2012 New Space Diorama - Pt 5

Just a quick update on the space diorama. Last night I spray painted the bottom edge of the board. I still had a nearly full can of the Krylon gloss black spray paint used on the Pfalz-bei-Kaub diorama and so I used it! It's normally made for plastics and the base is made of pre-primered MDF, but I figured it would be okay - and it was. I wanted to paint the border first before detailing the top of the base because I was afraid that any details may have been lifted off or smudged when removing the masking tape. Enjoy!

The diorama has been cacooned in masking tape and paper

Paint applied

The display as it looks right now. Next step is to somehow detail the top of the base. Still workin' on that one in my head though!

Errtl #36685 1/18 scale Munsters Koach

Today Toys & Stuff forgoes Train Time to bring you a Halloween treat, the classic and iconic 'Munsters Koach' in glorious 1/18 scale!

"The Munsters is an American television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. It stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and the wholesome family fare of the era, and was produced by the creators of Leave It to Beaver. It ran concurrently with The Addams Family.

The series aired at night once a week in black-and-white on CBS from September 24, 1964 to May 12, 1966, for 70 episodes. It was broadcast weekly on BBC1 in the UK. It was canceled after ratings dropped to a low due to the premiere of ABC's Batman, which was in full color. Though ratings were low during its initial two-year run, The Munsters grew in popularity during decades of syndication. This popularity warranted a spin-off series, as well as several films, including one with a theatrical release. On October 26, 2012, NBC aired a modern reimagining of The Munsters called Mockingbird Lane."

--extract frpm wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Munsters

The Munsters was one of my favorite shows as a youngster and it was always hoot watching Herman and Grandpa launch into some scheme that you knew would ultimately backfire. One of the coolest aspects of the show were the vehicles. The car was built by Baris Kustom Industries headed by George Baris, who also designed the iconic Batmobile for the 1966 'Batman' series. They designed both the Koach and later in the series, the Drag-U-La hot rod. It's combination of Old World elements with updated hot rod styling made it an instant hit.

It wasn't long before AMT put out a plastic kit - which I had as a kid and thoroughly enjoyed. Over the years various incarnations of the Koach would appear as kits or die-cast toys such as this one. Ertl had previously put out a die-cast Koach that was always hard to find at a reasonable price. In 2003 they released this version using new tooling but I simply don't know what the difference is between the two. Sometimes, because of their popularity, it becomes difficult finding one at a reasonable price. Of course, one can always buy the smaller 1/64 scale version for just a few dollars.

At 1/18 scale the Koach is pretty big at 10 1/2" (26.7cm) L. All six doors on the rig open and the front wheels turn left and right (but not by using the steeering wheel). The seats have a red flocking applied to them to give the appearance of fabric. My toy has a slightly crooked windshield - it does not seat flush to the body and looks tilted. The Koach is a kool klassic kar from a popular TV series and a must for the kollector of the odd and kool! Enjoy!

Dragonsite.com #AB20015 Ignis (Fire)

Can't forget to get my Dragon of the month in for October. Today's offering is Dragonsite.com's #AB20015 Ignis (Fire). It's a colorful beast looking as if it was born of a volcano. Enjoy!