A MAD and Merry Christmas

A day early, but I don't mind. We're opening presents later today because Kristine has to work tomorrow.

In Everlasting Memory

On this day in 1980 John Lennon was murdered by a piece of scum whose name is unworthy of mention.

Remember Pearl Harbor

On this day in 1941, a Sunday, the Japanese launched a sneak attack on our sleeping fleet and airfield at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Lousy, stinking, dirty, rotten cruds!

Happy Birthday, Kristine

My baby is 22 today. Where does the time go? I can say this: Every day has been a joy and delight.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Georgie

George Armstrong Custer was born on this day in 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio. In this picture he's leading a charge against superior Confederate forces at Gettysburg. Had the rebs succeeded in this flanking maneuver the battle would have been lost and Lee would have been free to invade Washington, D.C.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby

My lovely granddaughter, Sofia, is two today. What a ball of energy this kid is.  She's with her mother, Stephanie, in these pix.

Thoughts For The Day

 

Look Who's 65 Today

Still rocking after all these years.

Kit of the Day, Bill Crider Edition

    

     Who wouldn't want a model kit of The Six-Million-Dollar Man fighting a gator? Here's your chance, it's on eBay right now and I believe the price is reasonable. The only thing that has me scratching my head about this model is the briefcase at Lee Major's feet. Is this a tool box so he can tighten up a loose screw, or a secret formula the gator, an agent of a foreign power no doubt, is trying to steal?

     The maker of this oddity is Fun Dimensions, not a well-known name in modeling circles these days. Since it's a snap-together kit (no glue needed) the main challenge would be painting it to look realistic. And I have a feeling not many kids were up to that challenge.

     Bill, here you go.

Kit of the Day

Tired of building tanks, planes, cars, and ships? How about a nice crustacean? So went the thinking of Superior Plastics of Chicago, Illinois, back in 1962. No, not really. This is from a line called Superior Science Series Projects. I suppose the idea was to introduce educational projects for the kids, or at least hope their parents would buy them a lobster instead of a Big Daddy Roth weirdmobile. The finished lobster was 15 inches long and cast in red, just like the real thing. No bib. I have to wonder what prompted Superior to take on such an enterprise since creating a mold is a very expensive proposition and the potential buyers of such a kit were almost non-existent. Still, I found two of these rarities on eBay this past week. One was selling for $17.01 and the other for $9.95. And you know, the more I think about it the more attractive this kit becomes. Should I?

Happy Veteran's Day

Thanks to all my brother and sister vets for your service. Have a great day.

Happy Birthday, Stephanie

On this day in 1989 my first daughter, Stephanie, entered the world. A wonderful day, and the wonders never cease. Love you, kid.

Events

Friday: Mother-in-law turned 95. Today: Kid sister's birthday. Today: My 23rd wedding anniversary.

Wolf Creek: Bloody Trail

This is the first in a series of ebooks from the Western Fictioneers and if I understand its rather sinuous structure properly, each viewpoint character will be written by a different author. Also, this first edition is written by six scribes, each taking two consecutive chapters. Wolf Creek is a small town struggling to survive in post-Civil War Kansas. There are the understandable resentments among the residents who fought on opposite sides during the Recent Unpleasantness, but mostly folks get along. When a gang of former Confederate raiders invade the town to rob the bank, leaving dead people and animals in their wake, the townies assemble a posse to track them down. Some simmering resentments come to the fore during the manhunt, but by the time it's over the survivors see things in a brighter light. Because this is the first installment in a series there is a lot of exposition and backstory offered. I think it was a good two-and-a-half chapters before there was any action, but when it came it was well handled. I trust future books won't feel the need to recross the expositionary ground because even though the backgrounds of many of the charatcers are interesting, swallowing it in large doses may turn some readers off. My advice is to stick with it because there are a ton of talented people working on the books and I expect the ensuing ones to be humdingers. I know I'll be reading them. One nitpick: The Lamatt pistol, which had a shotgun barrel beneath a revolver barrel, was a 16-gauge, not 18-gauge.

No Moon Tonight

Let the dancing begin. "Reverend" Sun Myung Moon is dead. The Moonie leader is famous for arranging mass marriages among his adherents to people who often were total strangers to each other. Also for love bombing newbies and having his zombielike followers sell peanut brittle and jewelry door-to-door. The world is better off without people like him.

That Day Again

As every schoolboy worth his salt knows, today (June 25) is the anniversary of Custer's Last Stand, which occurred in 1876. Surrounded in mystery, controversy, and emotion, this is perhaps the most discussed and written-about battle in American history. Certainly the most famous in the Plains Wars of the 19th century. I also have my semi-annual dental checkup today.

Kit of the Day, Evan Lewis Style

Over on his blog, Evan Lewis has been touting the life and times of Jean Lafitte. In his honor I present today's kit, a pirate ship based on the movie THE BUCCANEER. Produced by Aurora, this seems like a simple and sturdy model (note the heavy rigging) and one a modeler of modest skills could build. I'm guessing it was an old kit with a new box to take advantage of the movie, yet none of the actors from that film are part of the box art. The opening bid was $24.99 and postage will be $7.95. Not too bad for an old Aurora kit. I'm sure Evan will want this so hold your bids and let him have it. BTW, fans, I think I've set this blog up so anyone can comment. No doubt this will issue in a whole new era of annoying spam, but I'm willing to take the gamble.

Happy Birthday Tony Dow

Gee, Wally is 67.

Kit of the Day

I have to admit I liked The Beverly Hillbillies, more now then when it first ran. The interplay between Jethro and Granny was always good for a laugh, and Donna Douglas made for some nice eye candy. Uncle Jed was the hub that held all the spokes in place. And how about that great theme song? I was saddened to learn that the singer and banjo player on "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," Earl Scruggs, just passed away.

But what better a subject for a model kit than the old Grapes of Wrath-style truck the Clampetts drove through their ritzy neighborhood? I believe in one show the 1921 truck was tricked out as a mean-ass hot rod, so this kit allows you to build either version. I imagine when you're done with one there will be enough spare parts for half of another vee-hickle.

The kit was issued in 1968 by MPC, a company that also made toy soldiers--the famous ring hand figures, among others. I have built MPC kits and they were often cheap and poorly engineered. That didn't diminish the value of this item on the collector market, however, because one of these kits recently sold for $249 + $13.60 shipping.

Kit of the Day

Yes, nothing says speed like a cement mixer, and what better way to show that than to create a combination cement mixer/hot rod?

Actually, I kind of like it.