Does anyone remember Awesome Earl in SkateRock, circa 1988? He was supposed to be the sart of a franchise, with many other adventures “coming soon.” It’s a curious title for a video game. I imagine somebody in marketing picked up a copy of thrasher and randomly appropriated a feature title. SkateRock is a side scroller where you are supposed to avoid obstacles in order to “Join the coveted ranks of the Slime Rat Skaters!” That quote comes from a the game description online, but it’s not actually listed anywhere in the packaging that comes with the version I have. Inside the box there’s nothing more than a 5.25″ floppy, a very short instruction page, and a warranty card. I didn’t actually own this game in 1988, It wouldn’t have run on my Apple IIe. I own it now because I have poor impulse control. Radical! Bigger photos, alternate covers and screen captures from game play after the jump.

I remember New Deal and ATM making Iron Maiden decks in the past, but I don’t think this crappy complete was official Iron Maiden merchandising. I found out this is the design from their 1981 single ‘Purgatory’ and that’s about all I need to know about Iron Maiden. It sold for $99 on eBay after 1 bid. Details of the design after the jump.

A weird little play set, this Littlest Pet Shop Puppy Pal. Nothing says “play” like a puppy locked in a dog kennel. Don’t blame the seller, although for $14 I would want the complete set, even if it did date back to 1992. UPDATED

You say you’ve always wanted a skateboard in the shape of the New Museum in New York? Well your long wait is over, because Chapman Skateboards is producing a limited run of 150 of these boxy decks to be sold in the museum gift shop. They kind of look like a pixelated version of the old Skull Skates mutant. If you watch the video, you can see the deck is cruiser sized. Chapman decks are made in the USA, don’t cha know… I didn’t, actually. It’s probably an exciting collaboration for Chapman, but it’s a little hard to get excited about the deck shape if you’re not connected with the museum in some way, as a fan or a neighbor. I suppose you could use it to impress people without lying. “You know, I’m currently on the board of a museum in New York, they wanted me to buy it.” [Source: DesignBoom] – Thanks to MC for the tip.

Jesse Ramirez with a 16 foot wall ride during something called the Empire Games presented by Converse Cons, sponsored by Volcom and Organika. What are the Empire Games? Where are they? Me thinks somewhere in Quebec, but I’m not sure. Linky, linky, link. Video plus another wall ride contest in Barcelona after the jump. [Source: Soma]

I’ve been cleaning out a space in my back yard to build a small bowl under two giant pine trees, so it’s got to be above ground. If you know anybody looking to get rid of some cinder blocks (for the retaining walls), please let me know. I’m on an extra tight budget. Yes, Craig’s list. I know. This project will come together as I am able to accumulate materials, there is no schedule. I figured it was time to put up or shut up. DIY or die!

Someone on the East Coast asked me for advice in purchasing a video theme for a business promo video. One of the links they were considering (Colorful Holiday Memories) had stock footage from a local skatepark here in Tigard, Oregon. Plate of Shrimp.

I spotted a pump track video online via Michael Brooke’s Facebook feed, but he was tight lipped about it at the time and I forgot ot follow up on it. Progressive Pumptracks makes modular pump tracks from three different materials, wood, steel, and concrete. The wooden ones seem like they would have a short useful lifespan for a skateboard, even though they are covered with a composite surface. I can imagine the repetitive “thunk thunk” sounds at each seem would only get louder and slower after a season in the rain or snow. The concrete version looks pretty fun though, although technically still reconfigurable, in reality it seems like it would be really hard to move without a good forklift, maybe two. It’s a pretty exciting idea until you realize that ARC is the company behind it. Actually, it’s still a pretty cool idea, just hard to swallow considering who makes them. A pump track is not really a “skatepark” but more like a skatespot. It looks super fun, and I love the idea of plopping these down on a disused tennis court. Videos and pics after the jump, plus a bonus video of an asphalt pump track someplace called…

GEM models was a toy company in England that made plastic figures of may varieties, soldiers, cowboys, indians, and sports figures. There is no definitive source of information on GEM, but the consensus is that they were around during the 50’s and 60’s. Most of these models were sculpted by a man name George Musgrave, a man who had his museum for a while, but again there’s very little information about (this specific) George Musgrave on the web, other than some audio tracks of him reading poetry on the youtube. His home town of Eastbourne has a 45 minute documentary on him (that might have appeared on the BBC) but amazingly, you have to download it. Why do we care about George Musgrave? Because in addition to the hundreds of action figures he sculpted, he also made these creepy little skateboarders. They aren’t inherently creepy, it’s just that if you take close up photos of any 40mm (1.6 inch) model and blow it up larger than life it will tend to look creepy, even if it isn’t a half a century old. While GEModels existed in the 50-60’s, George continued to sculpt for various other toy company and cake topper…

Remember the gold plated skateboard? Now you can watch the process. Yes, I’m phoning it in today.