I'm a fan of the 1989 Batman film and hold the film pretty close to my heart. I'd like to think that I have a good amount of knowledge when it comes to the trivia and behind the scenes of the movie, more than just your average fan. I've obsessively followed the film to a point that, when any new information that I haven't previously known comes up, from a deleted scene, to new behind the scenes stuff, that it gets me excited and even more interested in the movie. I know about the behind the scenes tricks, the deleted scenes, the nike boots, how they made the cape, etc.
From Kenner to ERTL, to Hot Wheels, I've owned a vast amount of collectibles/merchandise for the film.
When it comes to the Batmobile and the film in general, I'm so happy and relieved that I'm not so obsessed with "accuracy" that I find issues with the merchandise/collectible products of the film. It blinds fans who would otherwise be perfectly content with the cool collectibles that have come out. We've seen this with many "expert" members for the Dark Knight and cking with Superman. They're never happy and are always in pursuit of something that will never happen, perfection and perceived "accuracy".
They let the informational, factual aspect take over the fun of the hobby.
None of these things have ever been 100% perfect. Even recently, the new Hot Toys '89 Batman, as fantastic as it is isn't absolutely true to the film counter part. The suit is one piece, the cowl has a texture, the suit has a texture, I could go on and on. You know what though? It's still the best Batman figure to date and I don't really give a damn if it's true to life or not. I didn't work on the film, I'm not privy or in the know about every single detail that has gone on behind the scenes of these films. It's "close enough" and in some ways, in a lot of ways, I prefer Hot Toys' "idealized" version of what they gave us.
The same applies to this '89 Batmobile. Out of the Batmobiles I own, my two favorites have been the Kenner, 1990 Dark Knight Collection Batmobile and the Hot Wheels 1:18th scale die cast Batmobile.
Neither one of them are accurate. The Kenner Batmobile has dark, gold hub caps, no lights, one seat (with a label/decal for the dash and a boxy no less) and isn't in perfect scale for the Batman. The Hot wheels one isn't 100% true to it's on screen counterpart either, especially with those infamous red/orange headlights.
You know what though? They capture the character and essence of the film Batmobile. It was good enough for the kid in me who wanted to play with one and good enough for the adult collector who wanted to collect them.
This Hot Toys Batmobile is no different. Yes, it's a little boxy and there are a few things that could be changed but it's hardly as bad as some would like to make it out to be. It's not the '89 Batmobile? Really? You could have fooled me. I don't care what screen caps or references you show me. These things will never be 100% accurate, not only because they're an entirely different scale, but because even behind the scenes there were differences, ala, MOVIE MAGIC. Not only that, but when you illustrate photos of two different scales, in different lighting, from different perspectives, it's still not a good comparison.
There was a time when '89 Batman product was pretty much non-existent, especially "accurate" high-end quality stuff like these Hot Toys and Toynami collectibles. If you wanted it, you pretty much had to commission it or make your own.
Now collectors are getting what they always dreamed of, and now, for a select few, it's "not good enough". Well as the old saying goes, beggars can't be choosers.
These things have come a long way, just look at one of the very first Batmobile from 1989,
(nothing against you Toy Biz, you were cool for your time)
I have a hard time finding fault with Hot Toys'
interpretation of the Batmobile. It's the right size, comes with most, if not all of the main gadgets/weapons, has yellow headlights, a detailed cockpit, working canopy and more. Perfect? No. But no collectible ever is.
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