As promised / threatened last time around gang--- here's yet ANOTHER installment, concerning the updating and 'jazzing-up' of some of my toy or scale model Bat-rides! Also like the cars featured last time, these 'Caped-Crusader-wheels' have been in my collection for a fairly LARGE chunk of time!
The projects featured this time, are really what I'm gonna consider the 'last' ones-- at least for now. Now that they're finished, I feel like pretty much ALL of the vehicles I wanted to 'freshen-up', have been taken care of.
Don't worry though, oh gentle faithful-few who read this here bloggy-woggy-thingy-thang-- there will ALWAYS be some kind of CRUNCHY-GEEKY-goodness featured here from month-to-month! It just won't be Batmobile-model-tinkering-- at least for a while!
I also want to mention again-- how AMAZING it is, that I've actually somehow carved-out the time to get these little 'update' projects DONE! The 'ol Loydster's working life alone, has been a real MEAT-GRINDER lately! There's also been the on-going working on improvements / tinkering on the 'cozy-cottage' & it's surrounding property!
Somehow, someway though--- I've scrounged-up a few spare moments here and there-- and managed to finish these things to the point where I'm pretty proud of how they've turned out!
But--- that's enough of me patting myself on the back! Onward with the showcasing of the 'model-Bat-ride-updates'!!! (Said again-- in my best 'Adam West-type' voice!)---
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Apologies for the goofy 'before' pic (a cropped-down version of one from a previous post!)! But--- it was the only one I could dig up, to illustrate the state that the 'Keaton-Bat-ride' was in before I dived into sprucing it up!
It was LONG ago (the FIRST time I did some customizing to it) painted with plain old 'flat black' primer, and that paint job was REALLY starting to look pretty TIRED & beat-up! There were also a couple of details on the car that I wanted to straighten out! (More on that below, natch!)
Like a couple of the other earlier 'update' projects, I also took this one apart, to do a better job on the prep work and paint. |
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I should also mention-- this 'action-figure-scale' car (it's pretty BIG-- roughly a bit shy of maybe 1/12th scale!), is based on the 'Batman Returns' version of the 'Keaton / Burton' ride. (Circa 1992) So--- it originally came with a neat-o feature, where--by pushing a little button on top, the car's sides would 'pop-off', and it would become the 'Bat-missile' vehicle-- just like in the movie!
Well--- I had LONG ago cannibalized this thing for some of it's wheels (the ones from it's 'Bat-missile' segment anyway!), for another customizing-a-Batmobile project! So... for part of my 'updating' here, I simply super-glued the three segments of the car together. (I know --- collectors who think these things should STAY frozen in 'mint' / 'original' condition-- are probably screaming & jumping up and down as they read this post!)
I also super-glued it's wheels / tires in place, so it's 'wheel-centers' / Bat-Symbols would stay centered-up. (a little thing that's ALWAYS bugged me just a smidge!) So, it's almost more of a 'static display replica' of the '...Returns' Bat-ride, than the toy it originally was! ( I know.... MORE jumping up and down and screaming from the collectors out there! Oh well! MY toys, MY rules folks!!) |
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After disassembly, I carefully-- with the handy-dandy Dremel-tool-- cut-out openings into the 'bowl-shaped' in-take-type pieces just in front of the rear fenders. It had ALWAYS bugged me, that these parts looked NOTHING like the pieces on the real car! Again with super-glue, I placed some nylon-type material (actually from an old kiddie trampoline!) down into the new openings (later painted with 'gun-metal' acrylic, of COURSE!) on each side.
It's STILL not exactly like the 'movie car', but at least NOW-- those parts on the car LOOK like 'in-takes'! Then, after a bit of sanding, prepping and careful masking-- I shot this bad-boy with some semi-gloss black enamel |
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| 'Details' around various areas on the body of the car were painted with (again!) 'gun-metal' acrylic. |
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| The little custom-'Keaton' Bat-figure, permanently glued into the driver's seat--- was left just as he was from my earlier customizing effort on this car--- at least a DECADE-and-a-half ago! As SWEET as he originally turned out... WHY mess with something SO darn NIFTY! (I know... my shoulder's practically out of joint---from patting myself on the back again!!! Sorry gang!) |
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ANOTHER dorky 'before' pic, cropped from an image --from that SAME previously mentioned earlier post! BUT-- you get the idea here! The 'action-figure'-scaled 'New Batman Adventures' ride (from circa 1997 or so! VERY cool show too, by the way!)-- was ALSO in need of a bit of love! This one mainly needed (much like the '...Returns' ride above!) it's TIRED, scruffy-looking 'flat-black' paint-job ---switched over to a fresh, shiny coat of GLOSS black enamel!
