42155 - THE BATMAN – BATCYCLE™

[aFrInaTi0n]

@m2fel The 65151c01 shocks are really a pain - and not really useable (at least for RC) builds - too much flexing. Which is very sad, because with inside spring they look so much like real street-bike shocks than the 2909c03 shocks..
Ich think I will give it a try with the 53586 "Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular with Extension" and basically no suspension and just relying on the tires giving enough dampening.. At least from my video footage with the 2909c03s, I would say "shocks seem to not be really doing a thing" (or the springs are still too hard), via Front-mounted Camera footage of shocks in RC action.

Edit: And that is what happens if one uses the 65151c01 for RC :D

Edited February 10, 2023 by aFrInaTi0n

[amorti]

@aFrInaTi0n I never really noticed, but even with the camera hanging out the front of the bike, it is true that the forks still hardly move. Maybe it would be smarter to use a solid fork.

[aFrInaTi0n]

@amorti yeah, I will give it a try... but may be another thing on tarmac with more bumps to be handled...

Edited February 10, 2023 by aFrInaTi0n

[m2fel]

I guess the available Lego springs are just to stiff for the tiny weight of a Lego bike. Before the springs gets compressed the whole bike just gets lifted (inertia and stuff). As Lego springs are actual springs without a damper they are not really close the really deal anyway.

[amorti]

4 hours ago, m2fel said:

I guess the available Lego springs are just to stiff for the tiny weight of a Lego bike. Before the springs gets compressed the whole bike just gets lifted (inertia and stuff). As Lego springs are actual springs without a damper they are not really close the really deal anyway.

It takes about 600g to compress each old type soft spring. Bit less for the Ducati forks but they are too flexible to be useful. So your bike would have to weigh over a kilogram ON THE FRONT WHEEL to make use of the forks. A buwizz bike with two buggy motors comes in at a bit under a kilogram total, ie. on both wheels.

If a Lego RC bike would weigh a kg on the front wheel, we're probably talking 2.5kg total - it wouldn't be drivable, it would be too heavy to get out of its own way.

I guess the ideal would be to find some even softer springs for the old type legs.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

Is it just me or does this set just look like a generic retro bike I see everyday on the street?

 

And because of that similarity I'd rather have a licensed retro bike set than the current offering.

[Kostq]

They decided this "The Batman" will be grounded in reality and hot-rodding the ef out of everything.
So yes, it's an old bike Batted up and made pseudo-drag like. Hayabusa owners do the drag extension.
The designer of the film bike said the geometry of the suspension is a joke, but it looked cool, so it stayed...

Edited February 13, 2023 by GTS

[Dyen]

First review 

 

[Jundis]

What the heck is with the connector on the side for the lower exhaust pipe:

Why when there is this currently available?

No reason for aesthethics as the original bike is totally different...

[JunkstyleGio]

Well that was a review that did not add to my perception that this set is good looking.

But then again: a all black model is hard to present in a video.

 

[Jurss]

9 hours ago, Jundis said:

No reason for aesthethics as the original bike is totally different...

Diasgree

They definatley made it like this

[Jundis]

@Jurss I didn't meant to say it's ugly, but the engine overlay is totally different on the Lego version from the original:

[aFrInaTi0n]

LEGO design capabilities seem to have reached the bottom. As it seems to already be a trend, I don't see them getting better again...
Maybe they should just get new (better) designers or finally thinking about doing more critical reviews when they are being pitched for them to decide...

[Jundis]

36 minutes ago, aFrInaTi0n said:

LEGO design capabilities seem to have reached the bottom. As it seems to already be a trend, I don't see them getting better again...

Hmm in my opinion, the abundance of IP-vehicles in the line-up with unique body language just can't be replicated. Most heavy machinery with a minor focus on the hull turn out quite well.

36 minutes ago, aFrInaTi0n said:

Maybe they should just get new (better) designers or finally thinking about doing more critical reviews when they are being pitched for them to decide...

The team is very capable in my opinion, but the upper managers seem to decide which models to produce. The technic designers maybe pick some favorites here and there (42043, 42100, ...) which turn out way better than others.

[aFrInaTi0n]

Maybe right on this.... maybe the ORIGINAL designs are good, but the decision-process may be the thing which isnt working that well..

[Jurss]

2 hours ago, Jundis said:

but the engine overlay is totally different

You know, they tried :)

[Ngoc Nguyen]

 

[Polarlicht]

Man, all those recolored things in black!

[Johnny1360]

I seem to be having a great deal of trouble with the chain binding up and skipping on the blue 12 tooth gear, I even tore the motor down and rebuilt it so it operates much more smoothly, had issues with a bent axle. I have tried flipping the chain around as well, no help. Do others have this problem, it is incredibly annoying and I find it hard to believe LEGO intended for it to work this way.

[amorti]

@Johnny1360 I bet it worked great in cad

[JunkstyleGio]

I enjoyed this set more than I expected. Very nicely desiged and adventurous submodel!

Still not a fan of "all black models"

I did a recolouring that kind of took care of that problem. (But now it's not a batbike anymore)

 

I did a small building review.

Klick here

@Johnny1360

Smaller gears  (8t an 12 t) have the tendency to skip the chain a bit. They are actually too small for the chain.

[rener]

In my experience the chain runs smooth as a whistle on the 12t gear...no problems like with 8t gears.

[Jundis]

4 hours ago, JunkstyleGio said:

I did a recolouring that kind of took care of that problem. (But now it's not a batbike anymore)

Whoa! I didn't expect that it could look this cool! Especially with the chrome exhaust, nice job!

[Johnny1360]

Well as it turns out, the chain does actually operate very smooth. I jumped the gun complaining about it, after a few more steps there are some bits that help guide the chain and prevent skipping, should be more patient, lol.

Glad I picked up this set now, was on the fence before but after building it I was pleasantly surprised. It's really not a bad set, I enjoyed the build and look forward to modifying it, the recolor looks great @JunkstyleGio. 

When you factor in the price, $50, it is actually not a bad deal and when it goes on sale I will probably pick up another set, just for the tires, rims and front forks, will be great for mocs. Nothing special but it is a solid set, I would recommend it to anyone looking to expand their parts bin and I can appreciate the build style, the way the engine is incorporated into the frame is pretty cool, even though the position and layout of the motor, just don't seem to make much sense, even though it seems to match the source material.

[Pato Sentado]

First look I mistook It for a Guzzi, but the movie one IS a no sense H engine and the Lego one is quite similar in the main lines but even more mechanical nonsense