To a seasoned drinker, a tumbler generally heralds the arrival of something greatly pleasing. To the toy collector, it does now too, but the word means something very different. Longtime fans of Batman movies know that the Tumbler is the name for the vehicle that Bruce Wayne coopts for his Batmobile in the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight movies. And it has never been made into a toy for 7-inch figures before. Now, however, McFarlane Toys is doing both versions seen in the films. There’s the classic black, used as a Batmobile, and also the desert camouflage version coopted by Bane after he breaks Batman’s back and spirit.
“It’s the Car, Right?”
Obviously some changes have to be made to keep the Tumbler an affordable toy. Surprisingly, it still appears to fit two figures, as opposed to McFarlane’s 1989 Batmobile toy that narrowed the cockpit to one. Don’t expect a Batpod to shoot out, however — rolling wheels and an opening canopy are the primary features here.
In a move most collectors will probably consider backwards, the camo-Tumbler will be an Amazon exclusive, while the black Batmobile, with an exclusive action figure of Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, will sell exclusively at the McFarlane store. There’s no word on pricing yet, but the camo version should cost less as it does not include a figure. Sorry if you’re looking for Bane — McFarlane has been known to do reissues, but the Tom Hardy Bane figure previously sold only as an exclusive or a build-a-figure.
Do bear in mind that while McFarlane’s 1989 Batmobile initially sold out quickly, the company did several subsequent runs on it, making sure that most who wanted one got one. It’s a good sign that they’re doing figure-scaled Batmobiles now — both Ben Affleck’s Snyderverse version and Val Kilmer’s Giger-esque insectoid car would look great on the shelf. George Clooney’s Batmobile was easily the most “meh,” but fans of it deserve their toys too, especially when selling toys was the entire point of that movie.
Both Tumblers will go up for preorder May 31st. McFarlane Toys have not specified the time of day, so keep those tabs open and the refresh button ready.
