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Mark Racop was one year old when the series Batman premiered on television in January of 1966. The next year, the toddler vowed to build his own Batmobile. And he did, at age 17. But Racop didn’t stop there- he kept building more Batmobiles until he established himself as the Batmobile guy, building replicas of the 1966 Batmobile for a living! His crew, Fiberglass Freaks work out of a secret “Batcave” location in Logansport, Indiana.
Racop says that his occupation is more than just a job, it’s a mission. “I’ve been studying this car since I was two-years-old. I have over 5,000 photos, all 120 episodes on tape, and lots of video of the Barris cars in my archives. Yeah, you could say that I’m a little obsessed!” Racop says, laughing.
Racop has received official sanction for his fully-loaded, fully-drivable replicas. D.C. Comics has now licensed his company to manufacture official Batmobile replicas.
“Most of our customers are in their late 40′s or 50′s,” Racop said. “The kids are out of the house, they have come into some money, and it’s time to do something fun. They either like the 1966 Batman, or just loved the 1966 Batmobile. Either way, every guy between the ages of 40 to 60would love to have this car. This was their childhood dream car, just as it was for me. Some want a Batmobile to show off while picking up their kids from school. Others use them for charity events. Some have private collections, and others drive it nearly every day.”
“I say this with all humility: we’ve been very blessed with a very talented crew, and to receive this license from DC Comics is an absolute honor.”
Racop’s Batmobiles feature gadgets seen in the TV series, such as the Batbeam, a flashing red beacon light, a polished aluminum roll-top dashboard, electric actuators for the hood and trunk, a green flashing radar Detect-a-scope, and “rocket” exhaust pipes that spew two-foot flames!
An authentic 1966 Batmobile replica will set you back $149,999. For that price, you’ll have the coolest car anyone around has ever encountered. Find out all about them at Racop’s website, Fiberglass Freaks. Phone inquiries can be made at 574-722-3237.
Oh, you wanted to see some pictures? Feast your eyes!
Take 122 years of National Geographic history and distill the most amazing people, places, and things and you’ll get something like Melina Gerosa Bellows’ book Nat Geo AMAZING!
Links: Official Nat Geo AMAZING! Website | Amazon
Lovers of the weird and the wonderful – isn’t that all of you Neatoramanauts? – rejoice: not only did Neatorama get a glimpse of the book and TV series, we’ve also got 4 copies of the book to give away (more on that later). First, here are some of the neat things you’ll find in Nat Geo AMAZING!
"That’s the balance between life and death, and that is where life is"
- Eskil Ronningsbakken
Most of us seek balance in our lives, but few of us have turned it into an art form. Eskil Ronningsbakken is the exception, perfecting it even over troubled waters … on a tight-rope thousands of feet in the air. Sometimes he is on a bicycle, sometimes he is on his feet; often times he is upside down. Occasionally he glides above solid ground, dangling from a hot air balloon.
"Other people might see this as stupid, but to me it’s about being free and able to do what I want in my life," says the Norwegian, who has been performing for the past decade. Ronningsbakken is taking that message to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, and the young Africans who live there. By teaching them acrobatics, he hopes to inspire lifelong confidence. "As a professional balancer," he explains, "you’ve got to be able to overcome fear. You’ve got to be at total peace with yourself."
Put a little extra happiness in your day with a dose of Mario! First a landlord, then a carpenter, then a plumber, and now a video game hero! Wait …a landlord? How did that happen?
Now you know more than you thought you’d ever need to know about Super Mario and the games he plays! This infographic is courtesy of the folks at Homeowners Insurance.
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(infographic by Online Schools)
Cats and dogs each have their good points and not-so-good points. Many of us like both, but if you could only have one pet, would it be a cat or a dog? Or would it be another kind of pet altogether?
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Our UPS deliveries usually have got a lot of neat stuff for the NeatoShop, but today’s delivery is a bit unusual. We got a mysterious box from Hasbro. Clearly it’s got something to do with the upcoming Iron Man 2 movie … but what? The box is sealed and we’ll open it tomorrow. In the meantime, would you care to wager a guess of what’s inside?
Let’s make it fun: we don’t know if we can give away what’s inside because, well, … honestly we don’t know what’s inside! There’s a good chance that there will be Iron Man 2 swags to give away to one or several lucky readers, but in case there aren’t: head on over to the NeatoShop and take a look at our selection of neat T-shirts (don’t miss the Science T-Shirts and the newly expanded Funny T-Shirts and One-Liners).
Tell us what you think is in the box. Enter your guess in the comment section. Be as funny and creative, but post no URL or web links, mmkay? (Doing so will invalidate your entry). One guess per comment, please, but you can enter as many guesses as you’d like. IMPORTANT: Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. We’ll post the unboxing soon. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to be the first to find out!
More photos: more …
Infographic by Column Five Media
Advancements in warfare and infantryman combat system have begun to blur the lines between war and science fiction. The United States Future Force Warrior program, for example, is bringing the power armor exoskeleton envisioned by Robert A. Heinlein in his novel Starship Troopers into reality. In this infographic above, Ross Crooks and Jason Lankow of Column Five Media imagined what soldier of the future would look like.
This post is written by Jen Yates of Cake Wrecks
Nothing brings this geek girl joy quite like a well-executed Star Wars cake. Then again, nothing tickles my fancy the way a Star Wars Wreck does, either. So today, let’s double our pleasure (double our fun) by taking a look at a mix of both.
First, everyone’s favorite green Jedi Master:
Spectacular this Yoda cake is. Like it I do.
Much like the Force, however, there is a dark side to Yoda cakes: more …
