Corgi 2000 1/18 Scale Batmobile (2004)

One of the great things about collecting Batman toys and collectibles is that the world of Batman is a big one. This provides quite a few characters and items to collect in addition to the main character, himself. He fights alongside many other "Bat characters" like Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl and also employs a plethora of gadgets and vehicles in his crusade against crime. I can't think of another superhero that has so many different characters and vehicles in "their story" that are almost as much a part of the mythos as the main character.

Of course, with all that said, there is one object is "Batman's world" that is most associated with Batman, himself... the Batmobile. There have been so many different Batmobile designs produced since the character's creation that it is almost dizzying to think about. However, this multitude of designs has created a wealth of fodder for toy and collectible makers to delve into when bringing Batman's "rides" to a toy shelf near you. A Batman collector can have a lot of fun collecting different Batmobiles alongside representations of Batman, himself. In fact, I'm sure there are plenty of collectors out there that collect Batmobiles, exclusively.

This is Corgi's 2000 Batmobile in 1/18 scale. The car was produced in 2004 but is a representation of a Batmobile from 2000, I'm guessing ( I believe it's from Jim Lee's Hush storyline). When I reflect back on my favorite Batmobiles, they tend to be ones from non-comic Batman properties (ie. TV, movies, animated). For some reason, I've never had much of an affinity for any of the Batmobile designs exclusively from the comics... at least, none come to mind. So, when this car was released, I picked it up more as an addition to my Batmobile shelf collection rather than out of having any great love for the design of the car. To be honest, I've always thought this design looked a little boxy and disjointed.

With all that being said, after taking photos of the car, I do think that it can be fairly photogenic and sleek looking from certain angles.






One cool aspect of this diecast model is all the smoked plastic panels on the top that lift off to reveal the interior and rear engine turbine (that actually spins when the car is rolling).



I do have to say that despite my slight misgivings with the design of the car, this is an extremely well-built and painted model... as we've come to expect from pretty much all Batmobile diecast cars from Corgi. All in all, this car would make a great addition to any Batmobile collection.