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Una de las cosas que suelen preguntarme es el tamaño de Wall-E. Para todos ellos va dedicada esta foto recordando las típicas marcas de la pared, de cuando uno se hace mayor. El pobre como es de plástico no crece, pero eso no quita que no pueda ser feliz con su marquita ;)
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The whole world is asking just who IS the man INSIDE the helmet?
As the media frenzy continues public fascination with the revelation of Tony Stark's superheroic new bodyguard, coupled with the successful opening of the Stark Industries Entertainment Division's timely spin-off movie, "Iron Man" has led to a sharp increase in the value of S.I shares.
Following the rebranding of the organisation as "Stark International" Tony Stark has embarked on a global asset aquisition spree purchasing property, corporations, artwork, patents and other deductables designed to reinvest the substantial profits generated.
Pictured is Mr Stark's bodyguard, recently arrived in Melbourne, Australia, examining a major piece created by the renowned British based stencil and guerilla artist, "Banksy" during one of his visits to the southern city.
Spray painted on the back wall of the Nicholas Building in Cocker Alley off Flinders Lane the artwork has been designated Legal Art by the Melbourne City Council's Street Art Assessment Panel. Stark International became aware of its existence in 2008 when its Melbourne office was approached to tender for the contract to shield the artwork with a protective transparent aluminium covering.
After personally inspecting the work Iron Man made no comment to the hastily assembled press about the 'irony' of his interest in the helmeted figure, but could be overheard receiving the following communication from his employer:
"Buy it. Store it."
Heated but obviously successful negotiations followed.
After carefully stasis bonding the artwork Iron Man cut the wall away with his repulsors, installing a temporary force field brace to keep the building from collapsing. Iron Man then rocketed away carrying the concrete and brick wall casually tucked under one arm. After an amazing intercontinental solo flight to his next appointment in the United States he is rumoured to be inspecting the derelict but still impressive "Xanadu" mansion and estate; formerly owned by the controversial 20th Century newspaper tycoon, Charles Foster Kane....
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Yes, there really is a "Banksy" here in Melbourne and I couldn't help but Marvel at the coincidence of themes of this piece with my current Iron Man, er, passion.
It also ties in with one of my other interests, deep sea diving suits:
www.flickr.com/photos/83287853@N00/sets/72057594057956835/
Find out more about the cheeky Mr Banks here:
It was raining Lockjaws and Sabretooths the day I took this; a real Melbourne deluge complete with hail and blot-out-the-sun gutterbusting downpour. Happily, the clouds cleared long enough to give me enough ambient light to take this picture.
Yes, that's the 12 inch MK 3 not-very-articulated action figure.
The Nicholas Building, constructed in 1925-26, was designed by architect Harry Norris in the Beau-Arts Palazzo style and occupies the corner of Swanston and Flinders Lane (21-47 Swanston Street) in Melbourne. It was commissioned for Alfred Nicholas, one of the brothers behind the famous "Aspro" brand of headache powders. Originally 8 storeys tall it was extended to 11 in 1939 and boasted a then cutting edge 'self cleaning' Wunderlich terracotta faience facade on its eastern and southern elevations.
Apart from ground level mainstream retail shops the building houses many resident artists (including Vali Myers) and eclectic small businesses (Such as the Poets Bookshop) in its upper floors, which are accessible via one of the city's few remaining human operated lifts/elevators, which is driven by lift lady Debbie Mounsey, whose hand-sewn bears have become coveted in their own right.
The lift ascends from the Cathedral Arcade, a unique and splendidly preserved vaulted, lead-light roof and fan-lighted retail arcade.
None of which you'd necessarilly guess from this marvelously grungy back alley.
You can find out more about this thriving artists urban 'village' here:
nicholasbuildingarts.googlepages.com/
More pictures of this amazing space soon!
(I didn't notice that someone had stickered the wall with a Pinocchio tag until I looked at the picture...which, come to think of it, is also amusing in the context of Iron Man Toys. "Someday he'll be a REAL boy!")
I was recently saddened to hear that the replica stencil Tony left in place had been vandalised...just as well Mr Stark has the original safe in his collection....
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Jim Rhodes was sick and tired of playing nursemaid to Tony Stark's sorry, drunken ass. Did the Man think he was the only one to come out of the 'Nam with nightmares? Rhodey had been there too..and you didn't see him crawling inside a bottle everytime some little thing went wrong. Goddamn hard to be a bodyguard when the boss was his own worst enemy!
"Invincible Iron Man"! What a load of bookoo bull.
He'd just about had it up to his armour plated butt playing corporate flunky; a flying Mr Fix-it kitted out in Stark's admittedly hardcore War Machine armour....
