Review: 76052 Batcave, part 1
Posted by LostInTranslation,
On a peaceful Saturday in Gotham City, Commissioner Gordon suddenly gets news of a mass prison breakout of four legendary villains. Much like the sheet of 29 stickers to apply, it’s clear that this will be a challenging task, far too much for the Gotham City Police Department to handle, so the Commissioner and his trusty aide Chief O’Hara get on the Batphone to the only man who can help. They may never know the true identity of the cowled crusader, but they will always be grateful for his protection of Gotham....
Meanwhile, at stately Wayne Manor, Alfred, faithful butler of millionaire Bruce Wayne, is dusting in the study when the he hears the red hotline to Commissioner Gordon ring, desperately seeking the assistance of Batman.
The study is tastefully decorated in 1x4 white bricks printed with a decorative sand green pattern, with portraits of Martha and Thomas Wayne hanging to either side of the bookcase, lit by 1x1 trans clear round bricks supported on the new 1x1 modified round tile in pearl gold. The fish mounted above the bookcase is clearly a memento of the many fishing trips taken by Bruce and his young ward Dick Grayson.
Aware of his master’s secret superhero identity, Alfred calls Bruce to the phone, along with Dick (aka Robin, The Boy Wonder). The phone doesn’t have the usual dialling pad, as it only connects to the line in Commissioner Gordon’s office. In archive footage I found from a 1966 series telling the life of Bruce/Batman (in colour!), a regular black telephone was usually sat alongside the hotline on the study desk but is not present here.
The desk also includes an open police case file on that cool criminal customer, Mr Freeze - not included among the four villains involved in this case, though I’m sure he’ll be around wreaking havoc in Gotham sometime soon.
Having been apprised of the impending dangerous situation facing Gotham, the Dynamic Duo must spring into action. Dick lifts up the bust of Shakespeare (seemingly tan marble here rather than brownish bronze) on the desk to reveal a secret switch, which he then presses to trigger the bookcase to slide back.
“To the Batpoles!”
The heroes manage to slide down the poles in the rocky shaft down to the caverns beneath Wayne Manor, changing into their costume as they go – an incredible feat seeing as the poles behind the bookcase in the study don’t actually connect to the long spiral fireman’s poles running down the section beneath!
This section is constructed of 4 tan columns, one at each corner of the 16x16 plate, provided with numerous SNOT brackets and then partly camouflaged with dark tan slopes of all sizes. This part of the build is a really excellent lesson in how to build up interesting rocky terrain for MOCs.
Down in the Batcave, Batman and Robin set to using their high-tech equipment to try and discover what the fearfully fiendish foursome might be planning. At their disposal is a chemistry lab, complete with the latest analysis equipment.
Most of the other equipment is unidentified (surprising, as things generally seem to be helpfully labelled in Gotham City), but I guess they include gadgets such as a Hyper Spectrograph Analyzer, Secret Writing Detector and Hypermetric Lie Detector – though the Giant Lighted Leucite Map of Gotham City sadly appears to be absent from the cave.
The Batcave is again a masterclass in SNOT and tan-scaping with the judicious use of four dark tan BURPs to build up height fast. Inside the cave, the main focus is the Atomic Pile used to power all of the equipment as well as the Batmobile. Again, this is constructed using various SNOT techniques decorated with printed computer and tape tiles. Four round pillars surround the main reactor. The sand green fencing around it is a lovely detail that contrasts nicely with the orange cladding.
But what is happening outside Wayne Manor?
This dark-orange façade is classically elegant, as befits stately Wayne Manor, with tan window fixtures. The construction of this façade is again rather unusual as it all consists of applying plates and tiles to a flat base, which is then affixed to the brackets on the pillars. This is obviously much less parts-intensive than constructing a brick wall to the height required. All in all, the process for building Wayne Manor is very interesting and unusual, unlike any other modular or advanced set I have ever built.
But… Oh no! Holy feline felon, Batman!
The cat that was on the roof of the study was clearly a spy, who is now informing his boss, Catwoman, that the coast is clear and Wayne Manor is unattended! With Batman and Robin just about to jump into the Batmobile to go and see Commissioner Gordon for an update on the situation, who will protect Wayne Manor and Alfred??
Is Catwoman working with The Riddler, The Joker and The Penguin??
What devious plot have these costumed criminals concocted??
Is the Batmobile fast enough to get Batman and Robin back in time to foil them??
Will this case have a happy ending or will it result in a mish-mash of misery??
You’ll find out by tuning in tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!!
Thanks to LEGO for sending the set for review. I know it's obvious but I'm obliged to tell you that this review is an expression of my views and opinions.
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53 comments on this article
Excellent review Huw.
Along with a cup of coffee what a great start to the weekend.
Excited for part two tomorrow!!
Looking all the more forward to receiving this set soon, and imagining ways to cover up some of the weaker spots and make the seperate builds a little more cohesive.
Thanks!
Fun review style for this set! Really enjoyed reading it. I am liking the look of it more seeing your close up photography. Still think I can get more Lego value for $280 elsewhere though so I will probably give it a pass. Hope others enjoy it though.
