Included in the set are these two roadblocks that almost seem like an afterthought. Just something extra to throw in, in case you want to set them up and maybe drive the Tumbler through them. I could take or leave them, but it’s cool that they’re included I suppose. I wish the striped decals they came with were black and yellow (or black and clear) instead of black and white, because it looks kinda weird.

Now let’s get to the good stuff. One of the vehicles included in the set is the Tumbler. This is supposed to be the camouflaged version of the Tumbler, like one of the several kind Bane and his men use in the movie. there’s no camo decals, but they did include some cool tech looking decals that just adds random details to it. I like the decals, they help break up all that tan.

The Tumbler itself is pretty neat. It’s got the same basic shape it had in the movie, and there’s some good attention to detail with having two larger back tires than the front tires. You get a cool jet engine on the back with a clear orange flame sticking out. Because flames are how you know it’s supposed to go fast. And the wheels roll very nicely, so push it hard enough and it will indeed go fast. Just keep those instructions handy. The top of it opens, and you can set Bane down inside that way. You kinda have to lay him down almost flat to get him to fit though. There’s no room for him to sit straight up, but he still looks cool inside. If you flip up the back fins, you can lift up a couple of missile launchers as well. They’re push activated, so you just push the back of them and the launch out. They’re LEGO missiles though, so they’re nothing special.

I think they did a pretty good job on the Tumbler, though I totally would have been willing to spend a few more bucks if they could have spared some more pieces to maybe make it larger and more movie accurate. Maybe I’m just spoiled by all the custom LEGO Tumblers out there that look amazing.

The other awesome vehicle you get to build in this set is The Bat, Batman’s flying vehicle in the movie that was given to him by Lucius Fox. Like the LEGO Tumbler, this too takes on the general shape of The Bat from the movie. The cockpit is the center and bulk of the vehicle, and two arms sit on either side. It’s not completely movie accurate, but it is LEGOs after all. The top wings are actually adjustable and hinged at two sections, and the back tail is hinged as well. The arms have ball joints at the “shoulder” and “elbow”. This is probably just coincidence due to the pieces needed to get the shape of The Bat, and I’ll always just keep it looking like it should, though if you ever wanted to shake things up with the positioning of everything, you certainly can. I think it’s neat they included two propellers on either side of the back end, and turbines on the arms, just like in the movie. The arms also have missiles on them that you can launch by pushing the backs of them, similar to the ones on the Tumbler. They were clearly thinking of the lasting play aspects of these for kids, so they can make each vehicle battle. Props to them for that.

The cockpit of the Bat is hinged and opens really easily, and Batman can sit inside. You have to take his cape off for this though, otherwise the cape will get all wrinkled and ruined. There’s also a seat in the back for Gordon to sit, or any other passenger you can think of (too bad there’s no LEGO Leslie Nielsen). And there’s a string hanging from the bottom with one circular LEGO piece that the hand of a minifigure can clip onto so you can make it look like they’re being rescued by Batman.

I think LEGO did a fine job executing the look of the Bat here. It looks cool, and fits two minifigures inside. Although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way about this as I did the Tumbler. Throw some more pieces in there, get it even a little more movie accurate.

LEGO is a master at what it does. It makes incredibly fun, adorable sets of little toy bricks, and they’re incredibly addictive. LEGO almost always handles their properties great, and I really love what they’re doing with DC Superheroes. I hope that this isn’t the only Dark Knight Rises set that LEGO makes, because it would be awesome to get a LEGO Batpod, and a movie style Catwoman, at the very least. I have to say, I never feel more like a kid in an adult body than I do playing with LEGO’s. I said before that building them is a way for me to relax and unwind, but they’re also a way for me to just have some fun.

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So many action figures these days have so much stress behind them, with worrying about their articulation and accuracy and whatnot. Sometimes, it’s good to just kick back and play with some LEGO’s. I know I was being a bit nitpicky back there, but that was more of a moment’s thought than anything else. Once you recreate Bane lifting Batman over his head in LEGO form, the nitpicks are nothing. If you’re a fan of the movie, and a fan of LEGOs, you might consider picking this up. It will run you about $40, and you should be able to find it at Target, Walmart, and Toys “R” Us right now.

Huge thanks to Noisy for letting me do this guest review. I was definitely more than happy to help out while he still gets everything unpacked and organized at his house. Hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it.

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