Dave

Were the kit parts in the expected condition? Did they fit together well? How difficult was it to build the overall car?

I'm very impressed with the look of his kit, as seen in photos on his site. And, from what people say, it looks well made - but it's the experience of building the kit that really matters.

And how much is the total ('advanced') kit? His site lists a few prices for other cars - and, from these, I'm guessing the Batmobile will cost $100,000 plus.

As far as I'm concerned - if this figure is remotely correct - that's a lot of monet for some fibreglass taken from existing moulds. Having worked with fibreglass myself, I'd say that - once the mould is made - a full body kit (not painted) would cost approx $2-4,000 to produce.

Yes, making the original moulds takes time - and, if starting from scratch (i.e. making the object to be moulded) I'd say that a car replica would cost an additional $2-4,000 in parts. Add on to that time for production (wages).

So, for me to make my own Batmobile replica, the fibreglass parts would cost - start to finish - up to $9,000. Add a professional paint job (another $2,000).

With these prices in mind, anything above $20,000 is simply extortionate - especially when one considers that the replica is unlicenced (i.e. not an official WB / DC product).

Here is more about Jay's kits.  These are from new tooling as Jay's old molds were sold after ulling around 20+ bodies.  

http://www.chickslovethecar.com/board/Topic69957-4-1.aspx

Good luck with your project. 

Hi, thanks for the replies. Yes, my project is to be 1:1 scale - which does, as someone suggests, make it a little big for British roads - but I'm thinking, if I'm going to all this trouble, it might as well be correct! I've already bought a Jag XJS soft-top - it cost me just over 10 grand. I know there are cheaper one's out there, but I wanted a decent one. The hard-tops can be bought for only a couple of thousand, but generally the soft-tops range from 7.5 grand onwards. This particular car is usefull because of its long wheel base. My major costs, at this stage, involve buying all the necessary tools to get the job done - for example, I'm buying an industrial compressor so as to spray the vehicle. I have not quite figured out how to reproduce a genuine interior yet, but I'm sure it will not be cheap! At present, I'm about to start making the initial moulding cast - out of polystyrene. From this, I'll then make a solid mould so as to produce the fibreglass body. Hopefully, I'll have this aspect of the project completed by the end of the year. Of course, any helpful tips will be appreciated. Simon. Posted 10/26/2005 1:04:29 PM