Review: 76301 Batman & Batmobile vs. Mr. Freeze
Posted by CapnRex101,
Several iterations of the Batmobile have been produced for young DC fans, although they can mostly be overlooked by older collectors. 76301 Batman & Batmobile vs. Mr. Freeze is a possible exception though, with two new minifigures!
The exclusive Mr. Freeze looks excellent and strongly differs from previous figures, but more surprising is Batman, whose torso has been updated, at last. I think the Batmobile looks fun too, so there are reasons to take a closer look at this set.
Summary
76301 Batman & Batmobile vs. Mr. Freeze, 63 pieces.
£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99 | 28.6p/31.7c/31.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The unique minifigures are desirable, but certainly not at this set's full price
- Batman receives an update, finally
- Exclusive Mr. Freeze
- A good Batmobile, given its simple construction
- Far too expensive
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Although many versions of Batman have been produced over the years, the traditional comic book minifigure remained basically identical between 2012 and 2024, other than alterations to the cowl. However, this one introduces a new torso, with better decoration on the belt and more realistic muscle definition.
This element definitely improves on the original, although I hope LEGO avoids over-using the new torso, offering a bit of variety in Batman costumes. Otherwise, the fabric cape looks good and the dual-moulded cowl works well for a generic version of the character.
Mr. Freeze has appeared more frequently in LEGO DC sets than many Batman villains, with various armoured suits. This design is inspired by artwork DC has produced for merchandise and this has actually happened to the character before, with his minifigure introduced in 76118 Mr. Freeze Batcycle Battle from 2019.
The source is unusual, but sand blue is a great colour for Victor's cooling suit and the metallic accents look superb, especially on the back. Furthermore, the goggles and neutral expression suit this famously emotionless villain and I like the dome returning from 76274 Batman with the Batmobile vs. Harley Quinn and Mr. Freeze, although it would potentially look even better with shoulder armour.
Both characters are suitably equipped, as Batman wields a Batarang and Mr. Freeze carries a simple freeze gun and a trans-red gemstone, probably stolen and required for his experiments.
The Completed Model
Mr. Freeze is further armed with a bigger freezing weapon, incorporating a disc launcher. The trans-light blue 'splat' element inside was introduced in LEGO City a few years ago and works nicely as ice to launch. The ice lolly on top is a fun addition too, presumably serving as a power source here!
As expected of a 4+ set, the Batmobile is basic. The vehicle is assembled around a large 4x10 chassis brick and the whole bonnet is a single component used in several 4+ models, although new in black. However, I like the car's chunky proportions and comically short wheelbase, partly because it looks like a giant Mighty Micro!
Both the 1x4 tile on the front of the Batmobile and the symbol on top are printed and I find the dashes of yellow there and inside the cockpit effective. The dark bluish grey elements seem a little of place to me, but I would guess they were considered necessary for ease of construction, considering the young age recommendation.
A trans-light blue crystal is supplied to attach to a wheel should you wish, as though frozen by Mr. Freeze. The decorative bat fins look superb, as normal, with space for Batman in between. The flaming exhaust could be better though. Even for a 4+ design, a 1x2 brick with stud seems overly simplistic.
Overall
The minifigures are clearly the primary draw to 76301 Batman & Batmobile vs. Mr. Freeze for older DC fans and both are splendid. A unique version of Mr. Freeze is always welcome and I am delighted to see the standard comic book Batman finally receive an updated torso, thirteen years after the prior design was introduced!
Even the Batmobile possesses a certain charm, more so than past 4+ versions, in my opinion. Unfortunately, like many sets created for this age group, the price of £17.99, $19.99 or €19.99 feels much too expensive, despite the presence of some large pieces. With that in mind, this is not a set I would recommend to DC collectors currently, but for Mr. Freeze in particular, it may be worth considering once discounted.
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26 comments on this article
Man, talk about inflation. I got 7884 for my birthday when I was nine - it had the same minifigures with two excellent yet simple vehicles (this set only has one), and at half the price!
yucky price
The minifigure torsos really do look nice, and this 4+ Batmobile looks better than the previous one 76264 . This new one is also cheaper than that one but still the prices for these 4+ sets are rather high. Is really because of the larger pieces?
Ya know...a few 'fixes' and you'd get BAM from "Batwheels"...which isn't a bad thing:)
When I saw the thumbnail, I first thought that this is a quite nice $10 set. I have opened the review, and I saw that it's in fact $20...
Ridiculous. LEGO set retail prices could even be randomly generated at this point.
Was there nothing else more substantial in the review queue? :o)
P.S. I unashamedly have purchased some grossly overpriced sets in my day (21335 Lighthouse, 60346 Farm, etc.) and for usually a lot more than this. Yet I cannot fathom any universe, ours or a parallel, where I would pay $19.99 for this set for myself let alone for any of my LEGO Superhero loving children.
If LEGO pricing is so out of whack as to put off someone who already likely spends more than $1000 each year on LEGO, what is it doing for normal people? I'm not unafraid for the future of LEGO...
Ah yes, of course: ice lolly powered weaponry. The natural evolution of DC comics weaponry.
Thanks for the review!
Bats is not fooling me. He wants to enter this car in the 2025 No Limits Soapbox Derby! But it looks like the wheels won't be allowed. I guess the body is a bit too wide too. And where is your Bat-helmet, Bruce?
While I actually understand some pricing desicions even though I may not like them (e.g. why TLG gets away with especially high prices on thought after Star Wars stuff- because those sets are being bought by adults l) I absolutely do not understand the overpricing in this 4+ range.
Would it not be more prudent to win over this age group (and their parents!) with nice little affordable sets, so that they keep asking for (and getting!) more?
