The Batman fan in me has always dreamed of this Lego Batcave

All year, Lego wants our money. The Danish firm is the number one enemy of bankers. Its stores are filled with products that people want to buy. And for good reason: Lego has been selling licensed products for a while now. We are not talking about small licenses: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, DC Comics. Whether you are a fan of Thor, Darth Vader, Mickey, Super Mario or even Gandalf, there is bound to be a set that will please you.

Do you love Batman and can’t resist the call of temptation? Get as far away from the new Lego-launched Batcave as possible. It is a particularly imposing (and expensive) collector’s item, but which should not denote in a decoration thought around the superhero. This Batcave, which is not the first offered by Lego (even the old series has gone through it), marries the “shadow box” concept. It works on furniture.

This Batcave pays homage to Tim Burton’s second Batman movie

The “shadow box” concept turns the Batcave into a two-in-one product. Closed, the box proudly displays the iconic Batman logo (a bat), which gives a slight glimpse of what’s inside. Open, it shows the superhero’s HQ in a detailed version covered with small mechanisms. Here, a light will highlight the costume. There, we can scroll through what is broadcast on the monitoring screens. It’s not very useful for the exhibition, but we know that these features, relatively invisible from afar (we just see the cranks), are there to bluff friends when they come home. The Batcave of course comes with a Batmobile, elegantly displayed when the box is opened. The car also has a little secret: it can spawn hidden machine guns under the hood.

There have been many different depictions of the Batcave in Batman adaptations. For this set, Lego was inspired by the one glimpsed in the film Batman: The Challenge, the second directed by Tim Burton (and the best for many). This point explains several choices: the look of the Batmobile, very similar to that of the feature film and really splendid, and the endowment of figurines. In addition to the essentials (Batman x2, Bruce Wayne, Alfred and bats), we find Catwoman (in Michelle Pfeiffer version, therefore), the Penguin, but also Max Shreck, a real surprise guest (the character played by Christopher Walken). There is therefore no trace of the Joker, since he is not in Batman: The Challenge. Seven figurines in a box at €400, that may not seem like much. However, the entire main cast is there and there isn’t much room in the Batcave to fit more. Their defect is rather at the level of the legs, which are absolutely not decorated.

In terms of construction, Lego manages to never make it tedious or repetitive. The company is helped by the fact that the Batcave is built in a natural environment where nothing is perfect (a cave). Consequently, there is nothing symmetrical in the assembly, and we only pass from one wall to another according to the different stages. If some are wondering how you can get a perfect bat logo with plastic parts, know that Lego has now developed an inventory sufficiently varied to represent a maximum of shapes with precision. That’s all that bluffs with Lego: this ability to make squares with circles and circles with squares.

Sure, the build is a bit dreary in the sense that the rooms are mostly dark (black and dark gray). But, it’s not actually Lego’s fault. The few touches of color placed here and there slightly improve the readability of the plan divided into four notices. Another point that remains to be deplored: despite a price that makes it a luxury product, Lego continues to rely on stickers to dress certain parts (a dozen here). It would be a little less of a problem if this Batcave didn’t impose a huge sticker for Batman’s computer. Given its size, it will be difficult to center it correctly and the most perfectionists will not fail to wince.

The Lego Batcave in numbers

• Number of rooms: 3,981;
• Dimensions: 29 cm high, 51 cm wide and 14 cm deep;
• Recommended Age: 18+;
• Number of stages for construction: 1,057;
• Number of bags: 29;
• Time required for construction: between 10 and 15 hours;
• Price (Lego website): €399.99.

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