LEGO will soon introduce a new, rather large, rather expensive set to its DC Comics Super Heroes line in the form of the 1966 Batman Batcave.

As the name suggests, it portrays Bats’ hideout as depicted in the classic campfest 1966 Batman TV series in which Adam West played the titular hero.

The set comes with 2 526 pieces which form a section of Wayne Manor connected to the Batcave via a fireman’s pole in Bruce’s office. Down in the Batcave there’s a Batcomputer, an entranceway, a helipad and a lot of science equipment. The real draw of the set is the vehicles and the minifigs. There’s a helicopter for Robin to pilot as well as that oh-so-classic Batmobile, complete with brick-built stripes and bat logo hubcaps.

The nine minifigs are: Batman, Bruce Wayne, Robin, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler and The Penguin.

How detailed do these comical versions of the actors get? The LEGO designers even saw fit to include the faded moustache on The Joker. This is itself a throwback to Cesar Romero, the actor who played the clown; he had quite the mo’, which he refused to shave for his character. The make-up department simply applied the white face getup over the hair and went on with their day.

You can see this oddity and the rest of the set in detail as the designers behind it show off their creation.

Now for the bad news. Among the cast of collectible minifigs, both Batgirl and the villain Mr. Freeze – mainstays of the series – are absent here. Another negative consideration is the heavy-handed use of stickers in this set in place of the more permanent and professional-looking printing.

Both of these grievances are compounded by the ridiculous price: RRP is $270 (R4 460). That price may go down somewhat if the rand recovers, but it likely won’t drop far.

If you’re still feeling nostalgic for LEGO based on older IP, there’s also an equally-large set of the firehouse HQ from Ghostbusters, complete with space for your Ecto-1 (another set you can buy for around R800).

[Source – The Brothers Brick