Toy Wooden Batmobile

Kids like playing with wheeled toys and they like superheroes. A Batmobile combines both. This project is more of a caricature than a replica of the real Batmobile.  

MATERIALS

1- 2” x 4” x 7-1/2” pine

2- 1/4” or 3/8” x 3” x 8” pine or hardboard

1- 1/4” or 3/8” x 5” x 5” pine or hardboard (wheels)

1- 1/4” x 12” dowel (axles)

1- 5/8” x 1-1/2” dowel (engine exhaust)

Sandpaper

Wood glue

Paint

TOOLS

Paper

Pencil

Scissors

Band saw or jigsaw

Electric drill and twist bits

Vise

1-1/2” hole saw

Drum Sander (optional but helpful)

Drill Press (optional but helpful)

Disc sander (optional but helpful)

Punch or large nail

Hammer

Rasp

Sandpaper

Tape measure or ruler

On a sheet of paper, draw out the body profile of a Batmobile. Keep revising until you get a shape you like. Cut out the shape and trace the outline onto the 2” x 4”. Cut out the body using a band saw. Drill a 5/8” hole in the rear of the body for the engine exhaust dowel. To keep the drill from “walking” as you start to drill, tap a small indentation using a punch and hammer. Drill at the indent. ALTERNATIVE: Use thinner materials, cut out body pieces using a coping or jigsaw and glue the pieces together.

Again using paper and pencil, create pieces for the sides of the car with fins at the rear of the car. Align the body profile to the front of the car. Cut out the shape and transfer the profile to the thin material. Cut out two pieces. Decide which side of each piece is the outside and smooth the edges using the disc sander, rasp, or sandpaper. Be sure to do the inside of the wheel wells. Label the pieces left and right.

Use the hole saw to cut out four wheels. Try to keep the drill perpendicular as you cut so the center hole is perpendicular so that the wheel will be straight when the axle is added. Sand the outer diameters of the wheels.

Cut a short piece of 5/8” dowel to serve as the engine exhaust. You may need to sand it a bit so it fits into the hole.

Lay the body flat on its left side and position the right fin section on it in the final location. Place one of the wheels in each wheel well so it is centered. Mark the center of the axle hole and drill through the body at each mark with a 1/4” bit. Make sure the hole is perpendicular to the body.

Stack the sides and body and determine how long the axles need to be. Allow a little space for easy wheel rotation. Cut the axles and smooth the cut ends. Sand the axles so they will turn freely in the holes in the body.

Glue each axle to one of the wheels making sure there is no wobble. When the glue is dry, insert the axles through the body holes and lay the body on its left side with the bare axles pointing upward. Fit the other wheels to the axles and position the right fin part to the body. If the wheel touches the body at any point, mark that spot and use a drum sander or rasp to remove material. Repeat these steps until the wheel will turn freely. Repeat the process on the other side of the car.

With the fin sides ready, glue them to the body. Make sure the wheels do not touch the sides and no glue contacts the axles or the wheels. I did one side at a time and weighted down the side until the glue had dried.

Glue the engine exhaust into the rear hole. After you paint the car, glue the last two wheels to the axles. This way you can easily get to the inside of the wheel wells.

Sign and date your project on the bottom. You can either paint the Batmobile black or purple if it is a Batgirl car.