Doc Savage

[Max Replica]

I've played with the idea of a submachine pistol using a smaller scaled, straight clip toy Thompson as a base. The shoulder stock would be removed and the barrel shortened to a more suitable pistol type barrel.

That's an interesting idea. And I've had some success with painting up plastic toy guns to look like the real thing. But wasn't Doc's supermachine pistol described as having a drum and not a straight clip? Maybe I'm remembering wrong. Time to pull out one of the early novels again (it's a good excuse).

Somewhere I've got an artist's rendering of one of the Doc pistols. I think it may have been in one of the recent reissue books. If I find it and it looks good I'll post it here.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Here's a Bama gun, from Omnibus No. 9...

I've got a few more; I'll dig 'em out and post here....
Rob

 

[BAK55]

That's an interesting idea. And I've had some success with painting up plastic toy guns to look like the real thing. But wasn't Doc's supermachine pistol described as having a drum and not a straight clip? Maybe I'm remembering wrong. Time to pull out one of the early novels again (it's a good excuse).

Somewhere I've got an artist's rendering of one of the Doc pistols. I think it may have been in one of the recent reissue books. If I find it and it looks good I'll post it here.

I had thought that a toy straight clip Thompson would have been earsier to find than one with a drum. HA, was I wrong. The only ones I can find are those awful clicker "gangster tommy guns" available at most costume sites. It has the drum magazine, but the configuation is just bad. I had also thought it would be easier to holster a straight clip pistol than one with a drum.

 

[BAK55]

Here's a Bama gun, from Omnibus No. 9...

I've got a few more; I'll dig 'em out and post here....
Rob

I remember the gun in the painting was a toy that was available at the time. I think it was called a Fazer, since Star Trek was being originally broadcasted at the time. It was perhaps one of the first toys that had different settings with a slide bar to set different sounds. Electronics being what they were at the time, the toy was rather bulky.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Another Bama weapon...

And a Brian Stelfreeze/Millennium Comics version...

Check out this toy sculpt from Bruce Ross....it's his take on the supermachine pistol...
http://glorbes.blogspot.com/2009/05/another-doc-savage.html

Rob

 

[Tiberius Kirk]

The front:

and the back:

Steve

Man, that's cool!

Thanks Steve.

What are the measurements?

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Last of the "Doc with guns" Bantam cover scans....looks like he had quite an arsenal, including a 'funnel gun'.... :confused...and a Colt .45....

For a guy who disdained the use of guns, he sure was packin' a lot....:cool
Rob

 

[BAK55]

In the top two images, Doc is brandishing a raygun that was from another toy that I remember.

It's an Astro-Ray by Ohio Arts. The larger emitter was a flashlight to light up targets while you shot them with the dart gun located beneath the flashlight.

http://www.atomicbox.net/dratomic/astroray.html

Thanks for the memories. I hadn't thought of these items for some time.

 

[Max Replica]

I thought about starting a new thread just about Doc's superfirer, but sadly I don't think there's enough Doc interest on this board to support more than one thread at a time. Maybe we can change the name of this thread to "All things Doc Savage". : )

Not to nitpick, but that Omnibus cover is by Bob Larkin, not Bama.

Great job with all of those cover scans. I was going to mention some of those titles after consulting "Doc Savage: Arch Enemy of Evil" this morning, but you beat me to it. Besides, I don't have my books here at the house so all I would have been able to put up are the B+W versions.

I'm not a fan of the raygun-style guns they often put in Doc's hands. Well, to be more specific, I'm a fan of rayguns in general, but I don't think that's what Doc's gun should look like.

Also - That's a good point about a drum magazine being harder to put in a holster. Hmm, that may change what I decided to do for my costume gun.

There aren't a lot of original pulp covers (from the 30s) with guns on them, but the original Baumhofer cover of The Land Of Terror shows what I always remembered thinking of as the most book-accurate gun - an oversized pistol with a drum on it:
View attachment 25585

It's possible that Lester Dent had in mind the type of high capacity drum that sits below the grip rather than the forend, like this spiral drum mag for a luger:
View attachment 25583

A cool cutaway concept-art piece of the Doc Savage super-machine pistol was done by Jim Steranko in the 70s. (It's the one I was trying to remember earlier) This was the only pic I could find on the net:
View attachment 25584

This same drawing appeared recently in the Nostalgia Ventures re-release Doc Savage Volume 26 (The Annihilist & Cargo Unknown), which is where I must have seen it. I thought I had it at the house but I don't. Maybe someone who has it can scan it in at a decent resolution for us?

 

[BronzeGiant]

Man, that's cool!

Thanks Steve.

What are the measurements?

Buckle measures 3 15/16 x 2 1/16.

Steve

 

[BAK55]

Steranko's concept of the firearm is wicked cool. One would think that perhaps a straight clip is used while the pistol is holstred with possibly a drum mag could be in a ammo pouch clipped to the weapons belt as an option.

 

[Tiberius Kirk]

Buckle measures 3 15/16 x 2 1/16.

Steve

Thanks again Steve.

It looks to be cast resin, mounted on an existing buckle?

