This week, I’m using a technique I learned from the Crafsman Youtube on the use of mineral spirits to enlarge silicone molds, which essentially allows you to enlarge resin pieces you have to sizes that are about 30 % bigger. The mold, when bathed in mineral spirits, becomes puffed up and allows to you cast a larger piece from the swollen mold. If you are happy with the size, you can make it permanent by making a mold of the new piece.
I did this for a small clay sculpt of Logan from The Thirteenth Hour’s hoverboard, Lightning. I wanted to create a handful of larger ones for future action figures.
This is the bigger hoverboard I got from the mineral spirits inflated mold. You can see I’ve started demarcating a section that will be sanded away to make room for a piece of sheet metal so the figures’ magnetic feet can stick to it.
The gray hoverboard above is the original clay sculpt. Use of the mineral spirts technique increased the size of the hoverboard by about a third.
Though I could just cast a bunch of copies using the inflated mold, the mineral spirits will evaporate in a few days, shrinking the mold back to its original dimensions. The process started after a day or so, which is why the original mold looks misshapen above. So, it’s usually a good idea then to make a new mold from the new sized piece.
Two part silicone ready to mix for the new mold.
The silicone has just been poured into the mold.
Underneath, you can see what it looks like. The excess silicone will be trimmed.
Once cleaned up, the new mold can be used to make copies.
Here’s the near-final product prior to sanding, priming, and painting.
This week, I’m starting the process of casting part of the game piece that came with the Rocketeer board game to make a helmet and rocketpack to modify a Heroclix figure into a Cliff Secord! We will pick this up in the new year (once I get some new silicone).
In this episode, we’ll be taking the Rocketeer game piece, adding some vents (toothpicks) to the protruding parts of the figure when it’s upside down, since the pour spout will be the base of the figure. I’ll be using the helmet and pack to hopefully add to the Technocrat figure
These toothpicks will form the vents once the mold is made to carry the air out and hopefully help the areas that protrude fill.
Turns out there wasn’t enough silicone to fill even this K-cup container, so we will shelve this project until next year. But, I was able to case the upper body, which should be enough for my original intention.
And here are some cast torsos next to the original Hero Clix game piece. To be continued!
Lastly, last week, I was talking about a film called Max Q with Billy Campbell who plays a very Cliff Secord type of character. If you liked the Rocketeer, you’ll probably like this film as well. I really enjoyed it. Sadly, it’s very hard to find, though a kind soul uploaded it to Youtube. Check it out! The entire playlist of all eight parts is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQt_32e40QXFA5414DrH8SiyMtyax_VmP
The Thirteenth Hour Podcast Episode #383 and Like a Hood Ornament #45: Troll, Dave Stevens – Drawn to Perfection, Max Q, Airbrushing Rocketeer Figures, and Cleaning up a Resin Minifigure with Hot Water
This week, I thought I’d start by sharing a few things I have seen recently. They all relate to the Rocketeer / previous show guestBilly Campbell in some way, though that was mainly coincidental. If you get the chance to check out a Norwegian film Billy has a small role in, Troll (it’s on Netflix), I think you’ll definitely enjoy it if you like monster movies in the vein of Godzilla. Interestingly, Billy plays a paleontologist whose last name is “Secord” … coincidence? Hmmm …
In addition, a documentary about Dave Stevens also was just released. If you have any interest in Dave, the Rocketeer, or comic book writers and artists in general, it was really well done. They do a nice job at capturing the inherent loneliness that sometimes besets almost anyone who engage in a creative disciple (most of whic, in my opinion comes from the fact the artist alone know what is inside and there are always translational errors in making that vision something real in the world bound by time, skill, and other finite resources.
Interestingly, I happened to see this comic magazine from 1983 on eBay the other day. It was an impulse buy mainly because it had an interview with Dave Stevens in it. Thought I would include it here since it just came in the mail and is very much in line with what was discussed in the documentary.
Lastly, while I was looking for Dave Stevens stuff, I randomly found a film called Max Q that also has Billy Campbell in it. He again plays a flier ut this time a shuttle commander. So far, it has reminded me a bit of Spacecamp, one of my favorite films as a kid, and I’m quite enjoying this look at the space shuttle (which NASA no longer uses) as well as the score of the film. Not sure where you can watch it, but a kind soul uploaded it on Youtube, which is where I found it to begin with.
Welcome to a special edition of The Thirteenth Hour Podcast with guest Billy Campbell (a.k.a. the Rocketeer)! This was initially done as a thank you for supporters of a series of charity auctions of custom Lego Rocketeers done to benefit the nonprofit Hero Initiative. You may also be watching this if you are a listener of The Thirteenth Hour podcast and unlocked this interview by answering a few trivia questions related to our guest. Or, you are watching this at some future date, probably for a slightly different but related charity project. However you got here, thanks for joining, and thank you to Billy Cambell for a fun, wide-ranging conversation about the Rocketeer, comic books, drawing, Dave Stevens, and more.
Next, I thought we’d wrap up with some more hands on stuff. I’ve been experimenting with using an airbrush to lay down at least the first few coats on the Rocketeer action figures
Lastly, I record a section where I am using hot water to warm a resin figurine I made of Logan from The Thirteenth Hour to make the cleanup of flashing and other bits that would need to be sanded or filed away a bit easier. I’m not sure if you can do this with all resin but at least the clear stuff it works for.
This week, I’m working on Christmas decorations! Gingerbread cookies and ornaments! Here are some of the cookies I made with my kids and then decorated:
The Rocketeer and Logan rocketing through the air (so to speak).
