Review: 76182 Batman Cowl
Posted by CapnRex101,
Batman's menacing cowl maintains remarkable renown, although the distinctive facial structure presents certain design challenges. This famous mask exposes Batman's mouth, departing from comparable Helmet Collection sculptures which are completely enclosed.
76182 Batman Cowl therefore appears unusual and provoked criticism upon its announcement, focusing primarily upon the mouth structure. However, the shape otherwise appears superb and Batman's white eyes look fantastic, corresponding with his common depiction in comics.
The Completed Model
Batman's distinctive profile is immediately recognisable here, particularly given the elongated ears. Excluding those ears, the model measures 18cm tall which is relatively small within this series, approximately matching 75305 Scout Trooper Helmet. Nevertheless, I think that scale works nicely for the Caped Crusader, whose cowl should fit tightly over his head.
This model also seems comparatively simple beside the new Star Wars helmets, although the varying layers of bricks with studs on the side are unusual. These are necessary to create the appearance of Batman's cowl resting on a mannequin head which is splendid, although I was somewhat disappointed to discover how little of the mannequin head is actually present.
LEGO has exhibited impressive consistency in the display stands for each helmet, consisting almost exclusively of black pieces throughout the collection. This example differs though and incorporates numerous trans-black parts instead, attempting to complement those inside the cowl. I appreciate the intention here, although this execution leaves much to be desired. The printed plaque looks good though, as usual.
The instruction manual specifies that no single incarnation of Batman provided inspiration for this model, which instead integrates significant features from multiple sources. That approach has proven worthwhile as this sculpture definitely captures the essential aesthetic of Batman's famous cowl. Even so, it appears most reminiscent of the Arkhamverse cowls in my opinion.
One important distinction between different versions of Batman is whether his cowl includes a chinstrap. This example does and its rounded shape looks excellent, featuring suitable texture which creates the impression of padding. Dark bluish grey 2x2 sliders are attached behind this strap but they are almost completely hidden, thereby avoiding any colour inconsistencies.
However, one decision can sometimes affect an entire model and selecting trans-black for the section inside the cowl undoubtedly achieves that feat. This colour appears completely bizarre, somewhat contrasting against the black cowl without varying significantly. The resulting design looks awkward, hence I have attempted some quick modifications.
Simply replacing the 6x10x2 windscreen with another colour certainly improves the cowl in my opinion. However, the element is available in relatively few colours and extends below the chin strap, which appears awkward with a contrasting shade. For this reason, I believe 3x8x2 shells look better, although the gaps around the chin strap become more conspicuous. Experimenting with different colours and combinations of slopes is worthwhile though.
Fortunately, the nose and eyes appear more effective. Batman's white lenses clearly contrast against the dark cowl, reflecting his traditional design in comics and video games. The angled brows are splendid as well, although my favourite section is the pointed nose which compares favourably with many incarnations of the character. The hinge underneath is discretely hidden too, benefiting the design.
Accurate shaping continues around each side of the cowl, where different plates and curved slopes are combined to great effect. This transition between smooth and studded surfaces is relatively abrupt, although these building techniques produce the desired result. The ears, for example, certainly necessitate curved slopes and appear accurate from any angle.
Studs appear more prominently across the reverse, resembling the Star Wars helmets which have commonly displayed more studs than these Super Heroes creations. The prevalence of studs does not bother me, although the addition of very few curved slopes and tiles does look strange when surrounded by studded plates. However, the shape continues to impress.
Overall
76182 Batman Cowl succeeds in capturing Batman's distinctive appearance and incorporates considerable detail, especially around the nose and eyes. Unfortunately, I think the trans-black section inside the cowl detracts quite significantly from the whole design. While constructing an approximate depiction of Bruce Wayne's face might have been interesting, simply replacing the colour would have been sufficient.
Moreover, this model seems expensive when compared with the other Helmet Collection sets. Despite matching 75305 Scout Trooper Helmet in scale and containing only 410 pieces, fewer than any previous sculpture from the series, this set costs £54.99 or $59.99. Taking such flaws into consideration, I am quite disappointed with the model but there is undoubtedly potential for improvement.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review represents an expression of my own opinions.
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38 comments on this article
Thanks for the review Capn! :)
Food for thought: could there be a Captain America Helmet or a Joker one (like Venom/Carnage)?
Edit: Upon looking at your custom design with the slope, would definitely have liked this better. I guess in any solid color...
"The rest of the parts of my face: WHERE ARE THEY?"
Thanks for the honest review.
Just making insides white would be good.
I think LEGO bricks necessitate an Arkham connection. That Batsuit, particularly the very last iteration, is somewhat mechanical in its aesthetic.
So, no white pieces behind the trans-black mouth after all, @PurpleDave ;-)
I wonder if it would react well to being lit from within?
The tan mouth piece looks even more odd- like a giant rodent.
@Spidermanager said:
"Thanks for the review Capn! :)
Food for thought: could there be a Captain America Helmet or a Joker one (like Venom/Carnage)?
Edit: Upon looking at your custom design with the slope, would definitely have liked this better. I guess in any solid color..."
That would be quite hard, as they would need to make skin for cap. We don’t want another buildable figure.
The Screaming Knight Returns.
Is it possible just to remove trans-black pieces? Or is it crucial to the build?
