Trekathalon TOS: 1-11 The Menagerie Part 1

Meet George Jetson!

Watched this one on IMDB, so no mewling over updated effects!  Instead I will lavish praise on the old ones.  See that landscape?  That is beautiful.  The matte painter did an excellent job.  It's that kind of thing that fires a kid's imagination.

The episode?  Not bad for a bookended-clip-show.  All this time, I thought Kirk was being court-marshaled for causing Pike to be horribly burned.  None of that is accurate.

Oddly enough, I think I've seen The Cage more then either of the episodes that proceeded it.

I made this!

Norman

Well, some of it anyway.  The base figure is an Onell Design Glyos Founder.  I sculpted the head, hands, and feet from Sculpy Primo.  The paint job is a mix of spray enamel and acrylics.

It's got it's messy bits, but I'm very happy with it, and I think the figure's recepient was too, as this was part of the 2010 Glyos Exchange (they called it secret santa, but I don't celebrate christmas. Also, most of the exchange figures won't be shipped until after the holiday anyway).

The design is a sort of hybrid between the Dr. Who Mondas Cybermen, and their White Robot servants.

Trekathlon TOS: 1-10 The Corbomite Manuever

"This way to the probulator!"

Yay, a classic episode I that surpasses my recollections!  Very enjoyable, even Anthony D. Call, as the insubordinate Lt. Crazypants, who redeems himself by volunteering to keep Clint Howard company.

Was there any paperwork with that?  Did they leave him some food?  Clothes?  Cursory review of Clint Howard's cultural practices?  No?  Ok then; the Federation played fast and loose those days (It's never been called the federation yet, wonder when that became a series staple).

An aside about the updated effects: I still dislike the updated effects.  The new cube-probe-thingy looks like the old cube-probe-thingy, so why do it?  Clint Howard's Disco-Death-Ship is now a well defined metallic sphere, covered in yellow domes and ductwork, removing the ominous mystery of the original effect.

There's Ted Cassidy again as the voice of Balok's puppet.

Why I should Never Start a Business

So that tidy profit I made on ebay?  Funny story: the one big Transformer that I had made the profit with?  Turns out, I had super glued parts of it together, making it useless as a Transformer.

Of course, I only remembered this when I was packing it to ship out.  Now my Japanese buyer is most likely very confused by his refund, and I'm in the red.

Sometimes I wish I was smart.

Ebay Follow up.

Thanks to everyone who bid on my last round of ebay items.  I offered free international shipping, so I'm going to lose my shirt on a few items, but made a tidy sum on some others.

Also I will be shipping to Italy for the first time.  I am filled with trepidation on that one.

Live and learn!  Thanks again.

Nostalgia buttons

Hahaha, yesterdays post, whew.  So sad and dreary.  Sorry.  How about some nostalgia:

At a Target near you.

A reproduction of circa 1980 Star Wars packaging, with modern day action figures.  I have a sinking feeling I'm going to buy this, despite have no money or space for it.  Just look at those clean, beautiful graphics!  And there's a Lando!  And Luke's arm comes off!  Sure hasbro has done the retro thing before, but this time, they went whole-hog.
Picture from Rebulscum.com, head over there for a complete review.

Momentum Loss

It's been a dark winter in my corner of the pacific northwest, and inertia builds up fast.  Our Winter Death Blast 2010 didn't materialize, it's just our usual damp and cold.  You would think I would be used to it after 29 years.

The nights seem darker somehow. The road swallows light like a black hole, reflections look greasy and mean.  The night is malevolent, and I simply want to stay in bed.

Trekathalon resumes soon.