Since I’ve been doing resin work for a number of years, I have a bunch of mini figures lying around, so I took two and made ornaments – one metallic blue Logan and a painted Rocketeer figure:
I also took one of the last Rocketeer figures I made (made with clear epoxy resin with blue mica powder mixed in) with silver highlights and made an ornament out of him, too. This one felt a bit like the tin soldier from the Hans Christina Anderson story. He came out of the mold in a way that all his parts were mismatched by a few mm, meaning they needed to be filed and Dremmelled even, and even then, did not quite fit together right. He is, as a result, somewhat skinnier and slighter in build than his brothers. HIs limbs did not quite fit in their joints very sturdily, either, but after enough reshaping, I got them in. I don’t think the joints are that sturdy, though, just because the resin I used was not terribly durable to begin with and due to all the reshaping that had to be done. However, I painted him up with silver highlights and decided that he just needed a new, different job befitting a Rocketeer – hovering in place as guardian of the tree. I’m glad I salvaged him from the trash heap or the Kingdom of Misfit Toys and think he looks great.
This week, I’ve been casting Rocketeers using the mold I made recently. Working on the third copy now. Surprisingly, I’ve been pretty happy with the mold, especially since the resin I am using to cast the limbs (Smooth On 65D) has a working (pot) life of only about 2.5 minutes before hardens, so you have to work fast. Here is the latest guy to come out of the mold with parts from the first one post priming scattered around.
I think part of the difference here was that I used a base figure that was a little easier to work with and I got a better mold to be begin with.
In the second part of the pod, we are reading Chapter 5 in Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle.
More from Dragon Fall next week! Soon – stay tuned for a podcast exclusive episodes with actress Catherine Mary Stewart (about Night of the Comet) coming this week.
This week, I’ve been finishing up the Thirteenth Hour action figures. I’ve gotten almost all of them put together and am now putting on the finishing touches. I ended up revising the color scheme when I had to redo all the limbs so be simpler and now am glad I did – no shading, brighter colors – simpler, just like the original 5 points of articulation Kenner figures of the 70s and 80s. Logan and Aurora on Lightning below. Aside from some finishing touches, I just need to add some clear blue-green resin to the console on Lightning the hoverboard’s front. You can see a slight depression there at the front, near Aurora’s feet, where the clear resin will go.
Hopefully, some of the knowledge gained there will help when making 5 points of articulation Rocketeer figures. I just finished the mold this week. It’s always exciting to see if your hard work and planning will pay off when you crack open the mold for the first time.
In the second part of the pod, we are finishing Chapter 4 in Dragon Fall (1984) by Lee J Hindle.
More from Dragon Fall next week! Soon – stay tuned for podcast exclusive episodes with actors Catherine Mary Stewart (about Night of the Comet) and Billy Campbell (about the Rocketeer) that you can unlock!
The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #336 and Like a Hood Ornament #42: Toymaking Updates, Dave Stevens Fundraising Update, Rocketeer Cards, and Working on the Backing Tracking of a New Song
In the first part of this show, I share a bit about a new song I’ve been working on for the upcoming Thirteenth Hour soundtrack LP, Once Upon a Dream. It’s called “No Hero.” I’m currently working on cleaning up the keyboard riff in the background since I’m old school and have to learn to play everything first before I can record it. One of these days, I’m going to have to go digital!
This past week, I’ve been working on putting the Thirteenth Hour action figures together. So far, here’s what they look like:
Logan …
Aurora …
Logan and Aurora …
I still have a few to fix / assemble. The ones in the center right are the original prototypes that I made the molds from, and I think I’ll go ahead and paint them as well also. Here are all the pieces and figures along with clear coated parts from the Lego minifigure Rocketeers I’ve been working on. These pieces, when done, will be auctioned off, with all funds collected donated to The Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation (the complications of which took Dave Stevens from us) and Hero Initiative, which supports comic book artists.
Speaking of the Rocketeer, my brother gave me some vintage Rocketeer cards recently, which I’ve been slowly opening up. Here’s the next batch:
On the back, there is an ad for this souvenir magazine …
Inside, coincidentally, there’s an ad for the cards:
I recently discovered that the game Microsoft Flight Simulator X has a skin for the Gee Bee that is the same as the NR77V Gee Bee highlighted in the film (the one that crashes in the first few minutes of the film), which is the one that Dave Stevens showed in the comics (itself modeled after the City of Springfield model that crashed in the early 30s … though presumably, Cliff and Peevy found the remains and built it into the Gee Bee that was used the comics and the film). Nonetheless, check out these graphics! I know nothing about this sort of thing but next time this baby goes on sale …
Lastly, if you have questions for the show, 1/31/22 will have a listener Q and A segment. Thanks to all who submitted questions already! Get your questions in by 1/24/22 for inclusion in this month’s show! Email or anywhere on social is fine.
Thanks for listening!
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This winter, if you’re looking for an adult of child mask, check out 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.
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).
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.
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):
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.
This is the last show of 2021! We’re finishing up the year with a few toymaking updates and finishing the reading of the Howard the Duck novelization.
If you celebrate Christmas, hope y’all had a good day. We tend to follow the Latin American tradition of extending Xmas to at least Three Kings’ Day in January since, with young children, it seems to work out best to not give ALL the presents on one day. And it make it a bit more relaxed. Speaking of the holidays, check out this cookie my brother, Jeremy, decorated showing a soaring Logan. There’s even an infinity sign lest yon man soaring over and through lofty peaks be mistaken for a mere snowboarder.
Speaking of Logan, about a year ago, I made my first real custom action figure – a fairly well articulated Logan from The Thirteenth Hour from an old GI Joe and the head of a character from Treasure Planet (I think).
This year, I’m about 80 percent done a similar, but in some ways more complex project – casting and making a number of copies of Logan and Aurora in Kenner-style 5 points of articulation form. The fine detail and touch up work is still yet to be done, but even so, it’s a simpler look with less moving parts. The simplicity allowed me to think about being able to cast all the parts and attempt to piece them together.
I still have two more separate figures to make as well as accessories and packing to figure out but will discuss more next week when discussing 2022 goals.
