Hot Wheels Elite 1989 Batmobile 1:43 | $65.99
What’s long, low, black, and powered by a jet engine? No, not the SR-71 Blackbird – but you’d deserve partial credit for thinking so. It’s the Batmobile created for the 1989 movie Batman and the follow-up Batman Returns. Yes, in reality, the car was powered by a Chevy V8, but the cinematic Batmobile had gadgets that Bond’s “Q” never even dreamed of. The movie car still exists, and a couple of replicas have been built (one with an actual turbine drivetrain), so photos are plentiful and confirm that Hot Wheels has the menacing shape correct, along with the panel lines and other exterior details. Photos suggest that the paint is a bit too gray and too flat; a coat of acrylic floor wax would improve that. The interior has detailed instruments and a throttle/gadget console, but no seat belts. Basic chassis detail (including a driveshaft from that V-8) is molded on the baseplate. This particular edition wears incorrect gold-toned trim; the turbine inlet, tailpipe, and wheels should be black, while the plumbing on the sides and gas caps should be aluminum (we’ve seen versions with those details done in black – ed). And if published dimensions are correct, it’s really about 1:50. – Wayne Moyer
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