The scans of the bowcasters could be better. I'll let you all fight over the eccentricities of each chewie and bowcaster... I'll comment on them soon, just no time at the moment...

Just one question for you Scott (I am expecting in July)...

Have you completed the "Honey Do" list yet?

I am close, but as I near completion, I foresee a new list  lying in wait. A father's (or father to be's) work is never done...

I need to...
- put the day bed frame back together after I painted
- install 2 baby gates
- hang a curtain rod (after painting the room)
- paint dresser (I stripped and sanded)
- move and/or relocate misc. items and boxes and furniture
- clean up the garage

etc?..

"sigh."

Sorry mosnob, but I have to disagree with your sculpt comment...

Being the hopeless Chewie fan and collector of said wookiee, I think the sculpt of the vintage Chewie leaves a lot to be desired.

The paint job also is a bit minimal. They could have given Chewie the Ammo strap and side bag as accessories rather then sculpt them on the actual figure. He also looks like he's right out of the shower. Chewie never looked that well groomed. Even for the victory celebration. He was fuzzy like he had a prell shampoo rather than limp and staright haired.

Personally, I like the sculpt more because of what it means to me from the good ole days and the memories...

Here is the almost completed splash of my comic. I have spent approximately 10 - 12 hours drawing, inking, laying Zip-A-Tone and correcting/refining it. Just need to do the tree branch and some minor corrections and add type.

I used a brush for everything except the Zip-A-Tone areas (patterned shading fill). I will do the tree limb with a China marker (grease pencil). This is not a very great scan. The actual size is 10" x 15" and won't fit on my scanner, so this is from a photocopy at 69%.

The challenges were many, but some things I think are helpful to know are:

- All waterproof, india or black ink will not give opaque and solid blacks. The reason is they stopped putting lead in it for obvious reasons. In order to get the ink to give you really nice and solid blacks, you need to let it sit out and sludge up a bit. After some time, mix it with any other ink and mix carefully. It did the trick for me. I have been experimenting with different inks and still am mixing a bunch of different one's together to get a good black (Dr. Martin's, Higgins Black Magic, Blick India Ink, FW...). When I find something that is worth sharing I'll post the recipe.

- Zip-A-Tone is extinct. They do not make it anymore (at least the brand name). It is patterned value fill to keep from having to do separations for the printing process. The back is adhesive or there is tranfer Zip that you lay down with a burnishing tool. The transfer stuff is really rare to find now, but I have some from my graphic design days and did the pine trees with layers of application. If you want the modern version, you have to go through the internet and oder it from Japan. It is a big thing in Manga art. I luckily stumbled on a large cache of Zip from the 1960's when searching through some old boxes at my grandmother's house. A friend of my uncle's left it 20+ years ago when he was in school in Colorado and won't miss it. It's a great technique to add and creates some really nice texture and values.

- Don't ever discount white out when inking. I prefer Pro White. It is dry and you add water and it gives a great opaque white that is easy to ink over and you need only apply it once for total coverage. Wite-Out pens are also very good and leave the surface workable for those very small areas. I used to just stop and start over when I flubbed an inking job, but with Pro White, I realized that just finishing an inked page is hard enough and you can repair any mistakes if necessary. I've seen inked pages by Frazetta, Eisner, Kirby... that all have some correction fluid applied. Even the best make mistakes. Don't give up. See it through and then make the necessary corrections.

Here is the page, I will post the finished page and the other 2 I am working on soon.

Just completed a trade with Dale R. Superstar (yes, another Dale and oddly enough, he is also Canadian. Must have been a Dale naming epidemic or something, eh?)

Dale hooked me up, BIG TIME! I cannot stress enough how well this trade went and how happy I am with my very own Chewy 12" 1996 box! A rare and vital Chewy lover's showpiece. I can't stop going over and opening it to see the shaggy Wookiee.

Dale is a fair and trustworthy trader. He sent it peomptly and packed it with care and it arrived safely. He communicates often and well and is very easy to get along with and work with. I definitely give Dale a big thumbs up and wookiee snicker (from the joy)!

Thank you Dale and I look forward to trading with you in the future!

No offense taken. I admit that 'ockey in America is not as widely publicized, scrutinized or well-covered. Excuse my ignorance with May fighting Moore earlier in the game (and Moore holding his own) and Naslund being the guy that Moore hit to start all this. I definitely need some help and Canadian perspective with hockey. I follow it pretty well, but I am not fanatical about it or any sport right now for that matter (due to the individual being more important than the team - exceptions can be made; Marlins, Patriots and the Wild).

This has definitely put a damper on hockey. I'm more tentative to watch it and feel almost squeamish - anticipating more extemities or feeling that the skating might slow a step for cautionary reasons. It just feels wierd. Listening to the game last night, even our announcer, Mike Haynes was a little reserved. Just strange how it can envelope everyone even though it's caused by an individual...

I live in Colorado. It's been Moore/Bertuzzi radio 24-hours-a-day since the incident. I do find it compelling, but I assume it is not as big an issue outside of Vancouver maybe.

My take:
Bartuzzi intentionally mugged Moore seeking retribution for an earlier incident. Moore had already survived a fight and the score being 8 - 2 when this all happened - damn! It was like watching a shark patrol before it goes in. Bertuzzi had ill intentions, but I do not think he meant to have it be that brutal and that damaging. The evidence that it was intentional is all over the place.

Bartuzzi is more concerned for his career and ego than Moore. Moore is doing better from what I've heard despite 2 fractured vertabrae. The fine and suspension are questionable. Hockey is violent, but there also exists a code of respect. You look a guy in the eye before you clock him... Bartuzzi broke the code and committed assault in my opinion. It's too bad the NHL can't sack up and deal with this appropriately. I think because of the looming strike, they fear a dramatic change will complicate matters more.

Ultimately, I think a lot is being made of this and the NHL is not listening. I think fighting has a place. But I think this exceeds the code and players cannot police themselves when these matters arise. If they did, Bartuzzi would never play again for fear he would be on everyone's hit list.

Another serious event and the NHL turns the other cheek. Such a great sport with such poor leadership. Some major front office shake up needs to be done. The NHL needs better pub. and the violence needs to be looked at.

I hear you Todd H. It is a bit morbid, but true. But, what good does an attic full of good, old toys do anyone? I imagine that they are all just packed away without any concern for preservation. All the dust and moisture and bugs can really do some damage, not to mention... Mold! I found a classic Mickey Mouse film reel in an abused and forgotten box at my grandmother's house that I mentioned earlier. I opened the box and it had become a spider haven. All those cool nooks and crannys in the reel. The film was ok, but the box was shot and the reel took some deep breathes and time to clean up.

I know that bugs can get through some pretty tight squeezes. Can you imagine if a spider penetrated the sealed box of an momc 12" figure or vehicle. You have to open it to get the webbing and spider out and that right there sacrifices a lot. These old toys in all these basements and attics need to at least be gone through and protected appropriately and put in an environment that is more condusive to promoting their longevity.

All that is a bit off the topic. What awaits us is cool and our memories that we wish were on film are good to share. But I'm still curious if anyone else has photos of the good old days and their Star Wars stuff?