Michael Keaton’s Batman returns to the big screen in the summer 2023 Flash movie. Despite no actual LEGO® sets to support the film, Michael Keaton’s Batman is also back in LEGO® form. He appears in a small range of sets released for summer 2023 that are based on the 1989 and 1992 films rather than The Flash. I collected previous sets based on these films, namely the 1989 Batmobile (both large and small), as well as the Batwing. I was excited to get the Keaton Batman minifig with each of those larger sets. However, now he also comes at a MUCH lower price point in the Batman 1992 (30653) polybag. Before we jump into that, let’s see the other Keaton Batman sets you can get this summer.
Batmobile: Batman Vs The Joker
- SET #: 76224
- THEME: DC Comics Superheroes
- COST: $59.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 438
- MINIFIGURES: 2
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.136 (average value)
- BRICKS/FIG: 219 (satisfactory fig count for a set this size)
The Batcave Shadowbox
- SET #: 76252
- THEME: DC Super Heroes
- COST: $519.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 3981
- MINIFIGURES: 7
- VIP RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2023
- GENERAL RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.13 (average value)
- BRICKS/FIG: 569 (low fig count for a set this size.)
Batman Construction Figure
- SET #: 76259
- THEME: DC Comics Superheroes
- COST: $39.99 CAD (possibly… The Canadian price is not available at publication.)
- BRICK COUNT: 275
- MINIFIGURES: None
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.145 (average value… but not confirmed, see above.)
- BRICKS/FIG: N/A
Batmobile Pursuit: Batman Vs. The Joker
- SET #: 76264
- THEME: DC Comics Superheroes (4+)
- COST: $29.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 54
- MINIFIGURES: 2
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.56 (terrible value)
- BRICKS/FIG: 27 (excellent fig count for a set this size)
Batwing: Batman Vs The Joker
- SET #: 76265
- THEME: DC Comics Superheroes
- COST: $49.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 357
- MINIFIGURES: 2
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.140 (average value)
- BRICKS/FIG: 178 (satisfactory fig count for a set this size)
I’ve already given my thoughts on the Batcave Shadowbox both before actually seeing the physical product and afterwards. So, I won’t delve into it more than to say I am on the fence about it. As for the rest of these sets… three Batman Vs The Joker sets? Really? Joker should only be in one set. The 1989 Batmobile could easily be branded as the 1992 Batmobile. Include the Red Triangle Gang as Minifigures and you’d have an amazing set based on a movie scene. Additionally, while I like the Batwing, I wish this series focused solely on Batman Returns. I’m imagining a Selina’s apartment build, Gotham square, or Penguin’s lair. Batman also had that weird sewer vehicle. Three of the six sets are already based on Batman Returns… which brings us to set six from the Summer 2023 Batman wave.
Batman 1992 (30653)
I found the Batman 1992 (30653) polybag at Toys R Us. My local store had no shortage of them and I bought more than one. Who knows? Maybe I’ll do a giveaway in the future when the product retires and becomes hard to find. In any case, while most of the Summer 2023 Batman sets hit store shelves in August, this one is out now along with the Batcave Shadowbox. From what I can tell in the images, the Shadowbox Batman minifigure is the same as the polybag version. Both differ from the Batman minifigs coming in August, which look more like a standard Batman minifig with some ’89-esque printing.
Polybag Specifics
- NAME: Batman 1992
- SET #: 30653
- THEME: DC Comics Superheroes
- COST: $5.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 40
- MINIFIGURES: 1
- RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2023
- COST/BRICK: $0.149 (satisfactory value)
- BRICKS/FIG: 40 (Excellent fig count for a set this size)
VALUE: 88%
The Batman 1992 polybag costs $5.99 in Canada. That is the same price as a Minifigure blind bag, but you get more bricks. In this case, the polybag contains 40 pieces. Consequently, the cost/brick is $0.149 CAD. That is average-leaning-towards-expensive in my books. However, the minifig you get is super high quality. I’d say on par or better than a CMF series character. So, from that perspective, this set comes with free bricks. As such, I’ll neither give it a high (100% because its better than a CMF) or low grade (77% because its only an okay value compared to sets)… I’ll say this polybag has a good value and rate it at 88%. The focus of this polybag is not the build, so I won’t rate build time in this review. But, there isn’t much… I got four minutes.
BUILD: 90%
Even though build time is not really a thing with this polybag, you nonetheless get a small structure to assemble. It is a little display base for Batman. The gargoyle on it is identical to those on the display bases for the 1989 Batmobile, the 1989 Batwing, and the Batmobile Tumbler. Consequently they display well near each other. However, they do not connect, which would be a neat feature. You can modify them easily enough so they all line up though. This particular base would look better if it had a consistent look and texturing all around. With that said this is certainly a nice display base. Let’s go with 90% for the build.
MINIFIGURE: 97%
On a quick glance, Batman 1992 looks pretty similar to Batman 1989. The latter came in the 1989 Batmobile, 1989 Batwing, and as a keychain. Incidentally, the chain was more more expensive than this polybag at $7.99 CAD. However, Batman 1992 features updated torso printing to reflect the difference between the Batman and Batman Returns costumes. Additionally, the Bat logo is also different, like in the movies, and the face printing has changed. I quite like the new face print. The raised goggles are a much nicer touch than the white bar. Still no leg printing though…
Interestingly, I find the Batman 1992 cowl to be glossier than the ’89 Batmobile version. I can’t say if that is a result of time and fading or not. However, my ’89 Batmobile cape and cowl are definitely more matte looking than my ’89 Batwing and ’92 versions. Otherwise the mold is the same and only the Bat logo differs from both ’89 versions to the ’92 version. Batman 1992 also includes a couple of Batarangs for good measure. The continued lack of leg printing precludes earning 100% for a design score though. I rate it at 93%.
I’m liking the raised goggles 🙂
If we look at this polybag as a set, you get 40 bricks/fig. Comparatively, LEGO® sets in general average around 171 bricks/fig in my experience. So, the fig count is way better than average for a set this size. Superheroes sets alone tend to offer fewer than average characters, averaging around 195 bricks/fig. Either way, I would rate this set at 100% in this category. Averaging this with the design score gives an overall Minifigure rating of 97%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 100%
The Batman 1992 (30653) polybag is the cheapest way to get the Michael Keaton Batman cowl. However, it doesn’t full replace its predecessors since the printing on the actual Minifigure and the logo are different. I like that you can get this character without having to pay $520 for the Shadowbox set. Sadly, Catwoman did not get the same treatment. I think this polybag will make a lot of Batman fans and AFOLs happy.
“No, I’m Batman.”
BATMAN 1992 (30653) OVERALL SCORE: 94%
Now that I have spent an inordinate amount of time reviewing a polybag, I can honestly say this is a great purchase. I love Batman, and I especially love the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton films. Even though the differences between Batman 1992 and Batman 1989 as minifigs are minimal, I’m happy to have both without breaking the bank (again). I’m still on the fence about the Shadowbox set, but now I don’t necessarily need it to get Batman. There’s also a good chance that Batman 1992 will not skyrocket too high on the secondary markets since it is so readily available. What do you think of the Batman 1992 polybag? Are you looking forward to the other summer 2023 Batman sets? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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