LEGO DC Batman 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown review

76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown is a surprise LEGO DC Batman set – we didn’t expect it, nor did we think it would be this good.

Yet here we are, happy to say that 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown is the way better LEGO Tumbler releasing this year (maybe we’ll stop picking on 76240 Batmobile Tumbler when they re-release it for a third time and actually add something to it), packed with playability, charm and just the right dose of Bat-titude to take a now classic Batmobile and give it a 2021 update we didn’t know we needed, but we’re so glad is here now.

— Set details —

Theme: LEGO Batman Set name: 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown Release: October 1, 2021

Price: £34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 Pieces: 422 Minifigures: 2

lego

LEGO: Available now

— Build —

After a quiet pandemic for LEGO Batman fans, the LEGO Group has come through with not one, but two Tumblers to pick between in the closing months of 2021. Is that one Tumbler too many? No, and what LEGO Batman fan could ask such a question? Coming in at two very different scales, 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown and 76240 Batmobile Tumbler are quite different in almost every way, from the level of detail on show to the all-round experience and end result, as well as quite possibly how you may feel towards each of them.

Our disdain towards 76240 Batmobile Tumbler is in part based on having experienced 2014’s 76023 The Tumbler. In the seven years between these two supermassive versions of The Dark Knight’s tank-like, bridge-jumping vehicle, nothing of any reasonable note or expectation has changed, which for the price of 76240 Batmobile Tumbler in 2021 and with consideration to any of the more recent large-scale Bat-vehicles released, means the new, big Tumbler comes up short in both value and LEGO experience.

Roll in 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown to save the day, then. It’s a much more scaled-down interpretation of the Tumbler, set to a far more accessible budget, lower building age level and design aesthetic that has prioritised play over accuracy. It’s chonky and it basically looks like it’s been forced through the same dimensions-wrenching process that created minifigures from people. Is it too tall or is it too wide? Are the wheels too big or just placed too close together?

It doesn’t matter, because for all that looks like it isn’t working for 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown, this is in fact a fantastic LEGO set and a fine addition to the growing collection of LEGO Batmobiles we’re all working on. Across 422 pieces are almost as many angles and details as have been packed into 76240 Batmobile Tumbler, thanks to a very intelligent design that makes clever use and placement of various parts to create visual effects where such a small piece count couldn’t otherwise allow.

It’s an intriguing model to put together, and even as the build process heightens suspicion that the end result will look wildly disproportionate, it all comes together for a final LEGO Tumbler that is way more authentic and fun to hold and play around with than expected.

At this scale, the LEGO Group has tried to put together a Tumbler twice before to results both exaggerated and overly simplistic, but in 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown the balance between the two is struck perfectly, as it captures the spirit and feel of the Tumbler from its on-screen appearance in the Dark Knight trilogy. This looks like the real deal, particularly for the scale it has been put together in, and for considering the fact you can also seat two minifigures within it.

— Characters —

If there’s one area to criticise 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown in, it’s the minifigures, and that’s even though they are both pretty good. They are each wonderfully designed and the Scarecrow minifigure in particular is long-awaited, considering he debuted on-screen back in 2005. His mask and suit design are both fantastic and accurate to how they appeared in Batman Begins, from a LEGO point of view. Meanwhile, Batman’s suit is neat in design, even if a darker grey outline would have been even better for the torso.

What doesn’t quite work, though, is the choice in minifigure heads that come with the set. Batman is given the generic Batman minifigure head with an alternate print of a grin – Christian Bale’s Batman wasn’t a grinner. He shouted, grumbled, gritted his teeth together, but hardly ever looked like he just cracked a great joke in the cowl.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of a bonus head to swap it out for is great, but still feels like an odd choice. It represents the moment in Batman Begins when Dr. Jonathan Crane is dosed with his own fear toxin and sees the monstrous version of Batman try to interrogate him. While it’s a great nod to a memorable scene, if we were given a choice of a third minifigure head to include in the set, most may have instead opted for a maskless Dr. Crane, given how much more often he was seen in the film without his Scarecrow mask on.

We don’t get as many Batman villains unmasked or out of costume as perhaps would be desired by most LEGO Batman fans. It’s one area there’s still room to explore the theme within…

— Price —

76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown sold out in the UK and Europe almost instantly upon release, and for good reason. It’s great value in 2021 to pick up a 422-piece set for £34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99, and particularly one that is so rewarding. It’s fun to put together, to play with and to look at and gives LEGO Batman fans more than enough to appreciate and enjoy.

— Pictures —

— Summary —

To criticise 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown would be to miss its purpose – this is the playable, minifigure-scale Tumbler, the one to whiz through the streets of your LEGO Gotham, to look awesome on display next to regular CITY cars and to compare favourably to all the other Batmobiles at this scale.

If you want full-on accuracy and a deeper understanding of the details that come together to make this quite unique vehicle, the much larger, six-times-as-expensive 76240 Batmobile Tumbler is the perfect answer. Just, for all that that set lacks and all that this one offers on top of what would ordinarily be expected, 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown is way more fun.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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How long does it take to build LEGO Batman 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown?

It’s a simple but fun build to put together 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown, lasting anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes. Take your time…

How many pieces are in LEGO Batman 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown?

There are 422 pieces included in 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown, including two minifigures, one being Batman and the other being a first Scarecrow minifigure, both from Batman Begins.

How big is LEGO Batman 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown?

76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown comes in at 20cm long and 12cm wide, while it measures 7.5cm at its tallest point.

How much does LEGO Batman 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown cost?

76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown costs £34.99 in the UK and $39.99 in the US, while it retails from €39.99 in Europe.

Author Profile

Rob Paton
As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

Rob Paton

As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

One thought on “LEGO DC Batman 76239 Batmobile Tumbler: Scarecrow Showdown review

  • 07/11/2021 at 22:22
    Permalink

    Val Kilmer’s Batman grinned. Ben Affleck’s Batman grinned. George Clooney’s Batman *definitely* grinned. Heck, even Michael Keaton’s Batman grinned (usually straight after he’d just murdered a henchman). But you’re right; Christian Bale’s Batman was *not* a grinner. His was the ultra-serious Batman (although I suspect Robert Pattinson might join him in that respect).

    Still, like you say, this is a great set (I just wish, as you also say, it had more interesting minifig heads).

    Reply

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