Having enough display space for LEGO has always been a major challenge for toy enthusiasts, a fact the LEGO Group in Denmark is surely aware of. This has led to the active development of sets that can be hung on a wall in recent years, including sets we've reviewed before like "21333 Vincent van Gogh - The Starry Night" and "31208 Hokusai – The Great Wave"... However, even wall-mounted LEGO sets are getting bigger and bigger! Today, we're diving into a set that measures a full 76 cm in length: set number 76271, "Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City"!
Airing from 1992 to 1995, "Batman: The Animated Series" utilized the then-new Dark Deco production technique with black cels, which allowed it to carry on the dark color palette and tone of the original Batman comics. It also boasted a unique style in its musical score, art direction, and other aspects. Beyond showcasing Batman fighting crime and meticulously investigating cases to uncover the truth—carefully portraying his identity as a "detective"—the series also provided substantial character development and adaptation for its villains, even innovating boldly with their designs. It's an absolute classic that cannot be ignored when discussing Batman, a masterpiece whose appeal transcends generations!
This LEGO "Gotham City" set not only incorporates a wealth of classic elements from the show but also meticulously recreates the animated visuals achieved with the black cel technique using a main palette of just 15 colors. The final result is truly outstanding. From the perspective of a wall-mountable LEGO ART series product, this set not only possesses an imposing size but also features a more complex and delicate layering and structural design! It also includes multiple fun elements hidden via removable sections, providing not only numerous surprising and clever details during the build but also immense satisfaction upon completion. Alright, let's get right into it.
▼ First, let's look at the front of the box, which features the usual clear product shot. In the top right corner is the Batman: The Animated Series (BTAS) logo, which is sure to excite longtime fans.
▼ The back shows the model with some of the building modules removed, as well as a lifestyle shot.
▼ The length is an astonishing 76 cm, and the height, thanks to the BATMAN text at the top, reaches 41 cm, giving it a massive presence! The piece count is a hefty 4210.
▼ The top of the box displays the set's minifigure lineup.
▼ Let's hurry up and open it! The box contains 44 numbered bags of parts + 3 bags of red baseplate parts, along with two instruction manuals and two sticker sheets requiring 60 stickers to be applied (yikes).
▼ Here are some of the characters and classic elements from the show you can find in the Gotham City skyline, but this is far from all of them.
▼ The number of stickers is truly staggering.
▼ You'll notice that the instruction manual treats the assembly process for almost every bag like a highlight reel from an episode of the series. Reliving the plot while building is incredibly nostalgic!
▼ Let's start building! GOGOGO (accompanied by the sound of a lightning crash)
Although this Gotham City skyline set features several clever designs that allow you to easily remove sections to see hidden secrets after completion, there are still many brilliant building steps that get covered up once finished. So, let's take a look at some of these wonderful building processes! First up is the GCPD blimp, Gotham Air One, which appears right at the beginning of the first episode, "On Leather Wings"! The beautiful curve created with arched pieces is very charming.
▼ Next is what I personally consider one of the coolest, most ingenious building techniques: a micro-scale staircase formed by overlapping four L-shaped tiles!
▼ To recreate the Dark Deco technique and create a sense of depth in a relatively flat piece, this set makes extensive use of this black and pale yellow part combination. It depicts the brightly lit windows of distant buildings, and the airships in the distance are even smaller, which is super cute.
▼ Over at the Joker's amusement park, there's a super satisfying geometric fit in the construction, though a large part of it gets covered up once the Ferris wheel is built.
▼ A recreation of the Batcave entrance. However, this entrance is too narrow for the Batmobile to drive through (haha).
▼ The skyscrapers are mostly built by assembling them as individual modules, and the building techniques are very diverse.
▼ Using silver banana pieces to represent the wisps of white smoke coming from the factory's giant smokestacks is incredibly cute.
▼ For Arkham Asylum, you build the inmates one by one and then build their cells around them. It really gives a sense of containment!
▼ Found The Penguin's yellow duck boat! A duck piece without a printed face must be a rare find.
▼ Aside from the minifigures, one of the few printed parts in this set: Batman himself and the Bat-Signal projected into the night sky.
▼ The use of parts in this section is brilliant! All sorts of geometric shapes fit together perfectly.
▼ Now let's take a look at the completed Gotham City skyline! The red background is likely a reference to the opening animation, and paired with the yellow searchlights from the GCPD blimp and the Bat-Signal, it looks absolutely beautiful.
▼ Many of the buildings are instantly recognizable to longtime fans, including Wayne Manor, the GCPD headquarters, Gotham Courthouse, Ace Chemicals, Poison Ivy's greenhouse, and Arkham Asylum. Of course, there are also some more obscure buildings that require a deep familiarity with the show to spot, such as GothCorp, identifiable by its logo; the Stacked Deck, a bar at the Gotham docks; and Galaxy Broadcasting, among others. If you've forgotten many of them, it's time to rewatch the animated series.
▼ The Batwing soaring through the night sky.
Now let's check out the characters hidden within this city! First, inside Wayne Manor is Alfred, and below is the Batcave. By removing the exterior Stacked Deck bar, you can see the cool animated series-style Batmobile.
▼ After driving the Batmobile out of the cave, you can see Robin and Batgirl running into action, as well as the high-tech equipment inside the Batcave. The exterior representation of the Batcave's contours is also fantastic!
It's only natural to see a Joker Fish by the docks!
▼ Here we have The Riddler, Catwoman, and Clayface wreaking havoc at Galaxy Broadcasting.
▼ Mr. Freeze, who has frozen GothCorp. I personally speculate the female figure is Gotham reporter Summer Gleason.
▼ The Penguin.
▼ Two-Face, or should I call him Big Bad Harv (haha)!
▼ At the GCPD headquarters, you can see Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock, along with the letters G.C.P.D.
▼ Clock King and Condiment King. I can almost see Mayor Hill tied to the short hand of the large clock! And on the exterior wall of the movie theater's ground floor, you can see a poster for the Gray Ghost, Bruce Wayne's childhood hero.
▼ The Joker at Ace Chemicals.
▼ The most unique figure inside Arkham Asylum has to be the upside-down Man-Bat!
▼ Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul.
▼ Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.
▼ Batman standing atop a building at the end of the opening theme. Thankfully, this is a printed tile! It's definitely one to cherish.
▼ Each module is exquisitely detailed and cute when removed.
▼ When stood upright, Technic parts can be flipped out from the back for support, further enhancing stability—especially since earthquakes are so frequent in Taiwan now.
▼ There is one wall-mounting part on each side, left and right.
▼ The minifigures this time include Batman, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and The Joker. Only Catwoman does not have a second facial expression. The animated series-style Batman minifigure is absolutely awesome! The inside of his black cape is lined with dark blue, staying true to the animation design.
▼ The micro-scale Batmobile is just so adorable.
LEGO 76271 "Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City" Review Summary:
The outstanding visual effect of this Gotham City skyline is not just due to its color scheme centered on the Dark Deco technique. From the faithful recreation of building silhouettes and the handling of visual perspective to the layered integration of iconic landmarks, every detail has been crafted with immense care, not to mention the structural engineering designed to hide the show's characters. This set can truly be described as "a gorgeous love letter to fans of the animated Batman"! It includes 4 minifigures and 27 additional characters represented by stickers. While building, you can reminisce about their appearances and roles in the animated series. For toy enthusiasts who grew up watching this show, this building experience is undoubtedly the best food for the soul we could ask for as adults.
LEGO 76271 Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City™
MSRP: NT$9,499, Piece Count: 4210 pieces, Now available at LEGO Certified Stores in Taiwan