Review: Hot Wheels 1966 Television TV Series Batcycle & Sidecar
Am I blind or just stupid? You be the judge.
Here’s the thing: I’ve probably stared at this thing three dozen times at different Toys R Us stores. I’ve taken it to price checkers to see if the price had dipped below a certain point. I’ve been watching it.
But apparently I didn’t see it. Not really. I saw another Hot Wheels die-cast miniature vehicle, similar to the Batmobile I reviewed a while back. While I’m interested in almost any Bat-vehicle out there, I didn’t think this was worth the $45 Toys R Us had been asking. The fact that the scale was obviously different was another negative: it wouldn't look as natural with my collection.
I’d kind of resolved to wait and see if it hit fifteen bucks, the amount I decided I was willing to pay. It dropped to thirty months ago, but I shrugged. They weren’t selling, and the Adam West era isn’t exactly my favorite period in Batman’s history.
Well, it never hit that magic fifteen dollar point I was waiting on (not yet, anyway), but Toys R Us took 25% off all their clearance merchandise. I stood at the store, picked up the box, and looked it over again.
Then, for the first time, I actually bothered to look at the scale. 1:12. The same as 6 inch figures. This might not look like much beside my Batmobiles, but it would make a perfect accessory for my collection. Suddenly, $22 didn't seem like so much money....
Here’s the thing: I’ve probably stared at this thing three dozen times at different Toys R Us stores. I’ve taken it to price checkers to see if the price had dipped below a certain point. I’ve been watching it.
But apparently I didn’t see it. Not really. I saw another Hot Wheels die-cast miniature vehicle, similar to the Batmobile I reviewed a while back. While I’m interested in almost any Bat-vehicle out there, I didn’t think this was worth the $45 Toys R Us had been asking. The fact that the scale was obviously different was another negative: it wouldn't look as natural with my collection.
I’d kind of resolved to wait and see if it hit fifteen bucks, the amount I decided I was willing to pay. It dropped to thirty months ago, but I shrugged. They weren’t selling, and the Adam West era isn’t exactly my favorite period in Batman’s history.
Well, it never hit that magic fifteen dollar point I was waiting on (not yet, anyway), but Toys R Us took 25% off all their clearance merchandise. I stood at the store, picked up the box, and looked it over again.
Then, for the first time, I actually bothered to look at the scale. 1:12. The same as 6 inch figures. This might not look like much beside my Batmobiles, but it would make a perfect accessory for my collection. Suddenly, $22 didn't seem like so much money....
Appearance and Construction: 8/10
I'm going to be nice and set the sidecar aside for a minute and focus on the bike. That isn't to say the sidecar's all bad, but... there are complications. To keep things simple, let's think of that as an accessory and the bike as the main toy.
The Batcycle looks great and seems like a good likeness to the only picture I can find at the moment. The detail work is pretty impressive, but nothing incredible. I really like the seat and the bat emblems look good. As is often the case with Hot Wheels vehicles, I don't feel like the level of work quite justifies the price. Or, to put it another way, this is a good collectible, but not an amazing one.
The Batcycle looks great and seems like a good likeness to the only picture I can find at the moment. The detail work is pretty impressive, but nothing incredible. I really like the seat and the bat emblems look good. As is often the case with Hot Wheels vehicles, I don't feel like the level of work quite justifies the price. Or, to put it another way, this is a good collectible, but not an amazing one.
Packaging and Extras: ----
If you picked up one of the 1966 Batmobiles, you've more or less seen this packaging before. That doesn't bother me, mind you, but it's nothing new:
You've still got the blue box, the Bat-symbol, event the sound effects in various places. All of these are good, though I suppose there could be some more graphics or pictures. I guess they could afford the rights to the bike but not Adam West's face.
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Getting the batcycle free of its box is no small feat. It's screwed through the bottom. Given that a fall could break some of the smaller pieces on the sidecar, you'll want to exercise caution getting it free. As Robin is demonstrating to the right, unlike most die-cast vehicles, this actually comes with some extras. In fact, it comes with a few things worth talking about. Obviously, there's the attached sidecar. If you're like me, the first thing you'll want to do is pull that off. Well... BE CAREFUL! First, there are a few more screws you'll need to pull. Then you'll have to contend with the miniature metal bars that lock it in place. These will snap off with a hint of pressure, so be gentle. |
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You may be wondering how I can be so sure those metal bars will snap. Well, when I was reattaching the sidecar to snap some pictures, I wasn't careful enough. It's no huge loss: both the side car and Batcycle look fine with the piece missing, and it looks like it'll go back on with glue, anyway. Nevertheless, handle with care.
