The McFarlane Toys Batmobile For The Flash Movie Is A Simple Toy And A Solid Display Piece
Like every superhero blockbuster these days, "The Flash" has plenty of merchandise hitting shelves. From t-shirts to keychains, from action figures to coffee mugs, there's a lot of the Scarlet Speedster to go around.
When it comes to collectible toys, McFarlane Toys is the name behind the affordable side of detailed action figures inspired by the characters in "The Flash" movie. We've already taken a closer look at some of the action figures, including Ezra Miller in the Speed Force variant of The Flash suit, Michael Keaton's return as Batman, and Sasha Calle as the new Supergirl. But today, we're digging into one of the Dark Knight's most iconic vehicles.
Along with "The Flash" action figures, McFarlane Toys has also released a Batmobile that is scaled to the 7-inch Batman figure they've released. At 22 inches long, it's probably the biggest version of the Batmobile that has been created for action figures on this scale. But does that make it a valuable addition to your collection? Let's take a closer look.
Where does he get those wonderful toys?
As soon as you take the Batmobile out of the box, your excitement may be deflated a little bit. As you pop on the back wings to complete the bat-look, you'll quickly realize this Batmobile is a big hunk of rather lightweight plastic that doesn't have much heft, making it feel rather cheap. The only parts that aren't plastic, other than the screws holding it together, are the thick rubber tires. Even the yellow front lights and the rear red lights are solid, colored plastic. Would it really have been so difficult to use a few transparent plastic pieces that actually resemble a vehicle's lights?
Ethan Anderton
The other issue that you'll probably notice immediately is that the vehicle's cockpit hatch is a dark shade of gray that isn't the same as the glossy, pitch-black plastic of the rest of the car. While this might be an accurate recreation of how the Batmobile looks in "The Flash," I certainly don't recall seeing such a distinct difference in color on the original car from "Batman" in 1989, or even the slightly different version from "Batman Returns." Even the packaging and publicity shots for the McFarlane Toys make it difficult to see the clear contrast between the cockpit hatch and the rest of the car, but it's clear as day when you take it out of the box.
Batman is ready to ride and not much else
Speaking of the cockpit, that's the only real feature that this vehicle comes with. A button on the hood snaps it open, and you can either slide it forward, just as the cockpit opens in the movie, or you can flip it upwards. Once open, the McFarlane Toys Batman figures fit inside. However, the figure just barely fits inside due to its height. You'll actually have to bend Batman's longer ears to fully close the hatch, but they won't stay bent once he's inside. There's just enough space under the top lip of the hatch for his ears to fit, but again, you'll have to shove his head in there to make it work.
Ethan Anderton
Otherwise, there's nothing else the Batmobile does. You'll see details in the plastic on the sides of the hood for the secret compartments where machine guns would pop up, but there's no actual compartment to open, and thus no mechanism to activate them.
Ethan Anderton
While the turbine is on the back of the Batmobile, there's no glowing, orange light or sounds to add a little bit of a cool factor. The vehicle doesn't make any sounds at all. Just look at the bottom. It's about as basic as you can get.
Ethan Anderton
Perhaps the most disappointing part is the lack of detail that typically accompanies McFarlane Toys products. While the Batmobile looks shiny and sleek on the outside, perfectly replicating the shape and style of the vehicle, the interior lacks any meticulous details.
Ethan Anderton
Inside the cockpit, all the meters, dials, buttons, and whatnot are plainly silver. The painting detail is just lazy, and it's a shame there wasn't a way to incorporate some lights, or at the very least some stickers, in order to enhance the look of different parts of the vehicle. But honestly, it seems like this was made to be a fairly affordable display piece.
However, it still looks pretty cool
While this review may sound mostly negative, it's honestly not a terrible item. Because at the end of the day, this is still a big Batmobile that is perfectly scaled to the 7-inch Batman from McFarlane Toys, and it just looks cool. More often than not, collectors don't get vehicles that fit figures of this size without paying an exorbitant amount of money. Considering the scale of the vehicle, and the price tag that's only $60 (which is way cheaper than the $250 Batwing that spans nearly three feet long), the McFarlane Toys Batmobile actually makes for a solid display piece. And let's be honest, most of the fans buying McFarlane Toys action figures aren't looking to play with these collectibles.
The downside right now is that this item was extremely popular as soon as pre-orders were available earlier this year, and it's pretty much sold out at all the major retailers. In fact, it's selling for double the retail price on the secondary market. But hopefully, McFarlane Toys will restock more after the movie comes out.
If you want a cool vehicle to sit alongside your new Michael Keaton Batman action figure, then this isn't too bad. Granted, it might be better priced at the $40 range, but it's probably the size that makes it a bit more expensive in these inflation-heavy economic times. As it stands, this is probably the best Batmobile you'll get for your larger collectible Batman figures, even without the impressive detailing. If push comes to shove, maybe you can figure out how to give it a custom paint job.