Remember the Alamo

March 6, 1836. After 13 days of siege the Alamo was overrun by the forces of General Santa Anna, general and dictator of Mexico. The heroic stand made by the Alamo's defenders has been the subject of books, movies, TV shows, comic books, and several Marx playsets. It has spawned wonder and controversy. The Alamo today--the little that's left of it--is a major tourist attraction. Some of the most famous men of their day died at the Alamo, notably Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Today is indeed a good day to remember the Alamo.

Kit of the Day

Bond, James Bond, fighting it out with Odd Job in a scene from GOLDFINGER. Note how the precise sculpting captures the dynamic action and breathtaking excitement.

Like fudge it does. I can't imagine why the company allowed this cheap-looking, stilted kit to reach the market, but it did. Fortunately, better kits from the Bond movies, including a very nice Odd Job pose, are available.
Airfix is a British firm that produced toy soldiers as well as model kits, and most of their output is very good. My guess is they either rushed this one out or couldn't find anyone skilled enough at figure sculpting to produce a convincing diorama.

Kit of the Day

Here's a kit you can enjoy. Place it in the bath tub, run water to the appropriate level, pour some 30 weight oil on the water, and you can reenact the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Toss in a few parakeets and the fun is endless.
Actually, it looks like a pretty neat kit. It's on eBay right now for a mere 99 cents. Plus $20.50 for shipping.

Happy Birthday, Linda

Yep, another birthday card to buy, this time for my wife. I suppose she'll want a gift, too. The obligations are endless.

The girl in the photo is Linda Stirling. It's the only picture in my computer of anyone named Linda.

Happy Birthday, Mom

My mother is 89 today.

The picture is not contemporary.

Happy Birthday, Honest Abe

Yep, on this day in 1809 The Great Emancipator was born. In Kentucky. A lot of people think he was born in Illinois because Illinois calls itself The Land of Lincoln. True, he did live and work there and ran for office there, but it wasn't his birthplace. I had the satisfaction of correcting my history teacher in college on that point.

Kit of the Day

Did you know that Fred Flintstone had a sports car? I didn't. But if you're a fan of the show and want to build a model of it, there's a kit available. What I find intriguing is the scale, 1/20th. How did they figure that? Measure the one they found in a cave?

Since no one cares about this feature that's all I'll say about it.

Happy Birthday, Molly

My puppy is one today.

Kit of the Day

Planes, ships, cars, armor, figures, monsters, animals, trains and artillery have all been subjects of plastic model kits, but not musical instruments. But for all the budding Gene Krupas out there who can't afford the real thing, there's this scale model of a drum set. I suppose a drummer who wanted it on the shelf in his office might be tempted to own this kit, but I don't think it had a large consumer pool. I don't know anything about the maker, obviously a Japanese company, but I hope they weren't banking on this item for their success.

Roof Speared

This is the branch that speared through the roof of my garage during last week's storms. Worse, water came in and ruined some of my Marx playset boxes, and perhaps some of my collectible paperbacks. I'll be climbing up into the loft this weekend to assess the damage. The roof is being repaired as we speak.

Kit of the Day

The Swamp from M*A*S*H. I bought this a few decades ago and may still have it around. There is also a kit with a truck, Radar, and Hotlips.

I've been staying home during our recent blizzard. It's not really a blizzard, but the Merchants of Doom--i.e., newscasters--would have you think so. Since I don't have to be anywhere I've just relaxed in the warm confides of Chez Cap'n. Oh, I went out to the mail box every day, and shoveled a little snow once, but mostly I've been content to work on my models and prepare OWLHOOT, the Western apa I ramrod. I love retirement.

Kit of the Day

Part of my cultural deprivation is that I've never heard of the New Monkees. Those who have, and want a model car to commemorate that memory, can bid on this item on eBay. Cost is in line with the average model car.

Wikipedia had this to say about them:

The 20th anniversary of The Monkees in 1986 generated enough interest that New Monkees was conceived later that year, and launched the following year. The show was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and distributed by Coca-Cola Telecommunications (both are now Sony Pictures Television). Straybert Productions, headed by Steve Blauner (a former partner of original Monkees producers Robert Rafelson and Bert Schneider), served as the project's producers.

