STILL customizing toy-Bat-rides! (Just not as often!)

 That's right gang! The 'ol Loydster's been at it once AGAIN-- going into 'mad-scientist-customizing-his-toy-Bat-vehicles' mode! Honestly, since space is at such a premium here in the Man-Cave-- the last couple of projects, (done slowly-but-surely, over the past few months! Life's been pretty crazy after all around here!) have been just tinkering on stuff that's already in the collection. Well... there was ONE additional 'customized-mini-Bat-ride' added into the 'Bat-parking-garage'. BUT-- that was kind of a 'happy accident'!

Along with a few other T-shirts that I proudly wear to show-off my LIFE-LONG love for the Batmobile, are these two custom-numbers I put together a few years back! They of course feature my 'top two' favorites-- the '66 TV car, and the '89-'92 version. For quite a few years, the 'Keaton-ride' was in the number ONE spot!

With nearly 20 replicas / models, or toy versions of it in my collection-- it shouldn't be much of a surprise to you faithful-few-and-true readers out there-- that the car from the '89-'92 Batman movies is a BIG favorite of mine. One of the niftiest versions I have, is a 1/43 scale die-cast model. 

This one was given to me by one of my brother-in-laws, MANY years ago. It was in pretty SORRY shape when he found it-- in an old junky house he'd been remodeling. I don't have any 'before' pictures of it, before I fixed it up-- but below is a recent pic of it, in it's current condition. Trust me, it's well OVER 100% better off than the way it was when I got it! That was nearly 25 years ago! It's been in it's 'restored state' now, for nearly that long.--

The 1/43 scale '89 Bat-ride. It's sat proudly on display in my 'Bat-vehicles-shelf ', (when it wasn't in storage a couple of times, that is!) for nearly a quarter-of-a-century. ALL that time until recently though, it was missing a couple of important 'detail items'. My search for replacing those critical missing parts, led to a kind of  'happy accident'-- which led to customizing yet ANOTHER 'small-scale-Dark Knight-cruiser'! AND-- then ANOTHER even after THAT!

I know it's not exactly the highest-quality photography-- But THIS lower 'panel', for MANY years-- was missing from the 1/43 Batmobile. (on BOTH sides, of course!) I finally was able-- to track down a pretty THRASHED version of the same toy on E-bay. At first, I just swiped these parts off that I needed, then stuck the 'donor-vehicle' into a dusty old storage tote! Then... the old 'Dr. Franken-Loyd' gears started to turn in my brain!

 

THIS is the part where the little 'parts-donor' car, turns into kind of a 'happy accident'! Just to show what kind of SAD state it was in-- the pic below, shows pretty much how it arrived in the mail!--

This poor, 'used-and-ABUSED' example of the '89 Bat-ride, had definitely seen better days! It had been played with-- HARD-- by one rowdy little kid! At first, I just intended to use it as a 'parts-donor'. But the more I looked at it, the MORE I started thinking how WAY-cool it might look-- with some mild customizing and a unique paint job.

So-- the sand-paper, masking tape and rattle-can-paint were hauled-out once again! With this little project, I decided to use some 'bright blue' metallic paint I had left over from an earlier 'Bat-custom' I'd worked on. 

It had that 'spectra-flame' type of color, like the original 'Hot Wheels' cars had-- and I thought it would look GREAT on this car. I also super-glued on some clear sheet-plastic, to cover the areas where I'd swiped those bottom 'panels' from the lower sides of the body-- for my other 1/43 car. I'm pretty proud of how my effort turned out!---

I guess this 'Bright-Blue-Bat-ride' is yet another in my collection that qualifies as a 'what if', or 'alternate universe' version of the Dark Knight's wheels! I really DIG how the 'smooth panels' I added to the lower sides turned out!

The next project involving another version of the '89 - '92 Batmobile, came about-- at least partly-- because of where it's on display in the Man-Cave! This one was a Christmas gift from my son a couple of years back. Made by a Japanese company, and referred to as the 'Super Cyborg' '89 Batmobile--- it's a VERY unique and FUN version of the car!---

At first glance, this (roughly 1/10 scale) version-- looks like simply another version of the 'Burton-Keaton-mobile'. BUT-- looks can fool you!