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While I'm pretty happy with the look of the attached sidecar (not happy enough to leave it attached, but that's neither here nor there), I'm less thrilled with the go-cart.
Now, let's be fair. This thing looked pretty lame on the show, too, so it's not like Hot Wheels had much to work with here. Still, this is definitely less visually interesting than the rest of the toy. It also looks out of scale: I'm pretty sure this should be larger than it is. Still, if it was between making this the wrong size or messing with the proportions of the rest, this was the part to sacrifice. There's one other extra which I almost overlooked. The packaging includes a hard plastic stand you can use to keep the sidecar upright if you want to display it separately. Since that's exactly what I plan on doing, it's well appreciated. |
While getting anything extra with a die-cast car is generally unexpected, the price point this starts at makes it anything but a bargain. Besides, the pieces added are more or less required this time out: who wouldn't feel cheated getting the Batcycle sans sidecar?
Play and Display: +1
In terms of articulation, this doesn't do an awful lot, but it basically does everything I expected of it. The front wheel swivels with the handle bars, there's a kickstand (which is why I'm able to take pictures with the bike standing), and the wheels turn.
Beyond that, you do have some display options. Remove the screws and the sidecar comes off, which works better for those of us who want to use this as an action figure accessory rather than a display piece.
Speaking of which, we come to the real value of this toy. Intentionally or not (I'm actually guessing intentionally, since Hot Wheels is a subsidiary of Mattel), this thing is scaled correctly for DC Universe Classics figures.
Not too surprisingly, characters with good leg and arm articulation work best. Robin, who has open hands and the right sized legs, could grip the handle bars and get his feet on the pedals (picture below). But the character who's keeping the bike is the one to the left. Batgirl's hands and legs don't work quite as well, but stylistically she's perfect.
If the sidecar wasn't so fragile, I might give this a second bonus point, but I'm already being generous not deducting. As it is, the ease with which this can be appropriated for six inch figures is getting rewarded.
Beyond that, you do have some display options. Remove the screws and the sidecar comes off, which works better for those of us who want to use this as an action figure accessory rather than a display piece.
Speaking of which, we come to the real value of this toy. Intentionally or not (I'm actually guessing intentionally, since Hot Wheels is a subsidiary of Mattel), this thing is scaled correctly for DC Universe Classics figures.
Not too surprisingly, characters with good leg and arm articulation work best. Robin, who has open hands and the right sized legs, could grip the handle bars and get his feet on the pedals (picture below). But the character who's keeping the bike is the one to the left. Batgirl's hands and legs don't work quite as well, but stylistically she's perfect.
If the sidecar wasn't so fragile, I might give this a second bonus point, but I'm already being generous not deducting. As it is, the ease with which this can be appropriated for six inch figures is getting rewarded.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 9/10
I'm probably being far too generous, but, frankly, I just don't care. I really love this thing, a lot more than I expected to. Right now I'm praying Hot Wheels makes some other cycles - say, the one from the animated series - in this scale. I'd pay real money for that.
Like I said before, this started at $45, which is a bit pricey, all things considered. Speaking objectively, even the $22 I paid feels like it's at the upper end of what this is worth. After all, it's not hard to get a generic die-cast motorcycle at this level of detail for less. Regardless what you pay for this, you're dishing out cash for the branding.
But... isn't it kind of worth it? I mean, it's Batman. And Robin.
If you can hold off, I actually expect this to get even cheaper before the last of these vanish from their shelves. As always, I could be wrong, but the Toys R Us stores near me haven't had much luck unloading these.
The only thing to be aware of is that the sidecar is fragile. In fact, it's ridiculously fragile. The bike feels a little more sturdy, but you'll still want to be careful.
Like I said before, this started at $45, which is a bit pricey, all things considered. Speaking objectively, even the $22 I paid feels like it's at the upper end of what this is worth. After all, it's not hard to get a generic die-cast motorcycle at this level of detail for less. Regardless what you pay for this, you're dishing out cash for the branding.
But... isn't it kind of worth it? I mean, it's Batman. And Robin.
If you can hold off, I actually expect this to get even cheaper before the last of these vanish from their shelves. As always, I could be wrong, but the Toys R Us stores near me haven't had much luck unloading these.
The only thing to be aware of is that the sidecar is fragile. In fact, it's ridiculously fragile. The bike feels a little more sturdy, but you'll still want to be careful.
I usually have something to say about Batman over at my blog: you can find that here. Want fiction? Try my other site. More pictures? Keep scrolling!
What? You're still here? Okay, okay... one more picture. But only because the world needs to know that Robin's been doing it wrong all these years.....
