LEGO BATMAN 7783 BATCAVE, THE PENQUIN AND MR. FREEZE'S INVASION $679.99LEGO The Batman Movie - 30522 Batman in the Phantom Zone (New & Sealed)“The LEGO Batman Movie” is in theaters this weekend, and you can rest assured that Warner Bros. has taken the opportunity for some corporate cross-promotion. On a rainy Monday morning (rain is always newsworthy in Los Angeles), Warner Bros. Television unveiled LEGO-ized versions of all of its billboards facing Olive Avenue at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, in an event attended by press including CBR. There’s a combo billboard for “The Flash” and “Arrow” along with ones for “Supergirl” and “Gotham,” sure, but there are also LEGO versions of decidedly non-genre programming like “Ellen,” “Mom,” “2 Broke Girls” and “The Middle.” The billboards will be on display for two to three weeks, for anyone passing by in the LA area. In a press release, WBTV shared some statistics on how the billboards came together: More than 10,000 LEGO bricks were used to create the image for each billboard, and it took around 300 hours to complete the builds and 70 hours to install the billboards themselves.
Monday’s event included appearances from costumed versions of LEGO Batman, LEGO Robin and LEGO Batgirl; along with Warner Bros. Television talent Mayim Bialik (from “The Big Bang Theory,” which inspired a LEGO set in 2015) plus Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs of “2 Broke Girls.” Take it from us — watching Mayim Bialik make small talk with LEGO Batman is a very unique way to start your work week. The billboards are just part of WBTV’s push for “The LEGO Batman” movie this week. Naturally, tie-ins are planned for The CW’s four DC Comics-based superhero shows, with “Supergirl,” “The Flash,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” and “Arrow” all running LEGO-inspired end-cards at the close of this week’s episodes. There will also be new spots airing this week featuring LEGO Batman interacting with LEGO Flash, LEGO Green Arrow, LEGO Supergirl and LEGO Atom, all voiced by their respective live-action actors (Grant Gustin, Stephen Amell, Melissa Benoist and Brandon Routh).
Arrested Development's Will Arnett reprises his role as the bitter, black-clad Dark Knight, a reclusive narcissist obsessed with his gadgets and how awesome it is to be Batman – even as he laments not having a family of his own. Watch a frantic timelapse of the 2,526-piece LEGO Batcave being built The film explores a fairly literal interpretation of the Batfamily, with Batman joined by an expanded roster of heroes from the DC Comics canon to battle his entire rogues gallery – which also provides an excellent excuse to introduce a new range of Batman Lego directly tied to the movie's events. WIRED dons its cape and cowl to take a look at the brick bat's latest toy outing.There are 12 sets in the line, with prices ranging from £11.99 to £109.99. That's a bit pricier than might be expected (there's a reason for that), but Lego has made sure to include some lower-priced sets, unlike its Jurassic World selection.The Joker Balloon Escape (kit ref 70900) is the 'pocket money' offering, at £11.99.
For that, you get minifigs of Batman and The Joker, and a couple of peripherals to build. The set replicates one of the early scenes from the film, with the Joker setting off a bomb in a chemical plant before making a getaway on a balloon-powered backpack. A small chemical plant and the Clown Prince of Crime's aerial gear can be built, but there aren't many play features once you've constructed them. Batman does have a grappling gun that actually fires its hook though, which is a nice touch.The minifigs are the real winner here, with paint details and minor sculpt differences that mark the characters as unique to The Lego Batman Movie rather than earlier iterations.Slightly more expensive is the Mr Freeze Ice Attack set (kit ref 70901) at £19.99. There's a lot more play value for your extra eight pound though – minifig Mr Freeze rides an articulated exosuit mecha, which is reminiscent in its design of the Groot figure from the Guardians of the Galaxy range. There's another Batman minifig, this one with a flamethrower (unlike the grappling hook, this thankfully doesn't work) and a security guard, plus a few more environmental pieces.
Probably the best kit for those on a budget.At the next price point, we have sets like the Clayface Splat Attack (kit ref 70904), at £29.99. Minifigs of Batman and Gotham Mayor McCaskill are side notes here – the set is dedicated to a colossal figure of the muddy madman. It's a fairly lengthy build. Expect to spend at least and hour on it, but the result is a brilliantly articulated and satisfyingly hefty model of Clayface.The attention to detail here is wonderful, with a creative layout of studs giving the finished build an almost liquid effect – perfect for the malleable supervillain. Clayface also comes with gatling gun-style weapons that fire single Lego studs as if they were mudballs, and an alternate hand shaped like a clay mallet. There's opportunity for imaginative Lego builders to craft their own shape-shifted hands to attach.At the same price, there's also The Riddler Racer (kit ref 70903), but it's really just a basic car – Clayface is the better choice.The mid point of the range is represented by a lot of vehicles, both for Batman and his enemies.
We've not had the chance to test any of these, but The Batmobile (kit ref 70905) and The Joker Notorious Lowrider (kit ref 70906), both £54.99, are the stand outs.Forget the Batmobile though – Batman's best ride from the film was the Scuttler. A walking tank, its design is pure genius, and the Lego kit (ref 70908) replicates it perfectly in toy form. In ground mode, the Scuttler looks like an actual bat walking around on the tips of its wings, giving it an imposing, almost creepy look. It's also packed with hidden weapons and neat play features that will keep kids old and young entertained.The Scuttler is another long build – put aside an evening – but worth it. Once complete, it's incredibly well balanced, allowing you to pose it on its hind 'legs' for more impressive displays. The set includes minifigs of Batman, The Joker and Poison Ivy, plus longtime Bat-ally Commissioner Gordon. There are also figures of Batgirl and Robin, in civilian guise as Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson.