Review: 76304 Batman Forever Batmobile
Posted by CapnRex101,
Batman Forever was released in 1995, featuring the late Val Kilmer as Batman and an incredibly distinctive design for the Batmobile, renowned for its colourful lights. There are certainly more popular iterations of the Batmobile, but most of them already exist in LEGO form.
76304 Batman Forever Batmobile is thus a perfect way to mark the movie's 30th anniversary. I think the model looks stunning in official images, although its unique scale could make this LEGO Batmobile awkward to display alongside others.
Summary
76304 Batman Forever Batmobile, 909 pieces.
£89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 9.9p/11.0c/11.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The Batmobile's exceptional detail and display value allay concerns about its size
- Accurate design from all angles
- Highly detailed bodywork
- Excellent minifigure
- Practical size for display
- Not to scale with other Batmobiles, but with good reason
- Limited functionality
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigure
Batman famously, or infamously, wears a Batsuit with nipples in Batman Forever, dubbed the Panther Suit during production. However, minifigures usually lack nipples and the silver Sonar Batsuit was selected for a minifigure instead, avoiding that nipple debate altogether! I think this was a good choice and the blue-tinted eyes look fantastic in particular.
Similarly, the torso is very detailed. One pair of ab muscles is missing, but that is a reasonable compromise to accommodate other features and I love the silver highlights on the Bat-Symbol. The undecorated legs are a little disappointing though, a fault shared with lots of other Batman figures.
The double-sided head under the cowl bears little resemblance to Val Kilmer, which is a shame, but it is interesting to see the rubber cape sculpted in pearl dark grey. Of course, Two-Face and the Riddler would have been fine additions, although prioritising the Batmobile over extra figures makes complete sense for a display-oriented set.
The Completed Model
On that topic, a display base is provided for the minifigure, featuring a printed 2x6 tile with the Batman Forever logo. I like the trans-light blue elements on each side, which match details on the actual car. This is otherwise very basic, but it does the job.
Batman Forever may not be universally beloved, but I think the Batmobile from the film is well-remembered and its bold design translates brilliantly to LEGO form. The proportions are pretty much faultless and the vehicle's distinctive 'ribs' look fantastic, although the neon lights are also an essential part of its appearance, so it is a shame the model does not light up.
The model's size is unusual, between the likes of 76139 1989 Batmobile and minifigure-scale sets, like 76224 Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase. A rendition to scale with minifigures would have been great, although this size evidently permits greater detail, which is particularly important on a Batmobile with such complex bodywork. Perhaps this will be the first in a fresh series of Batmobile sets, of roughly the same size.
I love how the nose is constructed, connected at a 45 degree angle and with a trans-light blue canopy over the top. The decoration on this component looks superb and I like the pearl silver grille slopes around the edge too. Using a black palm frond element in place of the canopy was considered and could have been fun, but a decorated piece is probably more accurate.
Furthermore, using the canopy element leaves space for some mechanical detail underneath. Though relatively simple, the stacked roller skates and binoculars look great and there are no unsightly pieces with incongruous colours visible.
The model designer, Mark Stafford, stated in an interview that the scale was determined by the wheel arches and I can see why, as these curved wedge slopes and rounded tiles are beautiful together. The smooth shaping is lovely, interrupted only by slivers of dark bluish grey visible in a couple of places.
The printed wheel caps look excellent, although they should remain static when the Batmobile moves, so it is a shame they rotate with the wheels. That would be easy to achieve with many LEGO wheels, with a Technic pin hole in the middle, but these wheels needed to be a specific size and are only available with an axle hole through them.
More important than static Bat-Insignia on the wheels are the car's 'ribs', giving it an unusually biomechanical aesthetic. Curved tiles and curved wedge slopes blend well to recreate the thin sections of bodywork, which are surprisingly sturdy, despite appearing fragile. Light bluish grey and occasional trans-light blue elements provide a contrast beneath the ribs.
Admittedly, the effect would be greater still with blue lights behind the bodywork. I did wonder whether light bricks could have been integrated, but they are only available in red and orange, unfortunately. Also, a huge amount of the model's core would need to comprise trans-light blue parts for the light to diffuse through properly, which is not practical.
