BATMAN'S BAT-VEHICLE-MANIA!

I started to notice a trend in my PC Bat-Folder so I thought I'd do this "Tribute" post about BATMAN Bat-Vehicles! The 1st photo I'm pretty proud of. This is our friend Darren's CUSTOM 1966 BAT-BOAT! Yeah, he's building this thing in his garage and he has been working on it forever. I mean, he's totally MAKING it! Here's a nice shot to show the wonderful progress he's made so far. It looks like he's started work on the Bat-Fin... Cool!



Next up is an extremely RARE 1960's Japanese Tin Toy Airplane BAT-JET owned by our buddy Bat-Cat in Thailand. This guy has some incredible "Museum Quality" type stuff. I totally love the Vintage Graphics on this thing!!



The Ford Mustang "Custom Batmobile" is a photo shared by a friend on Facebook. I don't care WHO you are, you gotta admit that it's a beautiful Masterpiece of ART, ha!



The last photo is kinda fun and goes back to the "Toys Theme". Here's a totally brand-new product that's just come out. This is the Dark Knight BAT-POD Motorcycle Plastic Model Kit by Moebius Models. I have not built a kit in many many years but this one is tempting me, ha!

New 2011 BATMAN Plastic Model Kits By Moebius - Tumbler Batmobile and Bat-Pod Motorcycle

Shown here are a few prototype pics of 2 Brand-New BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT Movie Plastic Model Kits that will be released by Moebius Models near the end of September, 2011. They're gonna make a Tumbler Batmobile ( 1:25 Scale ), a Bat-Pod Motorcycle( 1:25 Scale ),and a Set of 3 Figures ( no photos on those yet ). The best picture here is the Bat-Pod, click on it for way more detail. They're gonna retail for around $15 so be sure to look for them later. Also, once we get better pics we will share them here.

Video - BATMAN MOVEMENT Animation Test by 3D Artists

Here's a pretty cool video I came across the other night which shows CGI Modeling and texturing by 3D Artist Carles Gonzalez. Rigging and animated by Miguel Ángel Rubio Recio. The figure looks great but the cool thing is the actual movement of the figure. Batman starts out "walking", then a light sprint, and then some serious running action. All along the way the body seems very natural & the lighting is well done. Carles and Miguel live in Barcelona, Spain.

BATMAN MOVEMENTS from Miguel Angel Rubio Recio on Vimeo.

BATMAN Collector Reference Photos - Vintage 1960's Toys and Books

One of the main functions of the Bat-Blog is to celebrate the joy of collecting Batman toys and memorabilia, both old & new. So, it was really great to get an email from a reader named Robson who wanted to share a few pieces from his Vintage BATMAN Toy Collection. Shown here is the 1960's Aurora Batman Model Kit, a couple of 1966 Coloring Books, and a 1966 Twistable Batman made by Marx Toys. The Coloring Books are kinda common but I have always loved the graphics on them. The Marx Figure is so extremely RARE that it's almost what Vintage Toy Collectors call a "Museum Piece". ( One last thing, I made the photo of the Model Kit into a BATMAN Wallpaper Background you can use to brighten your desktop - Click on it to see it's full-beauty! ). Robson, Thank you for sharing these cool pics. If any other Bat-Fans out there who have any pieces they would like to share then please send us some photos too!

BATMAN COMIC BOOK GRAPHICS Wallpaper Backgrounds

Today I am feeling totally exhausted, I got NO sleep last night, so this is going to be a very lazy posting, ha ha! I decided to post a few BATMAN WALLPAPERS you can use to brighten your desktop's background. But before you hate me, they're pretty cool and I think/hope you'll like them! The 1st one uses some graphics you can see on the new 1966 Bat-Boat Model kit by Polar Lights. It's sort of retro-looking, so that's neat. The next one is kinda weird. It's a wood grain background with some hi-res scan of some 1960's comic book art drawn by Carmine Infantino, a Bat-Fan favorite!

Exclusive Product - 1966 Batmobile Model Kit Signed by George Barris

Here's some important BATMAN TOYS news! Over at the Auto World Store they are offering an EXCLUSIVE Product that many Batman Toy Collectors might enjoy. They're selling the Polar Lights 1966 Batmobile Car Model Kit 1/32 Scale ( The One in the Embossed Collector Tin ) Autographed by the Designer of the Custom Car, George Barris! Yes, the King of Kustoms!! It looks like the cost is around $63, which isn't too bad. If you wanna check it out & need more info then just click HERE!

