But Batman needs his wheels. The poor guy is like you and me, forced to deal with gravity just as we do. That means he needs cars, motorcycles, boats, submarines, and just about every other form of transportation known. He's like Jay Leno without the chin.

Over the years we've gotten hundreds of different Batmobile toys, along with at least a few of the other vehicles in toy form. While plenty have been fun, one company stands out as producing some of the best quality and most loved - Corgi.

Actually, Corgi produces all kinds of die cast vehicles, and has for many years. A U.K. based firm, they've been making die cast cars, trucks and other toys for over 40 years, and their early work is highly collectible today. During the 60's and 70's, they had terrific success with a number of bat-vehicles, including a bat-trailer with bat-boat. Corgi has begun producing Bat vehicles once again, developing a huge line in multiple scales. Today we'll look at four different vehicles, in different scales and different eras, all available from Corgi.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Corgi Bat Vehicles"

Corgi is making a very wide selection this time around, hitting every era of Batman, and every scale you can imagine. They're even doing vehicles for villains and Robin, expanding the line with some very cool items.

I'll cover four such vehicles today - the 1:18 scale 2000 Batmobile, the 1:24 60's version, the 1:24 scale 40's version, and the 1:16 scale Batcycle. There's three different scales right there, and actually the majority of vehicles they are producing are in the smaller 1:43 scale. Just for reference, normal Hot Wheels are a 1:64 scale, and a six inch action figure is 1:12 scale, so everything Corgi is producing is someplace in between those two sizes.

Packaging - ***
Corgi has gone with a classic design, very reminiscent of their vintage packaging. the colors are muted but attractive, and the large windoes always show off the vehicle well. Boxes are always easier for MIBBers to store too, so they'll be happy, and these are actually sort of collector friendly - other than cutting some tape and undoing some twisties, you can get the car out of the package with no damage, and could always put it back if you didn't mind a little effort.

Sculpting/Design - ****
Corgi is known for their quality, and it's evident in these vehicles. The sculpts match the reference material extremely well, particularly with the older style vehicles. Batman has changed his Batmobile more often than you change your socks - and your friends would like to discuss that with you - and Corgi has already done some of the most unique and interesting versions.

The one above is from the 60's of course, made famous by the television show. The diecast body is sturdy and well designed, and each of the cars has a large sized picture of Batman embossed on the bottom. This car is 1:24, but there is also a 1:43 version.

Next up is the 2000 model, look all futuristic and high tech. Most of the outer body is die cast metal, making these quite hefty, giving you an impression of quality when you handle them. This car is also in the largest scale they've done so far at 1:18, and there's a 1:43 version if you like your vehicles smaller.

Batman has had some funky cars, and this 1940's model proves it. Dig that crazy tail fin! The small detail work on this car is pretty amazing, with a terrific interior. It is in 1:24 scale, but also comes in 1:43.

Finally, there's a Batcycle for those that prefer two wheels to four. The scale on this is said to be 1:16, but he still looks pretty good on the shelf with other 1:12 (6") Batman figures. I have some scale comparison photos further below.

All of these vehicles have excellent detailing on the dashes, engines and interiors. Corgi has done some very nice sculpts, and there are some other interesting vehicles, such as Robin's Red Bird and cars for Two Face and Joker, that show their interest in giving collectors a broad line.

Paint - ****
The paint work on the die cast metal is really outstanding on all the vehicles, whether they are blue or black. There's a thick coat, with a very high gloss, and you'll wish Maaco did this kind work.

The Batcycle is the only one I have in this review in metallic blue, and it's a real beauty. It's not the only vehicle in the line in that color though, and actually some of the vehicles come on both black and blue. That's just a little something to drive the completist's nuts.

The gloss on the blue brings out the metallic finish extremely well, and contrasts nicely with the flatter colors on the figure. No, the figure isn't intended to come off, but I'm betting you could remove him if you tried hard enough. I'm not going to be giving it a try, however.

While it's not really part of the paint per se, I'll mention here that the clear plastic used for windows and hatches is very sturdy and tough to scratch. It looks great right out of the package, and stays that way under general handling.

