# Batmobile Crash Leaves Batman An Invalid!!



## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

Man, do I dig Batmobiles.

I was slowly progressing on my 40's Batmobile kit, when I found the clubhouse annoucement for a PL contest. Looking over the list, I saw what would keep me going through the winter: The 1950's Batmobile. I went into the dungeon and blew the dust off the box and started 'er up!

If you do not have this kit, you are missing out on a fantastically detailed car! I had so much fun building the interior crime lab and dash board (complete with accessories straight from the car's comic book debut) that I scanned in the comic book artwork to make custom decals of the console monitor and scanner screens. I had to use a very small mechanical pencil to detail the dials, ruler, and map.

I did the undercarrage with a mix of blacks and gunmetals. 'Cause I like to, I stripped all the chrome pieces and re-painted them silver metallic. I also stripped the metal body of everything save the "glass" and re-painted it dark blue. I kept the front bat head black to keep a design consistencey across bat-cars. I added a bat symbol into the spot light.

I finished the car off with car polish. It looks great on the shelf next to the 1950's Batgyro that Horizon made years ago.

All in all, the kit took a month to build, with the most time spent on getting the body paint just right.

What a cool model!


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## Otto69 (Jan 2, 2004)

*Wow.*

Beautiful interior work! Now I have to get that kit. I cannot resist kits with interior detail!


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Pretty neat , pretty neat !!! :thumbsup:


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Looks cool! I like the lab.


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

That's the P.L. Batmobile,not the Lunar Models one,right?Fantastic job.It would be a great idea if one day I finally decided to build all the Batmobiles I have and put them side by side in a Batcave diorama scene.Same thing with Batplanes,Barboats,etc.Unless I'm mistaken,the 1960's batmobile and Batplane are blue in color.I wonder if they should be painted in black also in order to match the other Bat vehicles.What would you guys do in this situation if you decided to build such a Batcave diorama.


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## daikins (Jul 24, 2003)

Yes, it is the PL metal-bodied kit. 

I am building a series of Batmobiles, approximately two for every decade of Bat-comic-dom. My opinion is that all of the comicbook Batmobiles were dark blue. Now realize I stopped reading batman comics when Frank Miller wrote "The Dark Knight", so I can't say what happened after 1990. In contrast, the movie Batmobiles have all been black. 

Not that any of it really matters. Have fun!


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## Warped9 (Sep 12, 2003)

*Deane*, that is one damned beautiful model. I _love_ that design, certainly much more than the live-action batcars of the films. The only other batmobiles I really like are the '60s George Barris car (#1) and the car seen in the '90s _Batman_ TAS.


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## Zorro (Jun 22, 1999)

Given the art of comic book inking - especially the _limited_ artistry of the Golden and Silver Age - I think a blue or black interpretation for most Batmobiles is equally valid. You've still got guys arguing as to whether Batman's cape and cowl are supposed to be blue or black and that arguement goes right back to the original inking of the character. For me personally, the 1950s Batmobile might rank as the coolest kit Polar Lights ever produced.


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

Didn't they ink the Cape in blue so the reader could see definition?
If they used black, it would just blend into a large shape.


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Dude, that is sweeeeeet! I've seen artwork of that version of the Batmobile, but never a model. Kewel work, Deane! :thumbsup:


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## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

Beautiful work, Deane! 

Ditto the praise for PL on the lob they did.


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

dreamer said:


> Beautiful work, Deane!
> 
> Ditto the praise for PL on the job they did.



Hey amigo! I knew this would get your attention! 

My work wouldn't be a 10th of what it is if you hadn't posted your amazing interior shots of this kit.

Yeah, I know, it was blue because black wouldn't reproduce well. I like the contrast of mid-night blue bodies with the black bat head emblems, etc. Making the cars blue (with silver accessories as opposed to chrome) makes them more in line with my memories of the comics. Plus, in certain lighting, these blue cars look black.

I am going to enter this car into the 3/19 NNL East car show in NJ. The theme of the show is "class of '55" and I am SOOOOO tempted to bash my Horizon 1950's Batmobile kit into the Shelly Moldoff "Bubble-mobile" that made it's debut in Detective Comics 223, Sept 1955. 3 weeks! Oy!

Thank you all for the very kind words. The members of this board have always been a touchstone of creativity for me.

Anyone else have any cool Bat-pictures?


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

Nice work Deane,
Thanks for posting the photos!
Dave


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

STUNNING! Great work!

I go with either the blue or black depending on my mood, slightly preferring the blue for the '60s comic book version due to the emblem being black and not very visible when put on black painted surface.


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

I wonder if you had a favorite small,or big dorama you would like to build around the Batmobile,what would it be.Would it be one scene that you have seen in a comic book,or one coming out of your head.Of course if aftermarket figures of the 1950's Batman did exist,would one sitting in the Batmobile be prefered over a full action one.I guess the same question would apply to all of you guys.Just for the hell of it.Personally,the Batcave is appealing to me,but equally one in a back alley,Batman in a full action pose,with or without villains in the picture.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Deane, thanks for the inspirational pics! I've had the 2 metal PL Batmobile kits collecting dust for a couple of years now; I think I'll build the 50's one first. :thumbsup:


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## The Batman (Mar 21, 2000)

CaptFrank said:


> Didn't they ink the Cape in blue so the reader could see definition?
> If they used black, it would just blend into a large shape.


Yes. That was the original intention. However, as time passed, the various artists began using less and less black ink and showing more and more blue area on the costume. It's not clear whether Bob Kane and his team _always_ intended the blue to represent black highlights after that or not.... 

Since Kane was alive and a consultant on the Batman tv series when it debuted in 1966, and since Adam West's costume leaned heavily on using dark blue.... I think it's safe to assume that it didn't really matter either way.

Personally, I would think that the original Black and Gray suit makes the most sense... However, when it comes to those 1950's - 1960's era stories, the Dark Blue and Gray seems more appropriate.

I guess the cool thing about comic book coloring is that it leaves alot of room for personal intrepretations.

- GJS


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## dreamer (Jan 1, 1970)

Deane, glad you got some use out of the mechanical pencil tip. Er, the tip about the...well, you know what I mean. Keep us informed of your progress on the others, I keep checking in to see if you've posted more!


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