This car also didn't need to be disassembled to do the prep and paint. Just a bit of rubbing with some 3M scotch-bright pads, some careful masking here and there--- and I was ready to start slinging the spray-paint at it! |
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| As I was saying--- this ride just needed a NICE paint job, to really make it POP! I'm fairly proud of the SLICK 'real car'-type of gloss I was able to achieve with the Wally-World rattle-can-paint! |
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| Looks like 'ol Bats and Alfred gave this Batmobile a SERIOUS waxing with a couple of 1-gallon-TUBS of 'Turtle Wax', doesn't it??? |
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| I dug up yet ANOTHER Batman action figure (from the 'New Adventures' line of figures, of COURSE!), that for some unknown reason-- I STILL had in a storage tote! So he can be posed next to his now SUPER-slick-and-SHINY Bat-ride, when it's returned back to the shelf! Note how I also changed the previously yellow headlights to a gold metallic color! |
So, now pretty much ALL of the modifications / updates / general JAZZING-up on the various 'mini-Bat- vehicles' are finished (at least for now!)! I have yet ANOTHER group of items here in my little 'Man-Cave' that -- while they ALREADY made me smile before--- now that they're in tip-top shape-- they make that big 'ol GEEKY-grin I usually have when I enter 'The Secret Sanctum'... just a little BIGGER! And isn't that what having a 'Man-Cave' SHOULD be all about?
On to another area here at 'Ferrell-Central' that I've still been tinkering with!-- Although I'm also at kind of a good 'stopping point' with it too--- at least for the time being!-- I'm referring to the 'Man-Cave': Annex!
Mostly, I've been digging some additional items out of the remaining storage-totes-- the stuff I really didn't have room for in the 'Sanctum' / 'main-Man-Cave' in the house-- and figuring out 'display' ideas / areas for them in the little space I have in our storage building ('The Annex'!). It's been fun getting some of these additional things out, and finding spots for them!---
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A bit of 'blank space' next to my paint and supply shelf, was PERFECT for some of the additional Captain America and Iron Man goodies that were otherwise piled into a storage-tote! I scrounged-up a little wooden shelf and covered it with a piece of plexiglass for a little display case for some of it. A display case originally for a 1/24 scale model car shows-off the other items below it!
That's another 8x10 frame, with yet more of my old 'Sunday-School-teaching-days' neck-ties hanging below all of that! |
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| Another oddball-shaped display case houses some additional Iron Man Action figures, sitting atop (along with a framed 'Hot Wheels'-related image!) an appropriately decorated (with a HEALTHY-sized group of some of my old custom-made magnets--of COURSE!) old two-drawer file cabinet. The cabinet holds extra hardware (screws, fencing-wire, etc...) and other 'occasionally-necessary around the house & property' stuff! There's also been a few more magnets & stickers added to the side of my old toolbox to the right (just for extra grins & giggles!)! |
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| My EVER-so generous and thoughtful wifey, Mrs. Debbie-- gave me this NEAT little 3-shelf bookcase! Not ONLY is it useful for displaying / storing those extra books and binders I couldn't find room for in the 'Sanctum, BUT-- I've also found homes for a number of nifty super hero and cartoon character-related items (that were--AGAIN-- stashed-away in dusty old storage-totes!)!! Also-- note my recently snagged 'Dad-jokes' sign, sitting proudly on the top-right of the bookcase! |
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| Mrs. Debbie found this little metal-sign I recently snagged-- BOTH: funny, AND--pretty appropriate for a 'master-procrastinator' like me! I figured a spot near the toolbox --alongside where 'Captain Marvel' stands guard-- would be a GREAT place for it! |
As I was saying above.... I think in the case of BOTH my little 'Man-Cave' AND the 'Annex-- I can take somewhat of a breather from doing anymore adding of additional stuff, or doing any kind of major tinkering on the items on display in either space for a while! it might just be the RIGHT time to just kick-back & enjoy BOTH of these 'Guy-Spaces' I've been blessed with! Just let them bring that previously-mentioned big 'ol GEEK-A-ZOID grin to my face with whatever's in them, for the foreseeable future at least!
See you NEXT time gang! 'Til then-- stay SAFE, SANE, and HAPPY!