 

[Ghostsoldier]

I thought about starting a new thread just about Doc's superfirer, but sadly I don't think there's enough Doc interest on this board to support more than one thread at a time. Maybe we can change the name of this thread to "All things Doc Savage". : )

That's cool by me!

Not to nitpick, but that Omnibus cover is by Bob Larkin, not Bama.

By all means, max, please nitpick! I should know better than that...I spent my 70's studying those Bantam covers and the artists, until I could spot them blindfolded (well, most of them--Bantam was still publishing DS as of '94, and I never followed the newer artists); looks like I'm a little rusty in my memory, because I shoulda spotted that as a Larkin Doc (his is closer to Bama's than Pfeiffer's or Vallejo's...I never liked Boris' incarnation)...

Great job with all of those cover scans. I was going to mention some of those titles after consulting "Doc Savage: Arch Enemy of Evil" this morning, but you beat me to it. Besides, I don't have my books here at the house so all I would have been able to put up are the B+W versions.

No problem...I was going to scan all of my own books, but somebody beat me to it, so I just collected the other guys scans. One of these days I'm going to get Widen's book...are the scans in it clear and sharp?

A cool cutaway concept-art piece of the Doc Savage super-machine pistol was done by Jim Steranko in the 70s. (It's the one I was trying to remember earlier) This was the only pic I could find on the net:
View attachment 25584

This same drawing appeared recently in the Nostalgia Ventures re-release Doc Savage Volume 26 (The Annihilist & Cargo Unknown), which is where I must have seen it. I thought I had it at the house but I don't. Maybe someone who has it can scan it in at a decent resolution for us?

I used to have a copy of that, but heaven knows where it is now....

Rob

 

[BAK55]

I have no objection of this thread being a general Doc Savage discussion. I look forward to any advice I can offer to anyone wishing to do this character for the convention of their choice or just because thay can.

So far as I know, only the fellow at D-Con, who had done the Ron Ely Doc, and myself have done this. I would really like to see others who would like to try their hand at this character. Go for it!:thumbsup

 

[Max Replica]

So far as I know, only the fellow at D-Con, who had done the Ron Ely Doc, and myself have done this. I would really like to see others who would like to try their hand at this character. Go for it!:thumbsup

I've only seen two others. One was a long time ago in an issue of the Bronze Gazette (!) and the other was just a couple of weeks ago at the Anaheim Comic Con. The guy had on a short sleeved jungle shirt with some gold piping on it, so it was a bit hard to tell from that, but I saw the jodhpurs and boots and guessed he was Doc.
He didn't think much of his costume and was shocked that I IDed him correctly.

FYI, I found a thread on here of reputable contact makers but so far none of them have gold contacts. I'll keep looking.

 

[Max Replica]

TOne of these days I'm going to get Widen's book...are the scans in it clear and sharp?

Honestly, the scans in the book aren't the greatest. But it's a handy reference to have around. However, I should say that I have an older printing of the book (it's different than the cover I see when I see it on the net now) so I don't know if the newer version has better scans, different content, or what. Or maybe it's just a different cover.

It would be really great to have a book with glossy cover scans of all the pulps and paperbacks. I know I'd pay extra for that. Is there a website out there that has decent scans of all the covers? Maybe I can just print out a little book for myself one of these days.

And I agree, I like a lot of Boris' work, but I never really liked his Doc. And we all love Bama's Doc of course, but I kinda preferred Bama's original concept with the dark bronze hair instead of blonde (I bet they chose blonde because it showed up better on some of those dark covers).

Has anyone ever done a Baumhofer Doc costume? Ha! It would just be a guy in a suit. But I guess you could do the golden eyes still. Huge points for anyone that would be able to ID THAT character!

 

[MFP 2020]

Great costume! Long live the Man of Bronze! (So Doc couldn't afford some sturdier shirts, or what?)

I believe "Doc Savage" was the first movie I ever went to by myself. I rode my bike to the theater and felt so independent.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Honestly, the scans in the book aren't the greatest. But it's a handy reference to have around. However, I should say that I have an older printing of the book (it's different than the cover I see when I see it on the net now) so I don't know if the newer version has better scans, different content, or what. Or maybe it's just a different cover.

Thanks for the heads-up, Max.

It would be really great to have a book with glossy cover scans of all the pulps and paperbacks. I know I'd pay extra for that. Is there a website out there that has decent scans of all the covers? Maybe I can just print out a little book for myself one of these days.

This book has all 62 of Bama's Doc paintings:
http://www.amazon.com/James-Bama-American-Brian-Kane/dp/0972375880

I found a website with clear cover scans, but only a limited number, and the familiar "Doc Savage" logos have been removed; if I can find it, I'll post it here in the 'new' Doc Savage thread! (thanks for the blessing, BAK55! )

Interesting thing: This guy has revamped the original covers with new titles and fantasy art....folks who are not familiar with the original Bantam titles might think these were real stories!
http://www.miscmayhemprods.com/doc/

Oh, and here's where I got my cover scans from....the site is still up:
http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/doc-savage-books

Rob

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Here's one of my favorite Larkin Doc's, and it's good for costume reference:

Rob

 

[JPolacchi]

I never could find a decent figure kit of Doc Savage.I think there may have been one or two on the market many moons ago,but as I recall,neither were impressive.