1989 Batmobile 76139 Lego Review

Any DC comic book fan or Batman fan is aware of Batman aka Bruce Wayne’s ultra futuristic Batmobile and his Batwings. While many fans search for these collectible accessories as décor pieces, the Lego DC series has introduced the 1989 Batmobile 76139 model for experts in Lego building as the difficulty level tends to be high.

New-age Batman enthusiasts who have seen the more developed version of this vehicle, as well as the fans who have watched the Batman movie from 1989 directed by Tim Burton will enjoy assembling 3306 Lego pieces of this challenging model. It is a treat to car and automobile enthusiasts too, thanks to the realistic representation of the iconic car from the Dark Knight franchise.

All the Lego 76139 DC Super Heroes 1989 Batmobile reviews available online agree with the accuracy of this set in respect to the original Batmobile driven by Michael Keaton in the movie. The DC Super Heroes set designed by Chris Perron, Adam Grabowski and John Cuppage is suitable for those aged sixteen years and above while having an affordable price range of USD and EUR 249.99 and GBP 219.99. The box weighs a little more than three kilograms with the dimension of 58.19cm x 37.80cm x 16.10cm.

What To Expect From The 1989 Batmobile 76139 Model

The signature black color scheme not only dominates the Batmobile structure but also the Lego box where you will also notice the emblem for the movie. There are twenty four numbered bags and two unnumbered bags containing the comparatively larger pieces. Few bags are packed with the instruction manual consisting of 4040 pages in a white box.

The manual has interesting facts regarding the development and designing process of creating a fusion of darkness and power, elegance and terror. You will find comments from the designers about different sections of this streamlined vehicle model they worked on. There are also 19 stickers including the printed ones that are easy to paste, especially on the 8x16 tile of display plaque.

Let’s proceed to the Lego 1989 Batmobile review to know about the three Minifigures –

Batman –Designed according to the getup of Keaton, this Minifigure comes with the exclusive rubbery plastic cowl and cape as seen onscreen and as a matter of fact, the cape was added in November 2019. The textures of the cape with the printed bat symbol are notable, so is the double sided head featuring white lens for eyes.

Batman figure has a new torso added with the cape and its decoration on each side of cowl and cape perfectly corresponds to the movie. Look out for the well-defined muscle and golden metallic utility belt along with the standard Batarang and the Overwatch pistol representing the indispensable grapnel launcher.  

Vicki Vale –With her buildable camera, new legs and torso added in November 2019, the blonde-haired Minifigure also has double–sided head. You will be reminded of the Flugelheim Museum sequence where Vicki has the encounter with the Caped Crusader and Joker.

The Joker –Featuring the oddly pronounced cheekbones replicating the permanent and spine-chilling grin portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the movie, the Minifigure is a faithful rendition. New torso and face added in November 2019 resembles that from the movie. Sporting a purple fedora hat, orange shirt, teal waistcoat and tartan trousers, the Minifigure has acid-sprayed flower attached to the lapel and the deep bluish grey gun.

Once fully assembled, the structure will stand above 12cm high with a length and width of 60cm and 22cm respectively. For the Minifigures, you will also have to build the display stand. Before you open the Batmobile light kit, let’s check out the highlights of the Batmobile model –

• The cockpit slides open by sliding the Technic Tiles along long axles and under the bonnet of Batmobile, two non-shooting hidden machine guns are included that can be popped up as you activate it by rotating turbine exhaust. Remove one panel from each of the fenders, twist rear-mounted afterburner in clockwise direction and the two M1919 Browning guns will be pushed up.  
• The wraparound windshield was introduced in November 2019. The interior has detailed steering wheel that moves the front wheels to some extent, two seats for Vicki and Bruce, stickers for dashboard and stick shift.
• On each side of Batmobile, two detailed grappling hooks are included. Other exterior details include Bat logo, wheel trims, specially decorated tires for front wheels, batwings etc.
• There is buildable display stand that rotates for viewing from every side and it features the information plate containing statistics of the 1989 Batmobile.
• Look out for the jet engine turbine that sits on the car nose, the deep-set low-angled canopy and the smooth curves creating the fins in shape of Batwing.    

