Slot car track building

My old Ninco track was slowly falling apart after numerous moves. In addition the track was getting so corroded I had to copper tape the contacts which I didn’t like the look of.​One lane was running slower than the other and the overpass hid cars when you went under it. ​It made it hard to retrieve them if they came off. The whole track was just rickety and 11 years old.​I was going to route a wooden track but I really don’t have the time for such an effort right now. Maybe down the road a bit, it’s a bucket list thing.​


​I was looking under the track to find some parts and stumbled over a box with another track system in it. A
Scalextric system brand new I forgot I had. It was given to me by my friend Chris Landon over 5 years ago. He meant it to be a test track for our studio.


​The track comes with the ARC Wi Fi controller that uses and app on your phone or pad to count laps, times, racing events, and more.​ 


In one hour I demoed my old track and put this one up. I used a track building program to plot the track, built it at the studio and broke it into sections and brought it home.
What a mess but lots of fun and a huge break from things I have been doing like filmmaking and filling orders.


The app works great and it’s lots of fun. It even has you make pit stops for gas, tire wear, and talks to you announcing information such as who won the race. It even has the engine sounds as you pass by. It does a lot more but I need more time to play with it.


 I ordered more track borders for it and some addons. I need to re landscape things and add buildings and fun stuff like that. But I love this new layout, it’s smooth and the cars run great! 

Moon Watcher Finished

I got the tongue in place and the hair modeled taking the grey down. I’m happy with the way this turned out and pictures never do these masks justice. this ships Monday.

I’m all caught up on my orders. thanks to everyone that ordered from us the last couple of weeks!

I had some time to work on one of my slot car builds that has been sitting around unbuilt for months. Although I started it this week the paint job is really coming along.

Moon Watcher

In talking to Dan Richter the man that played Moon Watcher in 2001 he told me after seeing and wearing my recreation that their skin was a bit lighter. I adjusted to that with this Moon Watcher and really like it.

They have a lot of grey in the masks they wore. some more than others and I still plan today to tone down some of it but it gives such character to these creations of Stewart Freeborn.

As a result of the skin being cast of a latex skinned polyurethane the overall mask weighs far less than my silicone skin version that weighs a ton. Dan noted that as well, that the masks they wore were very light weight because Stewart used foam latex and minimum under skull. This mask is much more accurate to the originals in that way. So much so I’d like to make another for myself.

This will ship on Monday to Australia. The rest of this week I can finish the Laser Blast sculpture and mold it next week.

Moon Watcher 8-3-2021

With all my orders caught up and shipped I have all the time I need to finish Moon Watcher this week.

I got the skin painted yesterday and attached to the under skull. You can actually wear this mask if wanted. I took it for a test drive and it works well.

Hair work begins today. You can see on the floor my life mask with a latex skin on it to make the wig.

It’s flies! Resin cast V-2 with scale fins a success!

Flew the V-2 for the first time today on a D-12-5. She lumbered off the pad and got tp about 250, started the very scale like return to Earth and the chute opened and landed safely. Scale fins are stable and I added no nose weight.

Here’s some not so good cell phone video. I believe a better one today was made today by our new member Nathan and I’ll post that later.

And this video show the aftermath.

I couldn’t be more pleased. Next time I’ll use a E for more power. First flights I always use low power to see it flight capability.

BTW I didn’t use 1/2 oz. cloth on the fins for this build. Just CA without kicker and they held very well with no cracks or breaks.

You got to love F1 slot cars

I was at Ventura hobbies yesterday getting supplies and Vern had a Jackie Stewart Tyrrell from 1970 I just couldn’t pass up for my collection. The detailing and craftsman ship on these cars combined with the low cost makes them hard to ignore.

Although I prefer scratch building and kits there’s something about the instant gratification this seasoned professional modeler finds irresistible.

It actually runs well too and the tires aren’t bad but that darn magnet has to go by by! Click on the thumbs for a larger image.

Finished masks and one to go

I finished yesterday the Seemore and Werewolf. These ship on Monday. Still to come is the finishing on the Moon watcher mask. The skin needs to be painted and the under skull attached to the head cap. My hair order arrived yesterday so I can make a nice blend of black, dark brown and touch of grey.

I painted the teeth and gums yesterday and found the tongue mold, it was missing so I’ll cast the tongue today. All my latest orders will be done next week and I hope to get back to the Laser Blast figure.

Many of you have asked for a full sized Laser Blast gun and don’t have an interest in the figure. I’m sorry to report that the gun is too hard to make, to costly and would require outsourcing to make. I don’t have the funds for this nor would it be profitable to make.

Here’s some pictures from the day. Be sure to click on the thumbs for the larger image.

End of the World

We are getting closer so why not remember this early film in my career where I had the pleasure to work with Chris Lee, make his life mask, make a cool mask and play an alien.

This is 1977 and I was one of the first to make those grey alien looking beings. This one is without his eye covers we know today which are black. Few knew I was the one responsible for the black eyed aliens as they appear today. If I had only trademarked the image. But I digress.

Ve Neill was digging through pictures and slides and came across many slides taken during our early careers when we partners and lived together in Toluca Lake.

She found pictures of the mask that the poster was based on. I thought they were lost. There’s more I’ll share later in future stories on this website.

These were 35 millimeter slides. I took thousands during my career. I’m just starting to look through them for my up coming book about my career.

Thank you Ve for this fantastic find!