Here he was jetting his way across the damned ocean on his way to smooth over Stark's latest drunken blunder. For Christ's sake, while wearing the Iron Man armour he'd crashed into a Goddamned civilian airliner! Splashed it too!
What the hell Tony!?
Sure, boozehound or not, he'd still been enough of a hero to use his repulsors to cushion the fall of the wreckage..land most of it on a nearby island...so at least there were survivours. Then he'd wobbled off into the skies. Talk about hit and bloody run.
Later, he sent Rhodey back to 'Deal with it.'
Just how was he supposed to do that anyway? Stark had already made the problem 'go away' at the corporate level. He'd shovelled a shithook load of money onto the weird little private foundation that turned out owned the island.
Why send Rhodey at all then? Tony had muttered something about, "Insurance" and sent him off without so much as a by-your-bloody-leave.
Helluva thing.
He just knew none of his other ol' 'Nam buddies put up with this kinda crap. Betcha damn ass they were all pulling in big money flying commercial heavies themselves; none of this covert para-military shit for them, no sir!
Christ. With his luck maybe one of them had been piloting the bloody Oceanic plane...wouldn't that be a kicker!
Easy Jim.
Coincidences that big just don't happen.
As the clouds slid by Rhodey thought about his 'Nam bros.
A-Number One pilots all. Austin, MacReady, O'Niell, Colonel Blackhawk...even that Looney Toons madman Murdoch and his tech Sgt. with the Bad Attitude, Bosco Baracus. (Awesome mechanic!)
Hell, they'd never believe what old Rhodey was up to nowadays....
Shoot, all Rhodey wanted to do, all he'd ever wanted to do really, was fly.
Leastways he could still do that.
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I could easily have called this one "Rhodey's Ramble!" or indeed, "All Rhodes Lead To Chrome".
I promised myself I'd do a flying pic with an Iron Man figure and after doing the night shoot with Galactus I wanted to do something daytime outdoors. It was time to show the impact that "Irony Man's" drinking was having upon his friends, and I'd only just got the War Machine Marvel Legends figure so 'figured' the mojo was right...
In the Iron Man saga, the long suffering James "Jim" Rupert Rhodes was a U.S chopper pilot in Vietnam who helped rescue Tony Stark from the jungle after the latter had his 'Origin'. After the war, Tony hired Rhodey as his pilot and bodyguard. At one stage Rhodey started wearing Stark's War Machine combat-optimised armour, which led to Rhodey's character getting his own spin-off book...
Rather than photoshop the figure against a skyscape, I just took Rhodey outside, placed him on a piece of wire (later digitally removed) and took shot after shot until I got the right angle on the light and the right cloud and sky combo in the background.
Oh, I'm afraid I had to use that silly arse socket that's built into the figure for its flight stand to fit into. Sorry Rhodey!
The thruster burn and camera flares (all six of 'em!) are all photoshopped, and I've also done a little work around Rhodey's eyes to highlight them more.
Funny, the sky started out socked in with grey clouds, not particularly good flying weather! I was actually okay with that, it suited Rhodey's bitter mood and the text. Then, the sun came out and sang to me and War Machine looked so damn fine in the light that I went for the Knight In Shining Armour look instead.
Turned out 'ol Sol knew what I wanted better than I did. The soaring lightness is a wicked contrast to the text and underlines Rhodey's hellwithit, least I'm flyin' summation. Now that's Irony, Man!
Danbo juega al Scrabble para personalizar la página de error de mi nuevo blog www.photoinstants.com
(BEST VIEWED LARGE)
Sometimes the most Starkly simple puns take me the longest time to create a sculpture for!
Take this little bit of horseplay, for example, which revolves around the Marvel Comics character Iron Man and his secret identity, billionaire industrialist super genius Tony Stark.
It started with one "My Little Pony" type plastic toy, found in the local Opportunity Shop for fifty Aussie cents.
Add about a week's worth of sculpted Iron Man armour made from the two part epoxy putty, Milliput. Dye the mane and tail red. Paint the wee little beastie....
Oh, and then add accessories sculpted from Super Sculpey...
A nosebag full of yummy micromachine Nanoats....
A tub for refreshing oil.....
And a hi-tech hover-grooming brush
(suggested by Bethany over at the Advanced Iron, Iron Man fansite; ta Beth!)....the brush itself used to be for toothy pegs.
I've shot the picture against a small fern amidst some nicely scaled ground cover using natural daylight filtered through some overhead laserlight plastic.
"My Little Tony" stands about 8cm tall, er, that's half a 'hand' at the withers!
