Basil the Bat Lord

Basil the Bat Lord, sometimes written as Basil the Batlord and alternatively known as Count Batlord in the United Kingdom and Count Bat in various European countries, is a Fright Knights minifigure introduced in 1997. He appears in a total of eight sets and features in multiple video games. In 71045 Minifigures Series 25, he is referred to as Vampire Knight.
== Description ==
Basil's head has a mustache and angular eyebrows. On his head is an exclusive bat helmet in black with two wings on the sides. He sometimes wears a ragged dark grey cape with a printing of a bat on the back. His torso is bright red, printed with a coat with yellow dots and a black line pattern continuing through his torso; a silver belt; and a small collar print made to resemble bat wings. He has black arms with bright yellow hands. His hip piece is black with dark grey legs.
While not normally visible in-game, Basil's facial expressions can be seen on the LEGO Racers driver's license screen if his head is used in the character builder. Several facial expressions depict Basil with glowing red eyes and sharp fangs, giving him a vampire-like appearance. Oddly, his unmasked appearance in Rocket Racers portrays him without any facial hair.
His 2024 Vampire Knight redesign features updated printing on the torso and face, as well as new armor printing on the hip, legs, and arms. His torso remains bright red, while his arms have been changed to dark stone grey, his hands are black, and his legs are dual-molded dark stone grey and black. His cape retains the bat printing, and now features a red border and a red underside. His head has been changed to white and now has double-sided printing, with one side having an open mouth and a red glow around his eyes; both sides add vampire fangs and red eyes, which were previously only seen in his alternate facial expressions in LEGO Racers. His helmet has been replaced with a new mold that retains the iconic wings. He is equipped with a double-headed axe and a shield bearing the Fright Knights' emblem.
== Background ==
As the Fright Knights storyline differs considerably between North America and Europe, so does the role of Basil the Bat Lord. Generally, he is depicted as the leader of the Fright Knights, although it varies whether he is a hero or a villain.
In the North American storyline, Basil the Bat Lord is subservient to Willa the Witch, his true master. As her loyal Bat Lord, he tends to her bats and helps her in her nefarious schemes to scare other knights. He rides a black dragon named Draco.
In the European storyline, the heroic Count Batlord is the enemy of the evil wicked witch. In Bricks 'n Pieces Magazine, Count Batlord must avoid the magic spells from Hubble Bubble's Dragonair, can rely on falling back to his kingdom for protection, and builds a Medieval Catapult to scare off Hubble Bubble.
Basil's origin story is retold in A Fright Night Tale, narrated by Basil and Willa in LEGO Mania Magazine. Once an ordinary knight, Basil wandered into Willa's castle one cold stormy night, mistakenly believing that the castle was abandoned and could provide shelter from the storm. After being frightened by bats and skeletons, Basil was confronted by Willa, who cast a spell over him and transformed him into her loyal Bat Lord.
In Enter the LEGO Holiday Zone, Basil the Bat Lord invites Bill and Jill into the Night Lord's Castle while they are shopping for a special gift. He advises them to pull the chain and hurry inside before the gate crashes shut.
In Graf Fledermaus Ist Wütend: Wer Hat Meine Tapferen Ritter Gekidnappt?, Count Bat awakens one morning to discover that one of his Fright Knights is missing. Three days later, Count Bat and the Fright Knights arrive at the Witch's Magic Manor and shoot down Buta's airship, and she surrenders along with her fellow wizards. Count Bat forces Buta to use her crystal ball to reveal the missing knight's location. With his Bat-Staff, Count Bat transforms the dragon Slimowitch into a harmless bat and saves the kidnapped knight. Afterward, Count Bat continues to use Buta's former crystal ball to see into the future and eliminate his enemies.
=== Time Cruisers ===
The Time Cruisers comics in World Club Magazine follow the European version of the story, depicting Count Bat as the heroic leader of the Fright Knights. He has been fighting against the wicked witch Izralda, who plots to take over his kingdom with the help of her two black dragons and the UFO-flying Star People.