The group's members were Jared Chandler (guitar and vocals), Dino Kovas (drums and vocals), Marty Ross (bass guitar and vocals), and Larry Saltis (lead guitar and vocals). As it had been with the original Monkees, each had to pass a grueling set of auditions. Unlike the previous series, however, musical ability was a key factor in the selection process. Ross, a multi-instrumentalist, had earlier been signed to CBS Records, with his former band The Wigs.

The band released one self-titled album, distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The synth-pop sound of the New Monkees was largely the work of producers Carol Carmichael Parks and Dean Parks, and was similar to that of contemporaries Mr. Mister and Glass Tiger. Other New Monkees producers were Steve Barri and Tony Peluso, Matt Wallace, Joe Curiale, and Mike Slamer, who co-wrote a song for the album with Larry Saltis.

On the show, the band lived in a large mansion with a butler named Manford (Gordon Oas-Heim), and numerous unexplored rooms (much like recent hit series The Young Ones), and this was the main source of their adventures. Instead of a normal kitchen and dining room, the house featured a diner with a waitress named Rita, played by former exercise instructor Bess Motta, of 20 Minute Workout fame. Also present in the mansion was a talking computer called Helen (voiced by Lynnie Godfrey), who used to work for the Defense Department but has found that she preferred rock music over world destruction.

Originally slated for a 22-episode season, the show earned ratings lower than expected, and New Monkees left the air after thirteen episodes. The album also did not catch on, and yielded no hit records. The producers hoped that the TV show would serve as promotion for their record, and vice versa, but this did not occur. A lawsuit was filed by the original Monkees for use of the name. However, the case was settled out of court.

Though a release of the series on DVD had been mentioned as a possibility by Larry Saltis in an interview several years ago, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has made no such release to date. The New Monkees album also remains out of print.

Interest in the band has continued on Internet news groups. In 2007, all four New Monkees reunited for a meet-and greet-with fans in Los Angeles, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the band's formation. The gathering featured an acoustic performance; their first since the dissolution of the show, and their first-ever live appearance. This performance was filmed and portions of the show have been released in late 2009 on YouTube. Among those in attendance that night were producers Steve Blauner, Victor Fresco and Matt Fassberg and comedian Tim Powers

Kit of the Day

Polar Lights has been reissuing a lot of older kits, especially Aurora models. Aurora caught a bit of flack from watchdog groups who worried that some of their offerings were harmful to kids, like the Torture Chamber set. I imagine the guillotine also failed the sniff test, though most kids who bought it probably thought it was a hoot. I don't know if the condemned man's head pops off if you drop the blade on him, but it would be a neat touch.

What the Heck?

This is an experiment. My text has gone astray from my old posts, and so has my formatting.

Later...looks like my background was the villain. Now you can read the posts but I've lost all the material in the margins. Ain't computers grand?

The Wile. E Coyote hotrod came from MPC. The kit consisted of a car model and the figure of Wile E. you can see behind the cellophane on the box. You'd think the vehicle would say Acme on it but it's labeled a Willys. I doubt it helped him catch the speedy and elusive Road Runner, especially since the Roadrunner had some pretty spiffy wheels of his own.

Friday, January 06, 2012

Kit of the Day

You say you don't want to look like an old swabby by having a ship in a bottle? Here's the solution, Monogram's Car in a Bottle. It looks like the lad on the box is holding a funny car/dragster but I don't know the scale. Obviously it will fit into a 16-ounce Pepsi bottle so it's smaller than the usual model car. I vaguely remember these from way back when. The bottle was a plastic replica of a normal Pepsi bottle with a separate bottom that was snapped in place once the model car was installed. I doubt that they were a successful product, but the one on eBay right now is going for $99.99 plus a tad over $5.00 for shipping. Not that anyone's bidding, but that's the chance you take when you overcharge for something.

By the way, ignoring these Kit of the Day posts will not stop me from presenting more. I WILL BE HEARD!

