It was 1977 or '78. Once, I could have told you precisely what year, but my memory is in decline, alas. I'd been in Glasgow for the day and purchased a Revell life-size human skull model kit. I have a notion I got it from Miller's Art Store, but that may just have been the bottle of luminous paint with which I covered the skull once I'd built it back home. I remember there was an episode of Mind Your Language starring Barry Evans on TV as I perused the contents of the box to familiarise myself with the parts.
Once painted, it looked like a real skull, and my friends and me had a laugh when walking along the street, taking turns to hold it under an arm - it certainly received quite a few double-takes. With the ignorance of teenagers we thought observers must have believed it to be genuine, but they were probably just thinking "Who are these d*cks with a toy skull?". In the fullness of time, I passed it on to my pal Joe, who later gave it to one of his friends, who somehow managed to lose the jaw and a few front teeth.
I didn't lay eyes on it again until decades later after Joe had re-acquired it from his careless friend, and that's when I first learned of the damage it had suffered. He asked me if I wanted it back, but I declined as it was now in less than pristine condition. More decades passed and eventually so did Joe, and while round in his flat helping to pack his possessions away for disposal, I finally reclaimed the skull from my teenage years and brought it back home with me, rather than abandon it to be binned by his family.
It needs a little work, as some of the luminous paint has flaked off, but it's not a priority as I have so many other things to do first. Funnily enough, not long after bringing it home, I was examining it and there was a repeat of an old episode of Mind Your Language on TV. I've no idea if it was the same one I watched back in the '70s on the night I first acquired the skull, but wouldn't it be something if it was? Or do those ironies only ever happen in books and movies? However, that's not the end of the story.
I recently saw a boxed, sealed example of the same Revell skull on eBay and decided to buy it for old times' sake. It has one significant difference to my original, in that it's a 'glows-in-the-dark' version, meaning I won't have to apply any luminous paint to it. Sure, I don't really need it, but it's a way of reliving a long ago moment, as well as having a complete model of the skull with a full complement of teeth along with its lower jawbone. The sentimental among you needn't fret though, I'll still retain its predecessor.
Ever owned anything you eventually gave away, only to be reunited with it decades later? If so, all your fellow Criv-Kids want to read about it so get typing.
No comments:
Post a Comment