Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

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Lou Szabo
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Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

So I bought one of these McFarlane Batmobiles to customize or destroy ;)
I’ll start with picture of the unboxing, a list of possible upgrades by level of skill!?!, then dismantling and digging in. My daughter is grabbing some stuff at a hobby shop too.
Packaged car
DACDDFE0-4FB8-4BA4-9AD3-C50B767E0878.jpeg
Unpackaged car
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Top view
35CF54F6-1331-4492-945A-2E02073A9221.jpeg
3F779F23-E5DE-452E-AB72-A09546237670.jpeg
Rear view
B091EA0F-ADEF-4666-9EE9-8FBCE3002A2A.jpeg
Wheel/tire
C822159B-44CB-4DD4-B4EB-6D4144B2FCB5.jpeg
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

A list of upgrades
Simple
Bat beam painted gold
Bat hubs painted red
Turn signals painted orange
Rear tail lights painted red
Turbine innards painted red
Bat Chutes dry brushed with highlights
Bat rocket tubes with red or black paint inside the tubes

Intermediate
Red Bat hubs add white trim around the edges
Add bulb from ceramic Christmas tree lights to turbine exhaust
Paint trim around the windshields with aluminum paint
Paint dashboard lights and equipment
Chrome paint louvered doors on dashboard.

Expert
Paint wheels with Chrome paint, then paint bat hubs with red paint and white trim
Add foil around windshield
Paint all metal parts with chrome paint, including tripplight cherry top, bat tubes, bat turbine exhaust
Add LED light kit
Add sound kit (“turbines to speed....move out”


All this applies to the Mattel version as well

Press release fro the Batman series:
Designed exclusively for the Batman, ABC television series produced by Mr. William Dozier and filmed at 20th Century-Fox Studios in Hollywood.

This automotive wonder was styled and engineered with the many different special effects innovations by Barris Kustom City, North Hollywood, California, and is insured for $125,000.
This vehicle started out as a Lincoln experimental proto chassis powered with a 500 h.p. super charged Lincoln Continental racing engine. Weight is 5500 pounds and has completely hand formed steel body. Wheel base is 129 inches; overall length is 206 inches and the hand high top height is 48 inches.
Front end design characteristic is the face of a bat with the hood scoop extending down into the frontal area accentuating the nose. Right and left eyes extend into the ears with dual 450 watt laser beams installed in amber reflective lenses. Hood scoop follows the front area with a hydraulically operated steel chain and cable cutter blade. Hidden behind the ears are functional headlights for normal street driving. The grille cavity is the mouth of the bat with the internal mounted rockets.
Dual 84 inch rear bat fins are in line with bullet proof steel as added protection for Batman and Robin. Operable red reflective taillights are mounted in the rear of the bat fins. Four 6 inch flared eyebrow bullet proof wheels wells are formed and used as tire protectors. Ten inch wide Rader wheels made of steel and power thrust alloy use traction grip Oval Firestone tires. The rear upper panel has triple rocket tubes and are on an automatic theft control system with shooting colored fire rockets.
360 degree turning is made possible by pulling the emergency bat turn lever that releases and billows the bat impression twin parachutes on a 25 foot nylon cord. Turbine exhaust finned air cooling rear tube is mounted on the V cavity rear grille section with both parachutes installed on each side.

Twin aircraft streamlined plexi-glass bubble windshields and top section are made bullet proof and matching in design. The center safety roll bar arch is made of alloy steel and equipped with operable flashing lights, right and left trouble shooters and miscellaneous warning lights, and then attached to the double bubble top.
Twin body contoured air foam bucket seats are formed into the cab compartment of Scottish grain black naugahyde in horseshoe designs, pleats and rolls, black nylon shoulder body and safety belts are fitted for Batman and Robin. The center console incorporates the power accelerator T arm and the Batman fire extinguisher. Steering wheel incorporates right and left turn indicator buttons made in half aircraft design with all the dials, gauges and speedo installed in center hub.
The dash is equipped with many different Batman innovations such as the Batscope that is hooked up with a revolving closed circuit antenna to bring the Batman full vision plus the Bateye switch for anti-theft control, the antenna is for an information radio wave pickup of messages and computering from the Batcave with an electronic unit installed in trunk. A Detect-a-scope is used to determine the area in which Batman or Robin are in, also the Batray reactors and laser beam button controls, plus many flashing warning lights and directional electronic systems. Attached to the anti-fire theft control systems are swivel 5-way nozzles that eliminate any fire throughout the vehicle. And double cable control exhaust cutout system are used for sound volume.
To finish off this different one of a kind vehicle are 40 coats of nitro-cellulose velvet glow bat fuzz black and then is trimmed in an outline of fluorescent cerise.
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

