#hurricaneida

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #320: Toymaking Updates and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 8

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #320: Toymaking Updates and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 8

https://archive.org/download/podcast-320/Podcast%20320.mp3

This past week, I have finally got around to making the mold for the Beverly Switzler minifigure. I made a two part mold that attempted to protect what I figured would be a delicate area of the figure (the neck of the guitar) but the realized after the facts that certain other delicate parts, like the guitar strap, would probably get caught in the mold and not make it out successfully. So that part I may have to add later. Here are some steps involved:

Add a clay backing to make one half…

Then preparing for the second layer, including adding a bunch of air vents …

A quick video showing the pouring of the mold:

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A post shared by Joshua Blum 📘🎨 Author & Artist (@the13thhr)

And now, speaking of which, back to the duck! The zaniness continues in this eighth reading of the movie novelization Ellis Weiner, based on the screenplay by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz. This is the infamous section of the story where Howard and Beverly almost hook up … or do they? 🙂 It’s handled here in the novel much less awkwardly than in the film, I must say!

Lastly, all proceeds to The Thirteenth Hour Studio on Etsy over Sept will be donated to the Red Cross (RedCross.org) for Hurricane Ida Relief. Check the link below to support those affected, still in the midst of the pandemic, with 80s retro art (music-books-toys). Your purchases help those in need get back on their feet!

https://etsy.me/34VP4tf

Stay tuned for more!

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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #319: Toymaking Updates and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 7

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #319: Toymaking Updates and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 7

https://archive.org/download/podcast-319/Podcast%20319.mp3

This past week, I’ve made some toy progress: 1.) on my Alumilite resin experiment – just finished this translucent metallic blue Rocketeer (Pledge Floor Polish really helps to bring back the sheen after sanding), as well as 2.) with the 5 POA Kenner-style Logan and Aurora from The Thirteenth Hour. Logan is basically ready to go. Aurora needs a few more details but is about 80% complete. Once these guys are done, it will be time for making the molds and casting the pieces. The exciting part will be assembling the pieces to see how they all fit together.

Also, I want to thank all of you who took the time to write in and leave reviews on Apple Podcasts. The process of doing so should be easier than it actually is, especially for all the non-Apple users. Don’t worry if you tried but it didn’t work. Just posting it on social media and tagging me works great, too, and frankly, is probably a hell of lot easier. Game developer Antonio Scacchetti, who left one of the reviews, was on the show twice before (see episode 123 and the 2 parter: 252 & 252). Check out Dev9k for more info on their projects!

And now, speaking of which, back to the duck! The zaniness continues in this sixth reading of the movie novelization Ellis Weiner, based on the screenplay by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz. This is the section of the story where Howard rage quits, gets in a bar fight, and reunites with Beverly.

This week’s bit of 80s trivia comes in the form of inventor and entrepreneur Sir Clive Sinclair, who sadly passed away recently. He was instrumental in developing the pocket calucator and personal computer for the masses. He also happened to shar a last name with a certain actor in the 1991 film of The Rocketeer, so I used that as a way to throw in a bit of 80s trivia in the short story, “The Last Rocketeer,” which you can read here. It always seemed to me that Cliff Secord would have liked video games if they’d been invented in his day, so I figured why shouldn’t he get to enjoy them in his golden years? 1983, to be exact.

https://etsy.me/34VP4tf

Stay tuned for more!

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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #318: Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 6

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #316: Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 4

https://archive.org/download/podcast-318/Podcast%20318.mp3

This past week, I’ve been experimenting with a new clear resin made by the company Alumilite, testing it out with some of my old molds just to get the hang out it. It takes a lot longer to cure and is a bit more fiddly / messy than the others I’ve used, but each resin has its own personality, so to speak, and I like the option of being able to make clear or translucent figures, which is what this one can do. Here’s an example of a Rocketeer one I started:

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A post shared by Joshua Blum 📘🎨 Author & Artist (@the13thhr)

At this point, I have a prototype of the 5 POA Kenner-style Logan from The Thirteenth Hour (I was running low on primer here and just had a bit or blue and silver paint/primer left, leaving him looking like the Tinman from The Wizard of Oz, though that will mostly get sanded down in the finishing process). There is also the start to one for Aurora (made so far from a She-Ra torso and legs – picked because it was one of the few figures like this that came with a skirt – and an Erica (from Red Dawn) head (since she has the great 80s big hair).

Logan here post sculpting, pre priming …

Post priming, pre sanding …

Aurora is kitbashed from two Reaction figures, as mentioned above. I thought they did a really nice job on the head sculpt. Usually these figures look kind of generic, but this one actually looks like the actress (Lea Thompson, who, ironically was Beverly in Howard the Duck). Since Aurora’s personality and hair was modeled in part on Beverly from Howard the Duck, it was a nice coincidence that I could find a head sculpt that worked for this figure. More to come in the coming weeks …

And now, speaking of which, back to the duck! The zaniness continues in this sixth reading of the movie novelization Ellis Weiner, based on the screenplay by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz. This is the section of the story where Howard storms out of the museum, strikes out on his own, and tries to get a job.

Totally random, but check out this Kool-Aid ad / pamphlet from probably the late 80s or early 90s. My mother in law saved it, and it made its way to our house. I thought, “I must share these gems with the world.” And here it is … enjoy! And if anyone has tried a blue Kool Aid – Jello smoothie, I would love to know what you thought.