Happy Birthday Toby, Tiny, Art, and Frank

Toby and Tiny, my daughters' Chihuahuas, and Art Scott, a man as noble as he is eccentric, share a birthday today. I may be wrong, but I think it's also Frank Denton's. Best wishes to all.

The pinup is to help keep all those aging male hearts pumping away.

First Car

This is not the actual car, but a prototype model. A 1961 Thunderbird was the first car I bought. Not a new car, I picked it up in 1969 for $600 when I lived in San Jose, California. It had power everywhere and with the flick of a switch the trunk would open and the convertible top would fold into it. It was large, roomy, powerful, and sucked up gas like a wino with his first swig of the day. I really loved that car, and to this date it remains my all-time favorite. I traded it in for the 1972 Capri I discussed a week or so back, and at the time I thought it was on its last legs. Four years later I was cruising down the freeway and it blew past me going 80. I kick myself to this day for letting it go. My T-Bird was white with an aqua interior. I currently have a bid in for a model of one on eBay and I'm determind to win it, no doubt at a price far beyond its value.

Kit of the Day

Tired of building airplane, armor, or car kits? What better change of pace than Ben Cartwright and his two remaining sons (Adam was a lawyer in San Francisco by then)? Produced by Revell in 1966, this simple kit was a greater challenge for the painter than the kit builder. Each figure came with front and back body halves, hats, boots, and a common base held the trio. I don't know the scale but I'd guess around 1/12 or 1/16. You can get one on eBay now for about $100. Hake's auctions recently realized $186 for the same kit. Frankly, I'd love to have it, but I don't want to spend that much. Maybe someone will rerelease it. Yeah, sure they will.

Holiday Greetings To All

Merry Christmas.



And Festivus for the rest of us.

Kit of the Day

The oddest thing about this Bigfoot model kit from AMT is the Glow in the Dark feature. If Bigfoot really glowed in the dark those goobers on TV wouldn't have to use infrared film; they'd find him wandering around the woods at night easily. Or maybe just that little puddle glows and he doesn't.

The next oddest thing is the scale, 1/12. To know the scale of something you have to know the size of the original. Since no one has ever measured the elusive Bigfoot, we can't know if the size of the model is 1/12 the size of the original. If there is an original.

Also, note the human skull on the ground and leg bone in his fist. Maybe some of those Sasquatch hunters discovered a more formidable foe than they expected.

Unchained Melody

Listen to THIS. You won't regret it. Bobby Hatfield doing his signature song.

First New Car

I had a few cars before this, but this is the first one I bought new. A 1972 Mercury Capri. It looked like the one pictured only mine was yellow. I think I bought it at the end of 1971. A few months later I lost my job and sold it. Well, not so much sold it as signed it over to someone willing to take over the payments. I think I made about $76 on the deal.

Kit of the Day

Here's a head scratcher. The Hogan's Heroes jeep was issued in 2003, in 1/25 scale from AMT/Ertl. This of course was long after the show was canceled and Bob Crane was murdered in a motel. The fact that there was no jeep in the TV show apparently didn't bother the makers of the kit, or that if there was Col. Klink wouldn't have allowed it to carry US national insignia. If you can't read the text on the vehicle it says, on the hood, "PRIVATE PROPERTY STALAG-13" On the side it says, "IF FOUND, RETURN TO COL. HOGAN."

Just as odd is the scale. Most WWII figures, vehicles, and accessories are made in 1/35 scale. Many car kits, however, are 1/24 or 1/25. So this kit is compatible with automobiles but not military materiel. I'm assuming someone had the mold for the jeep on hand and decided to merchandise it as a Hogan's Heroes tie in. The show was popular in reruns at the time. I believe there's also a M*A*S*H jeep kit and I know there's a M*A*S*H Swamp kit, so anything's possible.

You can purchase this kit right now on eBay for $22.50 + $8.67 S&H.

Sea of Love

Look HERE

Remember Pearl Harbor

It was 70 years ago today, a day that will live in infamy, that the forces of Imperial Japan sneak attacked our bases in Pearl Harbor and vicinity.

