Batmobile: The Penguin Chase
A pocket-sized Batmobile that nails the attitude even when it fudges the proportions.
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Verdict
I put this one together in an evening and came away liking it more than I expected to.
It borrows the wide, low Speed Champions style chassis and dresses it up with an exposed rear engine and a flame you can spin by hand, and that little detail alone made me grin. It is not a precise scale replica, the body sits a touch too tall for how narrow it is, but as a toy built around a spring loaded double missile launcher, it delivers exactly what it promises. This is the one for a kid who wants to reenact car chases across the living room floor, not the collector chasing screen accuracy.
Best forKids who want a chunky, playable Batmobile and Batman fans who need The Penguin minifigure
The build and parts
What it is
The first thing that got me was the engine. LEGO tucked a little spinnable flame piece into the exposed rear block, and I sat there flicking it with my finger longer than I want to admit. That is the kind of detail that tells me the designers actually enjoyed building this one. The rest of the car follows the same wide, low Speed Champions style base that makes it sturdy enough to actually race across a table, with thick, bulky wheels and an air intake scoop under the hood that give it real presence for a set this size.
The catch
Where it stumbles is scale accuracy. If you have seen the hulking Batmobile from The Batman on screen, this version reads noticeably too tall for how narrow it is, and a couple of reviewers pointed out that the proportions just do not track. I will be honest, at 402 pieces and with only two minifigures, the value math is fine but not thrilling either, especially since Batman's cape is really the only fabric piece doing any work. The spring loaded double missile launchers are fun to press but they are pure playset gimmick, not a display technique you will admire under a shelf light.
Who it's for
I would hand this to a kid who wants a Batmobile they can actually crash into furniture, or to any completionist who needs The Penguin's exclusive minifigure for a collection. If you are after a Batmobile you display and stare at, save up for one of the bigger, more detailed versions instead, this one is built for play, not for precision.
The parts story
What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.
Building this one moves fast. The chassis goes together in a handful of steps using that familiar wide Speed Champions style base, so you get a solid, playable shape early and spend the rest of the build layering on body panels, the hood scoop, and the rear engine detail. It is a build that rewards a younger LEGO fan without ever feeling like busywork, which made it an easy, relaxed evening for me.
The standout piece for me is the little translucent orange flame element mounted on a turntable at the back of the engine, it spins with a flick and gives the whole rear end a sense of motion even sitting still. Batman comes with a proper fabric cape rather than the usual molded plastic, and The Penguin's rocket launcher accessory piece is exclusive to this set, which matters if you collect the villain roster. At 402 pieces for the original $29.99 price, the part count is reasonable, it just is not padded with anything rare enough to make we brick sorters stop and stare.
Fun facts
- 01The Penguin minifigure included here, with his shooter and rocket launcher accessory, is exclusive to set 76181 and does not appear in any other LEGO set.
- 02The Batmobile uses the same wide, low Speed Champions style two-stud chassis found in LEGO's licensed race car sets, adapted here for a superhero vehicle.
- 03The set was released to tie in with the 2022 film The Batman and launched at a $29.99 retail price with 392 pieces per LEGO's own count.
- 04Since retiring, the set has climbed in secondhand value to roughly $48 for a new sealed box, about 60 percent above its original retail price, according to BrickEconomy.
Sources
Further reading and sources for this review.