With the paint job I was trying for a 'worn toy' look, with a little bit of the styling of a chess piece.
Yes, the visor hinges open, as you'll see in the next picture.
Funny, everyone who sees this combo in the flesh picks up the grooming brush and has a go....
Dejar de alimentar a los Cerdos Capitalistas que nos estrujan día a día.
Stop feeding Capitalist Pigs which oppress us every day.
Reto 30 días de verano para foteros. www.flickr.com/groups/30diasfoteros
👢Join me for Country Western Night at WAP Karaoke and Hangout this Saturday, August 12 @ 8 PM SLT. Giveaways and paid trivia as always! maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ryo/130/209/1940
🐄You do not have to sing any country or western songs, this is just the theme! So put on your finest assless chaps and make your way to WAP! Be sure to check out our many areas, including a HUGE Barbie World with tons of photo areas!
🐷Thank you to #highv for sponsoring the WAP Western Night Setup. Creator Autumn Yap makes a wide variety of items. Usually they are hilarious, but also very well made, and lots of cute home decor. You really have to check out her store!
🐷[high v.] trap farm -The pink trap farm is an unique and whimsical place, combining practical farming techniques with a playful and colorful design.
Comes with a ton of items for decor. Tractor and cow milking stool are animated. Holdable eggs and chickens. Includes pink barn backdrop, tractor, cows, chickens, chicks, henhouse, eggs, ground hay, moving clouds, tree and more. This is especially an awesome set if you're a Barbie girl!
High V. Marketplace marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/173299
High V. In-World
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Morning%20Twilight/70/11/32
High V. IG www.instagram.com/secondlifehighv/
#Barbie #BarbieEvent #SecondLife #BarbieGirl
#BarbieWorld #BarbieLand #Ken #BarbieandKen
#DreamHouse #BarbieParty #LifeInPlastic #Dolly
#BarbieMovie #karaoke #SecondLifeEvent
#SLEvents #WAP #WAPHangout
Because of my recent travels, giving me my first opportunity to use the excellent Citylink Air service, I was unable to attend this months meeting of the Model Bus Scotland group, of which I am one of the admins. The meeting theme was “independent operators” and so, to make up for missing the meeting, I had a little photoshoot of some of my independent’s coach models. Featuring a majority of Code 3 (officially manufactured models, altered, repainted etc without the makers knowledge), these pictures include models of; Henderson Travel (Hamilton). Stuarts of Carluke, Hutchison of Overtown. McKindless (Newmains)
In this picture a trio of passengers wait for their bus as a Stuarts of Carluke, Van Hool Alizee coach passes by en-route into Glasgow on the 240X service from Lanark. This is a Code 3 adaption of a Corgi Code 1 release. It has been resprayed and custom waterslide transfers applied to represent a company of whom no mass produced models exist. It is based upon and bears the Vehicle Registration Mark of a real Stuarts Van Hool - TSV 266
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Rather amusingly, Doctor Who and Iron Man were both 'created' in 1963...with Iron Man being a few months 'older' than the Doctor.
Iron Man - First Appearance - Tales of Suspense #39 March 1963
The Doctor - First Appearance - BBC televison 23 November 1963
Tony Stark woke up after a particularly epic night out on the tiles.
As usual, the details were impressively fuzzy around the edges.
He'd ended up crashing a Mecha rave....where robots, cyborgs and other hardwaring machinos partied their nuts and bolts off.
So when the slinky Cyberwoman had oiled up to him and offered him a "Wild upgrade" he'd nodded, winked and staggered after her shiny chrome socketed swivel joints....
It's all wicked fun until someone loses an eye.
And an arm.
And a leg.
And a torso.
And....all that squidgy wetware.
Ah well.
Sooner or later Stark always knew he'd end up full metal jacketed with no soft centre.
He wasn't quite sure how this was going to play out long term....
But as for now....
RIGHT now....
He knew one thing, for sure.
The bloody Daleks were in for a world of hurt.
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I'm not the first or last person to notice that the new Doctor Who Cybermen design is rather similar to Iron Man's armour.
So, always up for a silly custom modification or new scratchbuilt design I thought I'd follow the thought through to its logical conclusion.
(As if logic and I are on speaking terms!)
Anyway, I popped down to one of our local pop culture shops, Minotaur, and picked up a Cyberman toy....
I used Procreate epoxy to modify the Cyberman action figure's faceplate to resemble a typical Iron Man visor and the chestplate insignia became Stark's signature uni-beam emitter.
The re-paint took a bit of planning, but I think makes the point.
The set is simply a few junked printed circuit boards (I've been waiting for the right opportunity to use 'em!), and a couple of tricked up torch bodies.