Happy Birthday Uncle Georgie, Somewhat Belatedly

I wanted to post this before midnight but got sidetracked. Anyway, in addition to Dec 5 being my baby's birthday it's also that of Lt. Gen. (brevet) George Armstrong Custer. Born on 12-5-1839 in New Rumley, Ohio, died 6-25-1876 on the banks of the Little Big Horn River. Flamboyant, controversial, fearless, and a man who inspired strong reactions during his lifetime and right up to the present.

Happy Birthday Kristine

The landmark 21st birthday has arrived for my baby girl, Kristine. What a talented, poised, lovely young woman she has become. We're very proud of her and love her dearly.

The lower photo was taken when she was 22 months old. The upper when she was 18. The guy is her fiance, Jacob.

A Year of Freedom

A year ago today I started my retirement. It wouldn't become official until Dec 31, but this is the day I quit getting out of bed and going to work. I have loved every minute of retirement since.

Baby's First Birthday

A few photos from the event. She was very neat with her personal cake, just poking it now and again. As you can see by the gift wrap, Dora the Explorer was featured in a number of her presents.

Two Things to Celebrate

I wish all of you a happy Thanksbuddy. May you have more than enough to eat and spend the day in convivial company.

This is also the first birthday of my granddaughter, Sofia. Hard to believe she's walking already and starting to talk. May this be the first of a hundred more, baby girl.

By Popular Demand

Ok, only Bill Crider asked, but he's pretty popular, isn't he? What he wanted to know was which books I bought in Tucson. Bear in mind I had very little room in my suitcase or there would have been more:

GUNS OF ARIZONA, by Charles N. Heckelmann. A Magnum Easy Eye edition. It's about cavalrymen and takes place in Arizona, so I couldn't resist.

FORT STARK, by Wade Everett. Cavalry, Apaches, and a fort. Also takes place in Arizona.

TWO PISTOLS SOUTH OF DEADWOOD, by Merle Costiner and NO MAN'S BRAND, by William Vance. An Ace Double, which I bought for the Constiner novel. I'll read the other, too.

SLOCUM AND THE LOST COMMAND (Slocum #331), by Jake Logan. More cavalry, and I may know the author of this one.

WARRIORS OF THE PLAINS, by Karl Lassiter. Historical novel based on Fort Bent and the fur trade days. I do know the author, albeit slightly.

LONGARM AND THE VANISHING VIRGINS (Longarm #245), by Tabor Evans. I do know this author and this shortens my list of his Longarms by one. There was another of his at the same store but I rejected it for a badly creased cover.

TRAGG'S CHOICE, by Clifton Adams. This has nothing to do with the police lieutenant from Perry Mason. I'm trying to amass as many Westerns by Adams as I can.

That's it. A cowboy shirt, some postcards, and two model kits found in thrift stores round out my souvenir shopping.

The pinup is here just because I like them.

Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me...

...When I'm 64?

Well, we'll find out. I'm 64 today.

Back From the Desert

Last night I returned from six days in Arizona. The purpose of the trip was to let my mother and granddaughter meet. I also spent a few hours with writer Steve Mertz, who's great company. We explored a brace of book and thrift stores and ate the only Mexican food I had down there. I also went to Tombstone again, despite forecasts of thundershowers. It rained all the way there and most of the way back, but we had a respite from the wetness most of the time we were in The Town Too Tough to Die. On the return leg we saw a van full of people stopped by a Border Patrol wagon and a cop car. It was dark so we couldn't see what transpired, but a good guess would be that they busted some illegals. Que lastima.

I've never had so much trouble finding my way around as I did in Marana, north of Tucson. Some highway department genius decided to mark the north-south freeway as east-west, and I was turned around the whole time I was there.

We couldn't find the motel when we arrived, tired and grouchy. The map directions from the computer were wrong and the Best Western we sought sold out to Comfort Inn a week earlier. There was no notification and no sign advising people of the change. The room wasn't bad, especially if you like train whistles throughout the night.

A family of javelinas lived by the motel and one evening they chased my daughter's fiance down the street. I wish I'd witnessed that.