Now THIS is why the 'Cyborg' version of the car, is SO extra-WICKED-COOL! Panels and body-sections pop off, and you can check out all of the nifty engine / mechanicals, gadgets, and various doo-dads under it's 'skin'! My son, Wade thought it would be a present that I would be extremely GEEKED-OUT about! He was RIGHT! I fell in LOVE the moment I unwrapped it!

Now, for practical, 'there's only-so-much-display-space' in my Man-Cave reasons-- I could only place the car in a display case, and perch it on top of the shelf to the immediate right of my little 'micro-desk'. That was fine, except it presented me with yet ANOTHER little problem! It was just too darned DARK, and too high up in the room, for anybody to really SEE it!---

For quite a while, I simply accepted the situation. The 'Cyborg' Batmobile would just be something 'semi-hidden' from view! Eventually, I did try to think up a solution or two-- including trying to find a way to 'light it up' somehow. I made a couple of tries at THAT-- but neither idea worked very well.

Then-- yet AGAIN-- the 'Dr. Franken-Loyd-mental-gears', started GRINDING away! 'What if', I thought, 'I simply PAINTED the car the SAME 'bright-blue' metallic, that I'd used to JAZZ-UP the little 1/43rd car?!? The lighter color, with it's 'Hot Wheels Spectra-Flame'-sheen-- would definitely make this thing really POP! Even WAY up there, in it's 'top-of-the-room' perch! So--- once again, out came the masking tape and trusty 'bright-blue' metallic paint!

Once I dove off into the project though-- another 'lightning-bolt' of an idea zapped me! 'What if...', I asked myself (again!),'I looked around on E-bay, snagged one of the little 4 inch 'Batman Returns' action figures from a couple of years back (he would be almost EXACTLY the right scale to go with the car!), did some custom work on him--and placed him next to the freshly 'bright-blue'-painted car?' Now THAT just might turn out to be MOST excellent and COOL! 

The 'Batman Returns' (roughly) 4-inch action figure! I snagged him off of E-bay, for just a smidge over 10 bucks. The little DINKY-looking cape, would HAVE to go! ('custom-cape-making-time'!) I'd also be doing a custom paint job on him-- so he would be 'better-matched-up' to the paint job on the car!

AND-- without any further 'bragging / boasting / patting-myself-on-the-back'!-- I'll just let a couple of pics show-off the end results!---

The custom-painted 'Cyborg-Bat-ride', and now 'blue-and-gray' suited Batman figure! Is this just a WICKED-COOL 'alternate universe' combo or WHAT?!?

Just for a few extra 'grins-and-giggles,' below are 'before and after' pics of the 'Bats figure! I used a regular old 'number 2' pencil, to make the details / sculpting on the 'Bat-suit' stand-out better.---

an additional pic, just for even MORE 'grins-and-giggles'!-- The 'bright-blue-Bat-combo', now back in the 'way-up-high' perch--just as before. Stands out a LOT better, don't you think?--

As I was saying up above, space is at a premium here in the Man-Cave! So, these last couple of projects have been fun in a couple of ways. I now not ONLY have a couple of truly UNIQUE items on display--but they also don't take up any more space! Well--- the little 1/43 scale Batmobile took up a little more 'real estate'-- but that was just a matter of INCHES! That sort of thing is an easy-breezy kind of problem to solve!

The other benefit to this kind of tinkering & customizing, is the usual thing that happens. I have yet another item or two, in this little 'hidey-hole' of mine-- that  brings on that big 'ol GOOFY-GEEKY grin across my face!

That's (partly) what has helped me 'push on through', these past SEVERAL months, believe it or not! Just some moments here and there, to stop and give the brain and SOUL a little time to loosen-up. To focus on the things that bring me joy and good thoughts! Couldn't we ALL use a little of THAT, on a DAILY basis?

                          See you NEXT time gang! 'til then-- stay SAFE, SANE & HAPPY!!!

'Dr. Franken-Loyd' just KEEPS striking BACK!!

 

Once AGAIN-- yet another post-- with even MORE proof of my LIFE-long love-affair with (multiple-versions of) the Caped-Crusader's ride! --AND-- once AGAIN--the 'mad-scientist' in the 'ol Loydster has come out to PLAY! This time around, I've been tackling some LONG-delayed updates and mods to a few of my already HEAVILY-customized / completely original 'Bat-ride' models and toys! Keep on 'scrollin-and-readin' to see JUST which ones!

