of the 1970's
|
of the 1970's |
The 1966 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward was so popular that it's campy humor and the sleek Batmobile designed by George Barris were quickly introduced into the Batman comic books. But the high camp and general silliness of the television show did not sit well with long-time Batman comic book fans. So, when the series was canceled in 1968 the comic books reacted by becoming darker and more serious. They abandoned many of the character's traditional accouterments and emphasized Batman's role as a detective. He no longer operated out of Wayne Manor or the Batcave. He and Alfred moved to a penthouse in Gotham. Robin, the "Boy Wonder", was also gone (quite reasonably, Dick Grayson had grown up and left for college). Part of the change was a complete redesign of the Batmobile. Instead of flashing lights and scalloped fins, the new Batmobile was a discreet roadster with little to distinquish it from any other street vehicle except for the subdued bat-mask on the hood.
Although not as visually interesting as the other Batmobiles, I consider this version typical of the decade and representative of the strong desire of the creative teams producing the series to re-establish it as a "serious" title. The "roadster" does not have the dramatic style of other Batmobiles, but it does present an interesting modeling challenge. As seen in the panels at right (from Batman #234, 1971), the roadster is not a real automobile but does combine the major design elements from two well known cars of the late '60's, the Mustang and Corvette.
Model of the 1970's Batmobile
1/24 Scale
Click here for more pictures and description of the construction process for the Batmobile.
Back to the Batman Model Page
The character of Batman, the emblems and the comic book panels on these pages are the property of DC Comics. All text and photographs are ©2001-2013 Dan Thompson, except where otherwise noted. This homepage is not intended to infringe on the copyright of DC Comics to its characters, but was created out of gratitude to all the talented writers, artists, and editors who created the Batman.