One goal I had this fall was to read a longer movie novelization on the show (I read a movie novelization of Spacecamp before, but it was pretty short). I was wondering if a 200 page book would drag. But done in little bits, it was fun to do, especially this one. After 19 episodes, reading roughly a chapter a session, we have finished reading the Howard the Duck movie novelization. It was quite an enjoyable experience, as I’ve mentioned before. In some ways, similar to the comic – part satire, part social commentary – as well as a healthy dose of existential angst exhibited by Howard almost making it part philosophical treatise – clearly, this Duck is more than meets the eye.
A few excerpts I liked:
And (spoilers ahead), you can’t beat this ending:
It’s been a nice activity to complete while working on the Beverly figurines.
Next week, the first episode of 2022!
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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 Podcast #332 and Like a Hood Ornament #41: Toymaking Updates, the Christmas Rocketeer Episode (20), Rocketeer Unboxings, and Reading the Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 18
This week, we’re getting ready for the holidays by opening some presents my brother sent, watching the Rocketeer Christmas episode, discussing a few toymaking updates, and, of course, reading the next section of the Howard the Duck novelization.
As far as updates go, I’ve been sanding and painting, then sanding and painting some more. I’ve got the parts laid out for each figure and have been painting parts of them piece by piece.
This is a preliminary idea of what Logan will look like. Not all the colors have been painted in, obviously, but that will be the fun part – when all is painted and it’s ready to glue it all together.
Speaking of toys, my brother, Jeremy, who was last on for the Red Sonja episode, sent some Rocketeer gear, and I thought it might be fun to open it up on the show:
Then, we watch the Rocketeer cartoon Christmas Star episode. A few screenshots:
Now, check out the Hughesville Mayor’s Rocketeer sweater!
And check out these ornaments! Disney, take note!
Speaking of which, if you’re looking for a holiday gift, please consider checking out 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.
Lastly, we are also reading the next section of the Howard the Duck from the movie novelization. We are almost done! Only two more chapters to go. This past one has some humorous mid 80s satire/commentary on politics of the day (Ronald Regan economics and priorities, the Cold War, etc).
Next week, we finish Howard! Have a good holiday, everyone!
This week, we’re discussing a few toymaking updates, reading the next section of the Howard the Duck novelization, and thanking some people!
Last week, my daughter and I tried our hand at making a resin bookmark – it worked (kind of), though one half of the resin still is a bit tacky. I’ve been letting it sit in the garage, since day by day, it get less and less sticky, and it can do its stinky off-gassing there! I probably didn’t mix it thoroughly enough. However, in the meantime, another kind of resin came in the mail, and this kind is a lot easier to use (plus, it’s odorless). So we’ve tried again, with better results. This batch also came with a bunch of little jewelry and charm molds, which was pretty sweet (since there is always extra resin left over after you’ve poured what you intended to).
Here are all the different Thirteenth Hour action figures primed and ready for painting. Same with the Beverly Switzler figures. Painting is the part I like least, but I think that once I get started, it will go fine. I’m going to do these all assembly line style – painting all the arms, the legs, the shoes, etc. rather than each figure head to toe.
One other thing about priming is that it helps bring out the details when the resin is translucent. Compare these two Rocketeer packs – the primed one on the left, the unprimed one on the right.
Now, some thank yous. Thanks to Colin from I Used to Like this One for leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. If you haven’t checked out their show, please do so; Colin and Shawn cover a lot of the same kinds of films I talk about on here, they do good work, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them over the years. You can listen on their website or on most of the major podcasting platforms. If you like what they do, consider supporting them on Patreon and become a producer of their show.
Another show that you may want to check out, this time a martial arts one, is First Cup with Jeremy, the founder of Whistlekick. Jeremy and I have worked together for a number of episodes for his main show, Martial Arts Radio, but this little morning show is one I only recently discovered. I really like the community that Jeremy and the other folks at Whistlekick have worked to create – one based on curiosity, focusing on the positive, open mindedness, and the sharing of information. Have martial arts questions or ones that might make for interesting discussion? If you join the Facebook group, you can leave a question for the show!
Jeremy recently modeled one of The Thirteenth Hour masks and gave the pod a shoutout. Glad it fits well and hope it helps this winter!
Speaking of which, if you’re looking for a holiday gift, please consider checking out 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.
Lastly, we are also reading the next section of the Howard the Duck from the movie novelization. This part of the novel has some really great writing. The author really beefed up what would have been a pretty thin novel with some humorous bits that elevate the usual pot-boiler status of these kind of books to something actually unique and fun that can stand firmly on its own, even if you haven’t seen the movie.
And in this section, the word “chowderhead” is mentioned (Rocketeer reference! Though, to be fair, Howard the Duck predated The Rocketeer by 5 years)
This week, we’re discussing a few toymaking updates, reading the next section of the Howard the Duck novelization, and talking about a new resin side project.
My daughter recently got interested in making resin bookmarks as gifts, so after making an initial mold, we made a trial bookmark with Alumilite resin. I don’t know if that’s the best one to use, since I find it overall difficult to work with, but it’s what I had and does dry hard and clear, which I think should work.
Alumlite is messy, viscous to use, and smelly, so we did this outside and went though at least 4 pairs of gloves. This is what we ended up with, so hope it cures! I did order some more resin that is often used by jewelry makers, that will hopefully be a bit easier to work with, so if this is a fail, we’ll try again. I think it’ll be fun it we can do it!
It’s tedious, but I’ve been making some slow progress on the Lego Rocketeer figures! The Cirrus X-3 packs now have attachments to go over the Lego minifigure neck peg (instead of magnets, like I originally thought). They are now primed and ready for silver paint. I have to cast a few more, but my goal is to make at least six minifigures. There are always a few that are collateral damage, so to speak, in the creation process (parts get broken, something doesn’t go as planned, etc).
If you’re looking for a holiday gift, please consider checking out the Thirteenth Hour mask combo package I recently put 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.
Lastly, we are also reading the next section of the Howard the Duck from the movie novelization. This part of the novel has some interesting commentary on 80s attitudes (I’m guessing, added by the author, since it’s not really part of the movie). Here’s the section in the film (the part with the ultralight plan / car chase):
We’re just a few chapter away from finishing the novelization!