Auction News - Batman Movie Memorabilia at Profiles in History

Next Friday & Saturday, December 17th & 18th, PROFILES IN HISTORY will be holding another of their famous "Hollywood Memorabilia" auctions in Beverly Hills, CA. This time they have some extremely amazing items up on the auction block: Original Puppets by Tim Burton from "The Corpse Bride", a Ton of "Blade Runner" Movie Props, Some items from "Terminator", & even "The Wizard of OZ"! But the best items for us Batman Collectors are some pieces from the "Batman Returns" 1992 movie & even one film-prop model from "The Dark Knight". In the "Returns" list there are many Conceptual Art Drawings, Danny Devito's Penguin Costume Pieces ( Umbrella, Monocle, Cigarette Holder ), & a 1/4 Scale Model of the Batmobile. The car alone is expected to bring $30,000 to $50,000 ( just a tiny bit out of my price range ). The "Dark Knight" item is the Garbage Truck driven by a Joker Goon. Well, not the actual "truck", ha ha!, but an extremely detailed model ( check out the pics ). There are even a few more items to numerous to list. So, here's a link to their website, just click HERE! Please keep in mind that Christmas is coming up & ANY of these items would make wonderful gifts... for me!

RAT FINK 1966 BATMOBILE Custom HOT ROD CAR Model Kit

Check out this totally crazy RAT FINK Custom Model Kit I saw on eBay the other night, ha ha! It's the 1966 Batmobile Car ( George Barris version ) with RAT FINK as the driver. If you're not familiar with the "Rat Fink" character then let me say he was a "Hot Rod freak" designed by Big Daddy Ed Roth in the 1960's. Both Fink & Roth are a cult heroes to many race car fans around the world. Anyways, I thought this model kit was pretty cool!

BAT-BABE! Hot Comic Book Fan-Girl Loves Batman!

Here are some totally wonderful fashion photos sent in by our new friend Martin. He wanted to share the fact that girls are Batman Fans too!! Thanks Martin, these amazing pics made my day & I know my readers will love them, hubba hubba! ( Guys, click on it for a larger version )

The NEW Polar Lights 1966 BATMOBILE CAR MODEL KIT is in Stores Now!

Here's some great news!! Our friend Batmobilly was at Toys-R-Us earlier today & guess what he found?! The NEW Polar Lights 1966 BATMOBILE CAR MODEL KIT & we're talking about the special "embossed tin box" Collector's Edition!! It retails for about $39.99. Yes, this Batman Model Kit was not suppose to hit stores until the end of the year but for some reason they're shipping them early, YES! We reported on this last April so just CLICK HERE for that story & more news about this kit. ( Thank you Batmobilly for the great picture! ). Whoops, you can also buy it at TFAW for 10% off, just click the button down below.

VIDEO REVIEW - The 1950's BATMAN BATMOBILE CAR Model Kit

Here's an interesting video I came across recently. It features Chris Gierke from the MONSTER MODEL REVIEW website giving a review on the BATMAN 1950's BATMOBILE Car 1:24 Scale Die-Cast Model Kit by Johnny Lighting, which that company made in 2002. I remember when this product originally came out & it was actually kind of hard to find at the retail level. This style of the Batmobile has always been a favorite of mine & I wanted to get this kit, but never did. So now it's on my future "want list" & someday I'll get around to buying one. In the mean time i can just drool over this video.

Custom BATMAN RETURNS Movie CATWOMAN & PENGUIN SCULPTURE!

Right now there's a big buzz on eBay. No, Warner Bros has not posted Christian Bale's original bat-suit from The Dark Knight movie. No, George Barris isn't selling off all of his original 1966 Batmobile Cars. No, the big news is that there is an artist in France who made this BATMAN RETURNS MOVIE-INSPIRED DIORAMA MODEL SCULPTURE! It's crazy, I have got a ton of emails about this thing about this with a lot of people asking, "Have you seen this? It's amazing!". An Artist named "ivy-topp" has created a scene right out of the 1992 Tim Burton BATMAN RETURNS movie. It's the moment when Catwoman ( Michelle Pfeiffer ) & The Penguin ( Danny Devito ) are in bed talking in her hotel room. The resemblance is uncanny! The details are totally crazy! The Artist made the figures, the bed, the lamps, the wall / floor, window blinds, etc...even a birdcage with a small bird! This thing is extremely cool! For more information be sure to check it out online right HERE!

