Tiny Tikes Tumbler Batmobile Out of a Cozy Coupe

Intro: Tiny Tikes Tumbler Batmobile Out of a Cozy Coupe

I made this Tumbler Batmobile for my best friend Mike's son Mason. Batman plays a special role for his family. Mike's younger brother, Eric, passed away from cancer in 2012 and was a huge fan of the Caped Crusader. The spirit lives on through Mike and now his son too. I thought I would help the legacy and adventure continue. You can too via www.givetolife.org

STEP 1: Obtain Cozy Coupe, Your Parts and Accessories

I nabbed this Police Cozy Coupe (CC) off my local Craigslist for under ten dollars. I wanted this particular version of the CC because it has the lightbar and police siren.

The parts accessories I used specifically for this project were as follows (prices are approximate):

1) 12V rocker switch - Radio Shack ($3.50)

2) LED Light strips - ebay ($1.99)

3) Red Illuminated Voltmeter - ebay ($5)

4) 8x 1.5V AA battery pack w/ SCREW DOWN COVER (important) - ebay ($1.25)

5) 120mm 12V Red LED computer case fan - already owned (maybe $9 online)

6) Liquidtape - Radio Shack ($5)

7) Rustoleum Painters Touch black satin paint - Ace Hardware ($4)

8) 2x Cozy Coupe replacement wheels - littletikes.com ($3.99 each)

9) 3/8 in diameter 48" long metal rod - Home Depot ($2.97)

(not pictured) Rustoleum Primer - already owned ($3)

STEP 2: Clean Clean Clean

Children are filthy creatures. I know. I was one once. Make sure to clean every part so the paint and primer will adhere better.

STEP 3: Establish a Work Space

Thank you to my wife for allowing me this small space on our living room floor for two months.

STEP 4: Mock Up the 'rocket Booster'

You'll want to do this before any sanding or painting.

Initially I wasn't sure how large I wanted the booster hole to be.

I had a cheap plastic planter pot that I used at first to simply mark the various hole sizes.

Then I realized I could use it as the nozzle by trimming it down with a pair of shears.

Click the images for the step by step instructions.

STEP 5: Sand and Sand and Sand... Prime and Paint

Always the longest and always the most important step... prep your surface.

Sand everything thoroughly. This plastic needs it.

Then prime and paint. Easy enough.

STEP 6: Rebuild Your Cozy Coupe and Install the Accessories.

Little Tikes has online instructions available for reassembly (thank goodness).

In this order:

Install the voltmeter, switch and LED lights.

I installed the switch first and it was tough to pass the voltmeter wires through the same small cavity in the CC body.

The hole you made in the back of the CC for the rocket booster is plenty large enough to get your hand or arm through to pull all the wires from the front to the back for final assembly.

Home Depot cut the 3/4 in rod to length for me but a hack saw will make short work of it.

STEP 7: Install Battery Pack

I chose to mount the battery pack where it was easily accessible to parents, out of the way and, seriously, the cubby behind the seat was the best and only option.

STEP 8: Become an Electrician

Little Tikes doesn't make a wiring harness for the CC so you're starting from scratch

I taught myself to solder for this (thanks youtube). So, even you can do this.

(Note that I am not formally educated in electronics and may have made mistakes I am not aware of in the proceeding steps. Everything here is self taught. Consult an expert if you are weary.).

You'll need to solder extension wires for each accessory in order to get power to them all since the included wires will not be long enough to reach the power supply. After which, you'll need to use the Liquidtape to water proof and protect each soldered joint.

After you've run and labeled all the wires to the rear of the CC, connect and solder all POSITIVE (+) wires together. In the images these are all the red wires. Note that the switch wires will both be negative leads.

Then, connect all the NEGATIVE (-) wires together sans the negative power wire from the battery pack and one wire from the switch. Connect and solder these two wires (the one power and one switch wire) together and waterproof. The other wire from the switch will go with the rest of the NEGATIVE (-) wires which you can now solder and waterproof.

The only textual way I can think of how to describe the wire path is like this:

Negative (-) power > switch > negative accessories > positive accessories > positive (+) power.

STEP 9: The Dark Knight Rises

I also bought this costume for his son, because what toddler doesn't like dressing up like their favorite superhero?

