Adam West! TV BATMAN Fan-Made Custom Model Kit! DC Comics!

ZAP! It's Adam West as BATMAN! This big (around 12 inches tall) fan-made "garage kit" is all hard solid resin, and has all the details, including an uncanny likeness to Bat-actor Adam West! I painted it using acrylics, with added touches from inking pens and markers! Here is the 1966 TV BATMAN ready for action! Click images to enlarge!

 Note the use of high-gloss paint (cape, boots, etc) against the flat matte paint (leotard, flesh)!

Some dry-brushing of acrylics was applied to cheeks and other areas of the face...Kudos to the sculptor, as the face, likeness, details, and anatomy are spot-on! Click here to see another terrific (and more famous) Batman model kit!

Below: The famed pose, as seen in the original still, and used for the BATMAN 1966 movie poster!

The Return of TIRE MAN! Don Bigley! 1982 Albert Bigley Artwork!

Another published strip created by me in 1982 (age 17) for my Dad's then-business, BIGLEY TIRE! Re-imaginging my Dad as a stern superhero who helps truckers and farm-workers with tire troubles, "Tire Man" flies into comedic action, mostly inspired by my acquiring back issues of NOT BRAND ECHH! and other humor comics! Yes, this quickly-produced strip actually ran in the LAURINBURG EXCHANGE newspaper, horrifying hundreds of regular readers of that 3-times-a-week publication! Looking at this piece now, it's clear that my Dad (who passed away on August 2nd, 2012) was certainly full of support (and patience) when it came to my burgeoning art skills and interests. Thank, Dad! Click to enlarge!

Below: Actual early-80s BIGLEY TIRE newspaper ads!

Below: Don Bigley himself, circa 1986!

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...

Another look at the detailed base...

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!

Ant-Man Custom Mego Action Figure! YellowJacket! Avengers! Marvel Comics!

It's good ol' Hank Pym himself, ANT-MAN! Here he is, re-imagined as a custom "Mego style" action figure, made by me! One of Marvel's early Silver Age heroes uses a custom head (from the now-defunct NotDolls.com site), and "Dr. Mego" boots and basic red outfit. The black portions of the outfit were done in paint markers, and the belt is custom-built! I went with black (instead of blue) for the accessories, since this simply works better in 3-D, and also make the suit seem more of a "work outfit," as opposed to flashy superhero togs!  Click images below to enlarge!

BONUS! Wanna see this Ant-Man action figure used in a fun live-action video? Just look below!

BONUS BONUS: It's the 70s incarnation of the identity-crisis stricken Ant-Man, YELLOWJACKET! Using a custom-made outfit, and a re-cast of the Aurora BATMAN kit head, here is the famous Avenger as Mego woulda made him! 

Rare INCREDIBLE HULK Fan-Made Bust! Jack Kirby-Inspired! Silver Age Marvel Madness!

Here's a great fan-made garage-kit incredible HULK bust, inspired by the early Silver Age Marvel comics, as drawn by Jack "King" Kirby! Sculpted by Craig Davison, and offered by SeaDog Studios! The bust was cast in porcelain, and I used enamels to paint it. I came in with three shades of spray-applied green for the basic flesh and hair, using them to accent the highlights and shading, with dry-brushed grays on the base! Coatings of gloss over the eyes and teeth and hair completed the fearsome look!  A nice companion piece to the officially-released Aurora Hulk kit! Click each image to enlarge!

Below: Early 60s Jack Kirby-drawn HULK comics panels, the inspiration for the above power-packed sculpture!