Do you have a link or search term I could use to find the artwork that Mister Freeze is based on? The 2019 version looks like his New 52 design to me, but I don't recognise this one.
This Mr. Freeze minifigure looks better to me than his B:TAS one just before. More aesthetically pleasing.
I want to be clear that I am also disappointed with the price of the 4+ range and I also feel that Lego can and should price these lower. However, a cursory examination of some 4+ sets has shown me that price per weight is much more inline with other sets, than the price per part comparison.
Still, Lego needs to do better by their youngest customers or they risk alienating a generation of future 18+ consumers.
@SkyCaptain_USA said:
[However, a cursory examination of some 4+ sets has shown me that price per weight is much more inline with other sets, than the price per part comparison.]
4+ sets sometimes have more printing, too. (Maybe not this one.)
60429 Spaceship and Asteroid Discovery shows 4+ sets don't all have to be overpriced, I think one of the better recent examples of a fair priced 4+, or 41723 Donut Shop (not an amazing build, or no unique figures but it compensates with the low price , printed pieces and unique green scooter.
Even 42634 Horse and Pony Trailer or 41746 Horse Training are actually quite fair for 4+ sets, as they are the lowest price Friends sets with horses
Altho City or Friends also can have bad examples of 4+.
Then there are licensed things like 75358 Tenoo Jedi Temple , or 75384 The Crimson Firehawk which seem to aim for non-4+ buyers and have very detailed figures or prints.
And then there's the even more extreme pricing on something like 75238 Action Battle Endor Assault or 75332 AT-ST as something like LEGO Ewok figures have not been common in the last 10 years.
When I see a set like
My kid is starting to move from Duplo to Lego, so I purchased 76264 and 76272 earlier this year since both were retiring. I fortunately got them for $19.99 each instead of the $26.99 and $34.99 retail.
When rumors of this first popped up, I thought about getting this and not opening the 76264, since I'd rather the kid have a Mr. Freeze rather than a second identical Joker. However, this Batmobile is soooo small. While it's approximately the same size as the Jokermobile in 76272, it's barely half the length of the Batmobile 76264. The kid (and I) can do without this Mr. Freeze.
Ice to meet you...
@AhsokaTrooper08 said:
"The minifigure torsos really do look nice, and this 4+ Batmobile looks better than the previous one 76264 . This new one is also cheaper than that one but still the prices for these 4+ sets are rather high. Is really because of the larger pieces? "
4+ sets never include stickers, so some of that price goes into producing one-off printed elements. The car chassis itself may incorporate three elements, with the axle components being permanently snapped onto the base car body. The body itself is rather large, of course, but now you've added assembly to the cost. They may not be anticipating using 100% of the potential lifespan of the mold, so more of the tooling cost may have been added to cost of that car body. It's also probably large enough that they don't run more than one part per shot, which means your machine time is considerably higher per piece than it would be for a fistful of 1x1 plates. They do tend to be minifig-heavy for what you get, but, unfortunately, that's because you don't get much to go with the minifigs. Somehow, I read the price per piece and got that stuck in my head as the USD price, and $30 for this would indeed seem grossly overpriced. $20 may feel too high as well, but it's pretty much what I expect to see for this type of set, from any theme. These sets would be an easy pass, but they do understand that tossing a unique and desirable minifig in will net them additional sales.
@Robot99 said:
"Man, talk about inflation. I got 7884 for my birthday when I was nine - it had the same minifigures with two excellent yet simple vehicles (this set only has one), and at half the price!"
You also have to consider that 2008 is almost 17 years ago now. $10 back in 2008 would amount to about $15 in 2024. In addition, this 2024 set has substantially larger, specialized pieces, that cost more to produce. It also looks way better than 7884, although I'm aware that nostalgia might cloud your judgement on that. ;-)
I still agree it's overpriced, but that's what we've come to expect from 4+ licensed sets. I'm sure there'll be plenty of discounts eventually. For what it is, I do really like it. Pop off Batman's legs, so he'll sit lower in the Batmobile, and it'll look even better.
I’m hoping that this version of the Batman minifigure becomes available in due course with the LEGO Batman magazine.
Good to get an updated Arnold Schwarzenegger minifigure.
I'm pretty sure the Mr. Freeze from 76118 Mr. Freeze Batcycle Battle from 2019 is based off the New 52 look and not a design intended solely for merchandise ??
Scamming kids with the price. Classy!
Wasn't LEGO's sole reason of not using kama's in SW Clone Troopers that kids play too rough and rip them off? And then they put fabric cape in this 4+ set, but rubber capes in 18+ sets. Makes sense, right?
P.S. I can bet that this so called exclusive Mr. Freeze will be included in next years Batman magazine at some point, just like they did with Robert Muldoon for JW.
@R0Sch said:
"P.S. I can bet that this so called exclusive Mr. Freeze will be included in next years Batman magazine at some point, just like they did with Robert Muldoon for JW."
Which would mean it would stay exclusive to this set for some markets.
@R0Sch:
Cloth kamas (and really _any_ cloth piece that attaches at the waist) tend to be some of the most difficult things you can possibly attach to a minifig, while plastic kamas prevent the minifig from being able to sit (and really, the cloth ones get trashed if you force the minifig to sit while wearing one). 2-hole capes are a bit beyond the dexterity of small children, but 1-hole capes are the easiest cloth you can attach to a minifig. 4+ sets appear to have exclusively shifted to cloth 1-hole capes, meaning young kids won’t need someone to help them in the middle of assembling a simple minifig.
@RogueWhistler said:
"Do you have a link or search term I could use to find the artwork that Mister Freeze is based on? The 2019 version looks like his New 52 design to me, but I don't recognise this one."
Seconding this. Also, would have appreciated a direct comparison with the previous version of the Batman fig - those can be hard to rifle through.