Ian's Batman action figures

Here is a PhotoPeach slideshow of my 8" Batman '66 TV series action figures from Figures Toy Co. (and a few customised characters by me).

Ian's Batman action figures

Requires Flash, so it won't work on iPads or iPhones.

Holy sleight of hand, Batman! Customising Dr Cassandra and Cabala

One of my favourite episodes of the 60s "Batman" TV show was its penultimate adventure: "The Entrancing Dr Cassandra", featuring Ida Lupino and her husband, Howard Duff. A guilty childhood pleasure, and for a long time seemingly elusive in repeat, in the days of no episode guides or IMBd.

The Terrific Trio go 2D. "Flat as flounders."

Dr Cassandra Spellcraft came from a line line of failed alchemists, but she did have some trippy, if shortlived, successes: camouflage pills that enabled invisibility, stealing the Mope diamond, and inventing an Alvino raygun that could rob people of their third dimension. She also succeeded in masterminding a jail break of all six of Gotham City's arch criminals: Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, Egghead and King Tut. (The stunt doubles playing the arch villains in this episode were supposedly the regular ones matched to the actors from the series: Fred Carson as Joker, Eddie Hice as Riddler, Guy Way as King Tut, Al Cavens as Penguin, *unknown* as Egghead (not listed on callsheets, but Al Wyatt Sr. had double for Vincent Price in earlier episodes), and Marilyn Watson - who used to double for Julie Newmar before Eartha Kitt took over the role - returning as Catwoman. This penultimate episode was probably seen as a farewell opportunity to these performers from the producers. A reunion, as such.)

With all the great "Batman '66" tie-ins in recent years, and action figures in both a 5" and 8" format, I became resolved to create customs of Dr Cassandra and Cabala. Cassandra uses a 7" Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell) figure from "Lost" as the base. (I anticipated that "Big Bang Theory" Penny would arrive last night, as she did, and she was forfeiting her pink dress and boots. I tried to dye some spare Supergirl tights orange, but the nylon wouldn't hold the colour, so Aquaman lent her his shirt sleeves instead.) Cassandra's bowler hat and cane fish purse are made of orange Fimo. Meanwhile, Cabala had started life as an 8" bald "Anchorman" Battle-ready Champ (David Koechner) figure. I gave him quick-set putty hair, thicker eyebrows, an earring, an Andorian's boots and a "Wizard of Oz" figure's pants and vest, with the vest material covered in pieces of red discarded underpants (from my own drawer).

Source materials: Juliet from "Lost" and Champ from "Anchorman".

Cassandra's dress was seen before: on Josie (Joker episode), in a Catwoman episode, and on Octavia (Minstrel episode).

Note Cassandra's recycled fish handbag, originally owned by Undine in "Surf's Up, Joker's Under".

Above: My customised Dr Cassandra Spellcraft and partner Cabala action figures, from the 60s "Batman" episode, "The Entrancing Dr Cassandra". They stand with the commercially available Egghead and King Tut 8" figures. In the 70s, I attempted crude customs of Egghead and King Tut, now both long gone, but definitely a project that has stuck with me over the decades.

UPDATE:

Okay, so I knew that Joker's moll, Josie, was wearing the pink and orange mini dress eventually used by Dr Cassandra, but recently I noticed that, in Part 2, Josie turns up in a new orange number (below) - but the orange tights and dangly plastic earrings worn with that outfit end up being teamed with the dress from Part 1 to complete Dr Cassandra's ensemble!

Celebrating Book Week 2014: Connect with Reading

Click HERE to view a Flickr slideshow.

52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 33

My beloved Kooky Spookys, ghostly glow-in-the-dark finger puppets from Hasbro (1969), at the height of popularity for luminous toys. Included are two characters that never went past the prototype stage. Collage of card, watercolour, black Sharpie and glitter stars.

Week 33: Toy

My PhotoPeach slideshow about Kooky Spookys is HERE!

Update:

Week 33: Toy II

"Portrait of the Artist as an Action Figure". 3D assemblage art using textured card, printed in Pages, with collage, black Sharpie, twist ties, photographs, etc.

Okay, I was encouraged to add more Book Week accessories! Note that the male teacher-librarian action figure is always the "shortpack" and thus highly collectible.

And one more:
3D papier mache teddy bear, painted with Tamiya acrylic paints and highlighted with black and silver Sharpie and wiggly eyes. I fancied the idea of a bear who could change his fur colour by simply unzipping layers.

