Lego Group / Batman © DC Entertainment

Lego and Batman have a strange history. The Caped Crusader has been recreated in the form of the world's favourite construction toy since 2006, in turn inspiring spin-off video games and a notable role in 2014's surprisingly enjoyable The Lego Movie.

That film's brilliant take on the character has given rise to The Lego Batman Movie, in cinemas now. Arrested Development's Will Arnett reprises his role as the bitter, black-clad Dark Knight, a reclusive narcissist obsessed with his gadgets and how awesome it is to be Batman – even as he laments not having a family of his own.


Watch a frantic timelapse of the 2,526-piece LEGO Batcave being built LEGO Watch a frantic timelapse of the 2,526-piece LEGO Batcave being built

The film explores a fairly literal interpretation of the Batfamily, with Batman joined by an expanded roster of heroes from the DC Comics canon to battle his entire rogues gallery – which also provides an excellent excuse to introduce a new range of Batman Lego directly tied to the movie's events. WIRED dons its cape and cowl to take a look at the brick bat's latest toy outing.

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There are 12 sets in the line, with prices ranging from £11.99 to £109.99. That's a bit pricier than might be expected (there's a reason for that), but Lego has made sure to include some lower-priced sets, unlike its Jurassic World selection.

Lego Group / Batman © DC Entertainment


The Joker Balloon Escape (kit ref 70900) is the 'pocket money' offering, at £11.99. For that, you get minifigs of Batman and The Joker, and a couple of peripherals to build. The set replicates one of the early scenes from the film, with the Joker setting off a bomb in a chemical plant before making a getaway on a balloon-powered backpack. A small chemical plant and the Clown Prince of Crime's aerial gear can be built, but there aren't many play features once you've constructed them. Batman does have a grappling gun that actually fires its hook though, which is a nice touch.

The minifigs are the real winner here, with paint details and minor sculpt differences that mark the characters as unique to The Lego Batman Movie rather than earlier iterations.

Slightly more expensive is the Mr Freeze Ice Attack set (kit ref 70901) at £19.99. There's a lot more play value for your extra eight pound though – minifig Mr Freeze rides an articulated exosuit mecha, which is reminiscent in its design of the Groot figure from the Guardians of the Galaxy range. There's another Batman minifig, this one with a flamethrower (unlike the grappling hook, this thankfully doesn't work) and a security guard, plus a few more environmental pieces. Probably the best kit for those on a budget.

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Lego Group / Batman © DC Entertainment


At the next price point, we have sets like the Clayface Splat Attack (kit ref 70904), at £29.99. Minifigs of Batman and Gotham Mayor McCaskill are side notes here – the set is dedicated to a colossal figure of the muddy madman. It's a fairly lengthy build. Expect to spend at least and hour on it, but the result is a brilliantly articulated and satisfyingly hefty model of Clayface.

The attention to detail here is wonderful, with a creative layout of studs giving the finished build an almost liquid effect – perfect for the malleable supervillain. Clayface also comes with gatling gun-style weapons that fire single Lego studs as if they were mudballs, and an alternate hand shaped like a clay mallet. There's opportunity for imaginative Lego builders to craft their own shape-shifted hands to attach.

At the same price, there's also The Riddler Racer (kit ref 70903), but it's really just a basic car – Clayface is the better choice.

The mid point of the range is represented by a lot of vehicles, both for Batman and his enemies. We've not had the chance to test any of these, but The Batmobile (kit ref 70905) and The Joker Notorious Lowrider (kit ref 70906), both £54.99, are the stand outs.

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Lego Group / Batman © DC Entertainment

Forget the Batmobile though – Batman's best ride from the film was the Scuttler. A walking tank, its design is pure genius, and the Lego kit (ref 70908) replicates it perfectly in toy form. In ground mode, the Scuttler looks like an actual bat walking around on the tips of its wings, giving it an imposing, almost creepy look. It's also packed with hidden weapons and neat play features that will keep kids old and young entertained.

The Scuttler is another long build – put aside an evening – but worth it. Once complete, it's incredibly well balanced, allowing you to pose it on its hind 'legs' for more impressive displays. The set includes minifigs of Batman, The Joker and Poison Ivy, plus longtime Bat-ally Commissioner Gordon. There are also figures of Batgirl and Robin, in civilian guise as Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson. There's really not much to criticise about the Scuttler, except price. At £84.99, it firmly enters collector's territory.


Still, even that sum is overshadowed by the line's pièce de résistance, the Batcave Break-in (kit ref 70909). At a whopping £109.99, the most expensive set in the range is another we've not tested, but is an impressive looking set, with a multi-tiered Batcave, two vehicles, and six minifigs. For completists, the price tag will be a steep price to pay, but it's the only set to come with a minifig of loyal Bat-butler, Alfred.

As a whole, the Lego Batman Movie range is a strong one. Some of the lower-end sets will leave you wanting more to do and are overly simple to build, but the £20+ kits are more engaging, and at all points the toys perfectly recreate the scenes they appear in on the big screen.

The prices of the more complex sets will be a stumbling block though, especially with this being a line that will appeal to younger kids more than hardcore collectors.