As DisThunder loves to point out, “Chicks love the car.”
I have said before that, even though this line is starting to get picked up by collectors, the target audience still skews on the younger side. The adorable nature of the aesthetics and characters designs appeal to just about everyone (unless you are dead inside), and the official product description is just as cute:
Is it a BATMOBILE? Is it a BATJET? Actually it’s both, for twice the fun!
Here’s the perfect vehicle for speedy arrivals, fast getaways and high-flying adventures! Driving kids’ imaginations on the ground, the Batmobile sports cool, see-through parts and unique hubcap-less wheels with room to fit Batman™ and another Super Hero in the cockpit! (Each sold separately and subject to availability.)
Ready to take the action to the skies? Turn the Power Pad on the back of the Batmobile to transform it into a jet. The front wheels drop down, the side skirts open and the back wheels form wings and jet engines! Press a button on the side, and the pilot will drop out. Little crime-fighters can take the battle to the streets, to the air – or both! It’s all up to their imaginations!
See, why so serious, Batman? You are a heroic little crime fighter, but you have never been so cute! Cute as he may be, Imaginext is serious business in that the line continues to combine playability with smart, and well-designed figures, vehicles, and playsets. One of the most recent offerings from the DC Super Friends line is the Transforming Batmobile, because you cannot expect Batman to take on the Joker, Harley Quinn, and the rest without bringing his toys, can you? Well, now his toys can be your toys and this vehicle can help lil’ Batsy patrol the land and the air.
While action features can be a subject that is difficult to broach in the collector action figure world, Imaginext is built on the concept. Generally action features are decried in figures due to the usual sacrifice of articulation and/or aesthetics, but with the Imaginext designs, the toys are able to incorporate all kinds of fun action, without taking away from the intended model. This was put through very well with the Hall of Doom playset, and now this transforming Batmobile takes advantage of the scheme as well. In fact, the transforming action is so well hidden in this thing that, if it did not say so on the box, you would not be able to tell the car turns to plane simply by looking at it.
Sure, the design for both looks is unique, but that is a staple of Imanginext, but right off the card, you are just expecting a car. Not that it takes anything away because it functions very well as such, but the only thing better than one bat-vehicle is two bat-vehicles, right? I had a friend when I was a kid that, no matter what kind of vehicle he was playing with, and it could have been a friggin’ submarine, he always made it fly. So, Jason, if you are out there reading, the Imaginext guys totally get you, and your vindication is here, complete with Batman.
The design of the car itself is very modern and streamlined, but it still adheres to idea of being something that Batman could be piloting out of the Batcave at any time. The clear wheel covers are an interesting touch, and lack of apparent wheels adds some wonder to moving parts. The cockpit is big enough for Batman and Robin (or Catwoman, or an Imaginext ghost, if that is your thing), so when Batsy takes to the sky and decides to skydive, at least he won’t be leaving his rig without a pilot. The front “prongs” can be used to as cattle catcher to scoop up all of Gotham’s miscreants and push them right to the door of Gordon’s police station.
Now, using your Batman and the red action pad at the back of the car, you can quickly go from ground to air in your crime-fighting pursuits. A quick twist tuns the front wheels down, the rear wheels pivot to the back and the wings deploy from the bottom. That is a lot of movement, but it all springs in to action fluidly, and I see Batman seemingly running out of room on many a tabletop before taking the action to the skies. Once in the air, there is a compartment at the bottom that can be released via a red button that will drop your Batman into action.
Speaking of Bats, this set includes one unique Batman that is dressed for the skies in stealth mode. The costume is more armored than a traditional Batsuit, and it carries some colorful yellow accents. Batman’s lower legs are cast in a clear plastic that looks like he is going stealth. He has a big cannon to fire and a clip-on jet pack that will ensure when he abandons ship, he will be well prepared. He is Batman, after all.
While I have seen the Hall of Doom at retail, I have yet to happen upon this set, and I am going to guess because it is probably pretty popular. Getting two vehicles in one is always a bonus, and Imaginext is so in tune with what its purpose and concept is, the team behind it does a great job with all of the executions. Now, I will probably make a standard Batman take the reigns here, but other than that, my daughter and I are already having fun with this one.
*Thanks to the Imaginext team for sending this piece along for a look.
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