(Thanks Eddy, and Callum for the extra materials!)
Not up on Doctor Who or Cybermen?
Here y'go.
¿Quién dijo que el ejército imperial solo estaba formado de clones? De vez en cuando también reclutan a toys de la calle XD
After last years reports of several breaking and entering in private homes, the police was on high alert this christmas.
After weeks of preparations and stake-outs, they finally caught the perpertrator just as he was leaving a house with a sack full of goods.
09/52X - Círculo
A Batman le ha dado por explorar nuevos horizontes subterráneos, así que tubería que ve, tubería en la que se mete a pesar de que no calcule bien su tamaño y en ocasiones se quede atascado. Eso le pasa por viciarse al Super Mario Bros.
Wall-E a aprovechado estos días de fiesta para salir a tomar muchas fotos ;)
***
Wall-E used these holidays to go out and take lots of pictures ;)
(BEST VIEWED LARGE)
"Trust me Stark, y'got my personal guarantee there's absolutely no alcohol in this..."
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(Anthony Stark and Bender the Robot are trained cybernetically augmented professional alcoholics. Do not try this at home unless 'home' happens to be Krypton, Kronos, or Arkham Asylum. Besides, it's not booze, it's really just a no-name brand cola.)
Another shot taken on the "Stark Laboratory" set. Gotta love the Marvel legends action figures..so articulate! (Pity this is a silent picture.) Oddly enuff, I didn't know I.M's visor came off until I took this picture...if I had I might have used him as the stunt-drinker ("Make mine a double!") in the first Irony Man group scene. Or is that the second? Stark's in charge of continuity and he's...you know. Either that or I've Lucased the episode numbers.
That Bender, what a trooper! (And he works for booze.) It's the figure that comes with the Suicide Booth. This Mark of I.M is the Silver Centurion variant. They've done a fine job with the face sculpt in particular.
Piccky's lit from above using a halogen globe floorlamp bounced off the ceiling plus a desklamp for additional fill. Not much photoshopping in this one. Sharpened the label on the bottle of Old Fortran and brightened Bender's teeth. Oh, and the border...which is digital and not down to drinking. Really.
Retos de la Familia Fotera // Reto XI - Juguetes // Toys
En esta ocasión, Wall-E quiso ir en busca de amigos para compartir un día tan especial para él. Pero parece que le salió rana el tema, pues el Rabbid optó por secuestrarlo. BWAAAAAAAA!!!
+info www.thinkinfreak.com/blog/2011/10/12/retojuguetes-la-foto/
Hoy es Lunes de Pascua y Junior ha decidido pintar un huevo al estilo Eva, delante de la orgullosa mirada de sus padres. Todo un artista ¿verdad?
¡¡Feliz Lunes de Pascua!!
Retos de la Familia Fotera // Reto 7 muñecos // 7 Toys - 3/7
Y todavía estamos a miércoles, hasta los Clone Troopers se consuelan
1 mois avec une poupée nommée Ghoulia / 1 month with a doll named Ghoulia > album
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Une photo, une chanson / A photo, a song
Joe Dassin - Siffler sur la colline : www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IY1fNs0Tps
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"I may never learn, never know
I may live and learn but never know
I may crash and burn, oh no
I may take my turn..." *
(*Babyshambles "What Katy Did Next" Down In Albion album)
Katy broke off singing and with a flick of her foreleg began to shyly groom her long antennae, pausing only to throw a coy compound eyed glance at the Incredible Shrinking Iron Man.
Tiny Tony Stark inclined his helmet sympathetically. "So...you were an invalid when you were a young bug but now thanks to your exoskeleton you can walk again?" Stark smiled sadly beneath his visor. "Well, y'know, I get where you're coming from with that...time was, without MY armour I couldn't walk either. "
The miniaturised marvel paused, remembering, "The bullet that was meant to kill me hit my spine instead and left me crippled. Her name...her name was Kathleen Dare and I didn't do right by her...."
"There's a lesson I have learnt
If you play with fire you will get burnt
Hell hath no fury
Like woman scorned."
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Gail spotted this large Common Garden Katydid under the eaves so naturally, I hauled out a ladder, the camera, and Tiny Tony and clambered up to 'take the shot'.
Daylight was fading and this wee beasty was looking for a place to spend the night but kindly allowed me and my diminuitive playboy billionaire pal to intrude long enough to get this picture.
Realising that the 6cm long bug was a Katydid brought to mind Susan Coolidge's mid 19th century children's book "What Katy Did" and its sequel "What Katy Did Next" where the heroine spends a large part of the novel bedridden after a bad fall. The similarity of names reminded me of Iron Man Vol.1 # 243, where a murderous former girlfriend, Kathy Dare, shot Tony Stark and damaged his spine. For a time afterwards Tony could only walk with the aid of his powered armour, and later with an implanted microchip.