Yellows, red and blacks, which you see here on all three cars to different degrees, can be very tricky colors to mask. They tend to bleed into each other, even under the best circumstances. Corgi has done a wonderful job avoiding any issues, and keeping all the mask lines clean and neat.

In general, the colors are very consistent and clean, with almost no bleed, and extremely high quality work. Scale doesn't seem to matter - the same level of quality exists in the 1:43 stuff as the 1:18 cars.

Quality - ****
I've already gone on about the level of quality in the sculpt and paint, but Corgi's attention to quality doesn't end there. The materials they've used - metal, plastic, rubber - are top notch, and show why they have such a well known name in the die cast industry. Of course you're going to pay for this quality, but the hit won't be as hard as you might expect.

Features - ***
Each of the vehicles sports some sort of feature usually, and three of these four actually do something more than just roll.

The hood on the 60's version opens up, revealing the engine. The diecast hood fits well, doesn't flop open, but isn't too tough to open when you feel the need.

The hood on the 2000 model also opens to reveal a much larger and more complex engine. However, since it's transparant smoked plastic, you don't really need to open it to see what's underneath. You can also remove the cockpit cover, but you have to snap it on and off. I don't recommend it unless you really feel the need, since it's also transparant.

Finally, both doors pop open on the 40's version. That's a nice touch, since the interior on this car is so detailed and colorful. The doors fit tightly, and don't swing open on their own.

The Batcycle lacks any real 'feature' I suppose, but there is a small kick stand on the bottom that swings out to support the vehicle in a standing pose. It works fine, but be careful with it since it seemed easier to break than any other part of any of the vehicles.

Accessories - 2000 Batmobile, 60's Batmobile ***
Two of these vehicles actually include an accessory - a talking Bat communicator. There's a electronic picture of Bats on the front, and you press a button, and he says a couple lines. The lips actually move on the photo as he speaks. The Batman picture fits the time period of the vehicle, and kids will enjoy it.

It's worth noting though that this feature was dropped at some point. You can actually find both of these vehicles boxed with and without the communicator. I just heard 7 completists faint and hit the floow. Corgi actually dropped the price on these two vehicles when they dropped the communicator.

Fun Factor - ****
The best 'collectible' toys are the ones that still remember what it's like to be a toy. That's where this line excels. If you have fun with die cast vehicles, you'll have fun with these. I know my four year old son, who is a complete Hot Wheels nut, loves to play with my Corgi Batmobiles. The scale makes them slightly bigger than most of the rest of the stuff out there right now, but kids rarely care about such things. The following scale photos show the vehicles with 6 - 7" Batmen to give you some idea.

Value - **1/2
As I mentioned earlier, all this great quality doesn't come free. These aren't your $1 Hot Wheels, but then they are bigger, badder and cooler.

The 1:43 scale vehicles - the smallest - run around $7 - $8 each at most retailers. The larger vehicles run from $20 - $30 depending on scale and store.

Overall - ****
If you're a Bat-fan and you aren't picking these up, then you have my sympathies for the head injury you must have suffered as a child. Why? Because these are easily the best bat-collectible on the market right now, and that's saying a lot considering the amount of Bat-crap churned out this year.

Corgi is giving us high quality, unique, and interesting versions of some of the best Bat vehicles, and while they aren't cheap, they aren't nearly as expensive as some other die cast currently on the market. Oh sure, the number of variants will kill you if you try to be a completist, but isn't that the fun of being a completist? Okay, so maybe not, but that doesn't diminish just how cool this entire line is.

Where to Buy -
You can find these at Toys R Us and Wal-mart stores, along with smaller specialty shops and hobby stores. They can be tough to find though, because demand is pretty high, so I usually just break down and order them off the Corgi U.S. website. You'll pay slightly more than your local Wal-mart, but you won't have to spend $50 in gas trying to find them.

Related Links -
Here's a couple related links you'll want to check out:

- there's the official Corgi website of course, where you can learn all kinds of info on their various lines.

- and then there is the U.S. version, where you can also order the vehicles.