PART TWELVE Of SECRET ORIGINS COVER & IMAGE GALLERY...

Copyright DC COMICS

Fast reaching the end of this series, Crivs, after a mammoth scanning session of all the remaining issues in my collection.  Like I've said before, it may not have set the blogging world on fire, but some images at least were worthy of seeing the light of day on Crivens.  In the main, the artwork was competent and professional, if not exactly overwhelming - a few images aside.

Anyway, only two more parts to go.  I don't know who'll be more relieved when these Secret Origins cover & image galleries have finally run their course - you or me.  (Probably me, to be honest.  There's far more work involved for me in preparing theses posts than there is for you in reading them - if you actually do, that is.)

Comments welcome.

CORGI GLOSS BLACK 1966 BATMOBILE REISSUE...

My Corgi gloss black reissue of the 1966 Batmobile arrived yesterday, but when I snapped the above photo, the camera flash didn't exactly do it any favours.  The matte black version is due out in October and one will be winging its way to me then 'cos I'm a member of the Corgi Model Club and get sent each new release automatically.

For the first six months of its life, Corgi's Batmobile was matte black, before being switched to gloss for the remainder of its run.  Why?  Speculation on my part, but when George Barris first customised the only existing prototype of the Lincoln Futura into the Batmobile, it was given a matte black finish, which was changed to gloss before filming of the TV show began.

I therefore assume Corgi was sent photographic reference of the car with a matte finish when they began manufacturing the toy, which was changed when it was realised the car on the telly had a gloss finish.  Who knows, maybe the show's producers pointed out the error and asked Corgi to amend it.  Anyway, my photo doesn't do it justice so here's Corgi's own.

Will you be buying this great toy and reliving your childhood?  

TASCHEN FANTASTIC FOUR BOOK...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Here are a few photos of a great book by Taschen I received today - The Fantastic Four.  (That's its protective box, above.)  The pages are photographed from high quality copies of issues 1-19, plus FF Annual #1, which then have subtle digital manipulation applied to correct any dodgy colour registration and to 'fix' any smudged panel borders which were sometimes present in printed issues (due to the flexible plates used).  The result is as close to the original published look as you're ever likely to get.

I see Nick Caputo and Barry Pearl received a thank you in the credits, so they were obviously involved in the production in some way.  (Hope they each got a free copy.)

To be honest, the book was an indulgence as I already have the stories several times over, in Masterworks, Epic Collections, and Omnibus Editions (as well as one or two original issues).  The book is huge, 28 x 39.5 cm, and is lovely just to browse through.  There are others in the series, but I think I'll stick with just the FF volume as I don't really have the space to accommodate any more books of this size.

Don't you think it's a beauty?

Below are some more photos from Taschen's own site...

BABE Of The DAY - DENISE MILANI...

It's not exactly what you'd call a hot

day, so here's a nice picture of stunning

 Denise Milani to warm you all up.

LIFE In The '70s - On MARS...

I watched the first episode of Life On Mars earlier tonight and was surprised to see how dark, dim, dismal, dingy and dated the '70s appeared to be, especially in regard to the interior of houses and shops.  That's not how I remember things at all.  Surely the '70s were bright and colourful, and furnishings were more modern and not quite so old-fashioned looking?  Is it my memories of the era that are mistaken, or have the show's makers gone overboard in trying to reproduce their perception of what the '70s were like?

What do you say, readers?  To me, the '70s still (mostly) feel like fairly recent history, not something that happened in the far distant past.  How does the period seem to you when you think back on it?  (If you're old enough to have lived through it at the time.)

BABE Of The DAY - DENISE MILANI...

Just time for a quickie Babe

today, Crivvies - lovely Denise

Milani.  Is there any bloke who

doesn't love a burd in a pair of

 nice blue denims, eh?

SECRET ORIGINS COVER & IMAGE GALLERY - PART ELEVEN...

Copyright DC COMICS

Only another three entries to go in this series of Secret Origins before we reach its conclusion, Crivs.  It hasn't exactly caused much of a stir around these here parts (cowboy), probably because most of DC's heroes and villains are verging on 'Z'-list and nobody much cares about them, but I started, so I have to finish - or my name isn't Magnus Magnusson.  (Oh, that's right, it isn't, is it?)  Anyway, that's enough woeful waffle from me, I'll now turn you loose on the pictures.  If you see any you like, be sure to let your fellow Crivvies know, won't you?

TOYBOX TREASURES Of The PAST: JR21 THUNDERBIRD 1...

TB1 copyright relevant and respective owner.  Seller's photo

Above, a JR21 Thunderbird 1 which I recently won in an eBay auction for a few paltry pounds.  I had two of them when I was a kid (at different times), the first being a blue one with grey wings and base, and the second being the same as the one in the pic.

Anyway, I got straight to work on it when it arrived, touching-up the lettering and affixing spare tail fins from a Matchbox electronic TB1 from the '90s.  (Pretty much the same size, though the nose-cone is slightly longer.)  They were silver, but I painted them a mid-grey, to better complement the rest of the colour scheme.

Then I acquired a repro box (which cost around the same as the toy itself), though I've not yet decided whether I'm going to keep it or not as it's not quite up to the standard I expected.  (The image quality is fine, but the end flaps could be cut with more precision.)  Anyway, thought you might like to see the result, so that's it below.

Don't look too hard for faults and imperfections 'cos I'm still fine-tuning parts of it.  Did you have this toy as a kid, anyone?  If so, record your reminisces in our neglected comments section.

My photo.  Honest, exact same toy in both pics

BABE Of The DAY - CATRIONA STEWART...

Haven't seen the lovely Catriona

Stewart on the telly for a while now,

but I still consider her a top Babe.  I'm

 sure most Scots Crivvies will too.