loydstuff: July 2020

As all who visit this blog-type-thang-a-ma-jang with ANY kind of regularity know, 'ol Loydster has had a LIFE-LONG love-affair with the Caped Crusader's 'Bat-themed-ride'! In fact, besides all the numerous scale-models, toys, and other kinds of replicas (of ALL sorts of different scales!) in my collection--- I also have a few that I've either customized, or completely crafted myself (from 'generic'-model cars or old toys as the 'raw material' of course! My skills aren't THAT good!). Let's have a little look-see at those 'personalized' Bat-rides, shall we?----

First up, is the one I call the 'Bat-racer', simply because I based it off of a (roughly 1/24 scale) little cheap (it cost me a BUCK at an 'everything-for-a-dollar' store!) toy Can-Am-style race car! The 'Bat-head' on the hood, as well as the 'fins' on the rear fender-tops, are actually sections from the hoods of other old model cars that I had stashed in a box of spare model-parts that I used to keep around for just this sort of project!

I saw this little toy race-car, and even though it wasn't even BLACK (OR dark blue either!), it just seemed to be saying to me: 'turn me into a REALLY ZOOPED-out version of the Batmobile'! This one was one of my earliest efforts, done back in the mid-90s.

This is the one I've always referred to, as the 'hybrid' - Batmobile! Of course, that's because it's based off of a slightly 'cartoony'-looking version of the ride from the '89 movie. It's a larger-scale (big enough to put 3 to 4 inch action-figures into, roughly 10-11 inches long) model, that started out as a fairly thrashed electronic / gadget-filled kids toy.

None of the gadgets worked anymore at the time I found it, so--- I gutted it of all the (non-working anyway!) electronics / gadgets, replaced the (GOOFY-looking, WAY-too-STUBBY) rear-fender-fins, with some old action-figure doo-dads I had lying in yet ANOTHER box I had, filled with that kind of odd-ball stuff. Throw on some semi-gloss black paint, and gun-metal-gray metallic for the 'details', and 'WHAM'! One pretty cool, zoopy-looking custom-type Bat-ride!

This little (1/24 scale) number, of COURSE, represents the 'early' (1940, without the red stripe down the side---like in the later comics in the 40s) version of the comics-based Batmobile! The body lines on the snap-together 'low-rider'-custom model kit, that this one is based on, were almost EXACTLY right! Very LITTLE customizing was needed on the body.

In fact, all that was needed, were the 'Bat-head' for the front--again, done with old hood-sections from other scrapped-models (this ALSO worked for the fender-skirts for the front wheel-wells!). Then, little 'flex-pipes' for the sides of the hood (made from sections of round, scrap-pieces of plastic!), AND-- utilizing one of the fins that I'd taken from the 'hybrid' Batmobile I'd recently customized-- one 'central'-fin for the 'top / rear' of the car-- and 'AL-A-KAZAM'! One 'early-1940s-version' of the comic book Bat-ride now resided in my collection!

This one is also a larger, 'action-figure-scale'-sized version of the Batmobile from the movie: 'Batman and Robin'. This was a 'yard-sale find', that had long-ago lost some important parts.(BOTH rear fender-fins, for example!) Along with being fairly beat-up--- by a little tyke who had OBVIOUSLY played with it quite a bit!

I crafted some new rear fins from sections cut out of old plastic coffee can-lids, attached a 'Bat-head' for the hood from a scrap piece of plastic sheet. I enclosed the 'cockpit' / driver's area with a section from an old water bottle. Yet ANOTHER 'hybrid'-style Batmobile came into being! Mostly semi-gloss black (with just a touch of blue and gray, in just the right spots!) paint finished it off just RIGHT!

This one's special! For a few reasons!, It's the one I refer to as the 'what if?' Bat-ride. It's also the one that ended up being the last one I customized (so far! Although It HAS been close to 15 years since I worked on it!)! It's based on the idea I had that, 'what if' the '60s TV show-based-car, as well as the comics version of that same time-period--- was based on an actual-factory-built (but HEAVILY customized) vehicle?'

In this case, it would be an already fairly extensively customized '53 Corvette model I stumbled across--- while cruising the model-kit aisle, back when Walmarts used to HAVE a well-stocked model-kit aisle! (complete with a wide selection of 'Testors' - brand model paints, glue, modeling putty, etc....! Those were INDEED times that I STILL miss!)

I kept this model kit in the box, for close to a YEAR, while I planned / figured / thought-out, heck--- even worked up a drawing or two, of exactly HOW I wanted this thing to LOOK,when it all came together! I REALLY wanted it to look 'smooth' and 'slick'! Like 'Ol Batsy himself had went to the folks at Chevy and said : 'Build me a BATMOBILE'!

The single fin is 3 layers of sheet-plastic, glued-together, puttied and sanded-smooth. the 'pods' behind each seat-head-rest, were actually cut-down caps from old 'sharpie' markers....set down into the trunk-lid area, heavily puttied and again, sanded CAREFULLY smooth!

The actual TOPPER to the whole project, would HAVE to be, the little item I decided--- about half-way through--- just HAD to be seated, behind the cut-down 'U'-shaped steering wheel! A TEENY-TINY '60s-era appearing, Batman figure!-----

The Batman figure (based on a little 'generic' Army-man figure, I scrounged-up at a yard sale someplace!) that's in the 'What if?' Batmobile, was all of just under 3 inches tall! (yes, he 's a COMPLETE figure, with joints in his knees!)

He sports a carefully detailed utility belt, a REAL cloth cape, and the 'Bat-symbol' on his chest is just over 1/8th of an inch wide! Just working on him ALONE, REALLY tested how steady my hands could STILL be! Without him though, the little custom 'what if' car, just would NOT have been the same! I'm VERY proud of how the project turned out, especially with the little figure behind the (cut-down, 'U'-shaped) wheel!

All of these 'custom-Bat-vehicles', of course, STILL reside in the collection. I pretty much retired from tinkering with those kinds of projects, after thrashing away as long as I did on the last one! All the 'spare-parts' / 'kit-bashing' / 'odds-and-ends' boxes are LONG gone. I still take out one of the little custom-Bat-rides on occasion though, and freshen-up the paint and try to keep them cleaned-up and presentable!

Though I may not see a 'custom-Batmobile' lurking just below the surface of every sporty-looking model-car-kit or old toy car I look at (like I used to!), I'll ALWAYS keep these 'special' ones from the past around! Every time I look at one of them, they make me smile! Anything that does that, I'm NOT EVER going to be getting rid of!