Week 33: Toy III

Obsessed, Vault, Rules: three new Star Trek book purchases

A big haul of Star Trek books this week, thanks to Galaxy Bookshop:

The "Star Trek Vault: 40 Years from the Archives" (Abrams) is by Scott Tipton, and follows the trend set by previous Marvel, DC and Star Wars vault collections. I've only had a chance to skim the fairly meaty, 126pp, contents (will Tipton throw up any factoids I don't already know?) but if you're interested to learn what collectibles have been replicated, they are: mini version of the "Planet Ecnal's Dilemma" TOS coloring book, three b/w Leaf trading cards, iron-on transfer of the Enterprise (on a cel), a sheet of four TMP gum card stickers, ST II Spock pennant, Japanese ST IV poster, Locutus's Borg arm diagram, page of "Generations" storyboard, "First Contact" captain's chair schematic, page of "Insurrection" script, invitation to DS9 Season 5 wrap party, b/w page from IDW's "TNG: Intelligence Gathering" comic, and two Rescue Emergency Evac set stickers from ENT. These items slide into little pockets, or are fastened at one edge to the pages.


ERTL's "Star Trek III" prototype action figures!

Page 45 has a colour version of a pic (above) I've always wanted: the ERTL 3.75" ST III action figure prototypes, with a Terran collie dog filling in for Kruge's Klingon pet (below)! Prior to this, I'd only had a small b/w version in an old Star Tech mail order catalog.


ERTL's Kruge and Klingon pet from "Star Trek III"

You want to take on 2500 ST trivia questions? The new trivia book, "Obsessed With Star Trek" (Chronicle Books) by Chip Carter, comes with an attached, electronic randomizer device that keeps score as you answer questions, and can be configured for two-players. Every double page spread also has a b/w photo from one of the many ST productions, with some interesting, obscure factoids and a question based on the event illustrated.

Also out this week: simultaneous hardcover and trade paperback editions of "Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large" (Dutton) by William Shatner with Chris Regan. If you can survive the chapter where Shatner slags off on TOS actors for slagging off at him over recent years, it has some fun stuff in it.

Big mail day

DAY 22

My retro "Frankenstein Jr" money box arrived in the mail today. Finally, he has been reunited with... "The Impossibles". Anyone too young to have watched 60s television may be underwhelmed.

Also in the box today was a retro Mego Captain Christopher Pike and...

the long-awaited Salt Vampire ("The Man Trap").

Invasion of the dodos

It might be extinct as a species, but there's certainly no shortage of dodos here this week! Above is a 2D scan of my Nimslo 3D shot, taken in January 1984, of a real dodo skeleton in the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. I finally got around to scanning it. My newer scanner has difficulty interpreting the lenticular laminate on my 3D photos, but the old scanner handles it well.

But these are some recent arrivals, after a bout of dodo madness on eBay:


Dodos from "Primeval" (by Character Options) and Safari


A Harmony Kingdom dodo keepsake box

Secret Spock 2010

Every year, the members of Playtrek, the listserv for collectors of Star Trek action figures, can participate in "Secret Spock", in which Star Trek related gifts are sourced and sent to each other, without the identity of the givers becoming known (at least at first).



Although I don't usually participate, one Playtrekker had difficulty sourcing a new, carded, Romulan action figure - and I volunteered to forward one to the intended recipient, sending it back to the USA. I'd ended up with at least one duplicate, in my attempt to ensure I didn't miss out on a Romulan, which was seemingly going to be tricky for many to locate. At the last minute, I realised I had a rare opportunity to make the gift even more exciting.



Using my own opened Romulan as the stand-in, I surrounded him with Aussie souvenirs ( which I later "carded" with Gladwrap onto the mint figure), created holiday snapshots in my backyard and even designed a Photo Peach slideshow. The slideshow requires that your volume is up.

Enjoy! I hope Secret Spock was kind to you all.

It's not easy being green...

Alert all "Star Trek" action figure customisers!

The latest batch of DC Direct action figures includes Brainiac (above) from the "Superman: New Krypton" comic storyline, and he'd make a great "Star Trek" Orion slaver with just some minor alterations.


An Orion slaver from the
"Star Trek: Enterprise" episode, "Borderland".

Which reminds me, I once bought a wrestling figure of Big Show (aka Paul Wight), who once also appeared as an Orion trader on "Enterprise", but I never got around to painting him green...


Brainiac, Big Show and Vina.


Big Show (aka Paul Wight) as an Orion trader, with T'Pol on "Star Trek: Enterprise".

The return of Will Decker!

Commander Will Decker arrived in my mailbox today. V'ger must have finished with him. He's a bit grey in the face, and has also misplaced his Perscan buckle and his shoes. But he's aliiiiiiiiiive!

