A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my family’s Spring Break trip to Chicago. During that trip, we visited the LEGO store and I bought the LEGO Batman Classic Batcave set. I had been wanting to buy it ever since it came out but couldn’t pull the trigger because of the price tag. At $269.99, it’s the most expensive LEGO set I’ve ever purchased, ahead of my The Simpsons House (#71006) and The Kwik-E-Mart (#71016) sets.
When we were in the LEGO store in Chicago, I found myself coming back to look at the Batcave set over and over again. On my second trip into the store, I decided I had to have it. Fortunately, I was able to use some LEGO VIP points I had been saving. Paying Chicago sales tax sucked but it was still worth it. The LEGO store offered to ship the box to me at home but I declined. There’s something about walking out of the store with a prized LEGO purchase. My youngest son got the Jokerland set (#76035). You can see him build it here.
The box sat in my basement for over a week because I had planned on filming the build (to post here) and I couldn’t get motivated to deal with setting everything up. I ended up recording the first hour of the build but decided to scrap the idea because it was becoming too big of a production. Once I decided not to film, it removed all the pressure and I got to enjoy building the set.
The Build
Here’s a quick overview of the build:
- It took me 9.5+ hours to build the set over 10 different sessions (spread out over 14 days).
- The instruction book was 287 pages long.
- The set contained 2,526 pieces.
- LEGO recommends ages 14+ for this set. It’s for good reason too. There were sections of the build that were very tedious because of all the thousands of tiny pieces involved. I constantly felt like I was missing pieces. My 9-year-old son would have struggled without my help.
- I counted 27 numbered bags inside the box. That doesn’t count the dozens of smaller bags inside of them.
Look at that awesome box. How could I NOT buy it? It was a pain to carry around Chicago but it was worth it in the end.
Look at the thickness of the instructions book. It’s 287 pages long! With a set this big and complicated, it’s pretty easy to lose track of exactly what step you’re on and make a mistake. My mistakes were typically related to picking the wrong color brick and then having to go back and replace it. In one spot, I used the wrong color base plate and had to spend 30 minutes fixing it.
Here’s the only room from inside Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne’s study. Note the two poles in the background behind the secret bookshelf to gain access to the Batcave. You’ll also notice the button under the statue’s head that opens the secret door. I think the red phone, the pictures of Bruce’s parents, the trophies, the mounted fish and the globe are all really nice details.
This is where Batman and Robin enter the Batcave from the study. I want to point out that the poles pictured above behind the secret bookcase door don’t actually connect to what’s pictured here. There is a little stand where you could place Batman and Robin and it gives the impression that Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson turn into Batman and Robin just like in the old TV show.
The heart of the Batcave is the Atomic Pile. I guess this powers the Batcave. Notice the surrounding computers and equipment. I love the little “True/False” machine. It’s the one with the red and green light on top of it. There’s also a computer desk/chair (the displays are hidden by my camera flash), a file cabinet and tables with various “chemical”-filled containers on them.
Here’s the parking spot for the Batmobile. Notice the upside-down hanging bats at the top. Like a goofball, I forgot to take a picture of the helipad directly above the parking area. Fortunately, you can see it in the pictures below.
My favorite part of the whole set is the Batmobile! It looks just like the iconic car from the TV series.
The front view of the Batmobile.
The view of the back of the Batmobile.
The Batcycle and sidecar. It’s pretty sweet.
Robin’s helicopter.
The view of the entire set from the Batcave perspective. NOTE: If you choose, you can configure the set so that the study/entrance to the Batcave is on the right and the parking area/helipad are on the left.
The front view of the whole set.
The detailed front view of Wayne Manor. Notice the cat on the roof. It’s little details like this that make this set so wonderful.
If you’re a fan of the old TV show, Batman and Robin were always climbing the side of buildings and various celebrities would pop their heads out and talk to them. I thought it would be cool to recreate with this LEGO set.
The Minifigs
The set comes with 9 awesome minifigs. It’s 10 if you count the free Mr. Freeze minifig I got when I purchased the set. I love the details in their faces and costumes.
Bruce Wayne
Dick Grayson
Batman, the Caped Crusader
Robin, the Boy Wonder
Alfred
The Joker
Catwoman
The Penguin
The Riddler
The Review
Here are my quick thoughts on the set’s pros and cons:
Pros
- If you liked the classic Batman TV series, you’ll love this set. I could feel the nostalgia coming through as I was building it.
- The details. I really appreciated all the added details from the TV show that were sprinkled throughout the set.
- The minifigs are awesome. Plus, 9 minifigs is a lot to get in one set.
Cons
- The price tag is pretty expensive and will probably prevent the average LEGO collector (or responsible adult) from buying it.
- At times, the build was pretty tedious and slow because of all the small pieces involved. I constantly felt like I was missing steps or pieces. This is to be expected though with a 2,500+ piece set.
- With a set this big, it’s really hard to get it finished in one sitting. This means that you have to have a good place to store everything when you’re not working on it. I was always worried that my puppy (or a kid) would end up getting hold of some pieces or minifigs. Again, this is to be expected in a large, complicated LEGO set.
- Mr. Freeze wasn’t included in the set. I was fortunate that LEGO was giving him away if you spent $75 in the store but other people might not be so lucky.
Overall, I really enjoyed building this set and it’s now proudly displayed on my LEGO shelf in my office.
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