The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #329: Toymaking Updates, Aurora Inspiration -“Saving the Best for Last” by Daniel Horne, and Reading the Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 15
This week, we’re discussing a few toymaking updates, discussing one of the inspirations for one of Aurora’s outfits from The Thirteenth Hour, and reading the next section of the Howard the Duck novelization.
As I was preparing the first run of Thirteenth Hour action figures, I was reminded of where one of Aurora’s outfits came from. Back when I was a kid, you’d occasionally see fantasy art used in advertisements for video games and TSR Dungeons and Dragons material. This was one that I think was used in an ad in this copy of a tattered DnD magazine I think that was called Dragon. I’m not even sure it was credited, so I didn’t know the name of the painter or the painting for decades. But I loved the painting – the tension, the imagery, the fact that it tells so much in just one picture. Eventually, I somehow learned the name of the painting (I think by eventually figuring out who painted it), and learned it was done by Daniel Horne, and the name of the piece is “Saving the Best for Last.” The title, too is perfect (referring to the archer’s last arrow. I can literally feel myself tensing up internally seeing the threat looming up in front of the archer and the fact she has no more visible armament left). Here is the transcript of an interview I found with Daniel Horne back in 2011.
And if you like this picture, you can buy a copy of your own on the artist’s website (just like I did).
I recall sketching the hell out of this picture when I was a teenager, trying to capture the dynamic nature of the story depicted in the painting. I was inspired by the setting, her outfit, her bow, the big hair (it was 1987, after all), the “oh, snap” expression on the archer and wanted to pay homage to this painting and how much it meant to me in The Thirteenth Hour, just like all those other 80s influences I’ve talked about ad nauseum on this podcast and website. This character in Daniel Horne’s painting is probably the only other visual inspiration I had for Aurora other than Beverly Switzler’s hair in Howard the Duck. Even before I had written this part of The Thirteenth Hour, I had already created the scene and background for it in my mind and sketched out an early draft of the picture that would later become the one that would show up in the book below:
The same outfit showed up in the magnet dolls I made about a year ago (I still have to figure out what to do with these; I think some will come with a future Thirteenth Hour special edition album).
This was the first custom action figure I attempted – a tiny rendition of Aurora in her archer’s garb, the same one in the picture with the dragon above and, of course, the one inspired by the archer’s outfit in “Saving the Best for Last.”
And here is the Kenner-style 5 POA versions I’m in the process of painting. The parts are primed so far, so it’s just sanding, painting, repainting, and the final process of fitting the pieces together.
On the same store, you can also find the Thirteenth Hour mask combo package I recently put 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.
This week, my brother, Jeremy, rejoins the show to talk about movie we watched a fair amount as a kid, 1985’s Red Sonja. Neither of us had seen it in decades and we honestly weren’t expecting much, but I asked Jeremy if he’d want to join me in rewatching it given all the experience he’s had the last few years with tabletop role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. From what I had recalled, it seemed like an example of those games in live action, and I was curious to see what he thought. Suffice to say, Jeremy did a deep dive and more than delivered, which you can hear if you check out the episode. I had always operated under the assumption that 1986’s Howard the Duck was the first real Marvel comic book movie, but you could make a case for Red Sonja, which was under license by Marvel at the time, though there’s no mention of it in the credits from what I recall. Click on the picture below to watch:
If watching the whole film is not your bag, check out this 8 min compilation of some great lines plus the trailer. You’ll get the basic gist of the film and perhaps learn a thing or two, like why it’s important to not grip your hilt too tight (important life skill courtesy of Red Sonja that is generalizable beyond sword play, though I’m not exactly sure how).
Check out Jeremy‘s work over at Pixel Grotto, CBR.com, and Classic Batman Panels on IG. You can support his work on Ko-fi and get access to in-depth, exclusive Batman content here. If you are of the DnD persuasion, his articles on DnD Beyond may be right up your alley.
In toymaking news, I’ve been working on all these Beverlys! There is also a connection to our 1985 film above. A year after, we would, of course, see the film version of Beverly Switzler, another lead heroine, but one of a considerably less violent nature, the one depicted in the figurine above. Her costume in the film was equally impractical as Red Sonja’s but a lot less revealing than that of Red Sonja’s. There’s another connection, though. The very first issue of Howard the Duck featured a vaguely Red Sonja like character (it’s Beverly, though it’s presented kind of as a dream) in a parody of a Conan / DnD story. There’s even an appearance of everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood webslinger for some off-the-wall reason (the original comics were pretty bonkers).
This week, we’re discussing a few toymaking updates and reading the next section of the Howard the Duck novelization. Some toymaking stuff first:
I recently finished the resin hoverboard for the mini Logan I made awhile back. Lightning, Logan’s magical hoverboard, has this shiny aqua console in front that I wanted to make out of resin but wasn’t sure how to do. I eventually got a passable result with Alumilite resin with blue mica powder mixed in. After a fair amount of fiddling and polishing, then painting, repainting, etc Lightning came out all right. I’d like to do something similar for the 5 POA Kenner style figures I’m making, since that’s Logan main accessory. I’m not yet sure if it will be similar or different, but this was a good trial run. You can sort of see it below next to one of said Kenner style figures, which itself is made from parts that didn’t really work for the other figures I had. The resin in some of these limbs came out too squishy to really be used, but can’t let it go to waste, now, can we? I’m still going to put this one together and paint it.
Below, you can see how Aurora’s torso comes out of the mold. As you can see, there’s a fair amount of clean up needed.
Some of the figures made so far, prior to priming and painting. I’ve made two others since and am working on a third.
Some shrunk down rocket packs done with bits of resin left over casting the limbs to the figures (more to come shortly). This technique uses mineral spirits added to the mold mixture. The mineral spirits slowly evaporates away, shrinking the mold. You can see here how much these Rocketeer packs shrunk down compared to the original one made for a Reaction Rocketeer figure.