The Dark Knight Rises Toddler Batman Costume

Here is the finished product. Enjoy!

Comments

[awhitney]

Hello there. My wife and I are doing one of these for our nephews birthday and we were wondering if you had any more details to add regarding getting the fan into the hole and then getting everything in place. I could understand if there was a hole on bottom to put your hand up into that area, but it's not making sense when we're thinking about doing it. We're still cleaning up the outside of the car right now, so we haven't quite gotten to that step, but we figured that we'd ask now, to give you time to see this.

Thanks in advance!!

[nwgrede]

Did you see the comments that were on the mockup image of the assembled fan? I realize it isn't easiest to type the description but that is the gist of it. The first screws can be tightened with one hand screwing the screw and the other hand in the hole pushing everything from the backside. Then rotate everything into place and use the hooked wire or coat hanger to pull everything towards you. Hook onto the back of the fan for example and pull. Hope that helps. I'm sure you'll figure it out!

[awhitney]

thats what we figured but you did not mention sticking your hand into the hole to tighten the first screw.. i had mentioned that is how i thought you did it to my husband but he could not envision it. We will have to try it and see.. i plan on posting pictures when we are done to show you the completed project :)

[trevgator]

I had a question on the metal rod for the rear wheels how did you add the extra tires with the bracket ring is in the way? Did you have to break it off and then add something else to hold it in place? I plan on cutting the rod down to the size you recommended but the factory nut is blocking the wheel from coming off not sure if I have to buy replacement parts that go with the cap as well. hope that made sense!

[nwgrede]

Hi trevgator,

I think i know what you are asking. The red cap (i painted mine black but they come in red) on the wheels has a ring with metal teeth that grip the metal rod to keep the wheel from sliding off the axle. It's your basic hub cab. Yes I had to pull mine off with a pliers to get the wheels off and in the process mangled it. Since I was using a different, longer rod I needed new hardware anyway. Low and behold you can find them on ebay for only a few dollars. Search for 'cozy coupe capnut' (capnut is one word) and you will see plenty for sale. Good luck!

[trevgator]

Thanks! You Saved me some time already .

[CHass2010]

How is the paint holding up? I didn't sand mine down and you can rub it off. Going to buy sand paper tonight to redo it.

[nwgrede]

Hi CHass2010,

The paint is holding up remarkably well even in the high contact areas. The fan cowling comes loose often and I'd recommend using longer screws to hold it to the body, fan grill and fan. Otherwise, this baby was built to last. I'd love to see your creation when finished too.

[Ralleyj]

This is awesome! Making one for my little girl for Christmas. What grit sandpaper did you use? And did you use a top coat after painting to keep from chipping? Thanks!

[nwgrede]

Hi Ralleyj,

I would hesitate to use anything lower than 200. You just want to score the surface and anything lower than that may leave scratches that show through the paint (I learned the hard way). The paint I mention I used is actually more of an epoxy and doesn't need a top coat. I was more pressed for time but if you have it, a top coat could never hurt. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[wylekat]

I had a great idea while looking at this. I am thinking about electronics for my kid's car... MP3 and speakers, etc.. Won't get themed till she is a little older. Going to keep the various tips and whatnot from this instructable. Anyways... My idea: you know those fake torches that sell around Halloween- with the flimsy cloth flames? If that fan has any good air output, hook some of those to the fan grill... The red light will light them, the fan will blow them- 'flames' come out the back. :)

[nwgrede]

Hey there. Thanks for the comment. That was actually the very first thing I wanted to do after installing the fan but I came to two conclusions. 1) The fan could blow hard enough to keep the 'flames' moving around but it would actually drain the battery pack about 10 times quicker. 2) One of the big themes in building this was 'baby proofing' it. So I didn't want anything they could rip or tear off and possibly eat or choke on. And that meant the 'flames' were a no-go. Also, nixed from the drawing board were roof mounted foam NERF guns. They would have been cool for a 4 or 5 year old but not an 18 mo old.

Still, keep the ideas flowing. I built upon someone else's ideas and hope others do with my project here too!

[BadPuns]

SO. EPIC.
Oh, how I wish I knew you when I would fit into one of those things. (For Bat-ness sake, I still would)

[craftclarity]

This is AWESOME! I bet your tiny Batman there is super stoked!