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Johnny Lightning (Playing Mantis) 1/24 1950's Batmobile Diecast Kit

By Chuck Herrmann

Introduction

The DC Comics superhero Batman has been around for over 50 years, originally in comics then moving to TV and movies and becoming an American pop icon. A big element of the continued success of the Batman phenomenon has been his many crime-fighting gadgets, especially the cars. While the mid-60's television series car and the vehicles from the four recent movies are probably the most famous, Batman has always had a great set of wheels. Playing Mantis corporation, under their Johnny Lightning brand, (Polar Lights is also part of this company) recently has announced the release of a whole series of DC licensed Bat products, in various scales and formats. This includes reissues of some of the old Aurora kits, molds that were thought to be gone forever and highly valuable in the original release boxes. This 1950's era 1/24 die cast body Batmobile kit is one of the first to be available on store shelves, along with a 1960's version. Since the 60's version is also scheduled to be released in plastic, I picked up the older version first.

The Kit

This kit is a curbside design, meaning full body and interior detail but no engine and minimal chassis details. There are 77 pieces in die cast metal, black, clear, and chrome plated plastic and vinyl tires. There is no decal sheet. The packaging for this kit is very impressive. Not only is it visually eye catching, capturing the vintage Batman feel, it is very sturdy. The body is visible through a clear plastic window on top; the parts are contained in several bags packed in a box underneath.

The instruction sheet is a large 18" x 15" page fold-out. One side is in English, the other in French. The steps are clearly described. Color directions for painting are suggestions; since there was never a real car the only guide is the original comic strip which did not show lots of in depth detail.

The box needs to be sturdy, as the die cast metal body is very heavy. This comes pre-painted in gloss black, with a separate die cast fin. Doors, hood and trunk do not open. Plastic chrome headlight buckets (with clear lenses), front bumper, and black plastic Bat face grill all come attached to the body. The clear plastic windshield and rear windows also are attached, as is the roof-mounted spotlight. Altogether there are 16 pieces that come preassembled in the body subassembly, cutting down on the build time. The gloss paint is smooth; my example has one rough spot on the hood that looks like it can be polished out.

Typical of curbside kits, the only engine detail is molded into the chassis. The dual exhaust system is two separate pieces, there are significant mold lines along the entire length of the exhaust pipe/muffler, but this is typical of most plastic kits. The exhaust tips have some depth molded in, a nice touch that eliminated having to drill out the openings. The rear end and front suspension are separate items; the wheels snap onto plastic stubs rather than metal axles as I expected to see.

The interior is fully detailed, with separate seat, dash and steering wheel. The dash has the gauge detail molded in and will require careful painting to bring out the details. Batman always used high tech methods to battle crime, and this kit features what is now antiquated but for the fifties was contemporary scientific gear. There is a workbench and stool behind the front seats, with lots of parts such as test tubes, beaker and microscope.

The tires are vinyl, treaded but with no sidewall detail. The wheels are chrome plated. The inner and outer wheels along with a washer to attach them to the plastic axles are assembled first and the tires then stretched around the assembly, an unusual approach.

Conclusions

This is a very impressive kit, capturing the look and feel of the subject nicely. With 77 pieces it is more than simply a disassembled die cast model. With some painting it can really make a nice shelf model, or it can be a quick two-hour or so build if that is your desire. I can highly recommend it for either purpose. Several local hobby shops report that it is selling briskly, the 60's version even more so.