[Ninjatoes] 1989 Batmobile

 

The successful Superman films in the 70s and 80s has become a benchmark for future superheroes movie. And then Batman came in 1989 with its dark and gritty theme, something that never been done before in such genre. Pair it with Tim Burton's touch of gothic and fantasy, we have the perfect formula for a Batman movie. The ideal mix earned over $400 million and left a legacy for the modern superhero film genre. Part of that legacy is the Burtonverse Batmobile, which continues to become fan-favorite to this day. It is no exaggeration to say that every Batmobile iteration that we have today took inspiration from this Batmobile's design style. The original conceptual design was done by Julian Caldow under the direction of Tim Burton and Anton Furst. It took design cues from the Salt Flat Racers of the 30s and was built upon a Chevrolet chassis and a modified Corvette body. 

What makes us love this Batmobile so much is its unique design from previous Batmobile versions, which form a basis for all Batmobiles that will come after it. First, is its armor plating and arsenal that turns the car into akin of a combination of a jet fighter and a tank. Then it has the Cocoon-mode - a heavy plated armor capable of being deployed while the vehicle is stationary. Not to mention the Batmissile-mode - where it detaches its outside body and reconfigures the wheels and axles to become a smaller escape vehicle that can pass through narrow passages. This concept will be seen again later in The Dark Knight movie, when the Tumbler was damaged a part of the vehicle ejected and became the Batpod. 

The papercraft was designed by Ninjatoes with 6 pages of the template and photo instructions.