disassembly
There are 13 Phillips screws in the chassis. 11 are apparent,

You can start separating the chassis.
4918C7DB-F776-441F-B179-3CF0039D6CEA.jpeg
2 screws are hidden on the front wheel well, so the two front tires are removed.
94FD1B2A-5BB4-4EEE-A061-96D2578E2FC4.jpeg
If you want, the front and rear assemblies can be separated from the frame, Carefully!
Rear
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Front
EAE1A5DB-9F07-4A5F-A1B5-E8FA550AE167.jpeg
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

Easy stuff
The Bat-Beam/Radar on the Batmobile is best known for being gold
90D3318D-78E7-46F9-83EF-3D14815DC938.jpeg
I used some post it notes to get under it, the used my Gold Testors Paint
B77D58FE-1577-4F4C-905E-90B9D85A81FF.jpeg
Give it some time to dry and pull out the paper
7029DCE5-E1CD-44A5-B0F7-885CB9F345C4.jpeg
Ta-Da
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Tip: I used a pen to puncture the paper, the cut Crome the hole to an edge. This paper slipped under Ray and the Ray settles in the hole. I put another paper over it just in case
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

The Radir rims are Chrome with red Bat Hubs trimmed in white.

The simplest upgrade is to paint the bat hubs red.
E3334103-CE8A-4EBA-8A57-834F0612BA45.jpeg
I used the Model Masters Chevy Engine Red which dates back to the 1966 Batmobile forum Hot Wheels Batmobile customizing thread.
ABA098B9-A0FC-4B04-991C-E14A265BC90C.jpeg
Front
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Rear
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I may try white trim after they dry.
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

The rear turbine exhaust and bat chutes

Before
44F88070-8205-4002-9668-3767F98052F5.jpeg
After
BF2708B9-2EAA-4C41-9CDC-686C6C37B7D0.jpeg
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Ben Bentley
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Ben Bentley »

Love that you're getting stuck in to this project, Lou! Looking forward to seeing your results! I think i'm finally warming to the idea of getting the McF Batmobile myself now i've finally busted out my cave and figures since moving house.
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

Thanks Ben.
There are several more skilled modelers than I, some have passed, some moved on to other things, but they all laid a brick on the path to get us here.

The more I look, the more ideas I see, but I want to keep it simple, and document some steps for others.
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

Bat Rocket tubes

Before
68B1718A-7DBA-4E34-AA47-524E015D3387.jpeg
After red paint
A1687308-44BF-4212-9931-CCE7269FBBE0.jpeg

Other options are to drill out the tubes and use your 3D printer to make proper rockets to insert
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

The front Bat beam trim
6E06C488-D404-4823-9EE6-A073AC46D70F.jpeg
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

Frame around Windshield
Before
469B4783-9DAF-490F-B8A6-33BB8D1069F2.jpeg
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After trim with chrome pen (2mm)
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The chrome pen comes in 1MM tip and 2MM tip. I used the 2MM tip, but a 1MM can do the job once you see the size of the tip.

I was afraid to remove the bubbles as they are pressed in and I didn't want to damage it. If these go on sale, I might get another one to destroy.
Now that I see how the pen works, I might apply it to the steering wheel internal ring. The actual wheel is black.

If I could get the bubbles off without damage, I could paint up the dash pieces. Let me know if you find a way to remove it without damage.
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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AndyFish
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by AndyFish »

Neat!
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Lou Szabo
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Lou Szabo »

If you’ve done some upgrades or have suggestions, post them here. Love to see your work.

By the way, I tried to do add the white outline to the bathubs. Aargh, will be starting over. I did get Chrome spray paint for the wheels. Might be too much bling.

The pulsating jet won’t work with the way the built the rear
AD4A5D0E-D14E-4370-8564-39E61792491E.jpeg
FEE9B075-82D4-4BEE-9481-BC87A47226D8.jpeg
Too bad, that was a nifty idea. A 3D printed Corgi flame was the plan.

I do have another idea, but I have to dismantle the rear end
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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Jimmy L. 66
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by Jimmy L. 66 »

Great job Lou, this looks so much better.
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rsaffle
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Re: Customizing the McFarlane Batmobile

Post by rsaffle »

Awesome work! I love seeing hands getting dirty making Batman stuff!

I'm thinking about making a flame that looks like the Metco Batmobile one.
*See more 3D printed props @ https://www.instagram.com/saffledesigns/
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