Reviews of LEGO 6863-1: Batwing Battle Over Gotham City

Stop The Joker™ from dropping ‘toxic laughing gas’ on Gotham City!

Hanging on a ladder below his helicopter, The Joker™ prepares to bomb the citizens of Gotham City with toxic laughing gas. Swoop Batman™ down in his ultra-fast Batwing to save the day! Can the Caped Crusader use the flick missiles to send The Joker spinning off into the sunset? Or is all of Gotham City in peril? You decide! Includes 3 minifigures: Batman™, The Joker and a henchman.

• Includes 3 minifigures: Batman™, The Joker™ and henchman
• Vehicles include The Joker’s helicopter and the Batwing
• The Joker’s helicopter features henchman pilot, 4 flick missiles, rope ladder and ‘toxic laughing gas’ bomb release function
• Batwing features 2 flick missiles and bomb release function
• Release the bombs!
• Includes comic book!
• The Joker’s helicopter measures 7” (20cm) long
• Batwing measures over 8” (22cm) wide

Released in December 2011, this set was one of the first in the new Super Heroes wave, which would encompass both DC and Marvel Universes. First impressions of this set are that is looks pretty damn cool. A Batwing against a Joker Helicopter looks awesome, and being amongst the first wave of Super Hero releases, it had people drooling. That being said, a quick look at the Batwing on that cover and it isn't that impressive; in fact, I personally believe it looks more like a spider than the bat logo with the rear wings elevated. Those familiar with the 7782 set noticed this Batwing was also significantly smaller. Still it is Batman, and both collectors and investors were happy to see him return after the previous sets (and profits). Shifting the focus to the Joker helicopter and expectations rise again with a colourful Joker-style vehicle flown by an awesomely designed henchman. 

Unlike some sets, the minifigures are not necessarily the driving force behind this set's value. That being said, in a $35 we get Batman, The Joker and The Joker's henchman; three awesome minifigures! These variations of Batman and The Joker are available in other sets; however the cool Joker henchman is exclusive to this set!

This Batman minifigure variation is only found in this set and the 6864 The Batmobile and the Two-Face Chase set.

This Joker minifigure variation is only found in this set and the 6857 The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape set.

This Joker henchman minifigure is exclusive to this set.

With vibrant colours and parts, this is a great parts pack. Some purchasers were fortunate enough to score a second cowl for the Caped Crusader in their set. Other than this, and the minifigures, the only unique part seemingly is the 2x2 Bomb head as featured below.

Aside from the fact that both aircraft have the awesome "swoosh" factor, they each have a couple of neat little features that will make them more appealing to the younger fan base.

Firstly, the Batwing possesses rear back wings that are able to be manoeuvred upright, giving it more of an X-Wing style shape (I personally think it makes it more like a spider than a bat!)

Secondly, an adult favourite. The Batwing can fire........ flick fire missiles!!! I can hear the audience roar in approval..... well those younger ones at least! Let's face it though; Batman does need some form of weapon at attack the helicopter with. Below is a picture from the back cover letting us see this addition.

Both of these features can be seen below:

Onto the Joker's helicopter, and we all love spinning rotors right? The helicopter also comes with flick fire missiles (cue another audience response!) and the function of releasing the toxic gas bomb. We also have a ladder where the Joker hangs onto whilst firing at the Batwing (with his gag pistol?)

I do think that it would have been nice to have a gargoyle with a rope piece to attach to the Joker's leg (as seen in the 1989 Batman movie) but it is still a cool set regardless.

The helicopter features can be seen below:

These playability additions, along with the "swoosh" factor, will ensure children have plenty to play with in this set.

First thing, let us have a look at the minifigures and average prices over the past 6 months on Bricklink:

Going by the sold listings, the three minifigures total $26.71, with the current asking prices totalling $32.97. When we consider full retail price for this set is $34.99, the minifigures yield a very healthy return towards our purchase price.

When we look over the price per piece ratio though, things don't look as rosy.