Things here at 'Ferrell Central' / 'The Cozy-Cottage', have been CRAZY-busy and just outright HECTIC lately! Lots of fix-ups and 'home-improvements' have been going on, around our property! Most of the 'hammer-swingin' and paint-brush-slingin', is being carried-out by just my lovely (AND hard-working!) wifey, Debbie and myself! So--- it's been BOTH a kind-of-exciting... yet also EXHAUSTING-- time!

Yet... somehow, and someway--- the 'ol Loydster has managed to carve-out some chunks of time here and there--- to do some MUCH-needed (not to mention MUCH-delayed-- these things have been in storage for nearly 4 YEARS, remember?) updates and mods to selected models and toys in the collection of 'miniature-Bat-rides'!

Before our move from our previous home, I'd planned on gradually doing some 'spiffying-up' on some of my collection, but the move (and piling up all of the 'Loydster-geeky-stuff' into storage!) forced that to be put on hold! Now that it's been a few months since the return of the 'Man-Cave', and I've been able to display all these things once again--- I've been diving into the 'updates-&-mods' projects with GUSTO!

I did kind-of 'ease in' to this whole effort, with a simple 'updated' paint job-- on one of the long-time (fully custom) members of my 'mini-Bat-ride' family. Still, I'm pretty proud of how even IT turned out! As ALWAYS here at the Bloggy-woggy-thingy-thang-a-ma-rang... I'll now cease with all the introductory jibber-jabber, and save most of the 'GEEK-TASTIC' commentary for the pics down below! On with the 'BOMBASTIC-BAT-RIDE-MODEL-BEAUTY-SHOTS'!! (Said in my best 'Adam West'-voice!)---

Ah yes! My completely original custom model of the early '40s Batmobile! I thrashed this one out-- probably well OVER 20 years ago! Based on a snap-together kit I'd snagged at Wally-World way-back-when. The original model seemed to be based on an already heavily-customized '40 Lincoln Zephyr. (That's the car a lot of Bat-fans say the early-40s Batmobile was based on!) This pic was snapped maybe a  year or two after I'd finished it.

The original paint I'd used was still in good shape, but I'd long been kicking around the idea of adding on the red-stripes, (like the comics-version!) and a bit of detailing-- to push it into the 'authentic-'40s-Bat-ride' zone! So... out came the masking tape, acrylic paints, and paint brushes!---

The 'first try', after I'd (VERY carefully!) added on the ('satin-finish') lower body-stripes to the car (as well as a red 'emergency-beacon', mounted to the 'Bat-Fin'-- donated from a bag of left-over 'Lego' parts, natch!). Cool enough! But... it was STILL  missing a little something! I dug around through my collection of 'Bat-classic-comic' reprints and (numerous!) images of the car, and soon enough discovered just what that 'something' was!--

'BAM"!! Yes! The stripe along the 'belt-line' was the 'vital-missing-ingredient' in the recipe, to making this a now just DARN-NIFTY model! The additional bit of 'detailing' around the 'hood-side' exhaust-pipes, also helped it become an 'authentic'-looking 'Bat-vehicle'!

The above-mentioned Masking-tape helped me get those stripes 'straight-and-true'! And, for those who are wondering-- yes, that is INDEED one of the fins--donated- from an old busted-up toy-version of the '89 movie-Batmobile... (More on THAT one later!) super-glued into place on this custom-- 20-plus-years-ago!

Another LONG-time member of the 'full-custom-Bat-ride' collection! This was originally a 'Dollar-Store' toy I snagged (and saw a Batmobile-possibility in!)--- close to 30  YEARS ago! The pic on the left, is how it looked not long after I first customized it. Simple black primer and a few spots of 'bright blue' acrylic paint here and there! The 'Bat-fins' are actually made from cut-up sections of a hood from an old T-bird model kit!
 The pic on the right, is my (kinda GOOFY, I'll admit!) attempt to update the paint-job, a few years back! (In fact, if you 'scroll back' far enough, you'll see I've actually shown this model here on the blog before!) I broke out the sand paper and partially disassembled this one! I wanted to REALLY improve it THIS time out!

