2005 Batman Begins/The Dark Knight Batmobile (Tumbler)

       
 
 
Tumbler Batmobile

 
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Considering the sheer size and complexity of this kit, it went together surprisingly quickly. Credit for much of that goes to the work Moebius did with the engineering: although this is the first kit of theirs that I have completed, I have worked on a couple others and their reputation for quality is well deserved (the unfinished kits of theirs have had unrelated issues, like working with an aftermarket body).

Unlike most car kits, this was built from the center out. So you start with the cockpit floor, add the seats and interior walls, surround that with the exterior walls, add the hull panels to those, and so on. I modified the cockpit with a scratchbuilt steering column and replaced the HUD panel with a piece of clear plastic. The base was painted Tamiya Light Gunmetal, with details done in gray, black, silver, steel, and BMF.

The exterior was also only slightly modified. I opened the side intakes, and used wire mesh for the screens. I also constructed new rear shocks from brass rod and wire, replaced the cast hydraulic hoses with fishing line, and replaced the shallow exhaust tips with aluminum tubing that actually went deeper into the car. Lastly, I made new static wicks from wire and added fillers to better secure the mating between the rear wheels and tires. The hull was painted Testors Flat Black followed by Tamiya Semgloss Clear, and the bulk of the hardware was painted either brass or silver.

 

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