As we can see in these calculations, the 6863 set is fairly overpriced per piece. The only set it really can be truly compared to in this is the Battle of Smallville, yet that set contains 5 minifigures, some large pieces and new head moulds for the Kryptonion armour. Unfortunately, I can conclude that this set is overpriced with what you receive in it compared to other Super Hero sets, however the value of the minifigures does negate this a little.

Between DC and Marvel, Lego has thus far issued 29 sets under the Super Heroes line, polybags excluded. Of this, 15 sets are based on DC characters leaving 14 from the Marvel Universe. Breaking the DC sets down further, there are 10 Batman-centric sets, 4 Superman (3 Man of Steel, 1 Justice League) and 1 set based on the Green Lantern maxi build. To go with this, Lego previously issued 13 sets under the previous Batman line.

If we look at the most recent Batman trilogy released cinematically, it shows how truly popular Batman is. The three movies combined grossed nearly $2.5 billion with the last 2 movies currently sitting within the top 20 highest grossing films of all time worldwide.

Finally, we can see something else that will ensure this theme will remain popular with investors.... the previous rendition. The Lego Batman theme from 2006-2008 has a CAGR of 32.33%, a whopping return. Whilst it is unlikely this release will match that one, investors will be inspired by its returns, hoping for more.

This set was released in December 2011 and is still currently available. It was available in many stores and easily accessible to consumers, though with only three minifigures and a higher price per piece ratio it may possibly have dissuaded potential buyers. Still, being a mid-range set it would remain appealing.

Front Cover

Back Cover

The box art is fairly neat with the vehicles prominently displayed as the minifigures interact with them. I am not a fan of the yellow text on the box front as it makes it a bit difficult to read. The back is well laid out, similar to a comic, whilst detailing the features both vehicles have.
The box itself seems very sturdy with the thicker cardboard used on some sets. The issue, as always, is you can feel the hollow sections when squeezing the boxes due to the large amount of space inside.

Let us look first of all at the current CAGR:

Thus far the set is rather underwhelming, though we must also remember that the set seemed overpriced to begin with comparing price per piece ratios. Yet we must also consider the CAGR of the previous rendition (32.33%) as well as the current CAGR of this Super Heroes theme (22.62%); both very healthy returns.

Lego has also made a point throughout this entire Super Hero theme (between both Marvel and DC) of not only spreading characters out through their sets, but also giving many variation prints making them exclusive to particular sets. Batman and Joker already have multiple prints and it seems like this trend will continue when looking at the early picture of the latest Batman and Riddler set. This can only enhance a set's value as figures retain their value by remaining exclusive and not able to be picked up in every set.

Will this set appreciate after going EOL? Absolutely. The catch though is it may take a touch longer to get there due to it being overpriced already.

While it is smaller than the previous model, this rendition still looks excellent. Coupled with the excellent rendition of the Joker's helicopter which would warrant a purchase solely on its own, the vehicles alone are enough to attract attention. Throw in three detailed, sought after minifigures and you have a set that will be wanted by all.

Batman is a universally loved character in the DC Universe. Lego had great success with the previous theme with the secondary market pushing prices to almost obscene levels. Bringing Batman back into the Lego fold was a no-brainer for the company. Fans eagerly anticipated the return of the Caped Crusader and haven't been disappointed. Whilst some sets are remakes, the Batman theme pushes the Super Heroes line with more sets than any other character.

This set contains three excellent minifigures and two outstanding vehicles. While some fans complained about the size of the Batwing, personally I don't think it is that bad and am happy to see a very well-made, cartoonish helicopter for the Joker. The henchman is a very nice bonus, instead of some generic bad guy, and I am sure many fans would love to have a few extra copies of him to join the Joker's gang.

This set is definitely over priced at full retail comparing pieces per price, but the minifigures basically pay off the entire set from opening the box. Considering how the previous theme increased in value when it was discontinued, I believe investors should keep a few of these sets up their sleeves. Find them at a discount? Well grab a few more.