Building Experience With 1989 Batmobile 76139 Model

With the highlights now in mind, follow the Lego 76139 review to learn about the building procedure of this rewarding and challenging set. just as various large-scale vehicles or other Lego models are built, the Batmobile also incorporates significant amount of Technic elements, primarily 4x6 bricks. Here are the highlights of the building experience –

• The steering mechanism follows the Technic construction and is quite complicated. The bodywork surrounding the steering is formed by integrating the Technic and standard slopes and bricks.
• If you have experience in building the Batmobile: Ultimate Edition 7784, the Batmobile 76139 will seem quite resembling as similar building techniques are used. The vibrant parts visible below are concealed by the additional armor layer over the slopes and therefore, a smooth surface is created.
• Assembling the steering column will be easy although construction of the machine guns housing will be complicated as it depends on the sideways assembly and brackets.
• The texture of the flanks is made with roller skates of pearl silver color and you have to integrate the gauntlet components of pearl dark grey color accordingly. Grapnel launchers are formed with gear shifter rings tucked between the 2x2 wedge plates.
• The armored bodywork shrouding the entire vehicle is created using several angular sections. The panels are attached to Technic frame in different ways, such as with hinge plates, brackets and pins. Apart from the round air intakes, you will love how different wedge plates are connected together.
• The construction of the interior to the Batmobile Lego set is much like the vehicles from the Lego Creator Expert series and the wheel bearings on the rear side are closely aligned.
• Once the internal structure and wheel arches are assembled, the outer layer of the front section is built. The turbine engine and blades are created with 2 train wheels. Fit the canopy and add curved slopes near the rear section to add rigidity to the windscreen.
• The 3x8x2 shells and curved slopes are needed for the section behind cockpit and as you slot them into the space available for each, the replica of the curvature of the model is created. Attach the 2x2 sliders with 2x2 round tiles that have holes along the center and 2x2 jumper plates to create the round windows.
• A few spoiler elements are used to construct the louvered exhaust vents angled in two directions with clips concealed beneath bodywork. Use inverted 1x3x2 bows on each side upside down to create the elegant shape of pronounced wings.
• In the final stage, covers for machine guns and taillights are added along with the turbine exhaust system with angular pearl deep grey shells.  

Now you might have a clear idea about the building experience and once the structure is complete, you cannot but notice a few things in particular, for example, the display stand that features winged grotesques on two corners leaving plenty of room for the three Minifigures. Its grey color compliments the vibrant attires of the Minifigures and will remind you of the very structure shown in Gotham City in the movie.

Beside the horizontal plaque, you will also notice the stand of Batmobile that is attached to the Technic bricks underneath the vehicle. When you light up Lego Batmobile highlighting its muscular stance and aerodynamic profile, the vehicle placed sideways will be easy to rotate on the turntable and the plaque will be clearly visible.

1x1 trans yellow bricks placed between armor layers perfectly represent the subtle bodywork around headlights while the white stickers pasted behind them increase the visibility. Among the several stickers, those on system displays, control panels are notable along with the bat symbol on steering wheel and the spare round 1x1 tile.

You can easily adjust each of the central levers along with the accelerator and brakes on the footwell. The connecting rod of light bluish grey color scheme creates the throttle lever. There are also some stickers in the space between car seats. The mudguard components are used for creating headrests. The dark bluish grey color scheme to the interior is in contrast with the colossal black exterior.  

Other notable features include the trans red significant sized taillights, pearl deep grey nozzle for turbine exhaust, 4 pearl silver colored exhausts placed around its central structure, perfectly integrated louvered vents, the scalloped shaped batwings fixed on both sides with narrow bands etc. A substantial air intake is created with curved slopes behind cockpit and the rear brakes look attractive with inlets on both side. Another interesting feature will be the fuel caps in metallic silver color scheme.

Lighting Up 1989 Batmobile 76139 Model

The Lego Batmobile 1989 light kit is like a piece of cake once you have passed all the aforementioned building processes, especially when the Briksmax light kit for Batmobile is a plug-and-play set for 6+ years old enthusiasts. You can install it even without any skill of electrics and enjoy customization with three random colored Lego bricks. You should better test each element from the light kit before final installation for a seamless experience.

• The detailed instruction book will help throughout the process with illustrations and steps in the universal language while a user guide is there for latter installations.
• Batteries are not there in the kit and arranging them beforehand for the AA battery pack will make your job easy. There is an Adhesive Square, one 12-port, one 6-port and two 8-port expansion boards in the kit.
• The Lego 1989 Batmobile lights include one warm white and four blue light strips, six large-sized 30cm LEDs of warm white tone, two 30cm yellow and ten 30cm red LEDs and two 30cm red LEDs with slow-flashing effect.
• Use brick separator to conceal and insert two 5cm, one 15cm and five 30cm cables between Lego stubs. Connect the 30cm USB cord with the power hub and maintain a steady voltage below 5V to be secured from electrical burns.

Activated from the day you get the light kit delivered, you will get a 2-year warranty with the after-sales card from manufacturer. Y any unfortunate chance if you notice any discrepancy within a week of delivery, Briksmax also offers a return policy with replacement.