I'm not so keen on this style of review. It doesn't seem very critically balanced, so hopefully that will appear in the second part. Thanks anyway, it's good to get multiple opinions on the set.
Lucy wrote this one, not me...
Excellent review, Lucy :-) And some great photos. Look forward to Part 2.
Blimey, that's one heck of a sticker sheet! :-S
The style of the review may be a bit unusual for Brickset, but I was trying to echo the tone of the television series on which the set is based.
Don't worry @JClay84, there will be a (hopefully) balanced conclusion dealing with the details of the build in part 2 tomorrow :-)
Bit of an odd review tbh. Hopefully part two will be more about the build and the set, rather than basically writing a story.
Anyway, I spy 1x1 dark orange tiles! Very happy to see those, as I need some for a moc! :D
Great review, I loved the style. Looking forward to the conclusion of this cliffhanger!
As a fan of the '60s TV series I will probably buy this set. But it's still disappointing that the set consists of so many separate smaller sections. It really could have done with a baseplate, or some other way of connecting all the separate pieces. This is why I feel Ewok Village is automatically superior to this set and Assault on Hoth.
I enjoyed the review Lucy and looking forward to part 2 tomorrow.
The designer has certainly chosen a different way of building Wayne Manor, but I am already getting feelings of a rather disjointed set......
Will tune in tomorrow to see if my thoughts are correct.
Great review! Love the story telling, makes the review different from the many reviews of Lego sets nowadays! Good work :-)
I loved the review. Hope tomorrows is more of the same.
Okay. I *loved* your review :).
Pity I'm still not liking the actual set. The more I look at the cave, the more I just can't get past the dark-tan colour. It looks dreadful. Couldn't they have used any grey or black or something? I don't mind BURP pieces (heck, I've always quite liked them), and I'm sorry to be so critical, but that colour is awful.
But those minifigs are so darn pretty.
The review style was great! It was a nice balance of bringing back the old Batman series and discussing the set. I really think the minifigs are great. I do share many of the disappointments expressed by Lucy with the main one being that dam sticker sheet. What a crime. Commissioner Gordon should arrest the designer for that one.
Not a fan of the set but the review was very enjoyable!
The rock work looks pretty good too.
Great review, may have even convinced me to buy this!
I love the way this has been written. Everything I read sounded just like the narrator. I can't wait for the next part.
Already the resellers are trying to wring blood from a stone...its fisgusting just how opportunistic so-called Lego Fans are...
Fab review Lucy! Totally befitting the tone and seriousness of the original series and should be taken within that context. Really disappointed with the set. Opportunity lost to slide down the batpole into the batcave. The designers could have redeemed a few points by including this as a play feature. Not impressed by the number of plates as walls, even if this does keep costs down. Don't have the cash to spend on these size of sets anyway, but this and Hoth are pretty poor indeed.
Ignore the "dry" people Lucy, I liked the style of this review from the moment I started reading. Makes a pleasant change from the regular "this brick hasn't appeared in strawberry yellow since the Mongol Invasion battlepack of 1947, and even then there was only one in the set" format.
Great review, really made me smile! Looking forward to part 2 tomorrow.
This review was obnoxious. Where's the critical evaluation? This was no review at all.
Thanks. Where's all the sound effects?? Btw, it's 'caped crusader' not cowled crusader.
I appreciate the writing in the review- I can just imagine an announcer reading off the half-dozen questions at the end.
Great review, especially of a set that otherwise doesn't have a whole lot to talk about.
Very good review, looking forward to part 2. But... can we have a proper, drier, evaluation of it please?
Thanks for the review. I will pass. It feels a bit less polished with those empty technic slopes and huge empty vertical tan plate in the front. And I am too young to know that show :) I like the back of the manor though, very nice and interesting part of the set.
Perfect start to my morning
Wait, huh? They've got a half sphere plate now?
Great review so far, Huw!
Try noticing that this does say "Part 1" there may be some weird part 2 from some hidden room that will appear and appease those wanting the "real" review, or not, but at least see what the other part might say before getting all riled up.
And I'd hope that the bat poles would at least have some trigger to them, put normal ones in turn bookcase and the suited ones will slide down the other side...probably won't since this set is blah already.
Not a huge DC fan...but I have to say, a Stark Tower with this much detail (and the not unreasonable 40 variants of the same minifigure) would definitely be a purchase I would make!
Thanks @LostInTranslation . As a dedicated DC comics reader, and avid Batman fan, I found your review very entertaining, with great reference to source material and canon. Looking forward to part 2.
Wow, great writing style LostInTranslation! Great way to start off the morning, and I can't wait for what you have tomorrow! This is probably the review I've enjoyed the most on this site ever, period.
Great review, Lucy! Love the style. I need to aspire for this kind of originality in my reviews :-) I'm still doubting I'll get this set, but the minifigs look fantastic.
Great review Lucy. It was a really fun read can't wait for the next bit.
Holy plastic parts, Batman! I think I may have been a little too harsh on this set to begin with :P
I've been on the fence with this set...not sure if this is how I spend my money.
