Yesterday LEGO announced their latest direct-to-consumer exclusive set, the #76052 LEGO Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave. The set is based on the 1960s Batman live action television series that starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. Unveiling of the #76052 LEGO Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave coincided with the anniversary of the first episode of the TV show that aired on January 12, 1966. Details and designer-video below. 🙂
Here is the official description of the set: Drive the villains out from Batman’s Batcave! Help Batman and Robin to drive the villain intruders from the Batcave, featuring a Bat Lab with Batcomputer, plus the Batmobile with stud shooters, Batcopter with flick missiles and the Batcycle. This special model, based on the classic 1960s TV show, also has a Wayne Manor section with an exterior wall to climb on and Bruce Wayne’s study featuring the iconic Batphone and a false bookcase that slides open to reveal the secret entrance to the Batcave. Before spiraling down the Batpoles into the Batcave, change identity from Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson into Batman and Robin (separate minifigures included).
- Includes 9 minifigures: Batman, Robin, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler and The Penguin.
- This LEGO model of the Batcave as seen in the classic 1960s TV series features 2 Batpoles for Batman and Robin to slide down, a selection of Bat-gadgets, helipad, plus a Batmobile and Batcopter.
- The Wayne Manor section of the model features Bruce Wayne’s study with the iconic Batphone, a hinged Shakespeare bust with secret button underneath, sliding false bookcase to access the Batpoles, and assorted elements including decorated wallpaper bricks, wall lamps, framed portraits, a framed fish and trophies. It also includes an exterior wall for climbing, with an opening roof for easy access to the Batpoles and an aerial element.
- The Batcave incorporates a hi-tech, 2-floor Bat Lab with Batcomputer element and a variety of detachable accessory elements, including a lie detector machine, table, chest of drawers, Bat-gadgets and test tubes with translucent elements. Also includes the iconic Batcave entrance for the Batmobile and a helipad for the Batcopter.
- The Batmobile features a dual cockpit with iconic Batphone, 2 stud shooters, an opening trunk, dual exhaust and sign stickers.
- The Batcopter has an opening cockpit for a minifigure, bat-inspired wings with 2 flick missiles, spinning rotors and a spinning propeller. A villain minifigure can grab onto the back of the Batcopter for more aerial battle action.
- The Batcycle features a driver’s seat for Batman, translucent headlight element and a sidecar for Robin.
- Weapons include The Joker’s TNT, Catwoman’s whip, The Riddler’s TNT and The Penguin’s umbrella.
- Accessory elements include Batman’s 3 Batarangs, rope, grappling hook and handcuffs.
- Includes separate minifigures for Batman and Robin’s alter-egos, so enter the secret doorway as Bruce and Dick, and slide down the Batpoles as LEGO DC Super Heroes!
- Batcave measures over 18” (46cm) high, 22” (56cm) wide and 7” (20cm) deep.
- Batmobile measures over 2” (6cm) high, 8” (21cm) long and 2” (7cm) wide.
- Batcopter measures over 2” (7cm) high, 8” (22cm) long and 7” (19cm) wide.
- Batcycle measures over 1” (4cm) high, 3” (8cm) long and 1” (4cm) wide.
- Recommended for ages 14+.
- 2,526 pieces.
The #76052 LEGO Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave will be available for sale directly through LEGO at the beginning of March – with early access for VIP members in mid-February. Prices are as follows: US $269.99 – CA $329.99 – DE 249.99€ – UK £229.99 – DK 2499.00 DKK (Euro pricing varies by country. Visit the LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes section of the Online LEGO Shop.
As you can see, #76052 LEGO Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave is massive, and includes all of Batman’s gadgets. The three-section modular design allows the scene to be set up in different ways, and even expanded. There are also a lot of modular accessories to fill up the Batcave. Wayne Manor is designed using an interesting building technique, with plates sideways both at the back and the roof. This allows the manor to be very tall without using too many pieces. I think it looks great from the front, not so much from the side or the back though. I really like Bruce Wayne’s study with the sliding bookcase and that gorgeous wall-paper design, using new 1×4 printed elements. I should mention here that most of the other decorations are stickers.
The Batmobile looks sweet, although maybe have a bit too much red. The Batcopter and Batcycle are more standard designs, but add playability to the set. Speaking of playability, there are a number of fun play-features in the set, and some of them are demonstrated in the designer-video.
As far as the minifigures are concerned, LEGO designers did an amazing job with all nice minifigures: Batman, Robin, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler and The Penguin. Batman in particular looks excellent.
A massive set like this also comes with a massive price. With 2526 pieces and a price of $269.99, the Batcave follows two other large sets this year; the #10251 LEGO Creator Brick Bank (2380 pieces – price: $169.99), and the #75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters (4634 pieces – price: $349.99). However while the price per piece ratio of the other two sets come to 7 cents, the Batcave’s price appears to be excessive at more than 10 cents a piece. At $199.99, or something in that range, the price would be a lot more reasonable.