Since there’s always leftovers, I often pour them into other small molds, too. The hoverboard above is actually the one of the left, minus the paintjob, front console, and the peg for the figure to stand on. The synthesizer on the right is the same one I used to make one for Logan to play on – the first custom action figure I did – and used to make crayons and recycled plastic keyboards:
I added QR codes on the back of these miniatures for songs from The Thirteenth Hour soundtrack and figured they could be kind of like 3D business cards.
For example, I thought they’d be fund additions to a Thirteenth Hour mask combo package I recently put 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.
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.
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:
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.
The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #34 and Like a Hood Ornament #40: Toymaking Updates, Watching the Rocketeer Cartoon Episode 19, and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 11
Welcome to the first 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 the Halloween episodes from The Rocketeer cartoon.
Toymaking stuff first: with the spare resin that comes from making other things, I’ve been saving a bit for these little helmets to become (once finished) to Rocketeer helmets for the Lego Rocketeer minifigures to be donated to charity auctions:
There’s always resin left over after a project, so I generally pour it off into another easy to use mold, like this one. Some of those projects:
The Beverly minifgures – still got to clean up the flashing along the seam lines and touch up a bunch of other parts (basically consisting of lots of filing, sanding, etc. edges and other parts, perhaps also strengthening the guitar necks). Then they will be ready for painting (at least the non glow in the dark ones).
Lastly, it’s rough, but I finally have a prototype cast Logan made from flexible Smooth-On Smooth Cast 45 D resin for the limbs and head and Smooth-On Smooth Cast 300 resin for the torso. I might try to make one that is all made of 45 D since I might be able to make it translucent, which would be fun. Now, it’s just a matter of fine tuning the casting process to make sure the limbs can reliably fit inside the torso – which they did on the initial non-cast prototype but somewhere along the lines, something got lost in translation after casting and tolerances that were tight are no longer.
We’re also watching the next episode of the Rocketeer cartoon (number 19) … the Halloween episode! Some screenshots:
You can see Kit’s dressed up like a WW1 pilot for Halloween, making her look just like Cliff in the beginning of the film or in various pages of the comic by Dave Stevens.
We are are reading the next section of the Howard the Duck from the movie novelization.
The author added another humorous aside calling back to our episodes on The Wizard of Loneliness, where “Lord, love a duck” was a frequent utterance.
The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #323 and Like a Hood Ornament #39: Toymaking Updates, Watching the Rocketeer Cartoon Episode 18, and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 10
This past week, I have been waiting for some new resin to arrive for the Logan and Aurora Kenner style figures. In the meantime, I have been working on these Lego Rocketeer minifigures to be donated to charity auctions. Here’s what I’ve got so far:
The packs and helmets are being resin cast. As I mentioned in the episode, I think I will use magnets to attach the rocketpacks, at least the ones not intended for kids. (Rare earth magnets and small children are a bad combo).
We’re also watching the next episode of the Rocketeer cartoon (number 18) … Some screenshots:
… and readung the next section of the Howard the Duck from the movie novelization.
The author added this especially humorous segment:
The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #322 and Like a Hood Ornament #38: Toymaking Updates, Watching the Rocketeer Cartoon Episode 17, and Reading The Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 9
This past week, I made a mold for the Logan and Aurora Kenner style figures. There will need to be another one, since the torso halves are being made with different resin.
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 …
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!
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!
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:
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!
On this week’s show, I thought I’d touch on the topic of exercise, specifically what you can do if you happen to be isolated (either due to a global pandemic or imprisoned for other reasons, like Logan in one part of The Thirteenth Hour, which we’ll be reading from shortly.
As it turns out, there’s actually quite a lot you can do even if you can’t go to a gym. Although being quarantined does not necessarily mean you can’t go outside (the virtues of short duration outdoor physical activity is something we discuss briefly though a scientific paper – see the abstract below), you can do a remarkable amount inside, even if you have little to no equipment. I’ve done a version of the workout that inspired the little passage in The Thirteenth Hour for decades. That workout was really nothing special – just having been the body weight exercises we did in martial arts classes and other calisthenics I recall from an old Canadian Air Force fitness manual I had as a kid that we probably got at a garage sale. If you’re interested, Arnold Schwarzenegger put together a similar routine that is available for people to access here.
Here’s the passage from The Thirteenth Hour:
They’ll break you if you let them. I wasn’t the strongest person out there, and though I always had hope, now I had purpose again. I started from the beginning, with my body, the only way I’d learned how. Every morning, after I woke up, I would wash my face and clothes, if they needed washing. Then I did calisthenics – pushups, sit–ups, stretching – like I had done when I was in training. My muscles felt deconditioned from lack of use and malnutrition, so much of my strength had left me, and everything was more difficult now.
It’s hard to take it slow when your never–resting mind can envision all the things it’d like your body to be able to do once more. But in the end, sometimes it’s best to just get busy trying and spend less time thinking.
When I could comfortably walk around my cell and jog in place, I slowly motioned through the different hand–to–hand combat techniques that I had learned during my training. Who knows, I thought, if I make a break for it, I’ll need those techniques the most. After a few weeks, my stamina began to reassert itself, allowing me to wage ongoing battles against that cloaked magician, Klax. Whenever I felt myself growing tired, I saw his form in my mind and practiced harder.
More than once the guards rushed into my cell, thinking that I had collapsed or died because I was lying face down on the cold stone floor. I was actually just resting, but my guards had grown somewhat fond of me, they said, and didn’t want anything bad to happen to me. I was never sure if they were telling the truth or not; I’ll bet Klax would have had their necks if they had been so careless as to let me kill myself without his being able to see.
My agility came back last. The cell was not large enough for much, but the ceiling was high and my boots were padded, so I figured it was worth a go. Pretty much anything is, though, after you’ve been cooped up in the same room for weeks.
