Is it worth $1196? Is it worth $20? On the left, an auction item shipping from the U.K. that is in excellent condition, but seems to be overvalued for sure. On the right, this one sold on Facebook marketplace, locally in Ballarat Victoria, Australia. I dare you to find a web site with more coverage of the Skatewing, it can’t be done!

I thought I’d seen every option of the Skatewing until I saw a post with this Turbo II branded abomination called the “Scorpy.” One thing you’ll notice right away is that the Turbo II version has rounded casters on the wings instead of the single, fixed skateboard wheels. Turbo II was a toy store brand skateboard popular in the UK. Digging around on the internet shows that they like to approximate some popular designs to evoke those designs without violating copyright. Maybe the caster wheels were the same kind of attempt to avoid a patent dispute, although it’s hard to imagine that the Skating was ever popular enough to make someone think it would be a good idea to copy it.

Because this site is still part of the Skatewing Preservation Society, enjoy these pics of a red Skatewing. This one is in pretty good shape until you get a look at a side view of the tail. Once again, this site is also the only member of the Skatewing Preservation Society. – Thanks to Allen Weekes for the photos.

Because this site is part of the Skatewing Preservation Society, enjoy these pics of a gray Skatewing. Also, this site is the only member of the Skatewing Preservation Society. – Thanks to Terry Daniel for the photos.

This unassembled Ben Lexan Skatewing was won on a cruise many years ago, and has sat in storage since then until Jamie Shain decided to help their mother-in-law do some cleaning. It’s funny because I’ve often wondered how they packaged these boards for shipping, being as unwieldy as they are, and now I know. Trucks (regular, and auxiliary) and handles came unassembled. – Thanks to Jamie for the pics!

Holy @#$%!!! I almost gave up on this web site, but at long last, after almost a year (!) we’re back online. Losing almost 8000 posts and 40,000 comments was a shock at first, but after a the initial dismay it became sort of a blessing, like a weight lifted off my shoulders. About 7 months into it, I was able to recover the raw files, but I wasn’t sure if I was up to the gargantuan task of putting everything back together, and I doubted whether or not there was any point in doing it. Skate and Annoy was seeing infrequent updates at the time it went down. It had been online since 1996. But it didn’t really take off until 2003. Not counting the 80’s print editions, that’s almost 15 years of devoting an unnatural amount of attention to a web site with little to show for it except the occasional free product sent in to review, and a ton of bad CD’s. So I decided to let it die a natural death. Except I couldn’t quite let it go. I would still get the occasional tip from former readers. I was still saving tv commercials with skateboarding…

Bustyourbuns has the most comprehensive photos of a Skatewing for sale that I’ve ever seen. There’s a reserve still to be met, and hefty $73 shipping charge for this Australian skateboard, even though it ships from California. I’ve got the cheap-o plastic version of this 80’s wacky board, but the wooden one must be a thing to behold. I’m not sure if t’s the same skatewing being passed around or if it was a systematic falling of the manufacturer, but every one I’ve seen pictures of seems to have the same stress fractures covering the entire board. Apparently, the wings were designed by an Australian yacht racer who designed the first winged keel, and so this was some sort of attempt to cash in on his fame beyond the yachting world. Two things I did not know about the skatewing; the wheels were called B52 Wing Commanda’s, and you could join the Commanda’s Club. I guess they weren’t worried about trademark infringement with Sims B52 wheels, but were somehow adverse to using the proper spelling of “commander.” (Update: Sold for $123.50 + $72.89 shipping) – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip.

Lovers of crazy skateboards and crazy people selling them. On the left hand side there’s a crazy lady in West Linn, Oregon who has a set of wheels she thinks is worth $200 in a skateshop, but she’ll sell them to you for $50. It’s a priceless listing. I’ve preserved it after the jump for when the listing dies. By the way, I didn’t crop that photo, that’s the way she posted it. Meanwhile, In the Bay Area we have some generic toy store board and an excellent specimen of one of the lessor varieties of Skatewing. I actually have one of these black plastic ones, but the stickers are all non-existent except for the safety warning on the tail. It’s not as fancy as some versions, but it’s still, uh, important in the evolution of the species. – Thanks to Pete Lewis and Seedy for the tips.

I had a lapse of judgement, I made some bids I couldn’t back up. Like that time in 8th grade when I almost got stuck paying $60 for a cake at that Boy Scout charity bake auction. These Skatewings are freakish and rare. Just try finding one with a Google image search. Brewce Martin owns one. I was upset at first, but then I realized that eBay bidder Member Id: o***b must be a fan of the site and intend to send it to me as payment for countless hours wiled away reading Skate and Annoy, right? RIGHT!