And-- HERE is the finished project! Some left-over Wally-world 'gloss-black' spray paint, additional 'swoopy-zoopy' 'Bat-panels' (cut from sheets of clear plastic, of COURSE!) mounted above the wheel openings, a bit of CAREFULLY-done pin-striping in just the RIGHT spots-- and... BAM!--Once AGAIN!! I'm thinking THIS Batmobile's looking a little DANGEROUS (in a COOL way, I mean!)! Oh, the wheels (complete with the center 'Bat-discs' already mounted-up!) were donated from another of the 'project-cars', that you'll see shortly-- IF you just keep on reading and scrolling on down, that is!

With it's 'Can-Am' racer-style body and 'bubble-canopy', this car looks like it's almost 'moving-fast-while-standing still', right??!?

Bad guys BEWARE! Batman's got himself a ZOOPY-Bat-ride, and he's ready to chase down ALL evil-doers... at a HIGH-rate of SPEED!

The next little number that I decided needed some tinkering, mainly needed an update-- or an upgrade actually-- in it's tires and wheels! Check out the pic below (which I've also popped-up here before on the 'ol bloggy-woggy-do-da!), and I think you'll agree.... that the 'rollers' definitely lacked the 'punch' that a car like the Batmobile NEEDS!--

This 'what if' / 'alternate universe' version of 'Ol Batsy's ride, is based on an already pretty wild-custom '53 Corvette model kit. My idea was-- 'what if Batman had based the early '60s (comic book) Batmobile on an existing factory-built car?-- like, say: an early 'Vette?
I looked through a LOT of my old Corvette mags and books, at images of the early 'Vette racers and prototypes for ideas-- before I dived into all the original mods and custom-Bat-touches. Also, I customized a little 'military-man' figure into a Batman, for placing behind the (cut down into a 'u'--like the TV series ride, of COURSE!) steering wheel!

A number of years later, I dug up some original '53 'Vette tires to pop onto the kit-- to replace the ones that came with it-- they were EXTREMELY wide, and looked a little 'out of place' on a car that was supposed to have been built in the early '60s! I retained the NEAT 5-spoke mags though, with the teeny-tiny center 'Bat-discs' I'd already mounted up to them in the original build.
The downside to the 'tire-swap'? Well, look at the pic again!-- the wheels & tires were just TOO skinny! They looked like wild-west-WAGON-wheels!!

           

So--- off I went, DEEP into a quest on E-bay-- for what I hoped would be the solution to the WAY-too-SKINNY-tires problem! This whole 'wheel-and-tire-swap' thing, would end up taking a MUCH bigger CHUNK of time than I hoped it would!----                      

This is the first set of tires & rims I ordered off of E-bay. A VERY cool set of 5-spokes with 'red-line' tires. Not 'til they arrived in the mail, and I sized them up alongside the car....did I realize--- they were the WRONG scale! The custom 'what if' Bat-ride is-- unfortunately -- 1/24 SCALE! Duh, Loydster!!

Back into 'deep-quest-mode' I went! Fortunately, after a good amount of 'searchin-&-scrollin'---I stumbled across the EXACTLY-right business! In fact, I'm gonna come to a pause here, and give these folks a special 'shout-out'!!---

                                         

THIS is the E-bay seller (they also have a VERY neat-o-nifty website!) that SAVED the 'ol Loydster's SANITY! Name the tire and wheel combination, (even the kinda odd-ball & weird!) and they probably HAVE it! Better STILL--- the prices are VERY reasonable too! Jay's will be my 'go-to' source, whenever I tackle any kind of model kit-wheel-&-tire swapping or updating in the future!

Anyhoo-doody--- after ANOTHER few days of waiting on the proverbial 'pins & needles' for the NEXT  'miniature wheel and tire' package to arrive--- the 'moment of truth' FINALLY came!--

'Jay's Resin Wheels' really knocked out a 'home run' with THESE little numbers! the scale was EXACTLY right, and the detail on BOTH tires and rims is AMAZING! Unlike in the above pic (which I shamelessly cribbed from their site!), the wheels and tires come completely unpainted. Painting both was pretty easy & straight forward though. Two light coats of acrylic was all they needed! I did sand-off the 'raised lettering' on each tire though-- for that 'Authentic-'60s-era' plain black look for the tires!