I've had my Mego 12" "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" Klingon since 1980. He was bought from a local flea market by a friend but, when I raced back, any other figures had long gone. Then, in January 1984, I found the rest in the dealers' room at a New York Creation Convention. Kirk, Spock and the Arcturian were all $25 each and Decker and Ilia were $35 each. Sadly, they wouldn't take traveller's cheques and I couldn't spare the cash to get Decker and Ilia. Sob. Little did I realise how shortpacked was Decker!

Then, about twelve years ago, a beautiful, boxed Ilia turned up in a local collectibles shop for about $90. Opening the packaging, I was horrified that she had a large, dark purple spot on her bald head, transferred from the inner cardboard box liner. Luckily, that mark faded away, even as poor ol' Kirk and Spock's faces continued to take on the dreaded "Mego greying disease". This Decker is a bit grey, and was loose, with battered paintwork on his hair, no shoes or buckle, and a uniform needing some attention, but he was cheap enough - and it's great he can finally be reunited with Ilia. (I've lost out on a number of Will Decker eBay auctions over the decades; I love the "Buy it now" option.)

Bonjour, Monsieur Poulet!

Leigh Hobbs' infamous Monsieur Poulet, of "Mr Chicken goes to Paris", climbs the Eiffel Tower and then (below, in my version of the story) seemingly meets an appreciative, time-travelling artist. (I'm actually working on a book trailer for this CBCA Awards nominated picture book. I hope. I have to produce something exciting for Tristan Bancks' final class on Monday night.)



Monsieur Poulet was crafted from yellow, black and white FIMO Soft oven-hardening modelling material. Background artwork is from "Mr Chicken goes to Paris" by Leigh Hobbs (Allen & Unwin, 2009).



I bought my copy of "Mr Chicken goes to Paris" the day it came out. It was one of those books you just couldn't leave behind in the shop. Earlier this year, when the CBCA shortlist came out, I grabbed a copy for school. At first, I thought I'd have to forfeit mine. Mai non!


By the way, the French chair (above) is an actual miniature prop
from the 2001 Australian movie, "Moulin Rouge!"



I must explain, too: I was reading "Mr Chicken goes to Paris" today to a group of K-2 students, one of who just *could not* cope with me calling the main character "Mr Chicken" - especially since we read "Kip" (about a rooster) and "Bear & Chook by the sea" yesterday. Every page, the poor kid kept putting his hands over his ears and yelling, "There. Are. No. Chickens. In. That. Book!"

His young colleagues were telling me, "We all have to just ignore him." We kept reading, but I had to avoid saying those magic words, "Mr Chicken", hence the main character was "Monsieur Poulet" throughout!

UPDATE: Okay, I think I've just managed to upload my book trailer as a VIDEO PODCAST! Music: "Parks On Fire (California Burning Mix)" by DJ Rkod (feat. Trifonic). http://ccmixter.org/files/DJ_Rkod/14745 is licensed under a Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/nc-sampling+/1.0/.

Hail the Neptunian!

I recently decided I needed to track down a vintage Neptunian action figure to join the more recent replica Mego "Star Trek" line that has been coming out.

While "The Keeper" resembled a strange combination of Ted Cassidy's Ruk the android ("What Are Little Girls Made Of?") and the scarecrow/puppet head version of Balok he voiced in "The Corbomite Maneuver", Bele of Cheron was in a monochromatic wardrobe malfunction, and the first Mego Gorn was originally a Spider-Man villain, The Lizard, but in Klingon uniform, the bizarre and scaly green Neptunian didn't seem to qualify for a re-release.

Neptunian was a complete leap of faith on the part of the Mego sculptor and designer. Only vaguely resembling some of the alien races we met in Filmation's animated "Star Trek" (TAS) - and highly unlikely to really hail from neighbouring Neptune (I guess the planet is supposed to be ruled by King Neptune?) - this aquatic alien supposedly sold quite well, being in the Wave 2 selection. It was Wave 3 (Andorian, Romulan, Talos[ian] and the Mugato, who wore his funky, fringed, 70s disco outfit) which was the hardest set of figures to find at retail, supposedly partly due to a warehouse fire and being closer to the end of the reign of Mego 8" figures in general.

The next wave of replica Megos are to be all-new figures (Pike, Vina as an Orion, Chapel and the Salt Vampire). Suddenly the classic 70s Neptunian was a "must have" item for my collection. I understand he even has the rarer yellow underarm fins, not the green of most of the line. (There is debate about a certain bolt of fabric used by Mego; either the intended green turned yellow over time or the wrong colour was used on several Mego figures that year.)

Thank you eBay and the "Buy it now" facility!


The newly revised Gorn meets Mego's classic Neptunian.

Check out Mego's original Gorn and compare him to Marvel's "The Lizard" Mego figure at:
www.megomuseum.com/trek/gorn.shtml