'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!

Customizing or creating my OWN version(s) of a 'certain BAT-type vehicle', in small-scale!

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!