Redbird (comics)
Encyclopedia
Automobile
The Redbird is a camouflaged sport coupé with all the armaments of the BatmobileBatmobile
The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to television and films. Kept in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is a gadget-laden vehicle used by Batman in his crime-fighting...
. In addition to that, there are polarizing windows and exterior sliding bulletproof
Bulletproof
Bulletproofing is the process of making something capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles e.g. shrapnel. The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protection against all types of bullets, or multiple hits in the...
conversion panels, enabling it to be driven by an uncostumed Tim Drake as a "normal" car.
When Drake was sent away to boarding school, following the quake known as the Gotham Cataclysm, he was forced to give up the Redbird by 'selling' it to a disguised Alfred. While at boarding school he developed an advanced skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
he called the "Redboard". More recently he utilizes a modified 491cc
Cubic centimetre
A cubic centimetre is a commonly used unit of volume extending the derived SI-unit cubic metre, and corresponds to the volume of a cube measuring 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm...
, liquid-cooled "motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
" Batcycle
Batcycle
The Batcycle is the fictional personal motorcycle of comic book superhero Batman. In the comic book universe, Batman's personal Batcycle is a modified street-bike with a 786 cc liquid-cooled V-4 engine. It contains a computer-controlled carburetor and bulletproof wind-guard.-Batman :The Batcycle...
for his transportation needs.
With Tim Drake moving back in Gotham, this time as the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, the Redbird is restored to him, but it is badly damaged during an ambush. Robin takes in consideration the idea to scrap it and have built something scarier to drive.
His resolution doesn't seem to come to a pass, as the Batcave still holds one or more Redbirds in storage along with other Batmobiles, and only a few days later Tim Drake is shown driving a new or a refurbished Redbird, identical to the previous one
Motorcycle (Batman & Robin)
In the 19971997 in film
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live-action film Batman & Robin, the Redbird was a motorcycle instead of an automobile.
As with the Batmobile, this particular Redbird was a ground-up build, utilizing fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
and carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
. The company TFX developed the Redbird on a Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
off-road motorcycle.
The Redbird has two drive nozzles, which allows the vehicle to rise. This is dependent on the speed when taking off, making the Redbird airborne for 20 seconds or longer. There's a central computer on the tank that supplies an LCD
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
announcement containing additional information for the driver. Additionally, the Redbird has small burl
Burl
A burl or bur or burr is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds.A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused...
s to the tire, which can be driven out very fast, in order to increase the road grip. Also, it features a grappling hook
Grappling hook
A grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
, which is attached in the front fender over the tire.
In the film, Batman has an override program capable of controlling the Redbird from the Batmobile. He uses it in order to shut the Redbird down when Robin tries to make a life-threatening jump between buildings.
Technical specifications
- Size: 10.5 feet (3.2 m) long
- Drive: Honda prototype with 95 HP
- Maximum speed: Of 0 to 180 mi/h in 6.9 seconds
- Feature: Fluorescent paper on the tires illuminate Robin's logo, has a single 600 cc Honda prototype with 95 hp