Anyway, the tragic tale has parallels in the Babyshamble's song, which can be found here:
au.youtube.com/watch?v=-cTlaIetTSA
I haven't seen many Common Garden Katydids (Caedicia simplex belongs to the Tettigoniidae family) here so this was a bit of a treat for me.
The tiny Tony figure, of course, is the small figurine that I dug out of a superball type toy and repainted with enamels.
1 mois avec une poupée nommée Ghoulia / 1 month with a doll named Ghoulia > album
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Une photo, une chanson / A photo, a song
Véronique Sanson - Pour me comprendre : www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfOI7cMmXJI
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"In a minute or two the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth and yawned once or twice, and shook itself. Then it got down off the mushroom, and crawled away in the grass, merely remarking as it went, `One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter.' "
(LEWIS CARROLL "ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND")
"TONY STARK AKA THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN CAUGHT IN MAGIC MUSHROOM SCANDAL !!!"
(DAILY BUGLE HEADLINE)
"NO! No pictures!! Er, um, ahhh. No comment.
Wait! Okay.....well, just say NO to drugs kids!!"
(TONY STARK, CEO STARK INTERNATIONAL, FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE AVENGERS, DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D, FORMER U.S SECRETARY OF DEFENCE)
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This picture came about pretty much because I happened to spot sitting on one of my bookshelves the Fimo sculpture I did years ago of the little Cockney caterpillar from the movie Labyrinth.
Then I naturally thought of Alice in Wonderland and the caterpillar that's sitting on the mushroom smoking a water-pipe.
From there Iron Man/Tony Stark, that well known champion for (AGAINST, damnit, AGAINST !!) substance abuse followed almost logically....
The hardest part thereafter was sculpting up the damned hookah, which gave me pause to ponder until I realised that at this scale it was all about the bling and loaded the basic Sculpy piece I crafted with gemstones and such.
The Iron Man figure is one of the Marvel Super Hero Squad range, the Hall Of Armour set , specifically.
The hookah tubes are actually from the Marvel Select Ultimate Iron Man action figure set and are notionally 'jump starter' cables that plug into the character's forearms.
(BEST SEEN INFAMOUSLY LARGE... "STAND ASIDE, I TAKE LARGE STEPS!")
“To the last, I grapple with thee; From Hell's heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee”
(Captain Ahab. Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville/ Also quoted by Khan Noonien Singh. in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan)
Actor Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino (born Mexico City, November 25, 1920) died on January 14th, 2009.
His seventy year career in both the United States of America and Mexico spanned radio, television, movies, and theatre. A champion of U.S/Mexican friendship and active in the cause of raising the profile of latino actors. Montalbán often, during his early career in Hollywood at least, played Asian, Arab and Native American characters, as well as "Latin Lovers", particularly in musicals, where he also showcased his talents as a song and dance man. (Khan Singh? Yes. He. Can! The Powers That Be wanted him to change his name to "Ricky Martin"....a bullet he fortunately dodged!)
To science fiction and fantasy fans he was famous for his roles as Star Trek's villainous Khan Noonien Singh and Fantasy Island's Mr Roarke.
Montalbán played the 20th Century genetically engineered 'superman', Khan, twice, in the 1967 episode of classic Trek, "Space Seed" (written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber, based on a story by Carey Wilber, and directed by Marc Daniels) and fifteen years later in the second Star Trek movie, "The Wrath Of Khan". (Written by Nicholas Meyer and Jack B. Sowards, Directed by Nicholas Meyer) He was Mr Roarke in the Fantasy Island television series from 1977 to 1984. Ironically, Montalbán was replaced in the revival of Fantasy Island by Malcom McDowell, the actor whose character in the film Star Trek: Generations WOULD infamously succeed where Khan failed in bringing about the death of Captain James T. Kirk.
Genre buffs may also recall that Montalbán played the circus owner in Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971) and Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972).
Other movies he acted in included The Saracen Blade, Across The Wide Missouri, The Queen of Babylon, Sayonara, Madame X, The Singing Nun, Fiesta, Santa, La Fuga, The Naked Gun, The Kissing Bandit, Cannonball Run II and of course the Spy Kids series. It was during the filming of the 1951 Western, Across The Wide Missouri that Montalbán was reportedly injured in a riding accident, which left him with back and leg pain that would trouble him for the rest of his life, ultimately resulting in him becoming wheelchair bound after an operation in 1993. His disability does not seem to have slowed his career much, as he was still playing an action hero grandfather in a rocket assisted wheelchair in the 21st Century's Spy Kids series!
