Two of my greatest loves are comics books and cars. For as long as I can remember, I have been a comic book and car nut. With this in mind, it is perhaps no surprise that my favourite comic book character is Batman. Let’s face it, the Batmobile is the coolest car ever made. UK toy manufacturer Corgi have released a range of diecast Batmobiles for collectors to buy. You can view them at Corgi’s website. These look pretty good considering that they are a relatively cheap buy. My favourites are the 1960s Batmobiles. For some reason they just look really good.
As these are based on the Batmobiles from the Batman comic book, you won’t find the most famous Batmobile of them all, the one from the 1960s TV show. Corgi used to manufacture this car back in the 1960s and 1970s, but they are no longer able to due to licencing issues. My cousin used to own one of these and I always wanted one as a kid. I don’t know why my parents never bought me one, but I know if they did, it would probably have ended up being trashed like all my other toy cars. If you want one of these cars now you have to go to ebay and spend at least $200 for one that it is in OK condition. I have seen one TV Batmobile recently, complete with box, for $500. I suppose that the moral of this story is for any kids out there to keep your toys in good condition because you never know how much they’ll be worth in twenty years time.
Finally, I have heard a rumour that Mattel may be making the TV Batmobile. As previously mentioned, the reason this car has not been made since the early 1980s, is due to licencing issues. From what I’ve heard, the issue revolves around who would get any royalties from sales of this car. George Barris, who created and still owns this car, would have to take a cut, as would 20th Century Fox, the people who made the TV show. DC Comics/Time Warner, would also take a cut of the profits, which means that there would be very little money to made by any manufacturer who built this car. I have also heard that DC Comics have always vetoed anything that has to do with the TV show, so as to distance the current grim and gritty version of Batman, from the campy one in the TV show. (Time Warner may also not like the fact that a rival entertainment comapany, Fox, would profit from a character that they own!)
Anyway, it looks as though Mattel has paid off all the interested parties and will make the most famous Batmobile of all in various scales. Mattel already make the Batmobile from the 1989 movie and the one from Batman Begins. They also have the licence to make all the other movie Batmobiles, so this one would be a natural.
Information on Mattel gaining the rights to 1966 Batmobile from DC Message Boards
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