Posts Tagged ‘serenitystuff’

Some days it's just a pure joy to open the mailbox.

As part of the "Little Damn Heroes" line of maquettes, QMx has produced the 10th crewmember, Serenity. And she's pretty!

OK, not as mind-blowingly cool as their massive, $2500 replica Serenity. But a very cool thing indeed. It's a hair under 8" long, 5" across, and comes with its own black stand, suitable for autographs if that's your thing and a Big Damn Hero with a pen happens to be nearby. (Some of the pics below can be embiggened by clicking)

First thing you notice, aside from how generally cool it is and that it comes with two tiny, loose shuttles you shouldn't lose, is that it's made from lots of little pieces, not cast as one statue. The panels, the cables, the various doodads that hang off our girl are stuck right on, giving it a much more realistic look and feel. It's made of polystone, whatever that is.

Next is the paint job. She's been hand-painted, and not perfectly. There's weathering on the prow, rusted areas by the engines. Different panels are different colors, possibly from different ships entirely. It looks lived in. Flown. Used. Knocked around a bit.

And it's got some heft to it. Where the ornament from Dark Horse (roughly 2/3 the size of this) feels light, this girl can be swooped in a thoroughly satisfying manner.

It's also as accurate as a model can be. Crafted in 1:400 scale, it was created from the actual CG files used to make the ship fly on the show (yes, this is the TV Serenity, not the movie one).

Even the underside has been painted with the same care. And the socket the stand slots into offers a secure and snug fit.

The shuttles come loose, one parked, one in flight. The parked one slides snugly into its bay, while the flying one rests on an included wire stand that sits on the engine arm.

Now the bad, or at least the not-as-good. Because it includes many bits that have been glued on, it must be handled like a display model and not a toy. One of the solar panels popped off mine while I was handling it for the photos, but it went back in with no problem and some glue will keep it there. The engines look like they can be adjusted; they can't. Nothing turns, so don't try. The loose shuttles also could be easy to misplace. I'm planning on some discreet tape or maybe a trace amount of poster putty to keep mine in place.

The price is a bit high for a casual buy — but not, in my opinion, for a Browncoat who wants this lady on her shelf. $99.95 plus shipping. However…

It's now available from QMx but, if you don't mind waiting and you order before January 25, you can get it for $79.95 from TFAW.com, plus shipping. (All TFAW's presale items are 20% off).

And that's it. The Little Damn Heroes Serenity is a nice addition to my Serenity collection, and I'm getting pickier about what I buy these days.

This isn't a plug or a review as much as it is an open letter to anyone shopping for me this holiday season: buy me this.

Pretty straightforward, really. QMx, the talented and obsessive artisans who somehow reach into my brain and make the things I want, made a great big Serenity. Which I want, don't get me wrong, but can't quite justify buying (and I've tried).

They also made an ittle one, which I own and hangs from my car mirror where people try to steal it constantly. And for awhile there was a Serenity ornament, which berths comfortably on my desk at work.

But I wanted a nice display model that fit in my budget, and lo, they have answered me. As part of their Serenity Little Damn Heroes Maquettes series, they've released a 1:400 scale version of our girl, priced at an affordable $99.95, due to ship in December.

Roughly 8" long, it's hand-painted, made of dozens of polystone pieces, with an insane attention to detail for this price point. You can remove it from its stand and zoom it around the room — and I will — and the shuttles are removable. One of them is in a flight position and can be fixed on a wire stand to appear to be launching off the wing (as shown). It doesn't light up (that's the bigger, pricier model) but the solar panels are chromed to provide a nice effect. And, like the larger model, it was made from the original CG files from the show, so it's as screen-accurate as can be. The black base is attractive and solid and would show off silver-penned autographs nicely, should someone happen to bring theirs to a convention, hint hint.

While the other LDH maquettes were released as limited editions, this one is not. However, I'd expect the first run of 2,000 to go fast and they take some time to make, so if you want one soon best get on the preorder list now.

Behind me, of course.

My dehoarding continues, with this latest eBay offer:

Browncoats rejoiced when fan-favorite collectible card company Inkworks got the license to make Serenity cards and they sold very well, but nothing sold out faster than the binder for them.

