Bitten by the 'little (1/64th-scale) car-collecting BUG'! (temporarily anyway!)

The FIRST version of the (1/64th scale) '66  Bat-ride I scooped-up, circa 2007-08 or so!

As pretty much ANYBODY who's paying attention to this here 'Loydster-bloggie-thingie-wingie' can tell, yours truly has a 'nearly unhealthy' obsession with The Caped Crusader's set-o-wheels! No surprise then, that I also have a pretty sizable collection of replicas / toys / scale models of this most favorite-four-wheeled-Bat-themed vehicle, I've loved SO much!

This includes, also no surprise, Hot Wheels versions (HEY-- they're CHEAP! At least the ones in the 'basic assortments' are! BUT-- more on THAT in a bit!). A few years back, and continuing on in to the present day, the makers / designers / crazed-masterminds at 'The world's coolest car company', began releasing various versions of the car.

Numerous comic book-based versions, a couple from the various video games (the one from 'Arkham  Asylum' / City' is the coolest--- my opinion-- of those!)--AND-- one of the FIRST versions to kick off all of the 'Bat-ride-MADNESS'-- The 'Classic TV series' Batmobile!

Back around 2007-2008 or so, I snagged two of the 'basic assortment' cars.They STILL look VERY cool, for a vehicle in such a TINY scale! LOTS of neat-o detail, and there's even the bright-red pin-striping along the fins and the side of the body-- a nice little replica, especially for the 'entry-level' / 'basic assortment' price-- under a buck!

Life, as it tends to do, moved on for a spell. As I noticed them,I scooped up some of the other versions of the Bat-ride, I mentioned in the earlier paragraph (like I said, once a 'Bat-vehicle-fanatic', ALWAYS a 'Bat-vehicle-fanatic'!).

Then, just a few weeks back... while cruising around on good 'ol  E-bay... the Loydster became curious. 'I wonder,' I thought FOOLISHLY to myself, 'if there might've been some alternate versions of the '66 car released, lo these several years-down-the-road later?' I'd never thought to do any digging around to find out. BOY-OH-BOY-HOWDY! Did I open up the proverbial 'can-of-worms'!---

A 2013 version of the 'classic 66' Bat-ride. Sporting some NIFTY pin-stripes and more 'realistic'-looking mag wheels. (one of the 'variants' I do NOT have, by the way!

 There have been..... DOZENS of them! Especially if you count 'special editions' (convention exclusives, department store limited editions, Holiday editions, 'Treasure Hunt' cars, etc... etc!)! I scrolled down through page-after-page on E-bay, my mouth hanging open in shock, as a seemingly ENDLESS parade of '66 Batmobile 'variants' scooted past!

It was then, that SNEAKY little devil, the 'collecting BUG', came up on me from behind.... and bit me! BUT---- not quite as deep a bite as he used to be able to do to me! Hey, I've been a responsible 'grown-up' for a while now! But bite me he did! Of course, I didn't go off into 'INSANE-collector-maniac' land, and sink a boat-load of my hard-earned cash into something like THIS!---

The OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD-expensive, 'red-line' wheel-version of the car! These things go for anywhere from 80 to 150 smackers! Remember.... this is a Hot Wheels car... it's LESS than 3 inches long!

No, I set my sights on a goal a little more within my budget... and also quite a bit less INSANE! Why not (since I was nosing around on E-bay anyway!) do some digging around, and try to find at least 3 or 4 examples of cool versions of the car. Also, I set a top-spending limit of no more than 15 - 16 bucks-- for ALL 4 cars. In other words, 'basic assortment' cars, with different paint-jobs ONLY!  Not crazy at all, and I'd still at least 'appear' to be all 'grown-up' and responsible! Here are a couple of the NEAT-O 1/64-scale-Bat-rides I snagged!---

Blue-flame job, metal-flake paint! What's NOT to LOVE about this one?

Silver, this time with gray-flames! The red-tinted windows & pin-stripes give it a nifty 'junk-yard' Hot-rod groove! Batman-- crime-fighter AND part-time drag-racer!

