Building the Batman Tumbler from 7888

The release of the latest Batman movie this summer had me in the mood to own a Tumbler. Unfortunately, I'm about four years late to the party to get the original set, unless I want to cough up the several hundred dollars it apparently goes for now. That's not an option for what's basically an impulse project on my current budget and collection goals.

Thankfully, a kind Bricksetter went to the trouble of going through the parts list for the set and identifying what is needed to build just the Tumbler vehicle. A little bit of want list construction on BL, and I was on my way with a few orders.

Most of the pieces for this set are pretty common on BL and I managed to get all the parts in under 10 orders for under $40. I am going without stickers and minifigures for the time being, since I already have at least five copies of Batman in my collection already. An original sticker sheet goes for almost double what I spent on the bricks, so they're not likely to get added anytime soon. The stickers are probably more important on the Joker side of this set anyway.

Construction is pretty much what I expected from looking at the set. You build from the ground up, using several technic pieces to build the base. The wheels are the final piece and are certainly cool looking. Although, the rear assembly does feel a little wobbly. I certainly had fun playing with the technic canon on the back of the vehicle and admit to doing a little bit of target practice. That thing has a little bit of power and the trigger is pretty sensitive, so watch out.

I did add a little greebling to the finished model. Mainly some extra cheese slopes to give it a few more angles and texture. I want to pick up a few more black tiles, as I think the finished product would look a bit better if it were studless.

I'm glad to have a Tumbler, since it is one of the more iconic versions of the Batmobile and will probably be recognizable for years to come. I have to admit the finished product is not as amazing as I had hoped. Something just feels a little off about the set. I am certainly glad I went the BL route instead of dropping the cash on the real thing though. The vehicle is cool, but it's not $150+ cool.