The best part of Hollywood’s reimagining Batman every few years? The Batmobile, of course. With a The Batman movie rising, designer Ash Thorp confronts disjointed times with a high-tech, mid-engine Dodge Charger. In response, Mattel Creations brings almost the exact same ride to you.
The new Batmobile can be interpreted as a response to the past several months: Cobbled from a Charger body and upgraded to rough times in buffed black with an exposed steel rear jet engine that will veritably rip through hard times. Imagine tearing around city streets in a custom-made hot rod, rocketed along by twin turbos. You might not be able to get the experience in real life, but you can get the next best thing. With the movie fast approaching, Mattel released a replica R/C version, The Ultimate Batmobile, a two-foot remote control car that can speed down sidewalks in hot pursuit of imaginary masked crooks. Just watch out for curbs.
The Ultimate Batmobile might not strike dread in the hearts of Gotham’s criminals, but this R/C vehicle goes well beyond the run-of-the-mill. Mattel designers crafted the 1970s steel wheels to align as closely to the movie prop as they could get. This includes street-grade suspension, multi-color LED lights, front and rear flame effects, and a water-activated mist effect that simulates the jet-like propulsion that sends the Batmobile flying through Gotham streets.
The Batman’s newest movie contraption was designed by Ash Thorp, an illustrator, graphic designer, and creative director whose resume includes work for movies like Prometheus, X-Men: First Class, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Now he’s brought us a Batmobile unlike any other before.
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All the way back in July 2019, Thorp was teasing social media hints about being involved with the flick and that the new Batmobile might be a sports car. In March 2020, director Matt Reeves was tweeting images of a new black beast with a base built of Detroit steel.
The Hot Wheels R/C is a 1:10-scale replica of the movie vehicle. Its 20-inch length gave Mattel’s toy designers a lot of space to add incredible detail. The engine alone (which Jalopnik believes is a Ford Triton V10 used in its trucks and RVs) is a masterpiece in tiny design, each joint, belt, hose, and copper fitting visible.
Kevin Smith hypothesized that possibly the reason for the scrappy new Batmobile is to throw folks off to the fact that a rich billionaire is the Batman, as only somebody super wealthy can afford more expensive toys.
As for Bat fans, they can have a mini Caped Crusader haul through living rooms and down hardwood floors as the rear-drive R/C Batmobile boasts a top speed of 13-15 mph. The Ultimate Batmobile requires three hours of charge time and runs approximately 20-25 minutes.
To get your hands on such cool quality doesn’t come cheap. The Ultimate Batmobile costs $500 and Mattel Creations is taking pre-orders for summer 2022 now at creations.mattel.com.
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