The other reason I set of goal of finding just 4 cars, is my SEVERE lack of display space for anything much more than that amount. I add very much more things to display into the old 'Secret Sanctum', I'm gonna have to start 'rotating' things in-and-out, like exhibits at a museum! Hot Wheels cars being SO tiny.... 3 or 4 don't really eat up too much shelf-space---thank goodness!

So...  Now that we've had our usual 'Loydster-GEEK-OUT'!---A brief moment to be all 'grown-up' and serious!----

HOPEFULLY, everybody who's following along with the 'ol Loydster here, is staying SAFE and doing your best to keep SANE, in these CRAZY times we're living in! Truly a time in history like NO OTHER! My thoughts and prayers go out to ALL of you! May God's protecting hand be on each and every one of you! Again, stay SAFE, stay LEVEL-headed everybody!

A single-BONUS-audio-goody! One of my FAVE 'telling a girl- OFF'-type-of tunes!

My old buddy, Jeff and I, have recently been discussing back and forth, about what we both laughingly refer to as our 'non-existent-teen-aged / young-adult-love-lives'.

When your'e blessed, as we BOTH are, with the GREAT women we have been married to, for as MANY years as we have (Debbie and I recently celebrated 30 years, Jeff and his lovely lady, shannon, are gonna be celebrating 20, in just a couple of months or so!), you can, thankfully, look back at all the mistakes / mishaps / missteps in your earlier years, and just go---- 'WHEW'!!

But--- you can also occasionally hear a song, at least if your a 'music-nut,' like 'ol Loydster, and also go---'Man.... wish I could go back in a time machine, and read those lyrics to some of the more---shall we say: 'unbalanced / psycho / SERIOUSLY goofed-up' females I've encountered in my younger years!'

Here be one of THOSE kinda tunes! Yes, it's from the point of view of somebody whose been in a 'toxic' relationship with a gal over several years.... but if  you've been in ANY sort of 'bumpy' /  'lop-sided' / relationship--- for ANY length of time---- you can  relate to what 'ol Bob's singing about here!

It's from Robert Cray's 2005 album, '20'. I also like the 'bouncy', 'upbeat' tone of the whole song! This guy's not sad OR down-trodden! He's GLADLY moving ON with the rest of his life.... looking forward to the next chapter!

Thank the good Lord, for the women he eventually BLESSED both my old buddy and I with! He TRULY saved us BOTH, from living a life-time in 'TOXIC-relationship-land'!

Yet even MORE video-nonsense! The Secret Sanctum gets a 'NEW' wall-clock!--

'Ol Loydster's been up to his usual 'mad-scientist' -type of activity again! Finally, the old John Wayne wall-clock, (which actually died quietly, a couple of YEARS ago! It's just been taking up wall-space ever since!) in the 'crime-fighting hide-out', has been replaced--- by an even MORE appropriate (custom!) time-piece!

Like the last little 'video-presentation', this is a real quick snippet-- from a (slightly longer) video I recently shared with my old buddy, Mr. Jeff Arnold. Try not to pay TOO much attention to the 'pulse-pounding / mind-blowing'- camera-work!----

Loyd's BONUS video-clip!!-- #31!!-- Classic Corvette Clips!

I've said it here before, I'll say it again. They just DO NOT make commercials like they used to! Here's a couple, featuring two of my favorite body-styles of the CLASSIC Chevy-two-seater. Seeing these old 'Vette ads, makes me wish I'd been driving age way-back when!

 Well, in the case of the '63, I wasn't even BORN yet-- and in '69.... the little-teeny version of the Loydster was just entering Kindergarten! So, I wasn't exactly driving age then either! Still, it's ALL KINDS of classic-car-GEEK-OUT-time, just watching these old TV spots from yester-year!---

30 years with 'my-most-FAVORITE-girl-in-the-whole-wide-WORLD'!

February 17th, 1990. The day I married my BEST friend!

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the day I watched my beautiful young bride, walk down the center isle of our old home church. we both had NO idea what our life together would be like. We were also both VERY nervous!

As soon as Deb stepped up on the platform next to me, I began to run off  HUGE bucket-loads of sweat! My nerves were in some kind of over-drive. Debbie, on the other hand, was shaking and trembling---  almost like it was cold in the old church that mid-February Saturday! (it WAS raining and cold outside that day, by the way!)

