For decades various companies have taken turns recreating the iconic grapnel prop from Tim Burton’s first Batman film. Yet they kept the replica strictly tied to the grapnel aspect and not the other attachments. Thankfully, Paragon FX Group decided that if you’re going to make the prop, you may as well make it as accurate to the film as possible. The modular device allows Gotham’s vigilante to carry around lots of wonderful toys that could be deployed via one firing mechanism. These other attachments usually get overlooked in the collectibles market.
The company’s Creative Director, Tyler Ham, saw that creating this replica was going to be a monumental undertaking:
“We knew from the beginning that this would be one of our largest and most ambitious projects. The goal was to engineer a full-size replica that literally looks and feels like a real piece of Batman’s tech. We wanted everything to be cold to the touch and have a real-world heft and feel. This meant nothing less than CNC machined aluminum would do so, we started there. Our original prototype truly did take about a year to get worked out.
We wanted everything to behave like we envisioned the original, inasmuch as allowing for multiple attachments to be placed on the hand unit. More subtle touches include the spring-loaded actuation button, flip out handle and aircraft cable wrapped around the spool of the primary hand unit. We finished everything off with an amazing, anodized finish and then tucked everything away in an appropriately themed equipment case. The end result here is a stunning, museum quality replica set that is sure to be the highlight of any collection.”
Now, this sort of premium collectible comes with a price. If you’re serious about your ’89 Batman collection, you’ll need to shell out $799.99. Paragon is asking for a fully refundable $79.98 deposit upfront. In addition, the grapnel is limited to 1,500 units.
Paragon FX Group is not unfamiliar with Batman props. The company is also producing a ’66 Batman Bat-Radio, and the Batarang from 2022’s The Batman.
Here’s what you get in the box:
- Machined aluminum (anodized black) hand unit.
- Machined aluminum (anodized black) Grapnel utility attachment.
- Machined Brass and aluminum utility dart/grapnel hook.
- Machined aluminum (anodized black and polished aluminum) Bolo attachment w/ fixed aircraft cable.
- Custom equipment case with laser cut insert.
- Certificate of authenticity.
When I say “almost” perfect, that’s because the replica is missing two modular parts: the dart gun and the ‘Cathedral’ grapple. While the dart attachment was never shown on screen, anyone familiar with the behind-the-scenes aspects of Batman knows that there were gadgets created for the Dark Knight that remained unused or cut from the final film. The Cathedral Grapple, on the other hand, was used at the very end of the film to save Bats and Ms. Vale from falling to their deaths. Luckily, the replica craftsmen over at THEPRF have kits that include all these parts if you want to make your own.
What do you think of this $800 replica? Worth the price? Let us know below.
[Source: Paragon FX Group]ClownfishTV.com strives to be an apolitical, balanced and based pop culture news outlet. However, our contributors are entitled to their individual opinions. Author opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of our video hosts, other site contributors, site editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. This website contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. We disclaim products or services we have received for review purposes, as well as sponsored posts.
