At the time when the first LEGO Batman Tumbler vehicle was released, I was still firmly entrenched in hating the Nolan Batman movies. By the time I finally came around to appreciating the Nolan Batman films, the only set with the Batman Tumbler in black cost hundreds of dollars on the aftermarket. But fear not! LEGO is aware of the demand for the Batman Tumbler, and is coming to the rescue with new models of the vehicle, including this LEGO Batman Tumbler 30300 set that can be found for $5 in some Target stores (and $9 shipped online)…

The Right:

Given the humongous popularity and fan base for the Dark Knight movies, I’m genuinely surprised that LEGO hasn’t done a new LEGO black Batman Tumbler until now. Let’s face it: the camo Tumbler from The Dark Knight Rises just is not as cool as the original black Tumbler. The camo Tumbler never even gets driven by Batman in the movie!

Not wanting to shell out the better part of a thousand dollars for the original LEGO Batman The Tumbler Joker’s Ice Cream Surprise 7888 set, I was ecstatic when this new 30300 LEGO Batman The Tumbler polybag set turned up at Target stores. I probably made over two dozen trips to Target before I found one stocking the LEGO 30300 Batman Tumbler polybag, but I finally snagged one!

As I’ve said before, a Master Builder I am not. In fact. I’m slow as molasses as a builder. Even so, I built the LEGO Batman Tumbler car in under 10 minutes. Most kids can build circles around me, so I doubt any kid will have too frustrating of a time building this little set.

I was surprised at first by how many grey pieces were included with the set, as I think of the Tumbler from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight as being entirely black. Once I built the Batman Tumbler LEGO set, however, I was able to appreciate how the contrast in colors really adds to the visual aesthetic of this little beast of a tank/car.

As you can see from the photos, the LEGO Batman Tumbler 30300 is a Mini Tumbler and not a minifigure-scaled version of the vehicle. That’s a real shame, but obviously a larger LEGO Tumbler wouldn’t be possible in a $5 polybag. I’m actually having a lot of fun posing a LEGO Batman minifigure riding around on top of the miniature Tumbler, a la the cool new LEGO Star Wars Microfighters series of sets.

Despite its small size, I think LEGO did a great job of capturing the basic shape and curves of the Batman Tumbler vehicle. It’s clearly not a high-end model of perfection, but for being made of under 60 pieces, it’s pretty dang impressive.

I love the “turbo booster”-looking exhaust port on the rear of the Tumbler. You don’t see the Batman Tumbler 30300 from that angle on the packaging, so it was a nice surprise to see how cool the build looks from the back.

I also think the small front wheels and large rear wheels look of the car is extremely slick, and was pleased to see that the Batman Tumbler LEGO vehicle still rolls around perfectly despite the disparity in the vehicle’s wheel sizes.

At just $4.99 for 57 pieces, the LEGO 30300 The Batman Tumbler set is a terrific value. Each piece costs about 8.7 cents, which falls well below my “price-per-brick sweet spot” of 10 cents per brick. Even if you end up ordering this online for closer to 9 dollars shipped, the Batman Tumbler is still a fairly decent value.

The Wrong:

It’s really tough to find fault with a LEGO polybag set as cheap and well-designed as 30300 LEGO The Batman Tumbler. The undercarriage of the Tumbler is a bit under-detailed (which is perfectly acceptable at this size and cost), and the round grey piece in the middle of the undercarriage is a bit jarring and should have been black instead. Yes, I know I’m really reaching here, but I hate being one of those people who writes reviews and then just smiles and nods.

Also, the gold “grate” piece on the “rear spoiler” of the LEGO 30300 Tumbler bothers me a lot–I feel like it stands out far too much, and I can’t find any visual references that show the actual Batman Tumbler with this prominent feature. It’s easy enough to switch out this piece myself, but I’d rather it was a more subdued color to begin with.

“Where Can I Buy It?!”

The LEGO The Batman Tumbler 30300 polybag can be found for $4.99 plus tax at many Target stores right now. The set is very popular and can be a real pain to find, though, so you may be better off ordering the Batman Tumbler LEGO set online for about $9 shipped if you can’t find one locally. I probably spent well over $4 in gas and time searching for this cool little set.

Overall: Sometimes LEGO polybag vehicle can be a little disappointing, but the 30300 LEGO The Batman Tumbler polybag isn’t one of these instances. For LEGO to so closely capture the basic aesthetic of the complex Tumbler vehicle in 57 pieces is quite an impressive feat, and the build is simple yet elegant. For both kids and adults, I think that the LEGO DC Superheroes The Batman Tumbler 30300 is a fun set and a worthwhile buy. Recommended.

GRADE: A