I tried standing on my hands again, at first with my feet resting against the wall to accustom my arms to the change in weight they’d be frequently bearing in the near future. Then handstands without the wall. Then handsprings, and finally, aerial techniques. As for the latter, the first few times, the guards must have heard the sound of my feet slamming into the stone floor because they came running. They saw what I was doing, took it as a suicide attempt, doubled their checks on my cell, and, of course, made me stop at once, lest, by golly, I crack my head open on the hard stone floor. I was too far into my regimen to really care what they thought, and it just meant I had to practice when they were asleep or weren’t looking. And try to land softer.
There were a few times when I did go overboard and missed beaning my noggin on the stones out of sheer luck. It goes with the territory … sooner or later, everybody ends up bailing in midair. One minute you’re in the air, next thing you know, your jump seems off or things just feel weird, and if you have time to think anything at all, that’s about when you think some bad words, along with “this could hurt.”
But I knew that once I regained confidence in my body and what it could do, I would stop bailing. I knew my body would get used to being in strange positions in the air again, and I knew the best way to not get hurt was to go all out on each technique. I just wasn’t quite there yet, resulting in a few midair problems and hard landings on an unforgiving stone floor. I hurt an ankle after a bad landing – an easy thing to do if you’re practicing on a hard, uneven surface like the floor of my cell – but thankfully escaped anything worse. Luckily, I had a good set of boots – one of the few things Darian’s Army did right – that were light and flexible with thick, padded soles meant to withstand miles upon miles of marching and other abuse. Later, Aurora found me a mattress, which she intended for me to sleep on (which I did, of course), but what she didn’t know was that it was the mat I used to soften my landings.
So I finally took the plunge and created a little profile on Tik Tok. To be honest, I don’t get 95% of the stuff on there, but it has some videos of people making stuff and doing flips, so that’s enough for me. I mainly just use it to post some videos of the resin minifigures I’ve made. This is the backflip animation whose frames are above.
Today also marks the first Rocketeer segment as a part of the podcast. Now, obviously, there have been many episode mentions about the Rocketeer before, though here are a few:
But this week’s show marks the first time starting an actual segment (kind of like how I used to do a starving artist segment before) that I’m calling:
That’s “Like a Hood Ornament” if your interface doesn’t support graphics (that’s you, iTunes show notes). You may recognize the moniker as a line from the 1991 film. Today’s we’ll start out with the fictional bio most likely written by Dave Stevens for his protagonist, Cliff, who inspired Logan in many ways.
More coming next week! Stay safe!
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I finished one year ago, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
Generally, I eschew any and all current events, especially anything that could be political in any way. However, if you’re reading this, you’re undoubtedly aware of the global pandemic. Everyone can do your part! This is not just a you thing, not a me thing, this is an everyone thing. This is a perfect time to stay in, read that book you’ve been meaning to get to, binge watch your favorite show, or rewatch some old movies. The things you wanted to do aren’t going anywhere, but you gotta be around to enjoy them later. Be safe! Next week, we’ll talk about what happens if you want to work out while confined inside a little room (kinda like Logan was in The Thirteenth Hour …)
And now, in the spirit of escapism, let’s talk toys!
This week, we have another special episode – Adam from ACToyDesign and the IG account @mom_gave_them_away returns for the second part of his followup since his last appearance in October to discuss toys and toy making! Look for part 1 and 2 as well as Adam’s appearance on our two shows (1and 2) on Terminator films 2-6!
We had a whole discussion on the nature of heroes and how supposedly straight laced ones, like Captain America, reflect a kind of hero that can be great for kids to have as role models.
Check out Adam’s show on the many roles of Willow‘s Warwick Davis. Willow did have a short lived toy line, but many 80s movies did not, for whatever reason. In this episode, we talk about toy lines that we wish would have been made (or ones we might work on making out of resin some time in the future). Like …
Batteries Not Included
Short Circuits 1 & 2
Speaking of Short Circuit, check out this absurdist video by El DeBarge for “Who’s Johnny?” Absolutely classic!
The Last Starfighter – why there were no ships or more widespread video games (I think there might have been one? There is a fan made game that looks just like the one in the film you can find here, though.) made from this film, the world will never know. Adam did, however, find these prototype figures by Galoob that, had they seen the light of day, would have been amazing!
If you enjoy Star Wars, check out his new show, I Have Spoken!
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I finished one year ago, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
This week, we have another special episode – Adam from ACToyDesign and the IG account @mom_gave_them_away returns for a followup since his last appearance in October to discuss toys and toy making!
Adam’s modding tips:
-Wash your figure with soap and water if you are intending to work on it. This will remove oils that happen to be on the plastic.
-Lighter fluid may be worth using if the figure is old and been handled a lot and has a lot of oil on the surface. If the plastic is starting to break down, as resort, you can try some lighter fluid (maybe test it on a small spot first), to see if that will get rid of the stickiness.
-Magnifying glasses (or reading glasses) may help you see details closer (I have tried this – it does work).
Here’s what I was working on while this episode was going on – the body of Kit Secord from the Rocketeer cartoon, and below was the paint job Adam was working on for the custom Voltron figure he was commissioned for. You can find many more on his Patreon page below.
If you enjoy Star Wars, check out his new show, I Have Spoken!
Check out the second part of this conversation next week!
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I finished one year ago, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
This week, we have another special episode – Adam from ACToyDesign and the IG account @mom_gave_them_away returns for a followup since his last appearance in October to discuss toys and toy making!
If you enjoy Star Wars, check out his new show, I Have Spoken!
Also, here is a close up for the custom Della Caine figure Adam discussed on the show:
If you’re interested in getting into resin casting, here are a few tutorials we put together. In this first one, Adam discusses how he sculpted his Chudbaby figures, one of the clay figurines he discussed in the episode we did back in October. (Check out his whole line of resin figures here.)
In this video, Adams discusses one way of making a 2 part silicone mold:
When making the Rocketeer resin figure for my kids, I experimented with filming parts of the process, which ended up being 2 parts awkward (working around the camera) and 1 part messy (trying not to get resin of silicone on the lens). The end result is over on IGTV, though I’ve included the posts here.
