I first discovered Jada Toys and their die-cast vehicles through their Halo line. There were about a half dozen really nicely done die-cast metal vehicles and figures in what seemed like about 1:35 scale. They were solid, painted really nicely and affordable. The largest I owned was a USNC Hornet, but I think they even made a larger die-cast Warthog around the same time that McFarlane Toys released theirs. I came across their newest creation, the Batmobile from Batman v Superman, and decided to re-visit the brand.
This is billed as a model kit, though that's a bit of a stretch. Mind you, I'm an old-school model builder. You know, the kind that involves sanding, glue, lots of products named Testors and Model Masters, waterslide decals, lots of time and patience - the whole nine yards. A true model kit this is not. It's more of a disassembled toy. In fact, my hunch is that by having us assemble the thing, they were able to save enough in labor costs to make a pretty penny. There's a little screwdriver included and about a dozen itty bitty screws. Along with some tricky aligning of parts, metal axles and plastic wheels, that's about all there is to putting this thing together. It's not a bad gimmick, actually. Except for the fact that it wasn't a ton of fun. The directions are sketchy at best (I really had trouble figuring out how to align the rear brake pads), the wheels don't sit flush on the axles too well, and those screws are really tiny. But, in the end, it all went together and I'm happy with a pretty nice looking Batmobile.
From the front and the side, I feel like this version of the Batmobile looks like the sporty futuristic fin-thing from the Arkham Asylum video game. From the back, it's all Tumbler. In all, I find it to be an interesting mix, which I like. The guns on the front strike me as an odd addition, but don't look nearly as out of place here as they do on Mattel's toy. The plastic wheels spin freely, the cannons rotate, and the canopy actually flips up and open in two separate halves. The interior of the cockpit is detailed to an extent. There's minimal detailing to the exterior, in terms of paint, however. The entire car is flat gunmetal grey, or blue, depending on the lighting. It looks good - no blemishes, dings or quality control issues - if not a bit bland. There are a couple of tiny red highlights on the front fenders, but otherwise nothing. The mostly plastic undercarriage and interior are black plastic.
The car measures about 8 & 1/2" long and about 2" high (it slopes upwards to the back). Overall, it's a pretty nice model. It looks less "toyish" than anything else I've seen in this size, and for the price it's worth having. It looks pretty great beside my Walmart Exclusive Tumbler from The Dark Knight Rises, so I really can't complain. I wouldn't recommend giving it to a kid to build straight away, but it might be a nice introduction to the world of modeling with a little parent/child shoulder time, and heaven knows we could all use more of that. It's a nifty model, and could stand up well to play - I'd recommend it!
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