Having said that, I’m sure diehard Batman fans are going to purchase the set because for them this is a dream come true. The overall design is fine, the minifigures are awesome, the vehicles look very Batman-ish, and the parts selection is great. What do you think? How do you like the #76052 LEGO Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave overall? And what do you think of the manor, the cave, the minifigs, the vehicles, and the play-features? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
“…Batman, translucent headlight element …” Love that, lol. Also if it doesn’t come with Organic Shark Repellent Bat Spray, I’m not getting it, lol.
Yeah, there was also a line with “also includes cat” in the bullets points. But I thought it was too silly, so I took it out. 🙄
I noticed you did, “…never seek.” “You just startled me that’s all, what were you doing?” “Sneeking.” kudos if you know what that is from. 😀
Ahhh… that’s our old friend Gollum. 😀
Yup, and I can do a mean Gollum impression.
You…do…? Should I be scared? 🙄
No, as long as you don’t have the Ring. lol
What ring? I don’t have any ring… (slowly put hands behind back trying to look casual, removes ring, and slips it into back pocket) 😈
What…did it just put…in it’s naasssty, liitttle, pocketses?! 😉
To be entirely honest, I think that this is the single greatest Batman set ever, because it comes from when Batman comics were less… dark. It also looks like a finished set, unlike the 2012 batcave, which kind of skimped on detail, and had nothing in the way of actual rock.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Always interesting to hear from those who are familiar with the original series.
I obviously wasn’t alive during the original series, as I’m only a TFOL, but I have read some of the classic comics, as well as some of the modern ones. The old ones were more detective than action themed, so there was obviously a lot less blood and gore.
Yeah, I wasn’t around either, but I never read the classic comics, so I admire kids who got into them. 🙂
The comics more or less change style and mood every decade, depending on the current team behind them… They shift between bright and light or dark and gritty, untilthe creators get tired and the pendulum swings again…
And speaking of too much red on the Batmobile… It seems the original model contained mostly read high-lights, but that might be difficult to acchieve on this scale.
I think the Batmobile is fine. It is the least of the issues of this set. It has a tad too much red at the back, but I think it still looks good.
Good point.
Very true, that set did look pretty bad and nobody complained about it. I guess people were expecting this to be perfect because it was their childhood, the only part that doesn’t look that great is the stud wall, and all those little computers without some place to go. People are also complaining that this is two much of a play set, but it literally just has TWO play features the poles and the sliding book case.
I think when people complain that it looks too much like a playset, they refer to how the cave section is designed, and the helicopter. While the Batmobile is great, the helicopter looks like what you find in any cheap LEGO set oriented at little kids. It has little substance. Adult oriented sets are usually more substantial, and the play-features are subtle or hidden – like what you find in the modulars.
I do like the front of the manor, but I think adults would have liked the manor more like a modular with hidden caves under and behind it. As it is right now, it is just not that great looking of a display set, which is important for adults.
It is actually interesting to compare this set to the LEGO Ninjago Temple of Spinjitzu because they are similar in many ways. They both have a similar size and piece count, and they both have one tall structure with two smaller structures. Plus they both have a cave. The Temple of Airjitzu is clearly a piece of art and beautiful to look at, while it also has some tastefully disguised play-features. Many AFOLs feel that the same can’t be said about the Batcave…
This summarizes my feelings perfectly. Take Orthanc for example – sure it’s a great playset, but it also looks like a stunning sculpture. I don’t hate this set, but it’s too full of holes to be a nice display piece.
Yes, the Tower of Orthanc is another beautiful set that looks great on display, and also works as a play-set.
Except compared to my soon to be 6ft Stark Tower it is tiny.
Other play features include 2 stud shooters, 2 flick missiles, and the ever-present option to smash the whole set into 2,526 little parts. 😉
I think the set looks OK as a LEGO set; we can’t expect LEGO to go make an enormous full-size Batcave, with a Modular-sized Wayne Manor on top; that would exceed the Taj Mahal in piece count and the UCS Falcon in price. Perhaps it’s the glory of the Ghostbusters HQ upping LEGO fans’ expectations…. 😐
@admin, the Temple of Airjitzu (not spinjitzu) is made up of 3 above-ground buildings, while this Batcave is 3 sections of an underground cavern. I would expect caves to look less appealing than majestic temples; after all, most caves aren’t designed to look good. At least the Batcave here is more accurate to its source than 70751: the Temple’s brief appearance in the show is not as a ninja HQ, nor as part of a populated town. However I do agree that the Temple of Airjitzu looks way better than the 76052 Batcave, although I do like the Wayne Manor part.
Yes, Temple of Airjitzu, that’s what I meant. Sorry about that. I mixed up my ninja powers. 🙄
Yes, it is true that caves are not meant to be as pretty as buildings (although I have been to many real life caves and they are stunning and much more beautiful than any building I have ever seen – but that’s besides this discussion). I still think LEGO could have done a better job with the same amount of elements and make the set more aesthetically pleasing.
These are all good points. I think it’s an ok set, but I probably am only buying it because a am a huge superhero nerd. If I wasn’t, I’d save up for the ghostbusters hq.
Darn it Lego! Now you’ve got me unsure as to whether i should save for the Ghostbusters HQ or the batcave!
Ghostbusters HQ is my pick…people will either love this set or not care at all about it.