LEGO's Batman Returns Batcave Is A Punishingly Tedious Build, But It's Worth The Time And Effort
Even though "The Flash" didn't make quite as big of a splash at the box office as Warner Bros. Pictures would have liked, we can't deny that Michael Keaton's return as Batman was still pretty damn satisfying. It's a shame we won't get to see more of him as the Dark Knight, thanks to the "Batgirl" movie being shelved, but perhaps there's still hope for a "Batman Beyond" movie sometime down the road. Either way, fans can lick their wounds by taking the time to build the new "Batman Returns" LEGO Batcave playset. And believe me when I say that it will take a lot of time.
The new LEGO Batcave inspired by "Batman Returns" is the first-ever Shadow Box style set to create a large-yet-compact, tableau style building brick display out of an iconic pop culture setting. Clocking in at 3,981 pieces spread across 29 plastic bags with a whopping four thick building manuals, this big hunk of blocks features a diorama of the Caped Crusader's secret lair, complete with all the tech and toys the World's Greatest Detective uses to fight crime in Gotham City. Plus, it comes with a LEGO Batmobile inspired by the vehicle's look from Tim Burton's 1992 sequel, and minifigures that you can only get in this playset. But this LEGO set is not for the faint of heart, because no matter how satisfying the final result is, it's a punishingly tedious build. Yes, this LEGO set is cool and brutal all at the same time. LEGO sent over this massive set for me to put together, so let's take a closer look below.
The Batmobile begins
LEGO certainly seems to be aware of how arduous building their Batcave will be, because they're smart to begin by letting you build the Batmobile. This is the first time this version of the Dark Knight's vehicle from Tim Burton's movies has been included in a playset like this. Previously, a Batmobile on this scale was only available as a bonus set along with the Ultimate Collector Series version of the vehicle. But it just wouldn't be a complete Batcave without the iconic ride. (Don't worry if you can't afford this whole pricey set, because you'll soon to be able to get the Batmobile on its own later this year.)
The Batmobile comes with a flame piece that you can attach to the turbine engine in the rear, and there's a compartment in the back of the completed Batcave where you can store that piece if you don't want to use it for displaying. Since this is the "Batman Returns" version of the Batmobile, there's a knob that will make two guns pop out of each side of the hood near the windshield. Of course, the cockpit can be opened in order to fit one of the Batman minifigures inside. However, be aware that only the version with the cloth cape can fit inside. But if we're being honest, the Batman with the molded cape (seen above) looks a lot cooler standing next to the Batmobile.
The Bat-goods
The LEGO Batcave has five prominent areas recreated in the Batcave, and almost all of them have a bonus feature that brings it to life in a cool way.
First up, let's check out Batman's array of tools and gadgets that are on display. Situated on the lower right side of the shadow box is a wall full of various items for Batman's use. However, these aren't so much Bat-weapons as they are tools that are likely meant for fixing the Batmobile. After all, when the box is closed, this wall is hidden by the platform that houses the Batmobile, so that makes sense. Plus, Batman isn't exactly taking different kinds of wrenches, drills, and hammers with him out into Gotham City. That would probably make him more susceptible to murdering criminals, and Batman doesn't play like that.
Ethan Anderton
Just above the tool wall, there's a vault that houses a couple of Batman's signature gadgets. The doors open and retract with a knob on the back of the shadow box. Within, you'll find no shortage of Batarangs, which will be good if you have kids constantly losing the tiny pieces. There's also one of Batman's grapnel guns for scaling up or down Gotham's LEGO skyscrapers.
Ethan Anderton
You'll also notice the little bat hanging from the beam above the vault. There are a handful of these little guys sprinkled throughout the set, hanging from beams or under cave lips. It's a nice touch since there are always bats fluttering around Bruce Wayne's lair in the movies. Sadly, there's nothing inside those little cabinets. Seems like a missed opportunity for some villain trophies, like a set of chattering teeth from Joker or a cat figurine for Catwoman.
