| Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 08-01-2008 18:32 |
|
Tartan Jack
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
| 
Posts: 307
Location: South Caroina
Joined: 30.11.06
 |
|
I was watching the 66-68 TV series and I noticed that it doesn't seem to be the nice shiny finish I am used to seeing in more recent photos.
The Number One car looks to be more of a satin black.
Was it?
I am talking about during the actual FILMING of the show, not the latter tours.
Primarily I noticed the shine (or lack thereof) during the front shots.
Sum Nox!
 |
 |
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 08-01-2008 19:39 |
|
spencer1984
Dark Knight
Awards:
| 
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
|
|
When the car was delivered to the studio, it was still "unfinshed," and painted primer black. When that didn't show up well on camera, they tried to fix it by airbrushing highlights on the car:
They didn't like that either, and the car was painted gloss black and pinstriped to help it look good on camera:
However, clearcoats were nonexistent and glossy paint of the 1960s simply didn't look as good as modern paint. Plus, they only needed the car to look good on television (in a time before freeze-framing or HD), so they didn't take pains to really detail the car (close-up shots show some pretty glaring errors). The result was a mediocre paint job, combined with a hectic shooting schedule and general on-set abuse, that often looked dull & dirty:
The complete history of the Batmobile: BatmobileHistory.com
Scale models of Batmobiles & more: spencer1984.com |
 |
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 08-01-2008 19:57 |
|
|
Tartan Jack
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
|
Posts: 307
Location: South Caroina
Joined: 30.11.06
|
|
In particular, I was noticing shots like:
(You get the idea, even if you can't see the hood in this one.)
The hood looks REAL dull in the first few episodes (I am watching them in sequence originally aired). I was wondering if it was still a satin at first (first number of episodes) and wasn't made gloss until later episodes, or until the movie.
Sum Nox!
|
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 09-01-2008 07:29 |
|
FlaBat
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1526
Location: Miami
Joined: 24.06.05
|
|
Since that front shot is under the lights in a studio maybe they made it dull on purpose to help keep the glare from the lights down and not refelect anything from the studio.
Of course I agree that car paint in the 60's was nothimg like it is today.
 |
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 09-01-2008 10:13 |
|
|
Tartan Jack
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
|
Posts: 307
Location: South Caroina
Joined: 30.11.06
|
|
Thanks for the responses.
Was the "studio front shot" stuff (which is obviously rear-projection) the Number One car or a mock-up?
I have read that the Batcave power-up/departure "flame-thrower" back-end was a full-scale mock-up, as none of the blowers on the 4/5 Barris cars was that powerful. So, mock-ups were used.
I ask as I am resto-customing 3 Corgi Batmobiles. I am deciding what to do with each, restore to to accurate, make TV-show accurate, or something that I just like . . .
So, I am looking at the old shows with details like the finish and the actual car parts in mind.
With the coming Hot Wheels 1/50 scale ones coming, some of the motivation for a super-accurate TV-based model is diminished. However, I might do it anyways (IF I can do the pinstriping . . .).
Sum Nox!
Edited by Tartan Jack on 09-01-2008 10:15 |
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 09-01-2008 21:11 |
|
|
FlaBat
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1526
Location: Miami
Joined: 24.06.05
|
|
I think the #1 Batmobile was used entirely for the show. I'm not sure they had "stunt doubles" for the car as it was a one of a kind when the TV show first aired. On the 1966Batmobile site some eagle eyes spotted one of the replicas Barris later built in the Batcave on a later episode.
|
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 09-01-2008 21:18 |
|
|
spencer1984
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
|
|
Flabat's right, the #1 was essentially the only screen-used car except for one episode. I'd guess that in a lot of those "semi gloss" shots like the one you posted, the car is simply dirty and they didn't bother giving it a wash & wax since it wasn't the focus of the scene.
I often run into the same issue when building models: a deep gloss looks beautiful, but is generally inaccurate for vintage paint jobs. So when I'm building older cars, I either skip the clearcoat or go with a semi-gloss and enough polish to make it look nice & clean.
The complete history of the Batmobile: BatmobileHistory.com
Scale models of Batmobiles & more: spencer1984.com |
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 09-01-2008 23:04 |
|
|
Tartan Jack
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
|
Posts: 307
Location: South Caroina
Joined: 30.11.06
|
|
I wasn't thinking of cars 2-5 (IF 5 was EVER used in ANY show, as Barris claims), but of a wood and plastic, fiberglass, or the like mock-up of the hood, windshield, and upper rear.
I have really only looked at the first double episode in any depth and a VERY distracted viewing of the second and third.
Most likely, it was the number one car, dirty and possibly "sprayed" with something to decrease reflections for the studio shots, then rinsed off when shooting finished.
After more viewings, any of the exterior shots show a shinier finish, a more typical "period" glossy finish. The "cave exit" onto the road was in the first episode and it CLEARLY has a "shiny" finish. This was only shot once and then reused again and again (like the Green Hornet "car flip" actor footage-> WHY does he look up at the green light?).