A new 8x8 windscreen element has been developed for this Batmobile, faithfully replicating its shape from the film, without being excessively specialised. The printed central pillar looks nice and both the windscreen piece and the brick-built roof blend perfectly with the bodywork further back.
The whole canopy is removable to reach the interior. Inside are two seats and a steering wheel, plus the acceleration handle and the blue pipe shown between the seats in the movie. Similarly, the stickered dials on the dashboard correspond with the source material and these are the only stickers in the set.
Similar to those at the front, the back wheel arches are very smooth, although I wish the clips attaching the fins could have been concealed behind the tiles. Otherwise, the bodywork looks lovely and I am pleased with the design of the fins as well, again reflecting their appearance in Batman Forever.
The central fin is also impressive. I love the rounded cutout behind the cockpit in particular, as well as the 1x5x2 half arches forming the scalloped trailing edge. This piece was designed for 10321 Corvette a couple of years ago, but seems equally effective here. The fin cannot divide vertically as shown onscreen, but including that feature would doubtless make it too thick.
Like many Batmobiles, this vehicle includes an oversized jet engine on the back. The conical shape is cleverly designed using 1x4 tiles connected to 1x1 clip holders, arranged around an updated version of the 2x2 parabolic ring. Maybe one of the larger energy effect pieces could have been attached to the engine as a flame, but that was not essential.
Overall
Approaching this review of 76304 Batman Forever Batmobile, I expected to be impressed with the model, but frustrated by its size. Both remain true, but the quality of the design negates my concerns about the unique scale. If anything, I hope we receive other versions of the Batmobile at the same scale as this one in the future, alongside minifigure-scale sets.
The detailed bodywork is stunning and I like the exclusive Batman minifigure as well. However, functions are limited to rolling wheels, which I find disappointing for the price of £89.99, $99.99 or €99.99. Additionally, the model's scale does make it harder to display with other Batman sets, but taken in isolation, this is a fantastic recreation of the Batmobile.
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51 comments on this article
I like it, but I don't $100 like it. Forever wasn't my favorite Batman movie either, so I don't have any emotional attachment to it like the 1989 model.
Is that a molding defect on the hips? It seems to line up perfectly with the torso design.
I think this costume really did have light-up eyes, but if Lego is going to focus so much on movie Batmen, I really think they should start making cowls with an option for visible eyes. If they could figure it out for Wolverine, I don't understand why they've been so reluctant to for Batman.
"I hope we receive other versions of the Batmobile at the same scale as this one in the future"
Don't give lego any ideas, I personally think we already have an excess of overpriced batmobiles in the market (like the last tumbler)
Huh, I'm on here pretty often and I wasn't even aware that this set was a thing.
Basically just here to say that Batman Forever is indeed the second best Batman movie after Batman Returns. Farewell.
Thanks for this review. I was on the fence but this helped me take it off my list entirely. As others have said, I'm not as fond of this Batmobile as I am some of the others and having a third scale between the UCS models and the playset-size vehicles is just not appealing to me. It is really well done...I like the layering of textures and they did a really good job with the shape. But even at a steep discount I think I'll pass on this one.
I'd definitely be tempted if this were minifigure scale, with at least the 2 villains present, but hopefully Robin too. I don't consider myself *that* big of a Batman fan, and this is from my least favorite of the first four, but I have the '66 and '89 models already. As it stands I'm really only drawn to it for the unique figure, but that's not worth $130 CAD.
Huh, I didn't clock that it was a completely different scale. It does explain the price, to be fair.
I'm honestly less interested now. It doesn't fit in with the other pseudo-Speed Champions Batmobiles, so it doesn't add to that collection. It's just a standalone, using a second string design for an expensive price.
@JavaBrix said:
"
I like it, but I don't $100 like it."
My thoughts exactly. I appreciate the attention to detail but this kind of display model isn’t that interesting to me.
This set is a better value than I had originally thought. If I see a 20-30% discount I might consider it.
This Batmobile design is interesting because it's not in my top 3 favorite designs but I still love it. The source movie is flawed but it still has a lot of fun moments and the casting is great.
Looks sick and quite close to its onscreen counterpart.
That was to much surprise Bat Nipples talk for my morning Brickset read. Hahaha.
Easily the most interesting Lego Batmobile to me from a design and build perspective. And a lot of cool new shaping parts I can use in MOCs.
