Review: 70911 The Penguin Arctic Roller

None of the vehicles in The Lego Batman Movie are the correct size, they just look awesome for a display and probably look awesome in the movie too.

However I think your price is way off. I thought someone in the UK saw it for 30 pounds which would be 30-35 USD.

From the first picture I was sure I was going to buy this set. Now I am not so sure anymore. The proportions look weird when viewed at from the back and side. Also I do not really like the floating windshield. I agree, a six-wide windshield and interior would have been better. I guess 5984 is still the coolest limo around.

I think the more interesting piece is that fur collar. It signals a number of incoming minifigs. Probably the most obvious is Spider-Man foil and love interest The Black Cat.

I'm flip flopping on this set. I do find the balloon mudguards to be an inspired choice and it does have a great League of Extraordinary Gentlemen feel, but I find the styling too gaudy and the minifigure inclusions terrible frankly. I'm not a fan of all the gold and whatever that is going on there at the front, so if I do pick this up I think I would swap out most of the gold for light grey, as well as replace the black sides with white.

Minifigures wise, this is just terrible. Yes, it is a cheaper way to get the amazing Penguin figure, but I find it unacceptable that we can't even get a third character (like the obvious Gentlemen Ghost) let alone a Penguin henchmen at this price point. Where did all the money go in this set?

I don't know about the assessment that it's not "minifigure scale". The only real constant element of "minifigure-scale" is that a vehicle or setting must be usable by minifigures, but otherwise it ranges from incredibly undersized (in the case of many Lego City vehicles which only fit a single fig) to oversized vehicles like the ones in this theme or Lego Agents (which despite seeming out-of-scale are generally more likely than smaller vehicles to have reasonably scaled interiors that can seat multiple figs). And of course, even non-Lego superhero comics, shows, and movies are no strangers to over-the-top vehicle designs, since in many cases neither superheroes nor supervillains have any sense of subtlety.

Looks like a Hispano Suiza with the 4 rear wheels

$50 is not a fair price for this set. $35 at the most.

Thanks for the review!

I quite like this set! In my humble opinion, it is one of the best-looking 'minifigure scale' models ever produced. I actually do not have a problem with the single seat. If Batman can have only one seat, so can the Penguin! : )

I actually really like this set. The colors and styling of this vehicle looks like it suits The Penguin very well, and I don't mind it not being made for regular height minifigures given that this is The Penguin's car. I feel that a 6 wide wind shield would ruin the look of the car and make the rear section blocky, where as the 4 wide windshield gives the connotation of speed and aerodynamics, it's the same width as the engine, and that the curves on the sides prevent the blocky look.

Huw, being an excellent photographer, you managed to take pictures of this vehicle from every angle that it looks good. And it does look great from the side, and from certain angles. But if you take a look straight down at the top or directly from the front, it becomes very clear that the proportions are really bizarre. The four-stud wide windshield, cockpit and trunk are just wrong. But then you look at it from the side again, and it looks amazing. One of the sets I have the most contradictory feelings about. Love it and hate it at the same time. I'm planning to work on it some to make the cockpit and trunk 6-stud wide, but it is not going to be easy. Those balloon panels that create the beautiful curves, are also the greatest limitations of the design.

Good review. I love the use of the balloon segments as mudguards. I've been wanting to do that in a MOC for some time but it seems LEGO beat me to the punch! The style and color scheme feel very true to the Penguin, and less tacky than some of the other vehicles he's been given in LEGO sets over the years. The design is somewhat evocative of a real-life six-wheeled luxury car, the Hispano-Suiza H6A: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Denver_transport_museum_057.JPG Although that vehicle has the spare tire mounted on the side rather than on the rear.

It's frustrating that there are no characters in this set that don't appear in the Batcave set, though. Alternate expressions are well and good, but a more unique minifigure could've really helped convince me to seek this out for my personal collection.

"Way too big for minifig scale" is debatable, since there is no universal standard for "minifig scale" — it can be anywhere from 1:40 if you base it on a minifig's height to 1:20 if you base it on their width/waistline. Many LEGO trains tend to be closer to 1:60. This set would obviously be way too huge for LEGO City, but other minifigure-based themes like Agents and Ninjago have a rich history of huge, flashy street vehicles. Expanding the interior to fit two minifigs side-by-side could've been nice, but the current exterior proportions of the vehicle are pretty striking and I wouldn't want to mess with that too much.

The database currently has this set listed at just $29.99, which is thankfully much more in keeping with the piece count and number of figs than the $50 price point you suggested.

Is it wacky? Yes!
Will I buy it? YES!

Wow, I love that they used balloon segments! That's ingenious...

OMG I need it, when does it get released in Blighty ?? excellent review huw

Holy crap.

I need this in my life.

I really like the over all car but I feel like the "boat" is needlessly thrown in there for slightly more play value,plus its really not very aesthetically pleasing as it contains so few pieces.

Also, does anyone else think that The Penguin looks like the one played by Danny DeVito in "Batman Returns"?

I want this!

Just wondering, why is Mr. Freeze from the other set not in the database?

@Nostalgia: Brickset's minifigure listings come from BrickLink, so they only appear on a set listing once BrickLink has finished their inventory of that set.

@Tim Lydy
Couldn't agree more about the fig selection Tim, the fact they left out Clock King and/or Gentleman Ghost is disappointing. After all, we know that they're in the film and I'd hate to miss out on figs of them. Hey, there's always two (?) more waves to get CK, GG, Polka Dot Man, Crazy Quilt, Hugo, Phosphorus and of course Condiment King. I personally would like a firefly but I don't see that happening :/

Having just built The Joker Notorious Lowrider (which is a terrific vehicle, get yours now), I cannot wait to buy this set and place them side-by-side for maximum ridiculousness. Still not quite sold on the Batmobile, though.

With sets this good, I can only conclude that The LEGO Batman Movie will be the greatest film event of our FOL lifetimes.

My father says that without all the bulls!+ on it, the type of car it most resembles is a Rolls Royce. Just to help clear up the model. And I did quote him so, sorry about the profanity.

i quite like it, its unique regarding the wheel variations, and front mud guards are a nice touch considering they are parts from the lego friends hot air balloon and the wheels are from
kai's red ninjago bike,

also love they updated penguin minifig his top hat and umbrella staff,
i,ve noticed people are saying the artic roller is oversized for minifig use, but then again so was ghost rider,s bike in the team up set but its still awesome,
8 out of 10 from me.. on penguins ride..

I'd say that it resembles Bugatti Royale, one of the Hispano-Suiza models, or one of the Horchs.

It looks really neat. I am torn also, considering I already bought the Batcave thanks to the Target sale going on, but I would still want this vehicle, just don't need the figures. $30 isn't horrible so I might be able to swing it, but I will wait and see.

I agree, from the front it looks horribly off, but from the side at a slight angle, it looks marvelous. I guess it is something I can try tinkering with. Also, I love the penquin hood ornament! clever idea there.

And it is my assumption it will resemble a lot of older fancy cars. I'm guessing the designers took inspiration from a lot of sources so as to not pinpoint ONE type of vehicle. Makes it easier to add your own flair.

The link to 6167584 is incorrect/broken

Anyone else find the front wheels do not spin freely? The two separate axles are pressed too tightly in the middle when assembled.