Commemorating Joss Whedon's movie "Serenity," the big-screen continuation of his popular-but-canceled show "Firefly," Inkworks produced a gorgeous set of 72 cards depicting scenes (and behind-the-scenes) from the movie. The binder is sturdy, 11 1/2" by 10" by 1 3/4" and contains the basic 72-card set, plus the following promo cards:

SP-i
SP-1
SP-NSUSD
SP-SD 2005 (Comics Con exclusive)
SP-UK (from a British collecting magazine, I think)
SP-CEE
SP-WW
DST-1 (advertising the action figures)
DS S1, DS S2, DS S3, DS S4, DS S5 (came with the action figures)

This is as complete a set of the promo cards as I've seen, and some of them are very hard to find.

The binder is in excellent condition, having sat snugly on my shelf since I bought it. The Serenity movie poster is on the front, and on the back is the cast and our girl Serenity flying in the black (or, rather, the blue). Slight wear on the top and bottom of the spine but it could easily be new out of the box, and it's even signed on the inside back cover by Inkworks president Allan Caplan. I'll even toss in the promo sheet advertising the card set, and the display box (folded) the cards came in. The cards are all in excellent condition (pics show some spots but they're from my crappy scanner).

Don't miss your chance to own this rare and hard-to-find Serenity collectible.

The latest in my "Dehoard Me" project was just posted. It's the hard-to-find Firefly trading cards binder, from the late, lamented Inkworks.

It's in great condition, still shiny and crisp and clean, and it contains the basic 72-card "Firefly: The Complete Collection" set as well as the one-sheet promo ad flyer for the series, four promo cards (P-i, P-2, P-4, and P-UK), and even the box the cards came in (folded).

The binder was tough to find even before the company went out of business and it's near impossible now. Don't miss out!

Right around this time last year, I vowed to blog something every day. And then, predictably, I barely touched the thing all year.

Mostly because I've been tweeting more, and it's a little startling to discover that most of the things I felt worth saying could fit in 140 characters.  But sometimes they can't, and so here I am.

The first lengthy thing to say in 2011 is: A Browncoat needs help, and by doing so you might get amazingly cool stuff.

Jean Bauhaus' mother-in-law, Gina, died unexpectedly in December without a will or insurance to cover the burial, and her father-in law needs long-term medical care (diabetes, emphysema, schizophrenia). In addition to the funeral and medical bills, Jean and her husband Matt also have to clean up Gina & Rob's old apartment, moving furniture and making it ready for new tenants. There are also legal matters to attend to and creditors to satisfy. Frankly, she can use some cash.

And, in one of the things that I love about fandom, people are stepping up to help. Marian Call donated her copy of her CD "Bootleg," signed and smooched, and proceeds from that handled the burial. Now we have a Seriously Cool Thing on auction and it ends Monday night.

It's a set of the Fruit Oaty Girls bobblehead maquettes from by Quantum Mechanix. These maquettes are limited to 1500 numbered sets, but only THIS set has been signed by its creator Geoff Mandel — the graphic designer behind Serenity (as well as many other movies and TV shows).

Bidding started at list price and will go on till 10 pm EST Monday night. 100% of the proceeds go to Jean. Don't miss out on a great collectible and a worthy cause.

More details about Jean and any other auctions can be found at Erin Palette's blog, Lurking Rhythmically.

Yet another couple items in my ongoing clean-out-my-life project, this time it's a Serenity bank heist money display and a pile of random metal gaming miniatures.

The Serenity money display is a framed and matted display depicting one of the actual Alliance bills used in the movie Serenity during the bank heist scene and the Maidenhead bar scene. It comes framed and glazed with the movie logo laser cut out of velvet finish mount board. Note that this is not one of the replica bills made by QMx; this is the real, screen-used deal. There is an imperfection with the matting, described in the, um, description. Check it out! Comes with COA from the Prop Store of London and is a great way to get a collectible piece of the movie without paying overseas shipping.

Then we have a box of gaming miniatures. I have no idea what's in here. Got a pile of gaming stuff and ended up with these along for the ride. Some are painted, most are not. The few I can identify are some Watchmen figures (Rorschach, the Comedian, the Silk Spectre and Ozmandias), some Call of Cthulu, and some Legion of Superheroes. The two still in the (crumpled) packages are a headless horseman sort of thing from RAFM Miniatures and #1211 Texas Ranger from Deadlands' Weird West Miniatures line. The rest are fantasy pieces, superhero pieces, animals, monsters, etc. Who knows, the one you've been dying to find could be in here.

For those who have written asking if I've lost interest in Firefly/Serenity: hell, no. But I've got a LOT of stuff and I'd rather keep the items with personal meaning. Seriously, I'm just getting started.