@CapnRex101 said:
"Perhaps this will be the first in a fresh series of Batmobile sets, of roughly the same size.
...
If anything, I hope we receive other versions of the Batmobile at the same scale as this one in the future, alongside minifigure-scale sets."
Mrs. Fuddruckus:
Nooooooooooooooooooo!
I am pretty sure you mean 5 of his abs are missing. Batman, as we all know, has a nine-pack.
This set is a thing of beauty.
This set is a shoe.
"...stated in an interview that the scale was determined by the wheel arches."
Are they aware there are 3x3 and 2x2 versions of the same piece?
I actually like the size. As cool as the big models are, I simply do not have the space to display them properly (and for that reason I still have to build my 76328 ). And the smaller ones feel more like play than display sets, with too many compromises. In that regard this seems to hit a sweet spot.
Can't say I care much for Forever, not a terrible movie but mostly forgettable. Except for two great things: Seal's Kiss from a Rose (yes, song existed before but who knew?), and this Batmobile. And seems like Lego did a pretty good job translating it to bricks. And no stickers on the outside, I can overlook those stickers for the dashboard. The only thing I don't like is the price, €100 is just too much. But nothing some discounts can't fix....
Those are still 1 stud wide, and would make the whole thing look bulkier.
Mark Stafford is an excellent designer, and it shows in how faithfully he recreated this Batmobile.
But, I hate what Schumacher tried to do to Batman, so I’ll have to skip this.
I like it, but yeah I don't know... The scale alone makes it trickier since it's inbetween the large scale and minifigure scale. I did love this movie growing up, so it would be nice to have it. I'll have to debate myself on pros and cons for longer and (wait for a sale..). But maybe if I just get Val's depiction and call it good might be okay.
It's a very nice model of a very forgettable Batmobile from a very forgettable movie. I like the scale and the price point, though. I wish we'd gotten Luke's Landspeeder at this size and price point (or 50% higher) instead of all the way up at $240.
Nice enough, but a bit pricey.
That cockpit in trans-clear would be perfect for a U-Wing.
Say what you want about the Schumie Batman movies, they definitely remain visually distinctive 30 years after the fact.
Overall, this model looks great! I would have appreciated some minifigs of Two-Face and Riddler, but I have to figure this model is a trial balloon to see if they can sell models of the Batboat and Batplane from FOREVER. Those would both be more desirable to collectors if they included villain minifigs.
@LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
"This set is a thing of beauty. "
@Crux said:
"This set is a shoe."
The duality of (Bat)man.
@Inkomi said:
"Don't give lego any ideas, I personally think we already have an excess of overpriced batmobiles in the market (like the last tumbler)"
The problem isn't batmobiles, the problem is overpriced Lego sets in general...
This is really, really good. It’s not my thing: I’m not into Batman and I’m not going to buy it. But boy, would I love to build it! Cracking job, Mark. Absolutely smashing!
I definitely would be down for a minifigure scale version of this. And if it included a Riddler and Two-Face, I would be over the moon.
I'm glad that it's at least a change from the normal batmobiles.
I really wish that Lego would make sets for the Superman movie.
The cinematic equivalent of "Running in the 90s"
@Maxbricks14 said:
"I'm glad that it's at least a change from the normal batmobiles.
I really wish that Lego would make sets for the Superman movie. "
They did, just digital within Fornite with the LEGO Pass and Superman in LEGO Fortnite.
I'm not going to be getting this, but I can't decide if I'm pleased or upset that they didn't do the Bat-Nipples. Also, somebody's probably already designing a third-party lighting kit for this thing.
@ohrmazd said:
"I am pretty sure you mean 5 of his abs are missing. Batman, as we all know, has a nine-pack."
My thought was "Well, now we know where Lego Batman got his extra ab, but where did the other abs go?"
But, how does it compare to the shadow box version?
I remember caring about Batmobile iterations. That feels like a lifetime ago.
Shrinkflation has hit my Lego collecting. There's so much that I barely care about any longer.
Au revoir, Batdude.
Given the shape and design of the "Batman Forever" Batmobile, I just don't think it would even be possible to create a minifig-scale version of the vehicle.
@Maxbricks14 said:
"I'm glad that it's at least a change from the normal batmobiles.
