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Dr. J · Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:42 pm Post subject: 7783 The Batcave Review

I know this set has been avaible for some time, but I wanted to put in my 2 cents worth.

#7783 The Batcave: The Penguin and Mr Freeze's Invasion

I thought I might alert you to the fact that I got this set on Monday at Target on a trip the other day.
I was orignialy going to get the new Castle sets, but they didn't have any. I decided to get 4894 Mythical Creatures for the light brick, and 8100 Cyclone Defender for the Ninja swords. Before I checked out I walked around the toy section looking at the bikes and other stuff I could be spending my money more wisely on, but then- I saw some Batman sets sitting at the end of an isle and decided to take a closer look.
HOLY POO! They're on sale for 1/2 off!
I immedietly dropped the other sets and grabbed the Batcave.
I spent the whole 2 and 1/2 hour ride back home just staring at the set.

Now, I'm not a real fan of Batman (Besides Batman Begins), but I just could not resist such a delicious offer! There were also TONS of parts I was needing that were in the set.

Let's get started with the review, shall we? (Sorry- some of the pics are kinda poopy)

First, the box. It shows that it has the old "blunt shooter", but I got the new kind in it.

I since believe in love at first site! Razz

The back of the box

Open seasame.

The sticker sheet. I decided not on putting on some of the stickers, cos I wanted to use the parts for other stuff.

Bang! Set built. Cool

Robin's jetski. Nothings special here...

The Penguin's submarine. A nice little addition to the set.

The Penguin's sub opened. I actually did not know it could open until I saw the instructions... cool feature!

Batman's ice-sled.It was okay, I guess.. it uses a SNOT tequnique for the front "arms". The spining platform is also a nice feature.

The zipline was really cool IMO.

The trap door closed. This was easily the best trap door on LEGO's part IMHO; when you close it, it stays closed until you open it. When you open it, it stays open until you close it.

The trap door open.

The "transformer". Nothing particularly special... just already have Batman inside, put Bruce Wayne inside with him and take out Batman... Simple as that.

To the Batfacts!I was happy to notice that you get a Ninja sword in this set, so giving up Cyclone Defender wasn't so bad.

The "coffee table" opens to reveal Batman's weapons.

The gunner's station.The net takes some skill to get it to go very far, as does the gun takes skill to aim.

This was the farthest I could get the net to go.

Fill 'er up at Robin's dock.

The stairs. They kinda stank 'cause when you touch them, they spin around a little.

The jail.

The back of the jail. I still don't understand why Batman put the jail right at the end of a giant pipe that any villian could easily crawl back to civilization.

Parts:
I'd give the parts selection a 10/10! I mean, there's parts from a lot of different themes:

Vehicles / City

Space / Star Wars

Castle

Technic / Bionicle

Even Adventurers!

And plenty of all-around useful/rare parts

Figs:
None of these figs are in any other sets (Besides Batman).
Mr Freeze was probably my favorite of the bunch.
And Alfred would have been cooler if they made him look like the Micheal Cane one.

Scores:
Playability: 7/10
Part Selection: 10/10
Piece/Price value: 8/10
Swoosh factor: 5/10 Wink

Minifigs: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

I reccomend this set to any parts monkey, so get it now while it's on clearence in many places!
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JediKermit · Joined: 14 May 2005 Location: Salt Lake City

Nice review--love all the pics. I am a huge Batfan, so I bought this around Christmastime, I think...and I love it. Glad you liked it too. Smile

dWhisper · 99% Evil ® [MOD] Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Location: Arkansas!

Point of order, the sets at Target were on Clearance, not sale, so once they're gone, they're gone.

Other than that, great pics. I've had the Batcave for some time, and it's remain built and set up on my shelves (along with the Asylum). Not sure I quite agree with the 10/10 rating (probably closer to 8 for me), but hey, that's why we all have opinions!

My only quibbles about the set was the size... it's really hard to put anywhere. The Ice Thingy wasn't all that impressive to me, and I really wish that the spinner could be easily modified to hold the Batmobile easily (you can put it on there, but it no longer spins). The figs are awesome as well, and have been on an endless invasion on the cave for months now.
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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe. - Albert Einstein

Obi-wan Jimboski · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Location: MICHIGAN

Dr. J · Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 12:46 pm Post subject:

Jedd the Zombie · Undead! Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Location: Singapore

Great review. I'm quite a fan of the set, though certain features, especially the weak designs of the weapons station and the changing room, were rather off-putting. I also dislike the prison cell, as keeping baddies in the headquarters would give them a prime opportunity to figure out Batman's identity. Also, the tunrstile does lock up occasionally as metioned earlier. However, all the impressive flourishes cannot be faulted and I do agree more with dwhisper's 8/10 opinion.
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Ironic, huh.

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