I think this would've worked best with a skinny stand with most of it being hollow, so the chinstrap would be joke basically, would be tough to design it to be sturdy but I firmly believe it's possible
To be honest I think what throws it off is less the big ol canopy and more the dark grey stripes on either side - they look fairly crucial to the build though, so dunno if it'd be possible to mod them out without compromising on stability (or maybe changing them to the same dark-trans as the canopy possibly?).
@Spidermanager said:
"Thanks for the review Capn! :)
Food for thought: could there be a Captain America Helmet or a Joker one (like Venom/Carnage)?
Edit: Upon looking at your custom design with the slope, would definitely have liked this better. I guess in any solid color..."
A nice bright pink would look lovely
Seems like a model best left un-released to the public. I wonder if the license-holder influenced the decision to release such a sub-par model...
I have no mouth and I'M BATMAN (and must scream).
The trans black does not contrast enough with the black. It looks very undefined and makes it more difficult to see where the cowl ends and the stand begins.
Don’t like it, so I won’t be buying it
Maybe trans clear with white bricks underneath would have looked better?
I do wonder what it would look like if you replaced the trans-black with trans-clear.
Overall, I don't think it's the travesty some people are claiming, but I think we can all agree that 76165 is the superior billionaire crime-fighter's helmet.
looks so ugly lmao
No Batman, please don’t eat me!
Still looks real odd with that gaping maw of a mouth hole. Would look better with a skin time underneath with mouth amd jaw print/build instead.
I like this Bat-cowl overall.
The clear piece for the inner area doesn't bother me so much as the bat-ears.
Too curved outwardly from the inner piece. Should have a wider base there then taper in.
And the brow with the forced menacing expression seems to not fit with the empty cowl.
They really needed to create a mannequin head to go underneath. A neutral colour like grey for the mouth AND eye openings would’ve been perfect.
@AustinPowers:
Maybe I'll incorporate my Ulysses in there and turn it into a rocket ship. It's mostly white.
Seriously, though, if the parts behind them aren't white, there's something white reflecting in the cockpit glass. For the main images, I could understand that, but it's still present in the home environment. Maybe these were all photographed with real models, and it caught the reflector screen for the light source?
@erithromycin:
Generally speaking, no. LEGO construction tends to result in lots of instances where light can peek through unless you design specifically to avoid it. Usually when people add light kits, there are transparent parts to light up near the surface, and you don't notice any bleed-thru as a result. The most appropriate part of this would be the eyes, which are opaque and won't really light well.
Excellent review that's help me decide to skip this one. That mouth in pictures is just too strange. So in real life I imagine its even more so.
As soon as you put the solid colors in the mouth it resembles an unfinished Optimus Prime head in black. The more I look at it the more I see a black transformer for sure.
Rough Batman great start on Optimus!
@speedorz4ever:
Batman's the most popular comic book character. If you're going to do something involving DC, he's usually top of the list. DC tends to be less helmety than Marvel, with most of their well-known superheroes having either just a domino mask or nothing hiding their face at all.
@TheOtherMike:
Nope. Never. Ironman sucks. There's even a LEGO movie about it.
I look at this and go nanananananananana
The issue with this is the chin strap, there should not be a chin strap, I’ve look at multiple versions of Batman and none of them have a chin strap. Take that away and don’t try and fill in that open mouth section, just leave it open and it won’t look like a giant gaping mouth! Behind it just have a straight post inside just like this was a stand made to hold a real helmet and it would look much better
These head/mask display sets are terrible in my opinion. The Star Wars helmets are decent enough, but the carnage, venom and this Batman cowl set are badly designed, look terrible and are just boring.
@AustinPowers said:
"So, no white pieces behind the trans-black mouth after all, @PurpleDave ;-) "
It was pretty obvious that wasn't the case. I opted for black, but the parts seem trans-black...
@nvbrit:
LEGO Batman Type 1 cowl, and Type 2/2.5 cowl. Keaton’s cowl included not only coverage of the entire throat are, but extended down to form the chest logo. Bale’s Coal covered the entire throat area and the cheeks. There’s absolutely precedence for a chinstrap on the Batcowl.
@BelgianBricker:
Trans-smoke was never in question, that I recall. It’s just that the trans-smoke canopy pieces inside the mouth looked like they might have white pieces behind them.
Thanks for the review.
Batman is my favorite comic book detective/vigilante, I don't know if I can bring myself to buying this unless I can find an amazing sale (which in this era is nigh impossible).
I can get behind the chinstrap idea, but since you normally see the exposed flesh/mouth I think that is what throws it off. Trans black doesn't accentuate that at all.
I agree maybe removing the chinstrap and making it just a mask on a stand, might help with how it looks. But when dropping this dough on a smaller set, I don't want to have to modify it to make myself happy with my purchase (although I did have to modify Iron Man helmet a little since it was gappy on the cheeks.)
Looks a bit better then the box art, but I cannot unsee a Black version of a Green Goblin mask in it due to the way the transparent mouth piece is shaped (the studs on it somewhat look like teeth from a distance/reflection)
Time for an Ewok hood!
@gasdoc:
I'm still waiting for a pair of glasses with black frames to be announced...
Please tell me, when will you post the second part of review 43101-13 LEGO Vidiyo Bandmates Series 1?
@PurpleDave said:
" @gasdoc:
I'm still waiting for a pair of glasses with black frames to be announced..."
That comment got me thinking. LEGO could make an “Invisible Man” helmet. They could do the head wrap, hat, and goggles. Then they could make the display stand removable so that people could display him with just the head!
@Cooliocdawg:
Sue Storm next? Heroclix did a game piece for her that was just the base with no figure attached.