I really wish that Lego would make sets for the Superman movie. "
Disney,marvel is where money is at, DC WB... warner brothers, is not last I heard DC is broke.
But do not see why,, they do not let? make sets for lego ect. they not ones makeing it and seems like lego has ip.
Being sarcastic marvel makes what 50 sets a year DC what 5...
was an article in april think how DC has rights to superman. been a legal battle for years over that. a case was just thrown out and Dc won it..not to familiar with that issue. Could be part of the reason no sets?
@Zordboy said:
"Given the shape and design of the "Batman Forever" Batmobile, I just don't think it would even be possible to create a minifig-scale version of the vehicle."
Sure you can, you just make it a single seater like the playscale 1989, TAS, and BvS cars. Canonically those cars seat two side by side like this one, but the playscale sets only seat one.
@iwybs said:
"Sure you can, you just make it a single seater like the playscale 1989, TAS, and BvS cars."
Yeah, but how on Earth would you manage the complicated tiger stripes along the side?
@Zordboy said:
" @iwybs said:
"Sure you can, you just make it a single seater like the playscale 1989, TAS, and BvS cars."
Yeah, but how on Earth would you manage the complicated tiger stripes along the side? "
The most likely answer, given what themes like Speed Champions have to resort to with even less visually busy designs, is with stickers/prints instead of the complex brick-built detail used here. But certainly that'd be no less divisive than the larger scale chosen here. It goes to show how there often isn't any one perfect solution that will satisfy all buyers or their particular preferences, and designers have to make creative choices based on what they personally feel will make for a more satisfying model overall.
I've been disappointed with some of Lego's questionable designs and outrageous prices on IP-licensed sets recently. But I think this set is fantastic - the design is basically perfect, and 11 cents per part for an IP set is quite reasonable IMHO.
I understand that some folks don't care for the unusual scale, and that other folks don't feel drawn to spend $100 for a Batman Forever set. Fair enough - but for what this is, I think Lego knocked it out of the park - its resemblance to the real car is quite impressive.
@CCC said:
"Is that a molding defect on the hips? It seems to line up perfectly with the torso design."
Not a defect, it's just how the inks settled. Pearl Dark Grey uses at least two different inks / pigments to get the colouring and swirly surface effect, each element will have a different pattern and some may have odd shapes like this one.
This set would be much more interesting, appealing, if minifig have legs print and, as you wrote, minifigures of Riddler and Two-Face.
I'm waiting minifig scale model, to have beside other movie minifig scale batmobiles:
1966 76188
1989-1992 76224
2005-2012 76239
2022 76181
I would 100% buy this if it was minifigure scale. I have every single minifig scale live action movie Batmobile that has been produced. I was so excited when I saw this set was going to be made but I could tell it looked a little big. This review helped me to take it off my want list. Such a shame.
The scale isn't an issue for me and the details have been fantastically captured. Will likely wait for a discount, though.
This one has been an easy purchase for me since its reveal. I enjoy Forever a good bit, with some parts swap with the BVS armored Batman the figure can be improved, and the car is GORGEOUS!
Ribbed detailing is nice, break from the usual curved slopes. The Technic Batmobile managed a light brick for similar price and slighlty larger size, so unsure why too difficult here?
Overall, not UCS size, but not minifig either, so a bit awkward to know whether for display or play.
Very well designed.
But in the end I have zero nostalgia for this particular movie or it's batmobile.
I like it, but the scale unfortunately kills it for me. I've been collecting the minifigure scale batmobiles and this would just be too out of place. Maybe I'll pick it up if I find a could Rebrickable version of it scaled down.
It was gaudy then, its gaudy now.... Yeesh
"Batman Forever", is an appropriate title, of LEGO DC superheroes after 2020, it's been purely Batman for years, until 76302 Superman Mech vs. Lex Luthor earlier this year.
@F13_Zeo said:
"This one has been an easy purchase for me since its reveal. I enjoy Forever a good bit, with some parts swap with the BVS armored Batman the figure can be improved, and the car is GORGEOUS!"
Now that you mention it, this cowl would work better on the armoured BvS Batman, while that cowl would work well for this Sonar Batsuit figure.
I think this scale is much better than that of the previous UCS Batmobiles as it captures quite a lot of detail for a cheaper price. They should indeed make more.