In this one, we go through how to think about casting a figure strategically, where to put air vents, and how to position the figure in a 2 part mold (then we make it).
And in this one, we go through the resin mixing and casting process as well as some basic fixes for what to do if parts of the cast don’t fill completely. I use a glow in the dark powder to make the final figures glow, so show that gets mixed in the resin mixture.
There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I finished one year ago, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
This week, we have a special episode! Jeremy from the martial arts site and biweekly podcast, Whistlekick, and I are watching a fight scene from the movie Wheels on Mealsand commenting on it. (You can listen to the same episode with a slightly different intro and outro on Whistlekick as well; it’s episode 471 on his show.) We are watching it half speed, which you can do on Youtube along with us by picking the playback speed (click on the gear in the lower right hand corner of the Youtube video window). Here’s the clip:
And here are the notes I made highlighting some of our coments:
0:11 ground striking sequence with great choreography. Nice neckspring by Jackie Chan (JC).
0:20 note the eye contact – this is clearly a contest
0:23 Benny the Jet (BJ) takes off his jacket while doing a spin back kick
0:33 if you look closely you can see this spin hook kick is blocked – but not by much. Suspect the actors made a fair amount of contact while filming.
0:40 JC takes off his shirt to be manly. JC does stomp/push kick, ends up on his back as does BJ
0:57 Note the slight head nod … as if to say – good shot
1:12 BJ has JC “on the ropes” (“on the table”)
1:18 BJ does a nice spin crescent that snuffs out the candles – wonder how many takes it took for them all to go out?
1:30 JC gets nailed in the nose (happens several times during this fight)
1:54 nice sweep by BJ
2:00 unintentionally funny dubbing followed by JC using a chair as cover and for rest – start of round 2!
2:24 JC is loosening up, BJ seems much more static in contrast – much more than he does in his usual fights. Perhaps done intentionally?
2:42 vaguely Drunken Master style evasion by JC
2:56 BJ does a R leg mid round kick, JC avoids by dipping his upper body low and doing almost a meia lua de compasso with R hand on floor (capoeria style spin hook kick)
3:29 tickle escape
4:07 Manson Gibson / Kathy Long style spinning backfist by JC
4:12 lead leg R kick by JC setting up hands
4:46 close ups of JC pummeling BJ – though you can see most shots are blocked by BJ. Probably happening fast enough a lay audience may not pick it up?
5:16 flying knee from across the room, kind of like what we saw in Ong Bakyears later
Do you have any suggestions about other martial arts movie fight scenes that would be good to delve into like this one? Leave a comment below or email me or Jeremy.
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I finished one year ago, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
This week, to celebrate Chinese New Year 2020, we’re reading a Chinese fairy tale, Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of the Nun’s Kung Fu. (Click on the cover below to find your own copy.)
Chinese culture doesn’t really have fairy tales like they do in Europe, but the idea is the same – unlikely protagonist confronted with an insurmountable barrier finds mentorship and uses his or her inner strength to triumph in the end. Like the heroes of those stories, the two women in this story embody those ideals. It also has the great line, “No problem can be solved by a drunken monkey.”
Check out some of the beautiful paintings done by the author, Emily Arnold McCully.
And, before we finish, here are a few pictures of the glow in the dark Rocketeer figure I’ve been working on for the past few weeks. It’s done! Now I’m just making copies.
If you haven’t checked out the episode on the CGG podcast on the Rocketeer (including some on the comics and the games), you can check it out here.
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I finished one year ago, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
This week, we are making a shadowbox, something I’ve been meaning to do for quite some time, since I’ve always wanted to create more of a story to put the figures in. An opportunity to showcase some art at a local art showing presented itself, and not quite knowing how to show my minifigures, the organizer of the event suggested a shadowbox. Coincidences of coincidences! This was the chance to experiment with them. I found two cheaply at Goodwill and came up with a simple scene (that I had already made a picture of back in episode 141) to display. Here are some pictures of the process:
A few pictures of the Rocketeer figure I’ve been working on for the past few weeks. The sculpt is just about done!
If you haven’t checked out the episode on the CGG podcast on the Rocketeer (including some on the comics and the games), you can check it out here.
And yes, if you were thinking the Rocketeer in the upper left quadrant is holding something that looks like a Super Soaker 30, look no further to the cut scene below it for more detail. The one on the lower right is from Broforce, which features a character that plays homage to the Rocketeer.
The game Dark Void also does the same:
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I finished one year ago, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
and finish this belated Xmas present for my daughter, a little resin Rocketeer figure (she got interested in the original Rocketeer after watching the animated series that launched this past November – most of the episode is actually spent discussing how that came to be so I’ll just put some pictures here of the progress to date):
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This slideshow requires JavaScript.
At some point, I will make a little video showing the creation of the figure as well as making the mold as well as the casting process – parts I had the most questions on when I was just learning how to make resin figurines.
I wanted to give a shout out to some fellow creative folks out there who work I’m glad to have found in the past year! In some cases, I had the pleasure of working with them this past year, in some cases not yet. The hardest part of podcasting is meshing schedules, so collaborations are always tricky to arrange, so I’m grateful to whatever we’ve been able to do (or will do in this upcoming year). I mentioned most of these folks on the show but not all – more to come in 2020!
The Rocketeer Minute podcast (hours and hours of info on the Rocketeer, loving done minute by minute – found it by accident sometime in October and binge listened to all the episodes in about 2 months)
Happy new year and best wishes in all your creative pursuits in 2020!
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I finished one year ago, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
About a year ago, I started making resin casted figures of some of The Thirteenth Hour characters (more details from a series of previous episodes: here for Logan and here for Aurora).
After over a year (mostly due to delays of one kind or another), they’re nearing completion. All the packaging is done for about 40 of the figures. (The last 20, not sure yet). Today, I’m painting and wrapping up a few details on the Logan figure so it can stand unassisted.