Finally ate at a Golden Corral. *Gag, choke* Second worst chunk of steak I've ever had.

Finally ate at a Cracker Barrel. My advice: Avoid the chicken and dumplings. At all costs.

The weather was mild, with temps usually around the mid-70's. I went into a number of stores that had their heaters going during what was to them a cold snap.

It's good to be home.

Bambi Attacks Again

At about 1:15 pm today the pair of blacktail deer pictured here wandered into my front yard. This past summer I showed a photo of a buck who was in the cul-de-sac where I live. Now, he and his mate have come onto the property. At one point the doe was right outside the kitchen window (located in the front of the house) to nibble on an evergreen. I was about 15 feet away, inside. You can't tell from the picture, but the one closest to the street is the male. He has a long spiked antler on the right and a forked antler on the left. My younger daughter took the picture on her phone/wayback machine. I also saw our local hummingbird twice this week after an absence of over a month. I love when this happens.

How to Anger a Slot Player

I went to my usual haunt, The Emerald Queen Casino, today. I like to play Quick Hits, the slot game on which I've won jackpots of over $1700 and $1600 recently. I was having no luck with the machine on the right so I thought I'd move to the one on the left. To explain, there are four machines. Two on the right of the row and two on the left, with two Asian-themed games in between. So, I approach the one on the left and discovered a woman is playing both of them on that side. She asked me if I wanted to play and I said yes after a little hemming and hawing. She was down to 29 cents on one of them so she moved over and gave me that one. I had a few good spins, including one for $30 and one with five Quick Hits for a tad over $25. These are progressive machines and the pot for the Quick Hits grows as the machines are fed money. There's also a minimum amount with which each jackpot starts. For example, five Quick Hits is $15, Eight is $1500. I hit seven, which paid around $175. Not a great payout (someone else must have hit it recently for the payoff to be so low), but it was great to see the woman who'd turned the slot over to me seethe with envy. She was less than gracious when I thanked her for giving up the seat.

Caryl Linder

My sister-in-law died this afternoon. She's been in a full care facility suffering from Alzheimer's Disease for the last 3 1/2 years, so it wasn't a surprise and was in fact a bit of a relief. She just turned 71 a few days ago.

Molly Getting Bigger

She's almost eight months old and a total delight.

Happy Birthday, Stephanie

Twenty-two years ago today, a very lovely little girl was born. My Steph.

When Good Blogs Go Bad

Richard Prosch's Meridian Bridge has always been a quality blog. Until now. Click here and see what I mean.

'Tis a Puzzle

A simple puzzle made for kids featuring Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp, from the 1950s TV show The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. Maker is Whitman, piece count is 63, and final puzzle is about 18 X 14 inches.

'Tis a Puzzle

A Masterpiece picture puzzle from Whitman Publishing. Titled "The Roundup," it has 204 pieces, measures 10 3/4 X 14 3/8 inches when completed, and is one of eight puzzles in this series (#102). There's a sticker on the side of the box that says "J.J.N.Co, 15 cents" It actually has the cent sign, but that's not available here, or if it is I have no idea how to create it. Anyway, the box this came in was pretty small and the colors on the box top didn't match the puzzle that well, which is not unusual. But I did have fun putting it together and the finished product displayed well. You can see by the photo that the pieces had some interesting shapes. I don't know when this puzzle was produced, but I'm guessing the 1950s. Degree of difficulty: Easy.

On another subject entirely, I'm not that happy with the contenders for the baseball World Series. They deserved to get there, but I'm in the position of rooting against one team rather than for one. So, Go Cards!

I had a lot of fun with this puzzle. The shapes of the pieces were interesting, the picture was neat, and the degree of difficulty was medium. Just the facts: A Guild puzzle by Whitman, 304 pieces, finished size 18 X 14 inches, and it says proudly all over the place that it's Machine Cut. The title is Two Friends. I started with the water and the cowboy, moved to the background, and finished with the horse. Best of all is the cover price, 29 cents. I can't even get them in a thrift store of that price now.