Apart from a notable roles in The Colbys and Dynasty he also appeared in person or as a voice actor on television in genre shows like Wonder Woman, Kim Possible, Heaven Help Us, Mission Impossible, Freakazoid!, The Man From Uncle, Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command and Dora The Explorer. One of his final roles was playing a genetically Engineered cow in an episode of Family Guy, where he satirised his Khan character.
I first saw Montalbán in The Saracen Blade, and kept spotting him in both movies and television, finally catching up with his Khan role in Star Trek sometime in the 1970s. It became a favourite episode and I was quite chuffed when the actor reprised his role in the second Star Trek movie. Although I was very much impressed by the first Star trek film's mix of upbeat futurism and spectacular special effects I also welcomed the more traditional space opera approach of the second film in the long running series and thought that Khan was a terrific villain, so effectively played by Montalbán exploiting his commanding voice and physical presence (still serious buff in his sixties...and apparently into his seventies as well!).
I saw both films far more times than I did Star Wars, and those first two movies helped consolidate what I expect will be a lifelong love of Star Trek. Happily, Star Trek was also instrumental in helping to give me an enduring interest in general literature, supplementing my passion for science fiction and fantasy. Captain Kirk was always quoting this or that book, which, with the help of Bjos Trimble's Star Trek Concordance I would then dutifully track down and devour. (Trivia note: Ironically, I would later go on to contribute Khan related illustrations, amongst other artwork, to a later edition of the Concordance.)
The Wrath Of Khan, famously, contains a shuttlecraft full of references, from the copy of A Tale of Two Cities that Spock gives as a birthday gift to Kirk, to the ramshackle bookshelf of titles that Chekov discovered in the cargo containers that Khan and his followers made as their home when marooned on the doomed Ceti Alpha V. (Incidentally, Khan's original spaceship was the S.S Botany Bay, a name guaranteed to make any Aussie sit up and take notice..)
The books were chosen for the film to reflect Khan's vengeful, arrogant mindset, and he quotes extensively from that epic Whale's Tail of obsessive revenge, Moby-Dick. There's also a couple of copies of Milton's "Paradise Lost" (qouted in Space Seed), King Lear, Dante's Inferno and a Bible.
I had copies of most of these books from the 1980s and coupled with some Micromachines Star Trek starships (U.S.S Enterprise and the hijacked U.S.S Reliant) I thought these would make an appropriate setting to display the 6 inch Art Asylum Khan Action Figure. There's a couple of books that I left out, such as what looks to be 'mundane' Federation guide to Statutes Governing Commerce and what may be a Complete Works Of Shakespeare. I've never been religious so it's charitable of me to include the Bible, but it seems to me that Khan, if anything, soaked up all the 'wrathful' content ("An eye for an eye"). Setting them up as monolithic steps seemed to work well, and for the base how could I possibly bypass a length of "Soft Corinthian leather...." (To quote one of R.M's automobile commercials)
Photoshop was my ally for eliminating assorted rigging and providing a suitably dark and stormy spacescape as well as creating firey phaser blasts for Khan to smite poor Enterprise, harpooning his nemesis in best Ahabian tradition...
Ricardo Montalbán was, by all accounts, a remarkably chivalrous and unfailingly polite old school gentleman so it does him something of a disservice to memorialise him by referencing the tyrannical Khan.
Still, what a great role for an actor!
And what a great inspiration for the young Trekker that I was back then. I fondly recall writing a long fan story about Khan's adventures on Ceti Alpha V, where he fought and defeated the survivors of a Klingon shipwreck...collecting an old Klingon proverb or two as a trophy. ("Reveng is a dish best served cold"...is actually Sicilian, but what's an attribution amongst enemies!) Little did I know back then that Greg Cox would expand splendidly on the whole Khan saga in his trilogy "The Rise & Fall Of Khan Noonien Singh" or that the supermen/augments would later feature in Star Trek: Enterprise. Vonda McIntyre also did a wonderful job expanding upon the movie script and Khan's character. amongst others, in her sophisticated novelization.
But it all started with Ricardo, and his masterful turn as Khan.....
(BEST VIEWED APOCALYPTICALLY LARGE)
WINE ENOUGH AT LAST......
Billionaire Industrialist/Inventor Tony Stark had been jolted awake on the morning of the Last Day by the shrill alarm of his private Orbital Satellite Surveillance System.
Cutting right through his hangover the never-before-heard siren instantly shocked him stone cold sober.
