Long, long ago my parents bought me a Batmobile. Sometime in 1975 or 1976 I became the excited owner of a die-cast
Corgi crime-fighting hot rod, complete with tiny Batman and Robin figures. I don't remember exactly why I have three in my possession, but I'm pretty sure it went something like this: my parents bought me one set with a Batboat, one set with a Batcopter, and the other probably really belongs to my brother. Boat, copter and three Robins and two Batmen are long missing, probably lost in the sand pits of Leaf Rapids out behind the Acklands store managed by my dad; it was my favourite spot to play with toy cars and action figures.
This Batmobile is in fairly good condition, with its Bat-decals still intact, Bat-battering ram still functional and Bat-antenna present, if bent. Even the Bat-missile launcher is in good shape, though missing its missiles.
However the trademark Bat-siren is missing, and both canopies have been shattered, presumably by villainous gunfire. Or perhaps Batman slammed into a wall and Robin went flying through the windshield, explaining his absence.
These toys brought me and my friends hours and hours of imaginative entertainment. I'm glad that I rescued them from Mom and Dad's garage last spring. Given their battered condition they're worth nothing on the collector's market, but the memories they spark are priceless to me.
