Batcave In Progress (Part Seven)

Time for some fun! Just got the Arkham Knight Batmobile, and there is no better way to celebrate a new Batmobile than to roll it through a new Batcave. 

Lights are a nice touch.

The rocks have a nice sheen to them in places. The turntable is big enough to handle even the largest Batmobile.

More pictures after the jump!

Batcave In Progress (Part Six)

It's really coming together here. Some shots look complete. The textures and the lighting bringing out the darker elements of the stone. The Batcave is not complete, but it will only get better incrementally from here. Any improvement requires the complete dis-assembly of the entire thing.  

 The dinosaur looks pretty menacing here.

Placing and testing permanent positions for different vehicles. (Choppers, planes and jets!)

Here you can see the Batwing taking center stage. The painted pylons could be better, but they will have to do for now. My excuse is that Bruce Wayne re-purposed oil rig support structures to hold up the different levels.

Enjoy the other pictures!

Batcave In Progress (Part Five)

Its either a Batcave or a birthday cake. Either way, it looks delicious. Anyway, the multi-layer floor is raised in the right places and acts as a proper anchor for the structural pylons. As for the long stretch, that is the runway for the Batmobile. Not to complain further about previous produced Batcaves, but this is one thing you never get in a Batcave ... a place to drive the Batmobile! 

 Here I textured the floor and formed out an almost layered cake look.

Here i tried to create a layered worn away look.
  

Deep shadow textures to create a mottled look for later brighter shades. While I don't mind a shadowy Batcave, I think that part of a good playset is about either lighting, or bouncing light around.

 A bit bare bones, but a good foundation. Eventually, this floor will only be a mid-level, and the bottom will be the moors for the Batboats. ... but that is for a future project.

Insetting the focal point of the Batcave itself, the iconic turn table, and laying out metal sheets for a smoother ride than driving the Batmobile over rocky terrain.

 Adding a rocky shelf over the archway gives more room for action. In a set this large, the promise for usable space is high. Every inch in needed.

More rock treatments and shading, honing the technique as I go.

Blending in the platforms with the rocky treatments. It's looking more like rocks!

 More pylons and rocks. In the back you can see the first treated platform.

With the lower lighting the details come out a bit more. It's all going to be in the paint.

 Another texture shot. I tried to give it a swirl as if these sections had been flattened by a machine process.

 Integrating the stairways into a single rock feature.

 Texturing the different platforms.

Final upper staircase.

And finally, what all these different pieces look like when put together for a dry fit. Without the bright lights, it really starts to look like a chamber hollowed out by water. But dark lighting is crap for photos, so in the future, expect a brighter perspective. 

Batcave In Progress (Part Four)

I promised more rocks. So here they are. This is my first time making rock formations and came up with an easy answer to simply using styrofoam. I used the densest heaviest stuff I could and then just slathered on the spackle. 

 As you can see, the archway, a prominent feature has subtle bat outlines. throughout.

Batcave in Progress (Part Three) Don't forget about the dinosaur!

Don't forget about the dinosaur! There are important parts of every playset and this one takes the cake. A full scale T-rex. Unfortunately I decided to add another level over the poor guy. Luckily I carved out the rocks around him. He can be seen in all of his terrible glory. 

 And here, he doesn't look trapped in a corner. Look at those little arms of his.

Batcave in Progress (Part Two)

In Part One, I sketched out the initial layout of the set, focusing on key features. The idea was to create a jumbled space where stairs would need to be set at odd angles. I really wanted it to feel larger than life. 

Accessibility was the key. Not just for me, but for the figures as well. I wanted logical ways to navigate the cave.

Batcave In Progress (Part One)

There are quintessential playsets in the life of every action figure enthusiast. There are the playsets from childhood, those that fulfill every aspect of your fascination with a particular franchise. And then there are the playsets that don't live up to the promise of the idea. To me, the Batcave was one such playset. And believe me, over the years I have collected every single iteration. In the end, they are never large enough, never durable enough, never ... well, cave-ey enough. But never has there been a playset that encompassed everything that was the Batcave. After the SHIELD plane set and the Iron Man Hall of Armors, I decided it was unfair to give Marvel so many perks.  

I started out with a basic layout. I wanted this thing to be huge, but accessible. And most of all, I wanted a cave. Accounting for a massive ceiling, I built this upper platform first as a test.