There was no time to feel the absolute horror of watching the multiple launch tracks of nuclear tipped ballistic and cruise missiles arcing across the monitor....
No time!
No time to warn anyone....
No time to play the hero one final time....
Only time to leap inside and button up the experimental specialist armour he'd designed and built as an exercise, never really believing he'd ever have to use it.
Time to see how truly Invincible Iron Man really was as the atomic mushrooms sprouted all around him....
As the glowing death winds roared and the fallout shrouded the world Stark screamed within the confines of his Self-Contained Cataclysmic Protection Environment Module.
Armoured against Doomsday itself.
Even with the suit's overpowered shielding it was days before he deemed it safe enough to dig himself out of the collapsed ruins of the Stark International Tower....
Doomsday plus ten.
The Doomsday Armour was more bulldozer than suit. Fit to cut through the rubble of a civilization in search of...
Survivours?
No.
Nothing human at least.
He was the Last Man on Earth.
The Last Iron Man.
And then he'd found....the Last Bottle.
Protected by a fallen building. Covered by pulverised concrete. Unbroken.
For the second wonder, his Giger Counters told him it wasn't 'hot'.
Last call for drinks then.
But....
The Doomsday Armour was radiation-proof, blast-proof, toxin-resistant, and capable of near indefinite self-contained life-support thanks to advanced molecular nanotech recyclers that would have netted him another fortune if there'd been anyone left to file a patent with and sell it to...
All that mind-boggling technology and it had never occurred to him that he might want to simply take a drink from something he'd find lying around.
There was no way to do so without cracking open his helmet and exposing himself to nuclear hell.
There was no one left to hear but he kicked in his external speakers anyway.
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!! THERE WAS WINE ENOUGH AT LAST !!
THERE WAS WINE ENOUGH...AT LAST...."
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Many years ago in the Iron Man Comics they ran a series of whimiscal 'gag' armour designs that Tony Stark scribbled in the wee hours of the morning. A bloke called "The Collector" posted them at the Advanced Iron fan website recently, here:
www.themaxx.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/pics/im2.jpg
I remembered thinking the Doomsday Armour was pretty silly when I first saw it but running into it again now, while I'm playing with scratchbuilding I.M figures, thought it too good to pass up.
So, here we go!
The figure is made from FIMO and Supersculpey oven fireable polymer modelling clay, with limited articulation built into the arms and head. The 'bulldozer' section has wheels in the base.
The post-atomic landscape is built from styrofoam with assorted bits of rubble from my spare parts store plus some old rabbit bones and...the skull from the D.C Comics hero, Deadman.
Yes, those are Henry Bemis' broken glasses from the famous Twilight Zone episode Time Enough At Last....and as for the green sign, well, you may know Burt Gummer from the Tremors series of movies.
I decided to weather the armour, especially the 'dozer skirts, quite heavily, for obvious reasons!
(BEST EATEN LARGE)
THIS EASTER, FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE EGGENDARY ARMOURS OF THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN !!
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Easter is a testing time for a cheerful atheist like myself when I struggle with the unsettling realisation that I actually DO worship....chocolate!
Forgive me, for I know not what I eat.
Anyway, how could I resist combining two favourite passions in one sweet picture?
Taken in my makeshift light tent, using natural daylight and some overhead fluorescents.
The armours are all Marvel Legends figures, from left to right, the classic Gold and Red suit, Golden Avenger and the Stealth Variant.
Latest from my "Life in Plastic" series.
It would be awful hard taking a bath in a little plastic tub with no running water.
23 de abril, un día para disfrutar de la cultura, los libros, pasear por las Ramblas de Barcelona y disfrutar de las numerosas actividades que se preparan, para tan especial ocasión.
Este año, para variar un poco, he querido hacer una “libre adaptación” de la leyenda de Sant Jordi, (por así decirlo) que podéis ver y leer en el siguiente link ;)
+info: thinkinfreak.com/blog/2013/04/23/felic-sant-jordi-2013/
Why do I doubt these guys when they tell me these things? Left it pretty late tonight, the troopers wanted to watch a few things on TV and refused to move from the couch. What can ya do?
(BEST VIEWED LARGE)
GAEA, THE EARTH MOTHER GODDESS, REJECTED GALACTUS OUT OF HAND AFTER HE HAD DEVOURED ALL LIFE ON HER WORLD, "I WOULDN'T MARRY YOU IF YOU WERE THE LAST BEING IN THE COSMOS !!!"
GALACTUS ACCEPTED HER CONDITIONS, "DONE."
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This attempt to put the "Gal" back into "Galactus" was way too tricksy. I shot the very large action figures (around 40 to 45 centimetres tall apiece) seperately just so I could keep them in focus, then isolated them in photoshop, where I also painted the devastated Earthscape.
