It struck me as I read those older posts (from TWO years ago, yikes) that I didn’t adequately explain our plan for  creating the “floating” effect of the Batboat. Firstly, the Batboat itself was modified by Jim Apitz from a Polar Lights kit. Those of you that know your Aurora history will remmeber the original 1966 model was issued in 1/32 scale while they wisely (at the urging of Mike Stutelber if I recall) made the reissue 1/25 scale. This was probably the coolest thing that a  model company could do. It was like they said – Hey, we know we can’t issue a 1/25 Batmobile (yet) but in case we or someone else ever does, and for those thousands of you who’ve been building 1:25 bootlegged, garage Batmobiles for 15 years – here’s a Batboat in the correct matching scale.

I’ve modeled the 1/32 older one, both from the Aurora kit and from recasts. I had planned to build one of the PL reissues, but had never gotten around to it when Jim Apitz alerted me that he might be willing to sell one that he had built. Well, being the huge fan of Jim’s work that I am, I purchased it.

Clearly, I didn’t want to do what we did with the less valued Robin’s Seadoo – which was to embed it in the clear resin water effects.BUT – we did want to give the floating effect to the boat. So here’s what we came up with. we took an extra PL Batboat hull, wrapped it in plastic-wrap and vaseline and mounted it via a clear thin tube (that would hopefully disappear)  to the bottom of the lakebed.

The extra Batboat hull, wrapped in plastic and mounted to post

The plan was to then fill the lakebed with the clear water resin, and when it had cured, pop out the hull, leaving a perfect negative space to gently lay the finished Batboat in. Great plan.

Boat hull mounted to lakebed

Unfortunately, we forgot to glue on an exhaust. So after we poured all the resin, let it cure and popped out the hull and cleaned up the release material – we tested the ‘hero’ Batboat in the space only to find that it did not fit due to the exhaust!

This was solved, albeit a little clunkily, by Dremeling out a slot in the rear of the resin so the exhaust could fit. It wasn’t as snug a fit as we were hoping for, but the boat still looks pretty good in the water AND is easily removed from the lake.

More to come.

After resin was poured and cured. Carved out a notch for the exhaust.

Testing the Batboat in "the water"