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

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

https://archive.org/download/podcast-332/Podcast%20332.mp3

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:

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

View this post on Instagram

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

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.

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

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!

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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #331: Toymaking Updates, Shoutouts, and Reading the Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 17

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #331: Toymaking Updates, Shoutouts, and Reading the Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 17

https://archive.org/download/podcast-331/Podcast%20331.mp3

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.

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

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)

Next week, the Rocketeer cartoon holiday special!

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The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #330: Toymaking Updates, Resin Bookmarks, and Reading the Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 16

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #330: Toymaking Updates, Resin Bookmarks, and Reading the Howard the Duck Movie Novelization Part 16

https://archive.org/download/podcast-330/Podcast%20330.mp3

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.

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

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!

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