Tim Timebuster and Ingo arrive in the Flying Time Vessel, and Count Bat explains the situation to them. After Tim and Ingo scare off the dragons, Count Bat challenges Izralda to a fight but loses. Then, Izralda uses her magic to hypnotize the Fright Knights and transform Count Bat's castle into a Star Tower, sending a beacon into space to signal the Star People.
Count Bat, Tim, and Ingo escape the hypnotized Fright Knights and climb the Star Tower, which suddenly explodes when Tim redirects the beacon. They are rescued by the Alien Avenger piloted by IXVIZIKIL, who thinks that they sent the signal, so Count Bat plays along with the assumption and asks for help defeating Izralda. Once Izralda is defeated, Count Bat takes her magic wand and forces her to surrender. Afterward, he frees his fellow Fright Knights from her mind-control and plans to restore his original castle, thanking Tim and IXVIZIKIL for their help.
=== LEGO Racers ===
In LEGO Racers, Basil the Bat Lord is the Hosting Champion in Circuit 3. He is regarded as one of the more challenging Circuit Hosts, since he does not exclusively rely on one power-up like the preceding bosses Captain Redbeard and King Kahuka. He mostly used the green power-up which is difficult to beat him. By beating Basil and finishing Circuit 3 in first place, the player can unlock Basil's car set, as well as the minifigure pieces for Basil and Willa in the character builder.
In the introductory FMV cutscene, Basil the Bat Lord ties with Baron von Barron in second place. He accidentally falls off the winner's podium after Rocket Racer opens his bottle of champagne.
In the Magma Moon Marathon! comic, Batlord and Captain Redbeard emerge from Veronica Voltage's warp machine to challenge Rocket Racer to a race. Batlord and Rocket Racer are neck-and-neck near the finish line, but Batlord and Redbeard are caught in a dust avalanche and lose the race.
Basil the Bat Lord also appears in the queue line of Rocket Racers. In the qualifying race shown in the queue line video, Basil rides the Catapult Crusher and uses its crossbows and catapult to attack his fellow racers.Rocket Racers 2000.avi
=== LEGOLAND ===
Basil the Bat Lord makes a cameo appearance in LEGOLAND. In one of the game's FMV cutscenes, Basil is partaking in a jousting tournament held at King Leo's Castle. A dragon flies into the tournament, and Basil is surprised when his opponent ends up riding the fearsome dragon. In this cutscene, the bat wings on Basil's helmet are capable of expressive movement.
=== LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed ===
In LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed, Basil the Bat Lord is a Builder tank with the abilities "Bat Scepter", "The Needs of the Many", "MAXIMUM BAT OVERLOAD", "Steel Heart", and "Toot the Magic Dragon". Furthermore, Willa the Witch's passive ability "Rise Again, My Minion!" allows her to resurrect Basil if he is defeated in battle, making them a powerful team together.
LEGO Legacy combines elements from the American and European storylines of Fright Knights. Just like in A Fright Night Tale, Basil's backstory states that he was transformed into the Bat Lord by Willa the Witch's spell. However, when not under her mind-control in Glyph Hunt, Basil hates Willa and hopes to bring her to justice, much like in the World Club Magazine comics.
Basil the Bat Lord hails from Bricksylvania, where the Explorers of Piptown travel in Glyph Hunt mission 2.2 "Bargain with the Bat Lord". He cordially welcomes the Explorers but then suddenly becomes angry when the Hiker mentions that they are searching for Willa the Witch. Once he is convinced that they can defeat her, he temporarily joins their team in mission 2.3, in which the Explorers must protect him from Willa's minions while he uses his mental link to locate her hiding in Crown King Brutus's kingdom. However, after being revealed, Willa mind-controls Basil into her minion once again, and they fight together as a power couple in mission 2.8.
