The Batman TumblerThe Batmobile for the new movie the Dark Knight is incredible, isn’t it? I’m sure most of you have seen it—either on a poster in the local theater, or the movie trailer, or the movie itself if you’ve already watched it. In the sequel to Batman Begins, our superhero’s main ride known as “The Tumbler” in the movie makes a stellar comeback, going out in a blaze of glory. Let’s look more at the Batmobile. Did you know that six vehicles were created for the production of The Dark Knight? Each one was designed for a specific effect, from big-time stunts to shots of the Tumbler in motion. The vehicles were designed and built overseas (in Europe) after car companies in the United States said the design was too complicated and was impossible to build. Let me just say on behalf of all Batmobile fans that I’m glad they were proven wrong…the Batmobile wouldn’t be the same if it looked any different. Many people would figure that the tumbler was a computer generated special effect instead of a real live vehicle. However, it is a live, physical object. The cool thing is that it isn’t just one car…the Tumbler is really a combination of six different cars. Five of them are life-sized, while the remaining one is scaled down about 80%. It’s the one that handles most of the jumping and flying scenes due to its lighter weight. It is operated by remote control. The life sized care is a fully functioning care that is more or less operated like any other car. Interestingly enough, it is never actually called the Batmobile in the film. It is only known as The Tumbler. However, it is consistently referred to as a Batmobile in other series, so that remains its commonly accepted name. In the movie, the tumbler first appears in a park under Batman’s control. He uses it to capture one of the villains, the Scarecrow. As the movie goes on, Batman must use the Tumbler to prevent the Joker who has attacked a convoy. The Tumbler self destructs in the process as Batman narrowly escapes the vehicle. The tumbler is available as a replica toy all over the Net. For example, you can go to Amazon.com, where prices begin around $25 for a radio-controlled tumbler. You can cruise the streets of your own city in the quest for adventure and thrill-seeking. Even as a toy, the detail is excellent and realistic. It is 1/16 the size of the original model. It is also available as a 1/50 die cast replica of the car for around $16.
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