IRONY MAN - THE INDIGESTIBLE LION MAN
WHILE VISITING STARK INTERNATIONAL'S MELBOURNE BRANCH IN AUSTRALIA IRON MAN FINDS AN OLD ENEMY LION IN WAIT TO AMBUSH HIM!!
Tony Stark, aka the invincible Iron Man, strained to his power armoured limits as he battled the Mandarin's metal minion.
"Urggghhh! Can't you read, damnit!!" he growled at his arch enemy's leonine hench-mane. Had the red and gold Avenger a hand to spare he would have angrily tapped the label stencilled on the top of his helmet.
"CAUTION- CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE. DO NOT PUNCTURE!"
The giant metal moggy merely bit down harder....
Well then.
Tony locked his armour into 'brace' mode and powered up his repulsor rays. He didn't have time to be lion around all day playing chew toy with 'Clarence' here. Before he triggered the mighty weapons Iron Man spared a moment for a traditional superheroic quip, "Sorry, gotta blow! Got an appointment at....tooth-hurty!!"
PEW!! PEW!!
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For some time now I've had my evil photographic eye on this sculpture in the Tianjin Garden at the top end of Spring Street in Gillot Reserve, surrounding the northern acces for the Parliament Loop Station. The little garden is a symbol of Melbourne's close friendship with its twin city in China, Tianjin and serves, ironically, as a far eastern gateway to Melbourne's 'Chinatown' in Little Bourke Street where, incidentally, my father was born last century. The peaceful little garden was completed in 2000, cost over $1 million and was commissioned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the sister city relationship. The white marble lions guarding the garden's entrance were a gift from the Tianjin city government. Not sure about these bronze ones.
As I've noted elsewhere in my photostream, these kind of Rui Shi (“auspicious lions”) are positioned as guardians. The male of the pair, has right paw clutching the flower of life, an item of complex mythical symbolism, while the female has a cub under her left paw. This one was female, which is somewhat predictable given Tony's history with the ladies!
The Asian lion was not native to China, and it is said that Chinese sculptors, who had not seen specimens from India, based their characterisations of the beasts upon dogs, which is why the stylised works have a definite canine aspect to them.
The action figure, of course, is one of the Hasbro 6 inch I.M movie Mk 3 ones.
IRONY MAN - THE INDIGESTIBLE LION MAN
WHILE VISITING STARK INTERNATIONAL'S MELBOURNE BRANCH IN AUSTRALIA IRON MAN FINDS AN OLD ENEMY LION IN WAIT TO AMBUSH HIM!!
Tony Stark, aka the invincible Iron Man, strained to his power armoured limits as he battled the Mandarin's metal minion.
"Urggghhh! Can't you read, damnit!!" he growled at his arch enemy's leonine hench-mane. Had the red and gold Avenger a hand to spare he would have angrily tapped the label stencilled on the top of his helmet.
"CAUTION- CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE. DO NOT PUNCTURE!"
The giant metal moggy merely bit down harder....
Well then.
Tony locked his armour into 'brace' mode and powered up his repulsor rays. He didn't have time to be lion around all day playing chew toy with 'Clarence' here. Before he triggered the mighty weapons Iron Man spared a moment for a traditional superheroic quip, "Sorry, gotta blow! Got an appointment at....tooth-hurty!!"
PEW!! PEW!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For some time now I've had my evil photographic eye on this sculpture in the Tianjin Garden at the top end of Spring Street in Gillot Reserve, surrounding the northern acces for the Parliament Loop Station. The little garden is a symbol of Melbourne's close friendship with its twin city in China, Tianjin and serves, ironically, as a far eastern gateway to Melbourne's 'Chinatown' in Little Bourke Street where, incidentally, my father was born last century. The peaceful little garden was completed in 2000, cost over $1 million and was commissioned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the sister city relationship. The white marble lions guarding the garden's entrance were a gift from the Tianjin city government. Not sure about these bronze ones.
As I've noted elsewhere in my photostream, these kind of Rui Shi (“auspicious lions”) are positioned as guardians. The male of the pair, has right paw clutching the flower of life, an item of complex mythical symbolism, while the female has a cub under her left paw. This one was female, which is somewhat predictable given Tony's history with the ladies!
The Asian lion was not native to China, and it is said that Chinese sculptors, who had not seen specimens from India, based their characterisations of the beasts upon dogs, which is why the stylised works have a definite canine aspect to them.
The action figure, of course, is one of the Hasbro 6 inch I.M movie Mk 3 ones.