SUPER FRIENDS - BATMAN MODEL SHEETS Animation Artwork by Alex Toth

Here are some amazing examples of the fantastic artwork of Alex Toth! Most of his fans know him for his Golden Age Comic Book Art but he was also a leading Graphic Designer in the World of Animation. In fact, he created most of the visual look for the Super Friends Cartoon TV Show back in the early 1970's & here are 3 totally awesome "Model Sheets" to prove it! A Model Sheet is something used by an Animator to keep an exact idea of what certain things are suppose to look like. It helps to make artwork consistent & sets the correct scales, sizes, & colors too. In these examples you see the ones for Batman himself, his Batmobile Car, & the famous Bat-Jet! I totally love this old animated cartoon & when I was a very little kid I really loved it too. I wanna thank our friend Scott for sending these great pictures & reminding me of my childhood. Also, I'm a HUGE Alex Toth Fan so seeing anything by him is a great treat.

THE PENGUIN Vinyl Model Kit BATMAN RETURNS ( 1992 Movie )

I just realized last night that I have not featured one of these wonderful Model kits in awhile so here we GO! Shown here, for your viewing pleasure, is this extremely beautiful Vinyl Model Kit of THE PENGUIN made by our good friend SKINNYBIRD. Of course it's the "Danny DeVito version" from Tim Burton's Classic 1992 Film BATMAN RETURNS. One photo is a full-body shot where you see the whole thing but the magic really happens in the other photo that is a close-up of the character's face. I think he did an amazing job on the painting of the face. Actually, the whole thing is painted extremely well, but with these kind of model kits of actual real-life people you really gotta do a good job on the face or they just don't work. This one does, looks just like the actor...NICE! If you're new to the Bat-Blog then I guess I need to explain that we have been posting a few of these Batman Models every now & then. A Good Friend to the Bat-Blog, nicknamed "Skinnybird", sent us some great pics awhile back of all the Batman Model kits he has built. To view all the ones posted so far just look down below this post for the LABEL word "Skinnybird" & click on that. It will open all the posts related to his artwork. Last, but not least, I wanna thank Skinnybird for sending these & invite all other creative readers to do the same! Your pics don't have to be models but can be any kind of Batman-related thing, thanks!

BATMAN PAPER CRAFT MODEL ACTION FIGURES - Golden Age Superheroes

Over at the Professor Plastik website they have a ton of very cool BATMAN PAPER CRAFT MODEL KIT ACTION FIGURES you can download & create...for FREE! Shown here are The Dynamic Duo, Batman & Robin! They also have a lot of wonderful Super-Villains too! As an example I am only showing The Joker & Riddler, but they also have: The Scarecrow, Dr. Hugo Strange, Two-Face, & Clayface. Now, keep in mind that these are the "Golden Age" versions like the characters existed in the 1940's. Personally, I think they are total works of ART! For more information, & the location where you download the PDF files, be sure to click HERE!

BATMAN PAPER CRAFT MODEL KIT - The JOKER'S "I Scream" ICE CREAM TRUCK!

Shown here is a totally insane Paper Craft Toy designed by J.P. Cote of Paper Empire Toys. It's the JOKER'S "I SCREAM" ICE CREAM TRUCK Model Kit in 1:24th Scale!! For people unfamiliar with this type of thing, basically what you do is: You download a few PDF files of this model onto your computer, you print them out with your PC's Printer on "card stock" paper, & then you cut them out. After that: you bend, fold, & paste them into this vehicle. Think of it as a Car Model Kit made out of paper! But just check out the photos here, this thing is CRAZY, ha ha! It comes with Rocket Launcher Silos, Joker Head Turret on the Top, a Rocket Exhaust on the Back, & even a Specially-Sized JOKER Action Figure! For more information & to download this wacky version of the Jokermobile, just click HERE!