The somewhat tedious bit was putting the straw and feathers back into Marilyn's headdress. Lots of feathery fun.
The lighting provided lots of amusement. I set the figures up on a light box so I'd get a nice soft glow coming from beneath them. Used a super bright L.E.D to highlight the Big G's face and a masked off torch to light up his hand. Simon Imberger, a filmmaking chum, has supplied me with some black foil and a good selection of cloth scrims to help grade the lights with.
I didn't mess with Ms. Monroe much lighting wise, just a bit of scrim over the bulb to soften her already creamy features a bit. I had to rig her gown with a fair bit of invisible thread to get that swirl on the hem.
The Galactus is the Marvel Legends composite action figure, and Marilyn is my partner Gail's most excellent Franklin Mint doll.
The concept of Marilyn as a giant personification of Gaea comes from John Varley's epic Science Fiction trilogy (Titan/Wizard/Demon) which I think is one of the jewels in the crown of the genre.
Except, now I've seen Galactus in "The Superhero Squad Show" with the amazing George Takei doing the character's voice this probably takes a whole new, even more bemusing meaning! Good on you George, hilarious performance!
Retos de la Familia Fotera // Reto 7 muñecos // 7 Toys - 4/7
Hay quién va tachando los días laborables y el pobre a quién le toca limpiar lo que otros grafitean
12/52X - Autorretrato
Batman también se ha apuntado a la moda de los selfies y el palito, así que ahí lo tenemos con su amiguito Lego Batman.
1 mois avec une poupée nommée Ghoulia / 1 month with a doll named Ghoulia > album
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Une photo, une chanson / A photo, a song
-M- - Nostalgic du cool : www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVELUITXL5I
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Retos de la Familia Fotera // Reto VIII - Transparecia // transparency
Descarte para el Reto transparencia organizado por la Familia Fotera.
Superheroes...setting an example for the rest of us with affirmative action!
Thanks to Tony Stark, The Invincible Iron Man, ALL public toilets now have an Iron Men's Room.....
Complete with Fuel Tank Flushers, Radioactive Waste Purgers and
Battery Change Room.
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I carry a Marvel Comics Iron Man action figure around with me, not so much for psychological comfort but for photo-ops like this one.
Spotted this sign on the Elephant Trail at the Melbourne Zoo and was immensely chuffed that the universal Men/Women symbols were the right scale for Iron Man to fit in. The proximity to the "MAKE A DIFFERENCE!" sign was additional gold.
He's held on using super-magnetism (well, okay, non surface damaging yellowtac!) and I swear on my honour as an Avenger that No Harm Was Done To Any Signage...it was split that way to begin with! Iron Man DID NOT suffer a Sudden Gaseous Pressure Emission in spite of the suspicious proximity of his backside to the, er, crack in the sign.
The figure is the 1994 Toy Biz modular armour one. It's a nice size, has limited articulation and is immediately recognizable as Iron Man....plus isn't that hard to obtain so if, say, a lion or Great White Shark eats it or somesuch while I'm out on location I'll not shed too many tears.
Retos de la Familia Fotera // Reto XXXIV - HDR
Reto número 34 a la Familia Fotera y en esta ocasión, quisimos darle una oportunidad a la controvertida técnica del HDR.
Un #RetoHDR en el que Wall-E, que siempre anda entre mis pies, también quiso ayudar.
Como nota freak del reto, tengo que decir que la foto la hice conectando el Samsung Galaxy SII a la réflex, usando la aplicación para Android DSLR Controller (como explicaban hace unos días en ALTfoto). Desde el Smartphone hay control total permitiéndote modificar el parámetro que quieras (velocidad, apertura, ISO,…) y visualizando después las fotos sin tener que moverte. Además, tiene una opción HDR donde ya te dispara él solito las diferentes fotos para que después las puedas combinar con el Photomatix Pro ;)
Muy práctico para autoretratos de pies y para fotos a la altura de Wall-E jejeje… quien sabe, quizás ahora no esté tanto por los suelos O__o
La navidad es época de tradiciones y nuestros soldados imperiales, en uno de sus viajes a lejanas Galaxias, descubrieron al “Caga Tió”. Una tradición que se celebra desde hace siglos en Cataluña y Aragón y que ahora el Imperio, ha decidido adoptarla en la Estrella de la Muerte...
1 mois avec une poupée nommée Ghoulia / 1 month with a doll named Ghoulia > album
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Une photo, une chanson / A photo, a song
Desireless - Voyage Voyage : www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7YJoGXs2i8
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