Those Wonderful Toys.

I was playing Duplo with Winter this morning when, completely unprompted, she asked me to make a "Batman car"! I have, to my knowledge, had no direct conversations with her about Batman, so this request came as quite a surprise. A pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. And double-plus bonus points, Winter, for requesting a Batman car, and not a freakin' Batmobile.

The final result looked something like this...


...until Kate knocked it from the table to the floor and smashed it back into its constituent parts. Trying to reassemble from memory was a tricky job, but I got close enough (and may even have improved my original design), and Batman car Mark II, as seen above, was photographed the second it was completed.

I'm not saying the Production Design team for The Dark Knight should have given me a call, but for having only a handful of large plastic blocks (and not one of them in black), I think I did a pretty good job. Winter, at any rate, was suitably impressed. :)

UPDATE
Guy, in comments, has suggested a certain similarity exists between my humble creation and a vehicle that was used as part of the pre-game entertainment at the 1991 AFL Grand Final.


He’s even sent through an image he’s mocked up to support his case.


I hate him for it, but I must admit, he does have a point. A twisted, vicious, nasty point, but a point nonetheless. The complete horrifying spectacle can be seen on YouTube, of course.

Watch it if you must, but be warned that Angry’s vocal stylings are not only stomach-turning, but also highly contagious. Playing the clip in at work resulted in continued boisterous outbreaks of ‘Bound for Glory’ around the office throughout the afternoon. And even after several hours plugged into my iPod attempting to deprogram my brain, I still caught myself humming the tune aloud as I travelled home on the train that night…

The only positive I can find in this sorry mess is that, besides a brief slog up the bloody Kokoda track a number of years ago, it would appear that ultimately Angry was bound for nothing but obscurity. Phew.

Oh, and this follow-up from Carlton Draught is pretty good, as well.

UPDATE 2
CK just emailed me, asking: "As Bat-Man was created in May of 1939, I wonder if this might have been his first Bat Mobile.."


"Just imagine him hunched over the wheel in hurry to the latest crime, as the car pottered along.. honk honk.. he he.."

I was thinking he could well have been right, but then Guy sent me a link to The History of the Batmobile, a fascinating site that details every incarnation of the vehicle over its long and varied history. Sadly CK's suggestion was not to be found, and the earliest model they list looks more like the sort of car Tintin would be getting around in than Batman...


The closest I could find to CK's suggestion was this ridiculous clown-car...


...that I hope to never see again ever. There are over 170 different models recorded on the site (including even the model from the LEGO Batman video game), and my favourite would have to be the Anton Furst-designed Batmobile from Tim Burton's 1989 film.


That really is just an exceptional design. Sleek and menacing, and completely free from the tacky Elvira-style adornments that mar so many of the other designs. My word, there have been some fruity designs over the years, of which this design from 1974 is arguably the worst...


Not in the least surprised to see Robin behind the wheel of that one. Although it's at least not as disturbing as this ghastly design...


...which keeps bringing Se7en to mind for some reason I'd rather not dwell on. Better to dwell on the positives, like the Tumbler model from 2005's Batman Begins.


It's completely over the top, sure, but it's anything but silly. It radiates power and menace, like a crouching tiger, poised and ready to strike. It doesn't have the grace of the Furst model, but when you're tearing across rooftops and smashing through walls, who needs it? :)

Take a wander through the site if you get the chance. It's well worth it.