Dream Tomica No. 148 Batmobile 4th

The Tumbler? Oh, you wouldn't be interested in that
A new review after MegaHouse Character Studio Lunamaria Hawke on a relatively new entry in my collection, which is from an equally new sub-series in a super-old product line. ^^

How's that for an opener? ^^ I've been trying to get the best combination of 'new' and 'old' in a single sentence for quite a while in order to start off this posting interestingly, because the item to be reviewed this time is really special. ^^


This is the Tumbler from Takara Tomy's Dream Tomica series, which is a pretty new sub-series in the company's long running Tomica line. It's called "Batmobile 4th" on the box as you can see from the image above, which I followed and used as the title of this posting. The Tumbler is a better name I think, since "Batmobile" still has that comical feel that's very loyal to the original universe of Batman, and the numbering of "4th" in that name helps to reinforce the "family connection" as well. ^^ However, to connect to Christopher Nolan's darker and realistic interpretation of the Batman, some of the names from the older series need not be inherited I think. As a matter of fact, the automatic association of 'Bat' to everything the title hero uses is unnecessary in my opinion. ^^

The Tumbler is my favorite of the many versions of Batmobile design. It's realistic and practical. Its origin as a prototype military vehicle fits the story very well, since most of Batman's combat gears and weapons come in the same way. I just love the idea presented in the first movie about various secret military equipment that were developed to protect soldiers and civilians but never deployed because of monetary issue finding themselves in the hands of Batman, who uses them to fulfill their intended objective, in his own unique way of course. ^^ I also like the idea that the vehicle was developed by someone at Wayne Enterprise instead of Bruce Wayne himself. Based on the back story of Bruce Wayne as presented in "Batman Begins" (2005), a strong sense of justice and very complex internal struggle are the main characteristics presented about Bruce Wayne, which contributed to his alter ego as Batman. He doesn't look like he's on the same level as Tony Stark in terms of mechanical knowledge (XD), and there's no need for that connection anyway actually. ^^ Alfred might be able to do it, but as a wise father-like figure, the role as a super intelligent engineer and mechanic is not necessary to the overall story at all. ^^ So again, it makes sense to the overall movie background that Lucius Fox (played by Morgan Freeman), a genius at Wayne Enterprise was the one who developed the vehicle.

Also, the idea that God (Morgan Freeman's "character" in "Bruce Almighty" (2003)) created the weapons for Batman, while another God (Liam Neeson - Ra's Al Ghul in "Batman Begins", who later played Zeus in "Clash of the Titans" (2010)) trained his up as a warrior is so unbelievably awesome. XD

Regarding this small model of the Tumbler itself, it's actually the first Tomica figure in my collection. ^^ While Dream Tomica is a new sub-series created by Takara Tomy just a few days before the end of 2012, Tomica itself has been around since 1970. ^^ Essentially a collectible series that feature palm-sized vehicle models made of mainly die-cast material, there are now over 800 different models scattered in various series, with over 564 million units sold. (Information is from AnimeAnime) Like a couple of items I bought in more recent times, I only started finding out more information about Tomica because of this particular model and another Batmobile figure, which I ended up getting as well. Because of its long-running history and wide market reach, I always see Tomica models being offered in most major toy stores and departmental stores. ^^ As a person who has no interest in vehicle models, I usually just gloss over all the small boxes. ^^;

The Dream Tomica sub-series focuses on vehicles related to anime, movies, games and even imaginary work. Apart from the two Batmobiles, there are releases from "Pokemon" , "Mario" and even the more recent "Transformers: Prime". ^^ It seems to be very interesting product line that has a lot of room to expand in the future. I'm hoping that with Takara Tomy's involvement in the Transformers franchise, vehicles from the live action movies will find their way into the series as future releases. A palm-sized Optimus Prime semi-truck with die-cast body is very much welcomed. ^^ While most of Dream Tomica's offerings so far are for kids, the Tumbler and even the first Batmobile are supposed to cater for older customers (like me). ^^ With that said, I wonder what other models are going to be released in the future to appeal to even broader customer groups. ^^


Front view of the box.


The new Batman emblem, DC Comics and Warner Bros Entertainment Inc's company logos on the top side of the box.


Product cautionary notes on the bottom face of the box.


Super-simple design for the side of the box.


More product info on the back.


Exactly how small is the box? The recently reviewed "Transformers: Prime" Cyberverse Commander Class Megatron in vehicle mode can be used as an indicator to show off the box's ginormous size I suppose. XD


With No. 146 Batmobile.


Apart from the product numbering, the Batman logos are different between the two models, for obvious reasons. ^^


Box open.


Apart from the model itself, a small folded promotional pamphlet and a lucky draw ticket (?) are also included.



Previews of new and upcoming Tomica products are shown in the promotional pamphlet.


Dream Tomica No. 147 Optimus Prime and No. 142 Bumblebee from "Transformers: Prime" are shown. ^^


The lucky draw ticket (?).


The mini model is removed from its plastic package. ^^
More images of Dream Tomica the Tumbler:











Closeups on the details:













Bottom view:




The level of details for such a small model is very amazing. ^^ Details on the body especially the rear flaps, jet thruster, rim and tracks of the rear wheels are beautifully realized on the model. While black is its most dominant color, you can find small details that are painted in gold and silver as well. The outcome of the paint work on the main body isn't perfectly crisp, but the additional colors really boost the model's overall display. ^^ The silver rims of the rear wheels are my pick as the components with the best showcase of details on this models. The intersection of silver and black paint on the wheel rims that are already very impressive with their fine details is a treat to folks who love tiny details. ^^

I also like the die-cast material used for the main body of the car that gives it a substantial weight for its size. It doesn't weight a kilogram or something (XD), but it feels really good to hold. ^^

Some special features of the model:


The side windows are actually made of clear plastic. You can see through them and view the white floor of my room from the image above. The black interior, low roof and small size of the windows themselves make them appear to be black most of the time.


Rear suspension enabled by springs inside the model. ^^


Size of the model: 6cm (length) x 4cm (wide) x 2cm (tall).


A palm-sized mini model of the Tumbler indeed. ^^
Comparison with a few other mini vehicle models (not exactly ^^) in my collection:


With "Transformers: Prime" Cyberverse Commander Class Optimus Prime and Legion Class Arcee.



This Dream Tomica model is actually the smallest of the three. ^^
Liking the "character" - the Tumbler was my initial motivation in getting this Dream Tomica model, but I really appreciate the level of details and paint work, and the nice feeling of the die-cast material used on the model itself. ^^ Small, but a fine model of the Tumbler this is. ^^ It's definitely a great item for display on my desktop. ^^

Will be reviewing the classic movie Batmobile in the future. ^^

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Dream Tomica No. 148 Batmobile 4th