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Friday, June 28. 2019

Black 1986 Dodge Ram 50. Parking Level 4C. Keys?

Sometimes I have to chuckle at what cars have made it to kit form and which ones are still waiting. There are no boat tail Rivieras available despite their popularity in movies and TV, full-sized pickups stopped being produced sometime in the late 1990s, and there have been something like two Aston Martins kitted ever. But want a model of Chrysler's quirky rebadging of the Mitsubishi Forte? No problem!
Posted by Bill at 12:52 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, June 14. 2019

Well, now here's a scene you wouldn't find in 'For Better or for Worse'

Pears Before Swine has remained one of my favorite newspaper strips for years. Stephan Pastis has kept up a stip that has at times been dark, funny, wrong, right, stubborn, sweet, stupid, and insightful...in other words, relatable to all of us.

Posted by Bill at 10:47 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, May 27. 2019

Memorial Day 2019



Posted by Bill at 15:45 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, May 24. 2019

How Did You Get Here with Only a Car?

As I was wrapping up the last few projects, I realized that the Lamborghini from Murcielago would be my 400th project on this site. Part of me wanted to make a bigger deal out of it - a big round number for such a quick and obscure project and all - but then I considered two counterpoints. First, I've never made a point to post important projects on round numbers (#200 was Mudflap, FFS). Second, that number doesn't include most custom toy projects or eBay sales, and does include a couple of items that I don't own any more. So...happy random number day!

Posted by Bill at 14:49 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, May 10. 2019

Everyone in Town is Looking at My Celsior and Fawning Over It

I'm not as well-versed with Shakotan Boogie as I am with most of the other cars I build, since there has yet to be a translation of the series. I can still enjoy the art, though, and thanks to online synopses I can follow along with the broad strokes...including where on the timeline to put Hajime's Toyota Celsior.

Posted by Bill at 23:00 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, April 26. 2019

Ah, A Manly Sound

So, funny thing about State of Fear...when it came out, it was soundly roasted by the scientific community for the myriad problems with the science it contained. Not only did this response seem to forget that Crichton was also responsible for a story about dinosaurs coming back to life via impossible science, it also proved the point of the story insofar as we're often quick to react but slow to think.

Anyway, here's a Ferrari.

Posted by Bill at 16:37 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, April 12. 2019

Suspect Headed to East Alley...Uh, Pursued

In the late 1990s/early 2000s, the Viper was a frequent tenant in Batman's garage. Early cars were more or less stock, but it didn't take long for an artist to put some fins and a mask on one. The first of those was Roger Robinson's Batmobile as seen in Gotham Knights.

Posted by Bill at 20:09 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, March 29. 2019

I Need a New Car

In my review of the Batman: The Animated Series Batmobile, I mentioned how the cartoon tended towards a larger design...

Batman: The Animated Series Batmobile as seen in the episode The Mechanic

Posted by Bill at 06:25 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, March 22. 2019

Are You--A Vampire?

Due to life being...well, life...sometimes plans don't pan out the way we hope. Circumstances have dictated that a few projects be moved up my priority list, including another comic book Batmobile.

Posted by Bill at 14:22 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, March 8. 2019

Sarge Said to Meet Him at His Jeep

I've mentioned elsewhere that comics have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember: newspaper strips, manga, webcomics, I've read them all at one point or another. But the Sunday funnies were the first of these, and one of the old standards was Beetle Bailey. Mort Walker passed away last year, and as an acknowledgement of his work I wanted to build a tribute.

Posted by Bill at 19:58 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, February 22. 2019

If You Choose the Lancia Stratos, Turn to Page 10

Considering that only two were built (and one of those was destroyed in a fire), it's quite the testament to how stunning the widebody Group 5 Stratos silhouette racer was that it appeared in diecast replicas, was a major Transformers character, and even appeared as the featured car on the cover of a Choose Your Own Adventure.

Posted by Bill at 12:28 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday, February 6. 2019

Press Release: Female Action Figures by IAmElemental Inspire Childhood Literacy at Toy Fair 2019

NEW YORK – February 6, 2019 – Pioneering toy startup IAmElemental, creator of the first female action figures designed specifically for children, will exhibit its groundbreaking products at the North American International Toy Fair, February 16-19, 2019 in New York.

IAmElemental has grown from a successful 2014 Kickstarter launch into a 2017 and 2018 Toy Industry Association Toy of the Year finalist. The startup’s female action figures are based on a series of character traits called “The Elements of Power”; as the company’s Chief Elemental Officer Julie Kerwin says, “All the Superpowers you could ever want or need are already inside of you.”

The company’s Series 1/Courage figures, modeled on Joan of Arc, represent Bravery, Honesty, Fear, Enthusiasm, Energy, Industry and Persistence. Series 2/Wisdom, with ancient Alexandrian STEM pioneer Hypatia as the muse, includes Creativity, Ingenuity, Curiosity, Logic, Exploration, Mastery and Oblivion.

The powerful and positive lessons of IAmElemental’s 4” and 6.5” fully articulated action figures come to life in the company’s three books for young children:

- The Elements of Power Board Book: This 6”x6” 12-page board book profiles each figure in Series 1/Courage, introducing the superpowers in an age-appropriate way.

- You Are Courage Picture Book: New in 2019, this 9”x9” 32-page paperback book is an expanded version of The Elements of Power Board Book, teaching children all about the Superpower Courage.

- The Elements of Power Workbook: This 7”x11” 75-page softcover book combines IAmElemental’s Courage and Wisdom workbooks, previously available only in Lunchbox Complete Sets, into one book that encourages children to explore the Superpowers of Courage and Wisdom.

All books retail for $9.99 each and are available now at http://shop.iamelemental.com.

Says Kerwin, “Literacy is typically defined as the ability to read and write. But in the IAmElemental universe, we define literacy as ‘acquired knowledge’ -- anything that keeps the brain’s synapses firing on all cylinders. We want kids to love the act of learning. We want them to view knowledge acquisition as a lifelong pursuit, not just something that they do in school because it’s required of them. And we want kids to want to learn because it betters their lives and helps them accomplish their goals.”

“As a mom, I have found that one of the best ways to help kids internalize the IAmElemental definition of literacy is through daily read-alouds. To that end, we are proud that our Workbook sales support United Through Reading, an organization that connects military families who are separated -- for deployment or military assignment -- by providing the bonding experience of shared storytime,” added Kerwin.

Posted by Bill at 21:34 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, January 25. 2019

His Car-Lights Blacked Out, the Gotham Protector Takes Up the Chase!

Looking back over the past year, I really liked having the "1984" theme for my 2018 builds. Not only did it help with focusing my builds, it was a bit of a cost saver as well: knowing that I wouldn't get to a particular kit for at least a year made it a lot easier to pass on some that I was on the fence about. So I'm repeating the idea, albeit with a new theme...2019 will be the year of "books and comics!"

This means that I'll be more likely to get back to some long-delayed ideas I've had, including this classic comic book Batmobile.

Posted by Bill at 17:04 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, January 7. 2019

2018 Year in Review



Posted by Bill at 22:01 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Sunday, January 6. 2019

Wax On, Wax Off

The penultimate 2018 build is now live, Daniel-san's classic Ford ragtop from the original Karate Kid!

Posted by Bill at 23:15 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
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