Monster Jam Batman (2021 "Street Justice")

Made By:

Mattel

Scale:

1/24

MSRP:

US$20.99

Overview:
Packaging (Design):	9/10
Packaging (Durability):	6/10
Casting (Body):	9/10
Casting (Interior):	8/10
Casting (Chassis):	9/10
Casting (Engine):	8/10
Paint (Exterior):	9/10
Paint (Interior):	N/A
Paint (Trim/Graphics):	9/10
Overall Panel Fit:	10/10
Total Score:	8.6/10

 

Other Batmobile Models
 

2005: Detective Comics #800
2017: Justice League (Review)
1944: Batman #20
1992: Batman Returns (Review)
1970: Detective Comics #400
1995: Batman & Robin
1995: Batman Forever
1992: Batman Returns
2005: Batman/Danger Girl
1972: Batman #246
1987: Batman #408 interior
1966: Batman (Review)
1944: Batman #25
2017: The LEGO Batman Movie (v2)
1952: Batman #73
2017: The LEGO Batman Movie
2006: Batman: Man-Bat
1964: Batman #164
2008: Batman and the Outsiders
1966: Batman

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Ford v Ferrari 330 P
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The Love Bug Herbie
‘05 Indy Pace Car (Review)
Cyber Formula Experion Z/A-8 (Review)
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Monster Jam Batman (14) (Mattel)

Background

Spin Master acquired the Monster Jam license in 2019, and even though Batman retired in 2014 it remained a fan favorite thanks to the slick design and popularity of the character. Without a full-sized vehicle to recreate, though, it fell to Spin Master's in-house design team to come up with a look for the new truck.

Packaging

The Target exclusive "Street Justice" set is a massive 17" (43cm) x 5¾" (14.5cm) x 7" (18cm) box that is open along the front and top to show off the three included vehicles. A diagonal panel across the bottom with a carbon fiber pattern has the Bat symbol, set name, and all the necessary logos save for the one for Monster Jam - that's in the top left corner, over an image of a highway overpass. The right edge has a brick background with Joker graffiti. Both ends continue their designs onto their respective end flaps, each of which also has a large Monster Jam logo. The back and bottom are simply holders for the legal information. Inside is a road surface background with a series of folded cardboard ramps across the bottom, creating a heaved pavement series of tiers with one truck on each one: Batman is on the far left, sitting on the actual floor of the box; Harley Quinn is in the middle, on the tallest angled tier pointing downhill at Batman; and Joker is on the far right middle angled tier, also facing towards Batman. It's a great design, making good use of space and elevating the two 1/64 vehicles so they appear more or less "eye level" with the 1/24. The only drawback is the lack of a plastic window, which is always a risk for standard retail packaging.

Casting/Paint

The body is a new design, mixing several traditional Batmobile elements like the central nose turbine, domed roof with split windshield, faceted body panels, elongated fins, and single round exhaust. These are further enhanced with what looks like a sneering mouth and the sawblade-like triple fins from Batman's gauntlets. The myriad elements are actually pulled together successfully in a sharp casting with excellent work for both the cast and assembled panel lines. The main body is metal, with black plastic used for the main fins, dark gray plastic for the front "gauntlet" fins, and smoke tint transparent for the windows. The main fins are a good match to the flat black used on the main body, and both metal and plastic components are accented with gloss black areas including the front mask, side intake grilles, fin inserts, and rear armor plates. The Monster Jam logo is also done in gloss black on the sides, just behind the grilles. Silver paint is used for both the front grille and separate plastic rear exhaust, and dark gray paint is used to highlight the flexible lines feeding the afterburner. The tip of the exhaust is painted orange, the Bat symbols are yellow, and the graffiti is red. All of the paint apps are nicely applied, with only a few stray edges where the dark gray and black meet.

There is an interior of sorts, with a seat and steering wheel just barely visible through the glass. The engine is simple but clever, cast as all one piece but integrated with the chassis to look more complex than it is. The rest of the chassis is done in a similar fashion, with an intricate open latticework that belies the simplicity of the casting. The only paint is light gray on the shock absorbers - the contingency sponsor panel is a single sticker - but it's clean work that overall looks "right." The worst parts of it are the overly simplified driveshafts, but the only way to really see them is to look directly up from underneath the truck. Otherwise, you only get hints of them through the frame. The wheels are bright yellow plastic with black vinyl tires mounted on metal axles front and rear. The inside faces of the wheels look a bit toyish, a necessity of making this sturdy enough to survive as a toy. Even so, it's really very smart work all around...Spin Master hit a near-perfect balance of detail and function.

Features/Accessories

This has a similar steering/suspension setup to the early Hot Wheels trucks, but rather than using a metal coil spring this has a flexible plastic arm acting as the spring. This release also includes two 1/64 scale trucks: a black and red "Harley Quinn" with white tires, and a purple and red "Joker" with green tires. Harley looks to be inspired by a Corvette, while Joker appears to be based on a VW Beetle. Both are nicely done, although there's not really any way to play with all three at once unless you want to go with Batman deciding to run over some Power Wheels.

Accuracy

There is no Batman currently running in Monster Jam, so this is an entirely in-house design cooked up by the folks at Spin Master. It does have a similar aesthetic to contemporary trucks like Xtermigator, Dragon, and Alien Invasion, so it looks and feels correct. It's also worth noting that this is the first time the distinct forward swept exhaust headers and BKT tires have been reproduced in 1/24 scale.

Overall

This was a good way to reintroduce Batman to the Monster Jam series, and Spin Master has made some really great decisions with the line as a whole. I do wish that the regular/non-graffiti version was the first one out to stores, but given the manufacturing and supply chain issues plaguing the industry in 2021 I'll take what I can get. Fortunately, it's still well worth the purchase even with the extra paint and off-scale vehicle pack-ins.