Laying down the colors on the painted figures in broad strokes before tackling touch ups and details of the eyes and mouth.
One of the guests who’s been on the show numerous times, Adam, now has his own podcast on Spotify all about toy design and creation. Check it out!
If you haven’t checked out “Arcade Days,” the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!
You can find more pictures and preview clips of “Arcade Days” on IG as well as this podcast’s FB page.
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
Over the past few months, I’ve been working on making a figure for Aurora from The Thirteenth Hour like the figures I made for Logan and his hoverboard (you can see the step by step making of these figures here in parts 1, 2, 3, 4,5,6,7, and 8). For a number of reasons, this process was more labor intensive that the first time. I suppose in some ways it was more challenging as well. I was using the drawing below as the model for this figure of Aurora:
The two clay figures side by side.
Making the first mold. The tootpicks are there as vents to allow air in to help the resin to flow through the mold better.
Pouring one half of the mold.
There’s usually some cleanup to be done around the seams.
Experimenting with making a second mold to see if I can improve results.
Usually, it’s necessary to trim areas inside the mold to make sure they aren’t getting in the way or obscuring the sprues (air vents).
Three completed figures.
Glow in the dark Logan and Aurora. Pretty soon, you should be able to find these for purchase here, on the ebay store, and via social media links, like on Instagram.
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Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Awayis now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
The bonus track, called “Flight of the Cloudrider” has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube. This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
Eight weeks ago, I discussed a project to start making little figurines for characters from The Thirteenth Hour books (Listen to parts 1, 2, 3, 4,5,6, and 7). Today, we’ll be painting one of the figures to look like the pictures below:
Starting the painting process …
I have a bunch of these little hoverboards which I’;m painting separately:
The more or less finished product:
I’ll just do a little touching up on the shadowing and I think it will be done.
The front console glows in the dark.
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Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Awayis now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
The bonus track, called “Flight of the Cloudrider” has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube. This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
Seven weeks ago, I discussed a project to start making little figurines for characters from The Thirteenth Hour books (Listen to parts 1, 2, 3, 4,5, and 6). The model for this figure is Logan riding his hoverboard, Lightning:
Last week, we made a 2 part mold. I’ve since made another one and have cranked out a little army of resin Logans and Lightnings. I’ve been adding bits of glow in the dark powder so, when exposed to sunlight, they glow in the dark.
I’m still experimenting with the right glow in the dark: resin ratio for the best effect. Here are some pictures of making a second mold.
Each figure requires a little cleanup around the edges once its been pulled from the mold. Some of these, especially the ones where there wasn’t enough glow in the dark powder, will probably be painted in color. Look for those in the near future!
Until then, check out this little adventure my brother and I have started – an online D and D adventure (done through the site Roll20) set in the world of The Thirteenth Hour, set a few years after the book of the same name. My brother wrote the story, is serving as the game master, and is playing one of the main characters. We did the first episode last week. This week, the game is afoot as the Sherlock Holmes style detective work continues around the Capital City of Tartec – poisons, potential scandal, mysterious secret societies, and old conflicts all brew together with a cliffhanger ending – catch the next episode here by clicking on the picture below:
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Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Awayis now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
The bonus track, called “Flight of the Cloudrider” has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube. This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
Six weeks ago, I discussed a project to start making little figurines for characters from The Thirteenth Hour books (Listen to parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.) Here’s where we are so far with the figure:
Today, I made a 2 part mold of the above figure after finding that the molds I made last week were a bit too simple to work correctly (at least for me). I found these videos very helpful in making a 2 part mold and basically just followed along:
Here’s where we started, putting Logan in a bed of clay to form one side of the mold. The holes are to form guide posts to line up the two halves.
He got buried here under a layer of rubber …
Here’s the half that was made:
Adding a pouring spout and some air vents:
Here it is
The resin will go in the big hole and the little ones will hopefully help it flow more easily. Hopefully it works! We’ll see this upcoming week.
Until then, check out this little adventure my brother and I have started – an online D and D adventure (done through the site Roll20) set in the world of The Thirteenth Hour, set a few years after the book of the same name. My brother wrote the story, is serving as the game master, and is playing one of the main characters. We did the first episode last week. This week, the plot thickens as potential scandal and intrigue bubble to the surface! This episode plays like a rerun of Law and Order SVU. Catch the next episode here:
Some screenshots above … the first, the scene of a grisly murder. In the second, King Darian IV has had his morning cup of joe and now feels extremely stimulated!
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Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Awayis now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
The bonus track, called “Flight of the Cloudrider” has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube. This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
Five weeks ago, I discussed a project to start making little figurines for characters from The Thirteenth Hour books (Listen to parts 1, 2, 3, and 4.) Here’s where we are so far with the figure:
Here is what I hope it will all look like:
Today, I was making a mold of Logan’s hoverboard (since seemed like a simple shape) as well as a practice figure (which was an approximation of the Logan figurine itself).
Here were the objects, hot glued to the bottom of some paper cups, ready and prepped for pouring on the liquid rubber. Instead of the Logan figure, I’m using a stand in for a practice run.
The mold after curing seen from below:
Believe it or not, all this rubber peeled right off.
Getting ready to mix and pour the resin …
As you can see, the result were mixed. Lightning turned out better than expected, and the little figure of the Flash lost some limbs.
Over the next week, I’ll continue to practice. Probably will need a different type of mold for Logan. Stay tuned!
Until then, check out this little adventure my brother and I have started – an online D and D adventure (done through the site Roll20) set in the world of The Thirteenth Hour, set a few years after the book of the same name. My brother wrote the story, is serving as the game master, and is playing one of the main characters. Click on the picture below to watch the first session on YouTube:
The two main characters, Lester and Claudia, in Hero Forge miniature style, also done by Jeremy:
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Awayis now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
The bonus track, called “Flight of the Cloudrider” has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube. This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
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The Thirteenth Hour 