'Tis a Puzzle

All I can say about this one is that it was a killer. The pieces didn't interlock and every time I breathed too heavily they moved and separated. I started this one with the mountains, moved to the sky and smoke, then the horse in the center. The foreground came last. The maker is Milton Bradley, finished size is 16 X 20 inches, there are 500 pieces, and the title is "Forest Rangers in Action." It says there are 24 pictures in this series. What cracks me up is that is says right on the box "500 interlocking pieces." Maybe in the whole 24-piece set, but not this puzzle. Even a lot of the border pieces didn't interlock. In the early days of jigsaw puzzles it was common to have pieces abut without holding tight, and this is a classic example of that.

'Tis a Puzzle

I bought this one on eBay. The shipper wrapped some packing paper around the box instead of protecting it inside of another box, so it arrived crushed on the top, bottom, and two sides. Since I like to keep the box in top shape I was bent out of shape and complained to the seller. He refunded the postage, which was nice, but I'd rather have had a box in good condition. It's the collector mentality in me.

The puzzle is called Whooping It Up, painting by John Leone. Maker is SunsOut, there are 550 pieces, and the image is 18 X 15.5 inches. Average difficulty, and a nice picture when it's finished.

'Tis a Puzzle

Looks like this idiotic site cut me off for no reason yesterday, or maybe today. I'm not sure why. Something about "unusual activity," which is odd since I haven't posted in ten days.

So here's another puzzle. My technique for doing a jigsaw puzzle is probably the same as most people's. I study the picture on the box, then dump all the pieces into the box top--the part with the picture. Next I transfer the pieces to the box's bottom, sorting out the frame/edge pieces as I go. I also make sure every piece is face up. If there's a lot of sky I might put that into a freezer bag, but if it has sky plus an object on the horizon on it it goes into the box's bottom. Then I look for a good place to start building. For example, in the puzzle I'm showing here I separated out the red coat, the cooking pot's tripod, and the checkered shirt. I also set aside all of the colorful leaves on the right of the picture. Once I got all of those assemblies fairly complete I did the mountains and the heads of the men where they meet the sky. The sky followed, and lastly the forest floor in the foreground. You can also see the rug on my office floor under the edge of the table. I should have cropped this first. This puzzle is 750 pieces, made by CEACO, and measures 18 X 24 inches. The picture is titled "Sergeant Beaubien," painted by John Buxton, and is part of their Each Picture Tells a Story series. Here's what it says on the bottom of the box:

"This group of Rogers Rangers are on ground overlooking Lake George, New York, which stretches Northward behind them. Captain Robert Rogers' men scout deeply within enemy territory, supplying the latest intellegence of French activity, and their daring hit-and-run tactics not only delivered great annoyance to the enemy but also boosted English spirits.
"Experienced Ranger lieutenants are briefing several new cadets and a volunteer from the 42nd Highlanders, as to the basic rules outlined by Captain Rogers--rules still employed by Ranger forces today. Among the Ranger 'cadets' in the fall of 1756 is William Stark, brother of Ranger Captain John Stark, with his wolf/dog Sgt. Beaubien. At one point throughout their history, Stark entered the wolf/dog into the official Ranger muster roll to draw a sergeant's rations and pay. It has been said that Sgt. Beaubien dispatched his share of the enemy and was well deserving of his pay."

$1631.29

So, did anyone else win $1631.29 playing the slots today, or was it just me? Yep, I hit eight Quick Hit symbols and collected the above-named sum. This is the same game (but not the same machine) on which I won $1733 about 5-6 weeks ago.
There's a bit of a back story. I was on the machine next to this one and the lady playing the winning machine was doing all right. But she said she had to leave and I took over her machine. She came back a little later and took a slot and the end of the row--four machine away. You can imagine her chagrin when I hit the big money on the machine she'd abandoned. Also, I was in dire need to hit the latrine and almost walked off, but decided to play a little longer. And, BOOM! Jackpot.

I've been away from the blog for a while, but not vegetating completely. I've been to Portland and back, read a number of books, finished a batch of jigsaw puzzles, wasted time at the casino, took Molly to obedience class, and generally did all the usual lazy retiree activities. More when I get my pix ready.