Behold the DIY Batmobile
The postmodernist discussion of what makes a man a real man has been ongoing for decades. Well, the discussion is finally over. The bar has been set, and all of us who think we're real men need to stop pretending and accept that we are not and most likely never will be. The world has birthed its first real man, people. That man is Bob Dullam.
Bob updated his fellow geeks--yes, geeks and real men are not mutually exclusive--on what he's been able to accomplish thus far on his little project. Bob has built a full-size replica of the Batmobile--or Tumbler, as it's called in the first film--from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. He apparently did this with no actual blueprints, using only photo references that he found online. Feeling a little insecure yet? Yeah, me, too.
According to the thread where he posted under the username "youngbat," Bob did it all on his own with no help whatsoever. This is not surprising, though. Since he is the only real man in existence, any imposters who would try to help would only screw things up. You know, they would probably want stuff like brakes or power windows or something. It's like, no dude. There is no stopping, OK? Real men either go around or through obstacles. They don't stop. And the idea of power windows on a Batmobile is dumb. How would that make sense?! What are you planning to do, stop at the drivethrough for a Biggie Fry and Coke on your way to severing some purse snatcher's spine? I don't think so. Hmmm, actually, I guess it does have brakes according to the thread, but still, most likely no power windows.
Aside from essentials like the engine, wheels and tires, Bob has constructed this thing completely from scratch. So far he's spent between $50,000 and $70,000--and it's not even done yet. He's not stopping, though (see?). In the thread, Bob says of quitting: "It feels like climbing Mt. Everest halfway up, you start to wonder if this wasn't a big mistake. Then you realize that you are too far to quit. In fact, quitting is now not an option. Because if you do quit, you will have set a precedence about yourself, and all up to this point will become a huge disaster."
As for future plans? Bob says "Yes, I will do a batpod, and TDK suit for myself. I love building this stuff." Can The Keene Act be far behind?
Eric Franklin refused to write a bio, saying, "Why are you bothering me about this bio business again? If I wanted people to know more about me, I'd send them to the Inside CNET Labs Podcast" (shameless plug). E-mail Eric.





But really, keep up the good work.
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by treet007
August 9, 2008 8:32 PM PDT
- "So far he's spent between $50,000 and $70,000"
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by tiredoldbruce
August 10, 2008 12:21 PM PDT
- I doubt he built this thing to find dates-I'm not sure when the last time was that you went on a date. You obviously like to go on hates, though. I had to reply to your comment to your comment because it is inane and no inane comments should go unreplied to.
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(6 Comments)Hopefully he will sell it on Craigslist for triple the amount...
I wonder where he got the money and if he has a family to take care of. Sounds like he is a bachelor and he built the vehicle to find dates, no different than a man purchasing a sports car (except this one will beat the pants off all sports cars).
Of course it's very different from him buying a sports car- he built it himself! Do you think musicians are "no different than" album collectors? They both end up with a body of recorded music after all.