Posts Tagged ‘replicarz’

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.

Our thanks to everyone who participated in the Super Elite Batmobile Giveaway. The lucky recipient of the Big Bat Package of Fun described below from PMB and Replicarz is: (drumroll please…)

Brian Jones from Sycamore, Illinois!

Congratulations Brian!

Brian has been contacted and says he never wins anything and is very excited.

As an added surprise bonus – You’re ALL Winners!  That’s right, we have decided to award a $5 coupon to anyone who entered the giveaway good toward any purchase over $60.00 at PMB! (good toward any new $60.00 or more purchase from this date forward, not an older purchase or preorder that hasn’t been shipped yet) If you are in this category (and yes, we have the list) and are buying something in the future – just let us know so we can apply your coupon. Or just wait until we send a real coupon code out later.

Thanks again for participating. We are working on preorder items and should be updating this page with parts info soon.

_____________________________________________________________________________________Our great  friends at REPLICARZ have made it possible for us to give away a FANTASTIC set of Batmobile goodies worth over $400.00 that some lucky person will be thrilled to get. Here’s the rundown:

• 1 Hot Wheels 1/18 Super Elite Batmobile, MIB! Graciously supplied by REPLICARZ!
• 1 Hot Wheels SDCC Edition 1/50 Batgirl Cycle gift set MIB
• 1 Hot Wheels 1/50 Batboat MOC
• 1 PMB! 1/18 Crimefighter Figure Set (unpainted)
• 1 PMB! T-shirt (sizes are limited)

How it works. This NOT a raffle or a sweepstakes. We are giving these items away completely free. However, we will be picking numbers from our new database. We will collect names to draw, (completely at random based on a numbered system and a true random draw) and pick a recipient on April 15th.

• This isn’t a raffle or sweepstakes, technically no purchase is necessary.
• Shipping of the items will be free to all continental US states. If an international  donor is drawn, you will need to pay the actual shipping costs.
• We will close the list on April 15th at which time we will then pick the recipient and announce on April 16th.

So aside from shooting the video and posting pics of the new Super Elite many people have been asking me for my actual opinions about it. My feelings. Give us the buzz, El Scootero – Is it worth the money? Is it nice? etc. So here we go:

1. Which upgrades are cool? The rocket tubes being now hollow and metal and sporting Corgi-esque missiles are pretty cool. The chrome flange/trim rings are nice, even if they’re not ‘66 accurate. The chrome metal exhaust ring trim is nice. The photo etched metal running boards are nice. The painted dash details are okay. The aluminum display base is sleek and well-executed.

2. Which upgrades are bogus? The pleather (or leather, who cares) parachute packs while sounding like a neat idea if they could be carried off successfully, sadly weren’t. they’re puffy and cartoonish and inaccurate to boot. The braided turbine engine hosing is way out of scale, if there’s such a thing for a fictitious engine. Though they seem to have channeled the Chrysler turbine engine a bit so you never know. But the chrome plating and blue/red couplings just look kind of dumb. The metal beacon cage would have been nice but even if you forgive them for it being the current incarnation of the beacon, they left off the ribbing that was present on the earlier editions and so they lost any points they might have had. The metal rear antenna and plastic base are ludicrous.

3. So is it any good? Sure it is. It’s beautiful. If this were the only release HW had given us and charged us this amount for it we’d be pretty happy. Even though it’s expensive, we’ve all paid big money for resin versions and GADM replicas before so we’re used to high-ticket batmobiles. The problem comes in when they show us what they can do for $39 and then offer THIS for $279.00. There’s just not enough upgrade. The lack of lights, sound, or what would have made everyone happier – ACCURATE 1966 DETAILING, gives us nothing to justify the upcharge. If you take the Elite version’s pricing at $79 which didn’t seem too bad for all the upgrades it offered, then lets add $25 (to be generous) for the aluminum base, and roughly $25 (again being generous) for the metal upgrades and $6 for the soft goods (parachutes) then we’re looking at roughly a $139 collectible that’s being retailed at $279. That’s just outright offensive.

Not to mention that you could make the argument that the few upgrades I mentioned as being cool above should have and certainly could have showed up on the Elite version for an extra $12 and made everyone happier then.

Credit where it’s due – Hot Wheels pulled off what nobody else has been able to do (well, actually, DC just did too)  Let’s face it – HW did a pretty good job of capturing the car in its current state. It’s not their fault that none of us wanted those details. Or IS it?

2. Yes it is, sadly. Hot Wheels is a mega corporation and it’s negligent at best to not have done the bare minimum amount of market research required to fully optimize a major licensing expenditure such as this. There is more information about getting this model correct available online at a click of a mouse than just about any car in history. Not putting Andy Garringer, John Haig, Eric Seltzer, Mike Stutelberg, or Jim Apitz (or any combination of them) on as executive consultants on this project was misguided. My guess is that they would have done it for free. Instead they went with the king of the bullshitters who either sold them that this was the way the car was in 1966 (which means they’re idiots) or convinced them that the model should reflect the current condition of the car. Either answer is patently unforgivable, just from a marketing standpoint alone.

