Does anyone know what this piece's use is?

I haven't been able to use it for much of anything my self, and I'm wondering if anyone else knows anything about it.

I think it is ... well, just as you said a Batarang. It appeared in the Batman I sets.

I think it is ... well, just as you said a Batarang. It appeared in the Batman I sets.

In comparison to this piece though... Why does it not have a handle for a minifig to grasp?

I think it can be placed on top of a minifig's hand (I can't show pictures because I don't own that piece).

I think it can be placed on top of a minifig's hand (I can't show pictures because I don't own that piece).

Actually you can't, the piece is actually very useless. I would I have a ton, I wish Lego would have just given us an extra regular baterang instead, but I digress.

I think a reviewer described it as being a "grapple" batarang. I assume you'd tie a string through the hole and tie the other end to...something else.

I would call it a grappling hook as well. Batman needs his special themed gadgets!

I always thought it was intended to go on the barrel on a machine gun. Then again, I had never seen any Batman movies or cartoons when I got my first Batman set, so I could be totally off.

It is just another Batarang design, which you can see is designed to be thrown like the bola. It's hard to pick out a good example, but he uses one similar to this in Batman Forever in the opening bank fight scene.

-Omi

Sounds like a useless mold to me.

Hm, yeah I see it as a grapple, and much cooler than the current one.

Actually I prefer the current one,it looks like it came from straight out of the comics!

Yeah, this has always been a mystery to me too. There was never any official indication of how it was meant to be used. I think it's just a different type of batarang, one that is supposed to be thrown like a throwing knife, and I guess minifigs are supposed to hold it by its ring. I don't think it is supposed to be a grappling hook since there was never any string included in the sets and it doesn't look like it would grapple anything since the bat wings face opposing directions. Another thing it could be used for is a propeller, like I did in this MOC.

This thread has inspired me for a new funny!

Thanks for the insight everyone. Maybe more was intended for this piece by TLG but was never really accomplished. Who knows.

Huh, how strange. I think it is probably a grappling batarang of sorts.

It looks to me to be a "Spinning Batarang," which has blunt edges to KO the opponent. I assume the hole in the center is for attaching it onto gun barrels to simulate the action of jamming the villains' guns. You could also use them to make custom Bat-themed weapons.

Very funny and interesting thread idea. Oky's single panned funny led me here. There really isn't a use for this piece...

I think it was a Bat-Grappling hook.....

I have a billion of those. They look like graples but actually fit on the barrels of the black tommy guns that came in all the old batman sets or those of the smaller black guns.

Its a Remote Batarang.

I always found those useless, unless is put them on the barrel of the tommy guns. I think it looks pretty cool IMO.

Never really know what they were I always just assumed they were different styled Batarangs.