The next installment of my I-need-money-and-my-storage-space-back auctions includes something special: a rare art print of Serenity. OK, granted, pics of Serenity aren't terribly rare; she's a beautiful lady and people seem to like drawing, painting, crafting and LEGO-ing her. But this is one of only 100 "engineering proof" prints made of a John R. Mullaney piece for QMx that have never, to my knowledge, been offered for retail sale. Mullaney is, of course, the illustrator behind the amazing Serenity Architectural Cutaway Set QMx just released with its incredible level of detail. This is the same style, ink and watercolor, but this image isn't included in the set.

The print measures 11"x17", is hand-numbered 51/100, and does have a few minor flaws described in the auction listing. But you won't find many of these around; it's a beautiful work of art of our girl. Check it out!

Also up: a heap of Serenity patches of different styles and sizes. Ariel EMT patches, Alliance rank insignia patches, Independent patches, an Alliance flag patch, even Wash's Londino patch.

Both auctions end Sunday, September 19. Don't miss 'em!

More goodies up for bid in my ongoing "I Need Money and Want to Be Able to Walk Through My House Without Turning Sideways" auction. This time we have:

Strangers in Paradise "Abbey Road" T-shirt: This is the limited edition Wrap Party version of this shirt, only available by buying tickets to the Strangers in Paradise Wrap Party and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund event in NYC in 2007. It has the Abbey Road image of the SiP cast on the front and the wrap party tour dates on the back. There were 100 made; this is #2 (marked thusly, under the tour dates). Black, Adult XL, Hanes Heavyweight. Never worn.

Mal and Zoe dog tags from QMx: QMx had some dog tags made for Sgt. Malcolm Reynolds and Cpl. Zoe Alleyne, 57th Overlanders, Hera, to give out as promos at events and conventions. Brand new, made of high-quality metal plate with enamel, they measure approximately 5 cm x 2.5 cm. A black rubber silencer and chain is included with each.

Vertigo Tarot: This is a beautiful thing. Released when people couldn't get enough Sandman and Vertigo Comics, this stunningly illustrated tarot set uses characters from Sandman, The Books of Magic, Swamp Thing, and Hellblazer for the Major Arcana. Illustrations are by the amazing Dave McKean. Also includes a 128-page hardback guide to the Tarot by Rachel Pollack with introduction by Neil Gaiman. This is not the reissue or the 20th Anniversary set, this is the original 1995 box set.

Much more to come, and don't forget the items from the first load that are about to run out. Good luck!

Time to purge the shelves and closets and earn some much needed cash, I'm thinking, so I'm throwing some stuff onto eBay. Weird stuff tends to accumulate at the Old Bridges Place, and I suspect it breeds because I know I never bought half this stuff. Here's what's up for auction so far:

Primeval Seasons 1 and 2: DVD sets, 4- and 3-disc sets respectively, that include the first two seasons of the hit BBC show Primeval  Dinosaurs are popping up in modern day Britain and a team is quickly assembled to deal with it. Does this team, perchance, have a competent leader, a brave and trustworthy 2nd in command, and quirky but good-hearted team members? Why, yes! Yes, it does. Lots of fun, decent effects, and plenty of twists.

A Serenity Alliance Currency Money Pack: You've been here before, you know what it is (a pack of Alliance money prop duplicates, made from the digital images used for the movie on rag paper, including a map of Miranda). Sealed in the box.

"That '70s Show" Viewmaster: Yeah? I'll bet you don't have one… A Viewmaster with the logo from the show and the dates it was on the air imprinted on the outside, plus a Viewmaster disc with 7 images from the show's history.

More stuff to come as I clean out my deeper recesses and dust everything off.

The newest and most eagerly awaited Serenity comic is coming November 24, and you can preorder it now for 20% off.

"The Shepherd's Tale" finally opens up the life of Derrial Book. Written by Zack Whedon based on Joss' outline and drawn by Chris Samnee, it'll be 56 pages and published in hardcover.

One of Serenity's greatest mysteries is finally revealed in Shepherd's Tale, filling in the life of one of the show's most beloved characters–Shepherd Book!

Who was Book before meeting Mal and the rest of the Serenity crew, how did he become one of their most trusted allies, and how did he find God in a bowl of soup? Answers to these and more questions about Book's past are uncovered in this original graphic novel by rising stars Zack Whedon (Dr. Horrible, Terminator, Fringe) and Chris Samnee (Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, Daredevil). A pivotal chapter in the ongoing Serenity saga, Shepherd's Tale is also a rollicking, action-packed epic in its own right!

$14.99 in stores, but TFAW is offering preorders for $11.99. You definitely don't want to miss this one. He don't give half a hump if you're innocent or not. So where does that put you?