 

Just check out the pics below to see the results! I painted the wheel-spokes 'gun-metal', and the rim-edges silver. Another set of tiny photo-copied 'Bat-discs' for the center of each of the mags, added the finishing touch! As mentioned above, the original 5-spoke wheels from this kit, ended up being swapped over to the 'Can-Am' style custom Batmobile shown previous to this one.----

Outside of touching-up the paint on the body a tiny bit here and there, and painting the side-pipes with the aforementioned 'gun-metal' metallic--- everything else on the 'what-if' Bat-ride remains the same! Hey, why MESS with something that originally turned out as NIFTY as this car did?!? (Can you tell I'm pretty proud of myself here?)
 

Thanks once AGAIN to 'Jay's Resin Wheels'! The size and fit on these wheels and tires is pretty much Perfect! Now, this car REALLY does look like it just ZOOMED out of a comic book from around 1964!

The next-- and last (for NOW, anyway!) 're-do' / update project, was yet ANOTHER long-time part of the collection. Also like the others, it's one I've shown you before! In fact, the pic below is the SAME one I've previously popped-up here!---

This 'semi-custom' Batmobile, started out as a messed-up / busted-up electronic kid's toy-- that was 'sort of' based on the '89 movie car. Some of it's proportions were a bit off-- so it's kind of like a close 'cousin' to the REAL car! So I first customized it with the idea that it could be a 'hybrid / alternate universe' version of the '89 ride... or maybe an updated version that 'Ol Batsy (with Alfred's help, of course!) built after 'Batman Returns'!

 The rear fins were actually fashioned from parts of an old mid-90s Batman action figure accessory!
One of it's original fins, I utilized for the Custom '40s Bat-ride you just gawked at up above!-- the other one was mangled-up when I originally snagged the toy. Hence-- the OTHER need for it to be customized-- as it was above!
It pretty much remained in this state of customization for over 20-odd years.

At any rate, after a couple of decades-PLUS---it was practically SCREAMING for some updates and just general 'freshening-up'. So--- with a can of 'midnight blue' semi-gloss paint, and a NEAT-O idea for jazzing-up it's wheels--- I dived into good 'ol 'Mad Scientist' mode!---

I'm REALLY happy with how this one turned out! The 'midnight blue' paint really 'pops', those customized fins STILL look pretty WICKED, and--- the 'gun-metal' paint for the detail-areas around the body (as well as the outer-rims on the wheels!) make it look ready-and-able to go chase-down Gotham City bad guys!

I'll bet the Joker does NOT want to see this BEAST in his rear-view mirror!

That idea I had for the wheels? The 'Bat-symbols' at the center, STAY stationary when the wheels turn! (JUST like the 'Batman Forever' car!) It was SUPER-simple / easy-peasy to do! I simply super-glued the symbols to the flat-topped 'pins' that held the wheels to the chassis of the car. The pins had heads that were nearly 1/4 of an inch wide, so it was NO problem for the glue to hold, while not interfering with the free turning of each wheel!

It just so happened, I had an extra little 4-inch Batman figure to place alongside the car, when it went back on display with the rest of the collection! The Caped Crusader looks ready to jump into the cockpit-- and CHARGE into ACTION and DANGER! 'To the BATMOBILE, Robin!'

Before I sign-off on this here post-- I just thought I'd share some 'Loydster-statistics' with you-- my faithful-few readers! Just for some GOOF-BALL grins-&-giggles, I recently took count of the 'Bat-vehicles' in my collection. In fact, instead of rattling all of that stuff off in boring old type... I'll just pop up pics of the actual half-an-index card that I scribbled it all down on!!---

The numbers tell the story folks! The Loydster just keeps on LOVING the Caped Crusader's set of wheels! AND-- some of his other vehicles too!

There are STILL one or two other vehicles in the miniature-Bat-ride collection, that I'm definitely going to be 're-vamping' / refreshing / sprucing-up! Of course, I'll most likely be posting updates right here on the bloggy-ma-thang-a-rang... as those 'mad-scientist' projects are finished-up! Take that as a promise, or threat-- your choice!

Meanwhile--- 'til NEXT time--stay SAFE, SANE and HAPPY everybody!