"Missile Tumblr" from the film "Batman, The Dark Knight Returns"

[Art Anderson]

While in primer only, as this was as far as this project needed to go, the missile-launching version of the Batman Dark Knight Tumbler.  Why finished only to the primer stage you ask?  The short version is, that this was built (November 2013 to May 2014) to be the "tooling mockup" for the now-newly released Moebius model kit.  This is a conversion of the original Tumblr model kit that Moebius introduced several years back.

What was anticipated to be perhaps a 6-8 week project developed into about 6 months, due to lots of sketchy information and reference pictures of the actual Tumblers (There were three versions built for the studio--the original Tumblr, and two armored versions--one with a single 40mm cannon turret and the final version, with a multiple tube missile launcher).  Not many really good reference pics exist, although the owner of Moebius Models was able to slap a carpenter's ruler on a few essential parts of the actual movie prop--it was from those few pics with a marked ruler that I was able to interpolate most of the other dimensions required for at least some real semblance of accuracy.

I stared by splitting the original kit's "roof" section right down the middle, along with the front fascia of the body itself.  From there, it was merely a matter of building up bodywork with bits of .020" Evergreen sheet styrene--OK, simple enough, huh?  NOT!   With everything being a matter of trial & error, cut & fit--more than once "that next step" necessitated going back and cutting away previous work.  Early on, it was decided to make the missile launch box positionable--either stowed, or deployed, so that was an issue to be resolved.  There were also numerous, but subtle "facet" shapes to be included--easy to conceive but not easily accomplished, considering that the finished conversion had to fit the original kit shapes and dimensions.  

OK, enough explanation: Here is my completed (in May 2014) Missile-launching Tumblr, from Batman:  The Dark Knight Returns"  (the kit is now reaching hobby shops all around the country!).

[kruleworld]

wow, awesome to see. what an interesting subject

[Jim N]

Very cool!

[geetee66]

Highly unusual! 

Looks like it could do a lot of damage!