FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (Carguy1965) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:56:49 GMT

Equalizerjag;

You are probably right, although the thickness of the windscreen on the Boone car looks very thin to me. At least now we have the perspective of how the piece could have been used. Without seeing the Boone car it was hard to imagine how cutting the canopy "in half" could have been used on any thing. Thanks again and we look forward to seeing more photos..

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (equalizerjag) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:10:08 GMT

I believe Mark Towle has the real canopy frame, but the plexiglass looks too wavy to be original. As far as those 'two sections being cut from spare windshield' theory goes, that isn't so. If you look at rear view of the Richard Boone windshield, the flat arch area between bubbles is too shallow (because it's the rear section of the canopy) to match the rear windows. Also look at the front view; the window has a compound curve, not matching the windshield. Look at...

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (CA WOODSIDE) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:28:33 GMT

I can't think of a worse place for it to be historically speaking.

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (Carguy1965) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:02:53 GMT

Can't wait for Equalizerjag to send more shots.

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (66BAT) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:04:30 GMT

Loving all the old pics you have been digging up lately Don, keep digging! I bet you have a few more gems tucked away in boxes somewhere!

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (DonC) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:45:15 GMT

No not saying that's the original center canopy but indeed Bob's replica center canopy. The canopy trim is/was all made from flat bar stock heated and hammered into shape then painted silver at the time.

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (66BAT) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:38:44 GMT

Are you saying that's the original Futura canopy, not a replica Bob made for his car?

His replica is almost always shown with a canopy on it in the many pics I have of the car, I always guessed he made a replica canopy for his replica?

Note the chrome trim is painted silver like everything else that was supposed to be chrome on the Butts replica, the center canopy MT has still has actual chrome trim, not painted silver.

It wouldn't make much sense for...

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (DonC) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:38:08 GMT

Here's a picture I took several years of Bob at his desk and his Futura front and center in his office...center canopy fully intact.

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (66BAT) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:08:37 GMT

The wife and I used to love watching "The Equalizer" back in the day, great show!

Anyways, fantastic pics that's for sure! I actually have an old magazine article with a black and white pic of the guy sitting at the show with the Futura models and that chunk of center canopy section, I have posted it here long ago too always wondering what the story was behind that section of canopy! Now I FINALLY know, thanks for the info.

As for MT's canopy, I can buy...

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (Carguy1965) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:39:44 GMT

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (Mark Racop) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:35:20 GMT

Thanks for your kind words. Please do drop by the shop when you get a chance. We are about 60 miles north of Indianapolis.

I still have the Futura molds we pulled off Marty's beautiful "Futura in the Woods" sculpt. I hope one day to see a Futura come about--that would be great.

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (Carguy1965) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:56:08 GMT

Thanks for the welcome. I have admired your work for sometime Mark. I live in your neck of the woods in Illinois and hope to stop by sometime. Would love to see a Futura body available in the future.

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (Mark Racop) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:30:18 GMT

I didn't welcome you, Equalizer, good sir! Sorry. Miss Manners would just slap my hand, wouldn't she?

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (Mark Racop) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:28:36 GMT

It's tough to say without seeing that glass in person (it appears to be too thin to be Futura glass, but it is thicker than the Barris replicar glass), but I certainly agree with the plausibility of your theory. I had just shared the same thought with my wife Jill moments before reading your post!

Welcome aboard, by the way!

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (Carguy1965) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:52:40 GMT

I finally got around to registering! Anyway, I believe these new photos verify the "urban legend" about the Futura/Batmobile parts and the Richard Boone Car. The claim is true, but only partially.

The Boone car is a modified Devin fiberglass kit car from the 1950's. The car was rolled and then rebodied. It appears to me that an extra Barris Batmobile replica windshield was used to add a windscreen to the "Paladin" car. The windshield was cut horizontally...

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (A Pennyworth) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:49:31 GMT

Great pictures, thanks for sharing those!

Also notice that the Detect-A-Scope is missing, leaving a dash hole were the Futura's clock was.

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (dirtprod) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:31:19 GMT

Very cool pictures! I agree, Eric, I've never seen the #1 so dusty and stripped down. Did it come back from ABC that way? With the arch gone and the center piece inserted, I wonder if they were considering turning it back into the Futura?

I also see the Dragula in the second picture. Do you have any more of the Dragula and perhaps some of the Munster Koach, too?

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (66Batmobile) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:51:00 GMT

Holy snikes!! Welcome to the board and thanks for the pics. These pics are some of the most interesting photos I've seen in quite a long time. The two photos I like the most are of the #1 Batmobile. I have never seen photos from this era...

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (equalizerjag) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:35:48 GMT

hi guys i am new to this site, but have been a lurker for a while. i was a friend of stuart sternberg, in wisc., and bob butts. i used to restore futura models and trade futura and batmobile items with them. i got these photos from bob and stuart back in the 80's showing what happened to the actual plexi section of the canopy. hope this helps on the debate on the subject. thats the richard boone car with one part and the other section was in stuart's collection. i do not know what...

Re: FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (66Batmobile) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:16:09 GMT

Overall a good article, but it looks like it was put together from prior web articles, books and magazines--therefore not 100% accurate.

I do not think I've seen a photo of Richard Boone's car, so can't speak to the canopy. Also, not sure if Joe Desris or Dave owned/owns a piece of it. Looks like Mark Towle has significant parts of the center canopy, but maybe Barris used the plexiglass and...

FANTASTIC FUTURA ARTICLE

feeds@yuku.com (66BAT) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:50:29 GMT

I found this online article which talks about ALL aspects of the Futura from design to build, it has 10 sections full of great stuff, some of which i already knew, some I didn't. Well worth the read for any Futura fan! I don't "think" Eric has it here on the site?

among the interesting bits of info:

"there are about 80 original pictures of the Futura scattered between Ford Photomedia and the archives. Several pictures of the...