BATMAN RETURNS 1992 Movie Vinyl Model Kit: PENGUIN COMMANDOS!

Remember the PENGUIN COMMANDOS in the 1992 BATMAN RETURNS movie? I always thought they were extremely cheesy but, also, I do have to admit that they do look kinda cool! These were the animals that the Penguin ( Danny DeVito ) had brainwashed & loaded with weapons to terrorize Gotham City, ha ha! Well, Here are some amazing Vinyl Model kits of them built-up by our friend known as SKINNYBIRD. This guy is pretty talented and has great skill with painting & building models! Every now & then we feature one that he has made. Please be sure to check out the BAT-ARCHIVES for more of them! ( Thanks Skinnybird! )

TWO-FACE Vinyl Model Kit From The BATMAN FOREVER 1995 Movie ( Tommy Lee Jones Version )

For awhile now we have been featuring some awesome Batman Vinyl Model Kits made by our good friend known as SKINNYBIRD. He sent us some nice pics of his personal collection of models he has built & painted. Every now & then we feature one and the cool thing is that they're always very popular. Now, here's the one he did of TWO-FACE from the BATMAN FOREVER movie ( 1995 ). Of course he was played by Tommy Lee Jones. OK, to be honest, this is one of my least liked Batman films. It was really really bad & practically ruined the franchise. But I don't want that to take away from the fact that Skinnybird did an incredible job on this model kit. Just check it out, the paint job is extremely well done & I like the custom base he made too. If you look at TWO-FACE's Double-Sided Jacket it a ton of detail to it, with the animal print patterns, that must have taken forever to paint ( Get it? "forever", Sorry, bad joke ). Before I go I wanna say three things: 1. I wanna thank Skinnybird for sharing his pics with us, all the models are great & I love sharing them. 2. OK, I know that some people just totally love this movie. It might have been their 1st introduction to the Batman Universe & I totally respect that. So, please just take my comments about this being a crappy film with a grain of salt. It's actually worth viewing as a part of Bat-History. Also, if you go into with a certain attitude, it's really not that bad & can be kind of enjoyable. 3. If you would like to see more of Skinnybird's work then just click on the word "skinnybird" in the Labels Area down below. Also, look for more kits in the future.

Vintage BATMAN AND ROBIN Parody Advertisement

Here at the Bat-Blog we have a friend named Ed who is totally into Model Trains. Recently, while looking through some old "Train Collector" Magazines, he came across this advertisement for the Lloyd Ralston Toy Company. Be sure to click on it for a larger, more readable version. It was a full-page ad with a complete parody of the 1960's Batman Comic Book ( or maybe the 1966 TV Show ). It features 2 characters called "Trainman & Locoboy"! The artwork is pretty cool & the whole thing is kinda funny! Thank you Ed for sending this in, You ROCK, Sir! ( If any other readers have wacky stuff like this to share then please do ).

Batman Model Kits: Jim Carrey's RIDDLER From Batman Forever ( 1995 ) Movie

Here's another Batman Model Kit built by our good friend known as "Skinnybird". This is THE RIDDLER from the 1995 BATMAN FOREVER Movie Starring Val Kilmer. OK, while this was not one of my favorite Batman movies, I thought that Jim Carrey did a pretty decent job of his performance for The Riddler. He's the sort of character actor who's good at playing a regular lovable guy one minute & then somebody who's totally insane & crazy the next. I also remember thinking that his Riddler costume was kind of accurate & very well made. I like his "Question Mark-Shaped Cane", a nice touch. Plus, if you're gonna be the Riddler, you gotta sport that famous Bowler Hat. Whoops, sorry about getting into the movie & Jim. This post is about the actual Vinyl Model Kit, ha ha! This Model Kit was made by Revell. It is 1/6th Scale so it's pretty big & great for display. I remember when these kits came out & my friend Steve bought this one. It's not bad! The details are very accurate & the face resembles the actual actor pretty well. I gotta say one thing. Our buddy Skinnybird did an extremely excellent job with this one! He sent us many photos of a large amount of Batman models he has made & we're gonna feature them every now & then. So, in the future, just click on the Label Word "Skinnybird" down below & all the posts with his kits will appear...it's really worth a look, pretty interesting stuff!