The review makes me like it more, I like the nostalgic tone because after all that was the main reason I would buy this set. I don't like to build legos, never have. I like to display them, but still not sure if this is a good displayable set being all disjointed or do I need my kids to modify it for display, which most likely will never happen....so back on the fence I go.
I think you have to be a fan of the series to enjoy this type of review..which I am and I did. This was really enjoyable to read. I especially love the questions at the end considering they did that in the show.
As for the set. It is a bit lackluster, but this type of review made me want to buy it more. I'm sure I'll end up getting it eventually, likely a Christmas present with some VIP points to help offset the cost. The figures look amazing. I don't love some of the build, but I'm okay with the colors/sticker design. I'll have to weigh the costs of figures vs set.
I can't wait to tune in again. Thanks!
(I'm also amazed at how many people don't pay attention to the byline about who wrote the review. Huw does good work, but there seems to be a whole Brickset team that does good work, so everyone kudos!)
Great review! However, after seeing the confirmation of the obnoxious amount of stickers in this set I'll pass. The new build style of the manor is interesting and makes me wonder if we will start seeing that as a new mod build style for LEGO.
I hope that double points gets the the 'set breakers' on BL buying a ton of these so I can get a (relatively) cheap Batmobile out of it (as that is all I want anyway, along with Joker and Catwoman).
Those 1x4 brick with wallpaper design will likely be in demand as well.
To Everyone Complaining about the 60's Style of the Review.
For those who are saying it's "silly" or "stupid" we are getting something unique and original. Who says LEGO has to be serious business? It's a toy that is meant to bring fun and joy! The review is matching the theme of the original Batman show perfectly, plus it's not harming anything! We aren't even at the final verdict yet!
Okay, fantastic review so far. I was laughing hard at the end!
What a great review. It's nice knowing it comes from someone who clearly appreciates and knows something about the original series. And, as is often the case, the set looks much better up close than in the initial images.
Nice one Lucy :)
I really enjoyed the review! Great job! I'm having second thoughts about the set now, in a good way. I was initially excited about it when it was first revealed, but then became dissapointed at how the different parts aren't more connected. After reading this review and seeing the pictures, I'm very excited about it again. I'm liking the detail in the office and the design of the cave. Can't wait for part two!
This review style isn't quite as easy to follow as normal reviews, but for this large set it totally works and I thought it was really well done. Pictures and commentary are great, shows this was written by a true fan! Can't wait for the next part.
This is my favorite review ever! Great job Lucy!
Love this review style! I hope we get more of it, and not just for Batman-related sets. As someone who watched every episode of the series when it re-ran in the late 70s, I could really appreciate the narrative.
Can't wait to read part 2. If I get this set [which i do want to get!], it will clearly need more parts, as there's a lot that feels unfinished to me [the front of the batcave hiding the poles - needs more texture like below; also the sides of that same area, as well as the sides of the garage/helipad [and somehow make the Batmobile actually fit properly into the garage, as right now it sticks out a lot].
Article idea for Brickset - maybe have JangBricks do a video "how to" for applying stickers, as I find it quite challenging, and this set has some of the largest stickers I've ever seen on a LEGO set. I'd love to learn a good method to applying them!
Ha! Lovely review, right in frame of the 66 tv show. I quite enjoyed it.
I am so on the fence about this set. I won't be able to afford both this and the Ghostbusters HQ. My wife points out that the GBHQ is just a plain building on display. She's not entirely wrong, despite all the amazing bits when it's opened.
But GBHQ is also a self-contained display piece. The weirdly modular nature and lots of little unattached bits for this set make it more "playsetty" than a beautiful display piece to go along with Tower of Orthanc, Diagon Alley, Haunted House, or my Black Pearl. So I suppose I'm interested to see how the pieces connect. I wonder if my local B&M store has it on display.
Agggggh. Looking forward to part 2. Thank you!
Indeed: so much SNOT you'll need an extra large handkerchief!
I love the wall of Wayne Manor: indeed this was how the series did the wall that Batman and Robin Frequently climbed up: It is supposed to be studs up , with the camera on its side! Thus facilitating easy climbing by the dynamic duo!
Really enjoyed the review style and I think it worked particularly well for a part 1.
I really like the facade of the mansion and the studio - it is just that the rest seems so comparatively stark (I probably would not have minded the cave etc in dark brown as much, the tan seems to light for Batman).
Very creative review style and the accompanying images are good enough to showcase the details of this masterpiece. Great job! Can't wait for part 2 :)
Great review thanks.
What a great review! I absolutely loved the entire thing. The usual reviews tend to get a little tedious, so this was a very welcome breath of fresh air!
Thank You, Lucy! I absolutely loved the style of Your review. Carry on with it, it´s an enrichment to brickset. :)
Well, the set looks good. I hope, unlike 76023 "The Tumbler", we will see this set at ToysRUs or Galeria Kaufhof in Germany. That could be the chance of getting it at around 20% discount at some point. I can see me buying a copy of it in this case. Or maybe a used one off ebay. We will see...