Sum Nox!
|
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 10-01-2008 07:29 |
|
|
FlaBat
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1526
Location: Miami
Joined: 24.06.05
|
|
Barris built the #1 from the Futura, and then used that to mold #’s 2, 3 and 4. All the Barris replicas were fiberglass and used on the car show circuit to promote the show. The #4 was the Drag Car and it was showcased at Drag Races across the country.
1966 Batmobile Specs
http://www.1966batmobile.com/spec.htm
Barris Built Replicas
http://www.1966batmobile.com/replica.htm
Barris built 3 additional cars, all of which are now in private ownership. The #1 is at the Peterson Museum in L.A. California.
The #5 Batmobile
http://www.javelinamx.com/batmobile/index.htm
The story as I read it was the car was privately built, in steel no less, and a Barris representative saw it at a car show and seized the car for copyright infringement or something like that.
If you want to buy a Batmobile, one goes on the block at Barrett-Jackson this Friday
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/search/carlist_Details.aspx?&In_LotNumber=994
|
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 10-01-2008 11:03 |
|
|
Tartan Jack
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
|
Posts: 307
Location: South Caroina
Joined: 30.11.06
|
|
FlaBat, your right.
Note how Barris USUALLY says he "designed" car 5, not "built" it.
Cars 2-4 were built on a mid-60s T-Bird chassis, lengthened. 2 and 3 were "show cars" for tours, conventions, and wherever they wanted to show them off. 4 was a "drag car" usually used for car shows and drag racing demonstrations. It appeared in one scene in the show where Batman drag races. The Furtura would accelerate way too slow to be used for that scene.
I THINK car 5 was also a T-Bird under the skin. Barris MAY have "rebuilt" the car and incorporated some stuff found on the other 3 "replibats," as several odd stuff is shared (ehich is what fuels the belief that Barris built it.
I have read some on the 1966 car, though my fav. are the post-1989 cars with the Furstmobile at the top of the list.
What I thought before must be correct. There was not a "Satin" Batmobile between the black primered finish and the "gloss" one.
There probably was also not a "mock-up" used for the rear projection scenes. It was most likely Number One either dirty or with a spray-on and clean off "dulling" coat for those scenes (due to studio lighting).
I have looked it up and a "dulling spray" was used for studios rear projection scenes to limit "light hot spots" and glare in the camera from highly reflective surfaces. So, that is probably a portion of what we see in some of the frontal shots.
Sum Nox!
|
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 10-01-2008 20:38 |
|
|
spencer1984
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
|
|
There's actually a couple of histories that are running into each other here 
Cars 2-4 were built on stretched Galaxie chassis; T-birds had unitized bodies from '58 to '66, so they would've been bad donors for the 'glass replicas (which needed traditional body-on-frame construction).
The #4 was indeed the only replica used on-screen, but not as a stunt car: the only evidence of its appearance was in the background of a single scene, and it was buried behind some equipment because it looked different enough that it would've stood out otherwise.
#5 was a home-built replica, built by Jim Sermersheim from a '58 Thunderbird. The details of how Barris acquired it change from telling to telling: some people involved in the transaction swear that it was seized because of copyright infringement, while others that were part of the transaction swear that the deal was far more amicable and Jim sold the replica.
I also have a longer explanation of the replicas here:
http://www.batmobilehistory.com/barris-batmobile.php
The complete history of the Batmobile: BatmobileHistory.com
Scale models of Batmobiles & more: spencer1984.com |
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 11-01-2008 12:14 |
|
|
Tartan Jack
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
|
Posts: 307
Location: South Caroina
Joined: 30.11.06
|
|
As I haven't seen the show in years (until the recent acquiring of a DVD set), I take your word.
My info was gleaned from websites. When it comes to Batmobile history, you are more expert than I and have to "deal with" it on a more regular basis. So, you probably deal with and research stuff on the TV and movie cars most would never even think to ask.
On the 1966 car, I have not been a huge fan, but probably know more than most in the general public. Yet, in THIS crowd, I am a school-boy.
Thanks.
Sum Nox!
|
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 11-01-2008 22:44 |
|
|
spencer1984
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
|
|
We're all still learning stuff about the '66 every day it seems - the misinformation out there is absolutely staggering. What makes it a bit frustrating at times is how much wrong info comes from official sources...so people and news outlets are quoting what should be reliable sources, and muddying up things even more. If I haven't seen the contradicting tales with my own eyes, I'd think some of us were a bit batty (if you'll excuse the horrible pun).
The complete history of the Batmobile: BatmobileHistory.com
Scale models of Batmobiles & more: spencer1984.com |
|
|
| RE: Original 1966 finish of Futura Batmobile -
Posted on 11-01-2008 23:41 |
|
|
FlaBat
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1526
Location: Miami
Joined: 24.06.05
|
|
I think part of the problem is the #1 changed so much after the TV show ended. There are “Bat Labels” not only on the dash, but the outside as well. New “Gas” pipes were added to both front and rear grills too. Then of course there is the Bat Fuzz days that the replicas had years ago. I saw one at a car show (in the early 80’s) and was upset that it had the Bat Fuzz on it.
Each of the replicas that Barris built and each replica built by other builders is just a touch different than any other. Yet still it is an iconic car that everybody loves.
|
|
|
Home
