Batman 89 Grappel Gauntlet

Valor

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I was commissioned to build the large arm-mounted grapple launcher from the 1989 Batman. This is the device that shoots two lines out and allows Bats and Vicki Vale to escape the art museum scene, and causes Jack to mutter the famous "Where does he get those wonderful toys?".

The prop isn't seen onscreen very clearly so I found a number of pre-production photos that showed most of what I needed to know. My customer also wants it to "work" ... at least have the two shooters snap from front to side position. This mean I needed to figure out some mechanicals for inside the gauntlet that would allow the shooters to be triggered to move.

I modeled the gauntlet in Fusion 360 (except the back end with me metal rods and arm brace. That is easy enough to build from actual aluminum). The rest will be printed on my Prusa MK3. Sanded, printed, sanded ... sanded. More sanding, then painted.

I'm about 3/4 way through the project. Have almost everything printed and at least finish primed. I'm guessing there will be some tweaking of the "firing mechanism", but hopefully not much.

And, yes, I'm building two. One for myself :) I'll share finished picks soon.
1.png
2.jpg
3.jpg
4.jpg
5.png
6.png
7.jpeg
8.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • 9.jpeg
    9.jpeg
    2.4 MB · Views: 320
Last edited:
Wow, I've always want to build one of these. As you mentioned, there is very limited reference available. Yours looks awesome!
 
Made by another RPF member
View attachment 1050295

Hey that's my picture! I got it from Guido Kohlen (aka GermanBat). It's pretty much all metal except for the 2 "horns" that poke out the front. Happy to provide any details if needed. The spring "works" to pop the launchers from vertical to horizontal position, but there's nothing yet to hold them closed in the vertical position and therefore no 'trigger' to release them.
 
Alright. Finished pics attached. This was a tricky build for me. I had to redesign and reprint many of the pieces to get to a working prop.

For example, the "H"-shaped tube frame on the bottom was far too flexible in PLA, so I had to have that welded from actual aluminum. I also incorporated actual sealed bearings in the pivot point of the shooters to get the motion nice and smooth with no resistance.

It took some time but I'm thrilled with the result. Yes the shooters fly out to the sides with a trigger. It's not quite as snappy as you see on film but it works for me.
IMG_1289.jpeg
IMG_1292.jpeg
IMG_1294.jpeg
IMG_1296.jpeg
IMG_1297.jpeg
IMG_1299.jpeg
IMG_1300.jpeg
IMG_1302.jpeg
IMG_1306.jpeg
IMG_1287.jpeg

IMG_1289.jpeg
IMG_1292.jpeg
 
That is so freakin' awesome!!! You see so few replicas of this, and yours is phenomenal. I can't say enough nice things about this! Unbelievable work!!
 
Any details on the trigger release mechanism? I'd love to add one to mine.
Hey Greg, that was the tricky part. And it's even tricky to show you what I did. Here's the gauntlet with the cowl removed. I have a large horizontal lever that when in the upper position, holds the two shooters in a front orientation. When you press it down with your finger, it allows the two shooters to slip by and point out sideways. The lever is also on a spring to return to the original position. Its pretty custom to my model so I don't know how easy it would be to add to an existing gauntlet. But maybe it inspires a solutions for you.
Screen Shot 2019-09-21 at 4.18.44 PM.png
 
It's really generous of you to share all these details about your build, especially the mechanism!! Thank you so much!!
 
This thread is more than 4 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top