The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #335: Upcoming Plans and Updates on Current Projects

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #335: Upcoming Plans and Updates on Current Projects

https://archive.org/download/podcast-335/Podcast%20335.mp3

In this episode, a few updates:

1.) the last episode of the month for the next few months will have a Q and A segment.  Submit your questions via email or on social media (or if on Patreon, via messaging me there or commenting on the most recent post) to be a part of the show.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be Thirteenth Hour or 80s related – anything you like or think would be interesting to discuss.  Have fun with it!

2.) A few pics of the Lego Rocketeer minifigures I’ve been working on.  They’re about 95% done.  Just some touch ups needed then will begin work on the packaging.  

3.) A picture of the current state of The Thirteenth Hour action figures.  Just a few paint touch ups there, also, and then will start assembling the figures. 

4.) Speaking of figures, I was thinking I’ve used this little bookshelf to take some pictures before, but I thought I’d use it more since it has a lot of my influences in book form! 

5.) Introducing my kids to resin over the past few weeks has been entertaining (and messy).  We’re making keychains here with a combo of Thirteenth Hour illustrations, Batman 1989 pictures, and Rocketeer stills.  The kit we received came with these little molds perfect for making keychain and charm pendants (and just right for small fingers).

The finished products!

@13thhr

Experimenting with translucent resin and some #ThirteenthHour novel and the #Rocketeer cartoon for keychains. And yes, #createdonthate 🌈 #booktok

♬ The Thirteenth Hour Theme (Synth Orchestra) – Joshua Blum

6.) Lastly, check out this meditative youtube playlist.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEw1Y93zEv0qIPKp444imEBBASYxNrPYU

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Protect yourself and others with the Thirteenth Hour mask combo package on Etsy.  This fall, it became really hard to find good quality masks for our kids as they were going back to school.  There are still long wait times for some of the companies we like best, so I thought, why not try to find an alternative?  I eventually settled on the triple layer masks available for printing on by the company Flashbay.  They were one of the few companies I found that were transparent about their third party safety data (Junior: https://static.flashbay.com/images/certificates/Junior_REACH.pdf?v=1617870020, Adult: https://static.flashbay.com/images/certificates/Sky_Performance.pdf?v=1603078812), which is nice.  I was impressed by how well these masks performed on the filtration tests, even after repeat washings.  Also, I really liked how both the ears and nose piece could be adjusted for a good fit.

The Thirteenth Hour mask combo also comes with Thirteenth Hour hand sanitizer! (But of course.)

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #334: 2021 Year in Review and A Look at 2022

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #334: 2021 Year in Review and A Look at 2022

https://archive.org/download/podcast-334/Podcast%20334.mp3

Welcome to 2022!

In this episode, I’m reflecting back on the last year and planning for next.  2021 was a good year for the show (despite being a difficult year globally).  I’m going to focus more this year on planning out episodes (including the more intentional scheduling of guests) to make it all a bit more systematic and organized than it has been in the past (which, up up until ow, was basically just an extension of whatever I was doing creatively at the time).

I’d also like to engage my listener base more, so if you have any suggestions, questions, comments, or requests for the show, please let me know!  I’m going to try an experiment for a few months, making the last show of the month (1/31/22 in this month’s case to have a Q and A segment).  More to come in the coming weeks.  Listeners can also leave messages via voice on the main website (found on on the audio –> Thirteenth Hour podcast section):

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast

A few updates on a few creative projects I’ve been wrapping up:

These were some resin bookmarks I made with my kids – their first introduction to resin art and mica powder:

A few pictures on the Lego Rocketeer figures I’ve been slowing working on.  The packs are almost done; just wrapping up some details on the painting.

The figures will probably look something like this (an early draft):

Speaking of painting, the Kenner style Thirteenth Hour figures are almost done.  Some heads of Aurora and Logan:

What Aurora will probably look like when done (she is in her outfit from the part of the book where she fights a dragon):

I also added little magnets to Logan’s boots to allow him to easily connect to Lightning, his hoverboard (which will be his accessory).

Wishing you the best as you begin a new year!

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Protect yourself and others with the Thirteenth Hour mask combo package on Etsy.  This fall, it became really hard to find good quality masks for our kids as they were going back to school.  There are still long wait times for some of the companies we like best, so I thought, why not try to find an alternative?  I eventually settled on the triple layer masks available for printing on by the company Flashbay.  They were one of the few companies I found that were transparent about their third party safety data (Junior: https://static.flashbay.com/images/certificates/Junior_REACH.pdf?v=1617870020, Adult: https://static.flashbay.com/images/certificates/Sky_Performance.pdf?v=1603078812), which is nice.  I was impressed by how well these masks performed on the filtration tests, even after repeat washings.  Also, I really liked how both the ears and nose piece could be adjusted for a good fit.

The Thirteenth Hour mask combo also comes with Thirteenth Hour hand sanitizer! (But of course.)

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #326: Toymaking Updates, Watching The Crow Part 2, and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 13

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #326: Toymaking Updates, Watching The Crow Part 2, and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 13

https://archive.org/download/podcast-326/Podcast%20326.mp3

This week, we’re discussing new toymaking updates, reading the next section of the Howard the Duck novelization, and watching and discussing the second part of the 1994 film, The Crow.  

Toymaking stuff first: I have a handful of Logan and Aurora 5 POA Kenner-style action figures that are ready for priming, painting, and final touches:

We are are reading the next section of the Howard the Duck from the movie novelization.

Then, we are wrapping up talking about The Crow:

As mentioned in the episode, the score by Graeme Revell provides a haunting backdrop to the film that sets the tone perfectly.  You can find both the regular and deluxe editions on Youtube:

Although I believe there was a Crow skin you could download for the game Max Payne (which was very Crow-like in many ways), there were not video games made of the first film.  There was one made of the sequel, though.  Check out the hilarious AVGN review. 

 

If you want to stay within the world of the first film, checking out the TV series, which is different from the film in some ways, is not a bad way to do it.  The first episode is basically a retelling of the film with some adaptations to make the series continue.

Thanks for listening!

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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #325: Toymaking Updates, Watching The Crow Part 1, and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 12

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #325: Toymaking Updates, Watching The Crow Part 1, and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 12

https://archive.org/download/podcast-325/Podcast%20325.mp3

Welcome to the second part of the Halloween editions of The Thirteenth Hour podcast!  This week, we’re discussing a few toymaking updates, reading the next section of the Howard the Duck novelization, and watching and discussing the first part of the 1994 film, The Crow.  

Toymaking stuff first: I have some working prototypes of the Logan and Aurora 5 POA action figures: 

View this post on Instagram

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

View this post on Instagram

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

Another slightly related thing and a preview of coming attractions (hopefully helpful for this winter) is there will be some Thirteenth Hour masks for kids and adults coming soon:

We are are reading the next section of the Howard the Duck from the movie novelization.

Then, we are wrapping up Halloween by starting a two part segment on The Crow:

There is some great free running that happens on the rooftops in this film, as evidenced by this scene.

This is one of my favorite solos of all time and such a great example of how you can use music to convey heartfelt emotions without resorting to verbal exposition.  This solo was inspiration for one of the tracks on a upcoming Thirteenth Hour soundtrack, entitled “Mourn of the Midnight Phoenix.”

The score done by Graeme Revell is great.  One of my favorite tracks on the score is this one.

To be continued next week!

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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.

 

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 #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:

View this post on Instagram

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.

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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