I guess it's worked out okay! It's hard for me to believe, in some ways--that as much of a CHUNK of time as 3 decades has came and went. In other ways, it feels like EVERY bit of 30 years has went by! Some of it has even felt like it slowed to a CRAWL as it went past.

I'm thinking, of course, of the times where we lived through / encountered / endured tragedies.The illness and death of our first little one, baby Kayla---who only lived to be 6 months old. Deb's two miscarriages after that. The loss of Debbie's dad to lung cancer--- we STILL miss him! My brother-in-law Allen's suicide. Not to mention BOTH of my parents going through extended illnesses, and the recent loss of my mom.

We've had to work through a few bumpy times and rough / rocky places in our relationship. The folks who say they've NEVER had an argument or disagreement in their marriage? I don't believe that for ONE second! Two people, living together for as many years as my wife and I have, are NOT always going to enjoy endless times of 'sweetness and light'!

There's also been a number of difficult times, long stretches of me being unemployed, and equally long stretches, where money was EXTREMELY tight--- or just nonexistent! There's been tough times with our kids. Both when they were little guys,as well as since they've been young adults.

This could be one VERY LONG post, if I chose to focus on just SOME of that stuff! Don't get the wrong impression though. BOTH Shelby and Wade are wonderful, hard-working, honest young people, that the 'ol Loydster is VERY proud of! Helping them get to that point however, hasn't always been easy! The old saying : 'parenting-- the TOUGHEST job you'll ever love' is oh-so-VERY TRUE!

Through it ALL though, there's been 2 things that have kept Debbie and I bound together. Kept us as the best of friends that we STILL are. First, is our STRONG love, and open, honest, REAL affection for each other. My dad always used to say: 'you and your mate have to LIKE each other, before you can LOVE each other', How VERY right he was!

Second, and probably most important--- is our ongoing, ever-growing and developing faith in, and relationship with Jesus Christ. Our spiritual relationship, is the GLUE that's helped hold the relationship we have with each other together. Simple as that.

I thank God for the little lady that I've been SO blessed to share my life with, these past 3 DECADES. My wife, my helpmate, my partner, my BEST friend---- Mrs. Deborah Ann Ferrell.
Here's hoping and more importantly, praying-- that we have at least another 30 or 40 more years together! Love you, honey! Always have, ALWAYS will!

The (STILL beautiful!) bride, and the (STILL  happy!) groom. November of last year. Still loving each other enough to stand close together! (and not just in pictures!)

Matthew 19: 4 - 6---
'(Jesus speaking) He (God) made them (man & woman) at the begining, male and female-- and said... a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined (glued, fastened, attached STRONGLY to) to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh (united as ONE, a whole, and complete)--what God has joined together, let NO man separate!'   

--Amen to THAT!--

Loyd's BONUS video-clip!!--- # 30!!-- Yet ANOTHER 'big BLACK car'! (THIS one has a REAL TURBINE engine!)

Alrighty! You can probably tell by now, that 'Ol Loydster has a REAL..... let's just call it what it REALLY is--- LOVE-- for a 'certain vehicle' driven by a 'certain Caped Crusader'! Not just a single version of it either.
My fan-boy GEEKINESS / nearly unhealthy enthusiasm, for 'ol Bat-guy's 'big-black-ride' goes from the original early '40s comic book model, through the TV show-based custom-car, all the way up to today.

I have a particular soft spot in the heart though, for the vehicle featured in the 1989-'92 Bat-flicks. Some folks refer to it as either the 'Keaton' car, or the 'Burton-mobile'. As you can tell by some of the posts I've put up, I'm obviously NOT alone in my affection for that particular car! YouTube is LOADED with videos featuring folks who make my fandom of the 'Bat-ride', look like strictly amateur-level / little kid-stuff!

Check THIS one out! A professional race / car-building team worked on this MONSTER! What I wouldn't give to get a chance to take this little number out for a spin around the streets of my little sleepy burg of Bristow! Imagine pulling up to a local convenience store in this BEAST!----