They all but ignored fan input all along. They kept pre-release info to themselves, showed no specs or catalog detailing at any point and didn’t exhibit any of what has become Retail 101 for the web 2.0 world – Transparency. User driven interaction gains you market share. Look at what the Star Trek or Irwin Allen communities have done for their collectibles market just by embracing the huge droves of geeks that actually shell out the cash to buy this stuff. (not dissing your target base – who’da thunk it?) Mattel’s old school cloak and dagger ”if you make it, they will come” smirking attitude may work on their 50+ year old 1:64 scale scalpers that scour the world for “accidental” blister card variations - but it ain’t playing in Gotham City!

So if I tell everyone to stick with the $39 Standard and spend the rest of your money here at PMB! buying parts to trick it out it will seem self-serving. And not everyone is a modeler or has any interest in tricking out a diecast car. So instead let me offer what I am planning to do. For completists or HW Super Elite collectors or speculators or aluminum display base fans – knock yourself out with the Super Elite. For my money, I’m sticking with the Elite model because I like the opening hood and trunk (even though I hate the engine) and as-is, it’s the best value for the money. I’ll most likely trick one out completely 1st season and keep one in the box because it’s cool.

Hope that covers my opinions on the 3 versions. Please send any questions or comments here or the message board.

-Scooter

-ding!-

The eagle has landed. (28 minutes early I might add)

Just shot the video opening the box. I am resetting the timer for first look video tonight.  Should have video edited and be hosting our first online panel chat on the PMB! mesage board Bat Chat tonight by Midnight EDT give or take. (If I get hit by a bus – you’ll all have to wait and get your own)

Cryptic Highlights:

1. More metal.
2. Unexpected texture.
3. Are you KIDDING me?
4. Really?!

And for all the speculators out there that have been wondering how they managed to fit that new multi-piece aluminum base that showed up on the retailers sale-sheet into the box, or if that was just a dealer display – one word -INGENIOUS.

See you tonight.

Thanks to our amazing insider contact at Replicarz.com, we are excited to share this first look at the new Super Elite Batmobile model. We also received a factory listed breakdown of all the changes and detail upgrades we can expect to see and they are listed below. I will say that at this first glance – it looks like Hot Wheels has been paying attention to some of our ramblings! There are 25 MORE metal parts listed than on the Elite version! 35 Photo Etched parts total. Looks very promising!

New sturdier, upscale box.

For those of you who’ve been hankering for a great display option – how about custom cut/bent aircraft aluminum!

Steel braided wiring and we can see they’ve painted the dash upgrades.

Many of you that ordered Elites from Replicarz now realize what a great dealer they are for diecast cars and especially the HW Batmobiles. I’ve been authorized to tell you that they still have Super Elites available for pre-orders but the quantities are limited. So if you’re interested in these – you’ve seen how some of the other diecast sealers have performed with the Elites (not so great) I would personally recommend going with Replicarz on these. Tell them you saw them on PMB!

Let the Super Elite discussion begin! HERE 

List of new upgraded parts. (NOTE: As with the Elite, this is not definitive until it’s actually in HAND. But these are directly from Mattel documentation, NOT insider heresay or speculation)

- There is NO mention of lights/sound or any electronic features of any kind.
- Closed box with opening lid (as opposed to a window box)
- There is NO change listed for the body material (so probably still plastic bottom)
- Formed aluminum display base
- Black bat buckles
- Metal exhaust “collar”
- Metal exhaust “ring”
- Metal parachute cable
- Metal Siren Lighting Cover
- Metal speaker grilles
- Metal Door sill plates
- Metal rear antenna
- Metal window frames
- Metal door handles
- Painted red rockets in tubes
- PE enine plates in jet engine
- Braided steel fuel lines
- Red and blue hose fittings
- A pair of SU softgoods parachutes

- Painted batlever on dash*
- Added painted buttons on dash*
- Painted PVC seats*
(Note-  these last three items were NOT on the Elite’s list of features either as painted or unpainted, bringing up the questions – were they stuck on there last minute because they’re now using common dash parts? And are these “PVC” seats a new softer ddition or just the same as the removable ones on the Elite?)

- Hsg for top red siren?
(Note-  I don’t know what this item indicates. If anyone else wants to take a crack at what Hsg means – let me know. Handsignal? Hysterosalpingogram? Henry Strongin Goldberg? I don’t know if it’s a type of light or what.

No chrome listed but neither is it listed on the other models so there could still be more coming as well.

Want to discuss?  HERE