A short time ago, LEGO unofficially celebrated the 31st anniversary of Batman Returns with the release of the LEGO Batman Batcave – Shadow Box (76252). This massive diorama has 3,981 pieces and retails for $399.99.
Minifigure
There are seven minifigures in the set, 2 Batmans, Bruce Wayne, The Penguin, Catwoman, Max Shreck, and Alfred. Both Batmans have an updated torso with new belt printing. One of them has a harder plastic for the cape while the other one has a soft fabric so he can fit into the Batmobile. Both have a double-sided head with a stern look on one side and a smirk on the other.
Bruce Wayne has on a typical black suit. The head is the same as the Batman minifigures. The hair piece he uses is the short curly one.
The Penguin has a dirty brown body suit with the black jacket over it. There’s a separate brown fur piece that goes around the neck for the jacket. His head shows him with an angry expression with dark eyes. His accessories include the umbrella and a fish.
Catwoman has on a black bodysuit that has various stitches around the torso. Her facemask is also stitched up the same patterns. She has a which as an accessory.
Max Shreck has on a very tidy striped suit. He has a single-sided head with a grumpy expression. His accessory is a stick representing his cane as well as a hat that you can switch out with his hair.
Lastly, we have Alfred who is also in a black suit but with a slightly different design than Bruce. He has a double-sided head showing a smile on one side and a smirk on the other. His accessories include a cup as well as a teapot on a serving plate.
Build
Included in the set is the 1992 version of the Batmobile. This one is a slightly different one than in the upcoming Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase (76224). You get the distinct shape of the vehicle with the sloped front and the rear fins.
The cockpit can open up to put the fabric cape Batman in. Right in front of the cockpit is a rotating gear to pop off the wedge panels to reveal the hidden machine guns.
The back part of the Batmobile doesn’t have a storage area where the 76224 one does have. However, it does have the rotating exhaust with the flame coming out.
On to the shadow box itself, it’s a massive build. You’ll need a lot of space to display it and an even bigger one when you open it up. The front of it gives the noticeable shape of the Batman symbol while distinguishing the background of the Batcave with the gray.
The back of the shadow box is mostly gray with some yellow to show where the play features are at. There’s also a panel to put the Batmobile flame in because the vehicle won’t fit into the Batcave with it on.
Once you open the shadow box up, you get three sections that are on hinges similar to a book. Again, displaying the set this way shows off a lot more of the details but it also takes up a much larger footprint than if you have it closed.
The more eye-catching area of the Batcave is the left side where the command center is at and is probably the more interesting areas in the whole Batcave. You got the spinning chair which isn’t too cool and you can rotate it from the back but the computer screens have a lot of action. There is the main one in the middle but there’s also some smaller screens right above it. The stickers for it have images showing Batman monitoring either Catwoman or the Penguin which you can change by turning the other knob on the back. LEGO could’ve printed it but instead went with a large sticker but that would’ve made the cost a little bit more expensive than it already is.
The area below shows a small cave section with some stalagmites and a ladder going up.
The area next to the command center is a platform that has a spot to store the Batsuit. The door around the chamber uses some silver 1×1 round plates while the white eyes on the suit inside can been seen peering through the window. I do like how the door opens forward using the chains.
In addition, there’s a light brick in this area that illuminates the Batsuit vault when you press the button. The orange light looks alright but a white light would’ve been a lot better.
Finally, we get to the armory, which again, can be opened by turning the yellow knob on the back of the box. Inside the armory, there are a number of extra Batarangs along with a grappling gun. There’s also some storage space underneath but surprisingly, there’s nothing in there.
The area below the armory is a section full of tools, possibly for fixing the Batmobile.
In the middle of the Shadow Box, you have the garage door for the Batmobile which has the Batman symbol right above it. The symbol looks really nice look using the sideways building technique.
The platform in the middle for the Batmobile spans about half of the Shadow Box, just barely enough space to park it with very little wiggle room. The space could allow the Batmobile to have to flame on the back but you can take it off and store it in a hidden compartment on the back of the box.
Lastly we have the side with the large Batman symbol that is all brick-built in a way that looks great from the other angle. There is also some cave interior using gray parts on the bottom with some more stalagmites here and there. The side of the panel also has the cave walls going up.
Results
The LEGO Batman Batcave – Shadow Box (76252) is no doubt a very impressive set but I have some mixed feelings about it. The Batcave wasn’t show that much in the movie but there was just enough information for LEGO to extract some details from also adding their creative liberties to it.
One thing to note about the box itself is that it’s a bit fragile. After building it, I suggest finding a final resting spot for it. I had part just fall off randomly while taking pictures for this review. The front panel with the large Batman symbol is pretty flimsy as it kept trying to break apart on the thinner end.
The Batmobile itself is nice but with the new one just released with almost the same details, it doesn’t seem that cool anymore although technically it’s exclusive to this set.
The minifigure selection is okay with all the major characters but nothing really stands out for them. The hard plastic cowl Batman is not exclusive as it is the same one as in the 30653 polybag. The other minifigures seem like your run-of-the-mill characters.
If you’re a Batman fan in general, you may like this set as it is a great display piece and you don’t mind the negatives that I’ve explained.
Thank you to LEGO for sending in this set for me to review. The content above represents my own opinion and not the company. Review sets sent in does not guarantee a positive review.
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