Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?

By this time next week The Dark Knight Rises will be in cinemas and bringing to a close Christopher Nolan's epic trilogy about the Caped Crusader. But for now, check out these extra titbits of info on the three beast vehicles that feature in The Dark Knight Rises and then see how they compare to previous Batmobiles:

The Batmobile (The Car)

• The vehicle weighs two-and-a-half tons (the weight of a small elephant), can jump six feet in height and 60 feet in length, has a top speed of 170 kilometres per hour and can reach 0 – 95 in five seconds.
   
• The prototype was designed in Nolan’s garage by sticking together toy cars, eventually combining a Hummer and a Lamborghini – the inspiration being an ex-military vehicle.
   
• The car has no front axle. Nolan wanted the wheels to be held from the side, which, at first, was believed to be impossible. However, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould and Workshop Supervisor Andy Smith did eventually broke physics, finding a way to make side-mounted wheels work.
   
• The Batmobile has six wheels – two in the front and four at the back, which are monster truck tires. Three different sets of tires with varying amounts of tread were created so that stunt driver George Cottle could decide how much skid power he required at any one time.

The Batpod (The Bike)

• The entire weight of the Batpod is 330kgs, runs as fast as the Batmobile and is designed so that the rider can stay level at all times even when the bike is tilting.
   
• Every element of the Batpod has a designated function; nothing exists for aesthetic purposes only. In other words, it’s too practical for its shirt.

The Bat (The Jet)

• The 1350kgs urban airborne vehicle is part helicopter, part jump jet—designed by Nolan and Nathan Crowley and built off a miniature by Chris Corbould’s team with each bespoke panel sculpted and moulded out of light-weight carbon fibre.
   
• Although technically The Bat cannot fly unaided, it has actual working guns and cannons that fire pyrotechnics. All of its lights are radio-controlled to change angle in mid-air.
   
• The Bat is given the illusion of flight in a number or ways; under a helicopter, on high wires, on wires suspended from a crane, mounted on its own vehicle and even on a track when it is shown bursting through surfaces. To replicate taking off, The Bat was suspended from a Sikorsky heavy-lift helicopter and lifted from the roof of a building.
   
• Three people are required to operate the vehicle to which The Bat is attached during chase scenes through the streets: a driver and two technicians, one of whom controls the up-and-down movement and the other who controls the side-to-side and forward-to-back movement.
   
• During the chase scene through the Wabash Tunnel in Los Angeles, there was only ever 18” of clearance on either side of The Bat.