== LEGO Description ==
== Gallery of Variants ==
== Appearances ==
* 2848 Fright Knights Flying Machine
* 6007 Bat Lord
* 6047 Prison Transport
* 6097 Night Lord's Castle
* 6099 Traitor Transport
* 9376 LEGO Dacta Castle Set
* 2539 Batwing Flyer
* 2540 Fright Knight's Catapult
* 6031 Fright Force
* 71045 Minifigures Series 25 
=== Comic Appearances ===
* Time Cruisers
* Magma Moon Marathon!
=== LEGOLAND Appearances ===
* Rocket Racers
=== Video Game Appearances ===
* LEGO Racers
* 5706 LEGOLAND 
* 55000 LEGO Universe 
* LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
== Notes ==
* Basil's title alternates between being spelled as "Bat Lord" and "Batlord", sometimes within the same source. For example, the January-February 1997 LEGO Mania Magazine introduces Basil as the Bat Lord, but repeatedly uses the title Batlord in A Fright Night Tale. Similarly, the main menu of LEGO Racers spells it as "Bat Lord", but it is written as "Batlord" in the rest of the game.
* Several European languages give this character translated versions of the name "Count Bat", including the Danish catalogs and LEGO Racers (Grev Flagermus), the German World Club Magazine (Graf Fledermaus), and Swedish catalogs (Greve Fladdermaus).Sweden 1997 Catalog - Pages 18-19 In the French LEGO Klick Magazine, he is typically called le seigneur des Ténèbres (the lord of Darkness) but is called Comte Batluck (Count Batluck) in one instance. In the Dutch language version of LEGO Racers, he is named Floris de Vleermuisridder (Floris the Batknight). All other languages in LEGO Racers use variations of his North American "Basil the Bat Lord" name, including Basil il Signor Pipistrello (Basil the Mister Bat) in Italian, Flaggermus-Kongen Basil (Bat-King Basil) in Norwegian, and Basilio El Tenebroso (Basil the Dark) in Spanish, although the German version of LEGO Racers simply retains his English name.
* In LEGO Universe, one of the specialty kits exclusive to Crux Prime is the Bat Lord kit, based directly upon Basil's clothing and gear. The kit consists of the the Bat Lord Helmet, Shield, Shirt, Pants, and Staff. The Helmet is awarded by the Crux Prime Champion 3 achievement, while the rest of the items are acquired through random drops. Equipping four pieces of the Bat Lord specialty increases coin and item pickup distance, while equipping all five pieces restores 3 life with every smashed enemy.
== Gallery ==
Fright_Knights_Bat_Lord_2.jpg|Basil the Bat Lord without the bat helmet
Fright_Knights_Bat_Lord_3.jpg|Basil the Bat Lord from the back
Countbatlord1.PNG|Count Bat in the Time Cruisers comics
Basil The Batlord.png|Basil the Bat Lord in LEGO Racers
Rocket Racers Basil.jpeg|Basil the Bat Lord in the queue line for Rocket Racers
Bat lord.png|The Bat Lord kit in LEGO Universe
LLHU Basil Promo Art.png|Basil the Bat Lord in LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
LLHU Basil Alumni Day.jpg|Basil's Alumni Day event in LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
LLHU Basil Profile.png|Basil's profile in LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
LLHU Banner.jpg|Basil the Bat Lord in LEGO Legacy promotional artwork
LLHU Castle Heroes.jpg|Basil and other Castle heroes in LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
LLHU Spooky Vacation.jpg|Basil playing volleyball with Willa and Zombie in LEGO Legacy
LLHU Castle VS Ninjago.jpg|Basil, Gogo, and Storm battling Ninjago heroes in LEGO Legacy
LEGO-Legacy-Heroes-Unboxed-Game-Art-Photo.jpg|Basil the Bat Lord in LEGO Legacy promotional artwork
=== Videos ===
LEGO SYSTEM Integrator 1997|Video with Basil and UFO
LEGO Racers - Basil The Batlord's Opening|Batlord's cutscene in LEGO Racers
==References==
Category:Minifigures introduced in 1997
Category:Fright Knights minifigures
Category:Racers minifigures
Category:Castle
Category:LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed minifigures
Category:Minifigures in multiple themes
Category:Minifigures (theme)