"Like a lot of people, I was excited when this set was first announced, but had some mixed feelings when I saw the first pictures... "It feels too disjointed... That flat, brown wall is so ugly... The Batpoles are on the wrong side..." Let me tell you- all of those concerns went up in smoke the moment I saw it on display at the Lego Store.
This set looks 10x better in person. In fact, I think it's one of the most well-balanced, displayable sets Lego has come out with in recent years. Part of me wonders if some of the negative/mediocre reviews are coming from folks who either don't own the set, or wanted a modern Batcave set, and are disappointed Lego went another direction.
The designers absolutely nailed the feel of the TV show set, and the contrast between the brown color scheme (which looks a lot shinier in person) and the reds/greens/oranges is amazing. Oh, and you can move the Batpoles to the left side if you want; in fact, that's the default configuration in the instruction manual.
As for the #1 complaint- the "ugly" wall that conceals the Batpoles- all I did was sprinkle in 10 random cave pieces from the back of the set. It looks amazing (see pic below).
if you're a huge fan of the classic Batman TV show like I am, and the price tag isn't a deal-breaker, you owe it to yourself to buy this set. You won't regret it!"