Custom Aurora CAPTAIN AMERICA Model Kit! Jack Kirby! Marvel Comics!

Here is the 1974 (originally released in 1966) Aurora "Comic Scenes" CAPTAIN AMERICA model kit, re-cast recently in a larger scale by Polar Lights! I added a GI JOE gunbelt and accessories to give Cap an "Ultimates" (or movie) look... I also substituted the kit's over-sized head with a plaster cast head from the Bowen Yellowjacket bust! I then tried to give it a "Jack Kirby-drawn" look.  Click images below to enlarge!

I also assembled Cap's left arm so that it (and the shield) didn't conceal his body in the way the original kit did! I wanted more of an "open" pose...

I used a heavy gloss coating on the puddle, then, once dry, added some clear cellophane...

I paid a great deal of attention to flat matte areas (the costume and base) and glossy areas (the shield, puddle, etc...), in an attempt to bring added realism to the kit...

BONUS! Click below to see the original "oversized" heads that came with the Polar Lights kit (below, left), and the finished, un-customized kit (below, right)!

BONUS BONUS! Look below to gaze at the original assembled 1966 Aurora Cap model kit!

BONUS BONUS BONUS! Click below to enlarge this model magazine article, detailing one hobbyist's building of the re-issued CAP kit!

A Loving Portrait of Mike Nesmith?! 1976 Albert Bigley Art! The Monkees!

Here we go again, with another piece of art from my wild and wooly youth! I take yet another stab at drawing the Monkees (at age 11, in 1976), this time zeroing in on mighty Michael Nesmith, the singer/songwriter of the group, and the most succesful solo member! Oh, did I mention his mom, a secretary/commerical artist, created a little something called "Liquid Paper?" Sure, most typists and clerical workers now work on computers, but ask any artist how valuable this little item still is! As I did with my other magnificent (if somewhat melty) Monkees portraits, I lifted this nifty Nez image from the cover of the RCA "Laurie House" 2-LP set, offered as a TV promotion that same year! What are you waiting for? Get off your "big dogma" and click to enlarge! How many fans get that inside reference?

The Mach Five vs the Batmobile! Custom Model Kit Madness! DC Comics vs Speed Racer?!

Two of the greatest custom cars of the past, combined! I usually customize only figure kits and such, but here is a SPEED RACER Mach 5 model kit (from the fine folks at Polar Lights), tricked out as a version of the Batmobile! The car features a gloss “sparkle blue” coat with black applications, and matte red interiors! I've included views with the half windshield, as well as the full “bubble top!” Makes a great “what if” version of a 60s/70s Batmobile! Click images below to enlarge!

Below: The "Mach Five" vehicle itself, the inspiration for the above customization job!