Ethan Anderton
As you probably spotted above, there's another vault to the left of the Bat-gadgets, and this one houses Batman's suit. The vault features a door that can be cranked open and closed with another knob on the back of the set. It opens and closes by way of chains attached to the door. But the best feature is undoubtedly the light-up brick that paints the suit in yellow light. The only downside of this feature is that the button for the light-up brick can't be easily reached from the front. There should have been some kind of mechanism that allows you to activate the light without reaching behind the shadow box.
Keeping an eye on Gotham
Aside from the light-up Batsuit vault, perhaps the coolest section of the LEGO Batcave is Batman's computer station with various monitors and equipment for keeping watch over Gotham City. The primary monitor and the two smaller monitors above can actually be swapped by way of yet another knob on the back of the shadow box. One set of monitors features a couple images of Oswald Cobblepot, aka Penguin, and some of his penguin counterparts. The other set has shots of Catwoman breaking into Max Shreck's department store, as well as Penguin's bird that she tries to eat at one point.
Both of the chairs in front of the monitors can rotate, though one is clearly meant for Batman to sit in, while the other much smaller chair is for Alfred to sit in a little less comfortably. Poor Alfred gets the tiny chair, even though he's the one who has to hold the teapot and tea cup for Bruce Wayne. It's not enough that Wayne has billions of dollars, but he has to make sure old Alfred gets the inferior chair. More like The Cheap Knight, am I right? We like to have a good time here, don't we, folks?
Shadow of the bat
Of course, what makes this LEGO Batcave build so unique is the manner in which it's framed. This isn't your average playset, but rather one that is designed within a shadow box. The engineering behind this set is extremely impressive. The fact that so much of the Batcave is included in this set, and it all can be closed up in this shadow box is incredible. Even when it's open, it still looks awesome. That's largely because of how the front panel is pieced together to create an opening shaped like the iconic Bat-symbol. Even better is that the silhouette isn't the only frame within the shadow box.
Inside of the front panel of the shadow box, there are cave details that complete the aesthetic of the setting. In fact, it's the jagged, curved, angular rocks, stalactites, and stalagmites that make this entire set such a tedious build.
Ethan Anderton
While you might think that having a LEGO set shaped like a big shadow box would make for a repetitive building process, it's actually packed with so many varied cave elements that it's hard to get on a roll to rapidly build out various parts. Only a couple areas have a pattern-like area of building, so it's much more taxing than piecing together the walls of a modular building like the Ghostbusters firehouse, Doctor Strange's Sanctum Santorum, the palace movie theater, or any other Creator Expert building set. Instead, the angled pieces, tiny wedges, and various small pieces that make up the rocky elements of the cave are so perfectly varied that you need to pay even more attention than usual to the manual in order to place everything in the right spot. It's the first time in a long time that I felt mentally taxed after a few hours of building, which is why I spent roughly a week putting it together.
Made for a shelf
As the first LEGO set of its kind, this feels like a set that was tailor-made to be displayed on a shelf. It looks coolest when it's closed and has all the interiors visible through the Bat-shaped window. Otherwise, opening it doesn't make it very display friendly, mostly because the right side has that Bat-shaped space. Keeping it open would just leave a dead space where you'd see whatever is behind the shadow box through the Batman symbol. Though you might be able to use that to your advantage if you were to display other Batman collectibles behind it. But that probably depends on how big and deep your shelf is.
The platform that holds the Batmobile looks best when it's part of the tableau layout, but then it covers up the wall of tools, which is actually a great space for the minifigures to be displayed. Speaking of which, this is a great assembly of characters for this particular LEGO set.
Ethan Anderton
Easily the best figure is the Batman with the molded cape, but since they're all unique to this particular set, you can't help but appreciate the exclusivity of having both Penguin and Catwoman, even if the Batcave set doesn't feature a prime place for recreating a scene from "Batman Returns." However, there is an open cave setting where they could be placed along with Max Shreck. After all, how cool is it to have a LEGO minifigure of Christopher Walken?
When all is said and done, this LEGO Batcave looks amazing. While it might have been cool to have sections recreating Penguin's underground lair or Catwoman's apartment within the shadow box, that admittedly would take away from the Batcave aesthetic of the entire set. For the Batman fans out there, the arduous process of building this one ultimately has a pleasing result.
You can order the LEGO Batcave right now for $399.99.