Sariel.pl

Model of a the Bat flyer from The Dark Knight Rises movie. Features rotating turbines and rotors, self-balancing elevons, lights and a hanging propulsion system.

Datasheet:

Completion date: 21/08/2013
Power: electric (8878 rechargeable battery)
Dimensions: length 50 studs / width 34 studs / height 22 studs
Weight: 0.858 kg
Motors: 1 x PF Medium + 2 x PF Medium and 2 x PF XL in the suspension mechanism

Following my Avengers Helicarrier suspended model, I wanted to build some much lighter and smaller aircraft model, light enough to be suspended on a mechanism allowing movement in all three planes, something the Helicarrier proved too heavy for. The Bat from Chris Nolan’s TDKR movie was a natural choice, seeing as I’ve already built the Tumbler introduced in the same movie trilogy, and being largely inspired by a superb model built by Mahjqa. In the end, the model turned out somewhat larger and more detailed than I have anticipated, resulting in a weight that was again too much. Eventually, I have used the same suspension mechanism the Helicarrier used, altering it for smaller load and higher speeds. Thus the working principle of the Bat’s “propulsion” remained identical, but it was faster and more agile.

The original Bat, while being surprisingly unrealistic for Nolan’s trilogy, did make an impressive entrance:

Technically, the model was rather simple, with a single PF Medium motor driving two belly rotors and two front turbines through a drivetrain full of complex angles. The motor was located at the back of the model, with the 8878 in front and above it, hidden beneath the panels forming the top hull. It was extremely difficult to fit the battery in together with many wires, and some pieces were literally built around them. The frame of the model combined studless and studfull pieces for maximum rigidity and minimum weight. The cabin was mostly studfull, but braced in a studless frame, while the top hull was mostly studless, with some studfull pieces added for details. In the tail area behind the motor was a weighted brick suspended on an axle so that it could swing sideways. It was connected to the two rear elevons, making them tilt accordingly to the whole model’s angle. The belly rotors were made of the 9398 set’s tail blades set at angles, two per rotor. 17 studs in diameter, they were able to generate a noticeable thrust.

Aesthetically, the model was extremely difficult to properly recreate, due to many complex angles and shapes of the original vehicle, coupled with the scant documentation available. I was able to find a high quality blueprint, but due to the vehicle’s complex silhouette it was less helpful than expected. Accidentally, halfway through the build, I happened upon a tiny, but finely detailed and accurate Matchbox model of the Bat. It proved to be a great help while working on the model’s look, since it presented it in all three dimensions rather than just two. Despite appearances, the model was very closely to a minifig scale, as the original vehicle is surprisingly huge:

The model included no landing gear, and had to be kept suspended for the second half of the building process, which made working on it difficult. It was challenging in general, but also fairly interesting because of how unusual it was.

Work in progress photos:

Photos:

Video:

I have also used the Bat as an example of how my photos are post-processed using nothing but a free software – in this case, the GIMP:

Media coverage:

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