Pimp My Batmobile!

Exclusive look at a sample from a very small run of private stock standing figures for the 1/18 Hot Wheels Batmobile. For those of you who didn’t want to mess with seated figures.

"Holy no more squeezng inside Mattel's heinous interior, Batman!"

Well, I’m not sure how “Elite” it really is, but it’s here. Looks like a different softer seat padding, couple of hoses, lens on speedo, tiny bit more chrome here and there, flocking on part of the go-kart frame, probably a couple more small things. I won’t count the red pinstriping or the corrected 4th white scallop because only Hot Wheels would make us think that CORRECTIONS should be considered Elite Options. I can’t find one thing that’s different about the Go-Kart itself. Maybe someone else with an opened standard can correct me on that. Some nice little touches.

Summary: Like all the releases so far – a head shaking, “cool-but too bad they didn’t…” experience that still somehow ends up being a must-have in any 1966 Batman Collection. Yes, it’s very nice and looks great. Loaded with mistakes when compared to the original on-screen version(s) but probably is an exact duplicate of someone’s replica out there. If it’s too much to ask for screen accuracy, it would have been nicer if they had at least changed the crappy wheels on the Go-Kart on the Elite version. If it had been the only one out they could have charged $85 and it would have been fine. The fact that a $29 version came out first with maybe $6 less detail parts on it just makes this version all the ruder. Still – had you told me 6 years ago that we’d be holding such a model and that it would be (for the most part) a mass market release – I wouldn’t have believed you.It’s a great model and if taken on its own merits – certainly worthy of your display shelf. Buy it from our retail sponsor, REPLICARZ and tell Brian that Scot from PMB! sent you.

In my day job, I am a marketing consultant for a music retailer and a new guitar process service, so I am currently in Anaheim at the Winter NAMM show which unveils all new guitars, amps, equipment etc. for the year. And what do I stumble upon? The Batmobile! It was here promoting the Barris licensed Wing Bat, Krest and Drag-U-La guitars, (of which – as guitars go -  the less said the better) George is supposed to be here today sometime.

The new 1/43 Hot Wheels Batmobile is not slated to be available for the mass market until February. But PMB! has received our samples in from China and shown you it here FIRST ON THE WEB. And because we are tireless (like a golem or Larry King) in our pledge to improve wherever Mattel drops the ball, we already have our first set of upgrades ready for preorder!

Tim at TPM Customs, (the master of teensy figures) has developed a set exclusively for PMB! that includes:

• A nice replacement siren in clear red
• 2 replacement antlers
• A set of figures that sit right in the car very nicely (see the prototypes below)

We are making these available for pre-order only, and only a limited run of them for a very short time. They will be available as a painted set or unpainted if you want to save a few dollars. But don’t look for them to be around or available for very long. Note: the photo here just shows the figures, not the new siren or antlers. We will have these sets ready for pre-order as soon as the beacons and antlers are ready for photographing. This is a great scale model that Mattel did a nice job with. It really appeals to those of us who love our old 1966 Corgi Batmobiles. Everything else on this 1/43 scale car is either easily fixable by a modeler or livable with. But the beacon, antlers and lack of figures are must-fixes, in our opinion.

Well I got mine in today from China. Very nice, even with all the mistakes. Here are some comparison shots with the 1966 Corgi car.