, heretofore unimaginable "dark knight" territory. The movie's brooding approach was quite a switch from the "campy" style of the 1960s TV series. Batman now wore a black foam-rubber muscle suit, rasped his dialogue like he had a sore throat, and even his Batmobile was different: a kind of film noir retro-futuristic 1940s conveyance.

To celebrate the new film (and make a few bucks), AMT-ERTL released this accurate-to-the-last-detail Batmobile model kit (1/25 scale). Which, of course...I still have. Sure, it's a little bit the worse for wear. But it has been almost twenty years. This "model kit of the week" features:

A removable canopy.

Interior includes: twin bucket seats, multi-handled shift quadrant and aircraft-style instrument panel.

Armament includes fender-mounted removable machine guns and a grappling hook.

Detailed chassis includes: engraved gas turbine and afterburner.

On the side of the box, this nifty model also had featured list of "specifications" for the real thing. The engine type, for instance is "jet turbine." The "thrust" is listed at 1500 lbs at 103% ROS. And the Batmobile can go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.7 seconds. Even the fuel requirements are listed: High octane 97% special.

I made you? You made me!

No comments:

Post a Comment

My Father's Journal, Epilogue: "My Cancer"

My friends, we have reached the final entry in my father’s journal of his battle with cancer.     I want to thank all the readers who have c...