Codenames: "Trouble," "Starvin' Marvin," "The Monkey"
Special Skills: Expert climber, cat burglar, tunnel rat. Not afraid of heights or tight spaces. Master of the Kung Fu head-butt.

Most Famous Mission: The Great Yarn Robbery.

Codenames: "The Great and Powerful," "Master," "Sir"
Special Skills: Adventure Commander, Enforcer, Strategic specialist, Skilled Ankle-biter.
Most Famous Mission: The Bird in the Fireplace Adventure.

Only days after we'd adopted him, Banzai, showed an interest in 1/6th scale adventures. I was trying to shoot a couple shots with some of my cars, a Max Steel MX-48, and a custom-rebuilt street-racer based on a fashion doll "Rolls" convertible. Banzai (still having a "bad hair day" after his first ear-mite treatment) simply had to investigate. Inspired, I opened up the back deck of the MX-48, coaxed him inside, and shot this instant Christmas e-card. Don't you love that "snow" special effect? I should really dust my stuff more often...

Shortly thereafter, I set up a scene with some figures, my AT Avenger Pursuit Craft, and my nearly complete AT Mobile Logistics Vehicle (MLV). Oz, was very curious, and had to investigate.

Evidently, he took a liking to the Avenger, as he plopped down under the wing for a nap.

Meanwhile, over at the MLV, Banzai had to come help as well. Actually, he's probably just annoyed that I put a top on the MLV bed. Before it was finished, he liked to come and sit inside the vehicle. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture. I've since gotten a much larger Barbie GMC motor home for AT conversion. It's a good thing that it's larger, because Banzai is larger too, and he likes to sit in the back of it as well. I should try and get a picture before I put a roof on it too.

Banzai likes the figures, the vehicles, and the dioramas, but his true love is the box they came in.

This box from an Ultra Corps snowmobile got left around the living room for months, because Banzai had moved in and practically lived there. He and OZ would bat at each other through the transparent window. Eventually, he squashed the box flat, but still slept on top of it, ignoring a perfectly good cat-bed sitting nearby.

The Ultra Corps box is gone, but now a much larger 21st Century fire vehicle has replaced it in the living room. The box from a Hasbro Naval Gunner up in my wife's office serves as a "vacation home" while he's upstairs.

Next, some out-takes from my "Scotty Travis, Dinosaur Hunter" photo story, guest-starring Banzai.

Here, you see an actual shot-by-shot case study of cat intrusion on a 1/6th photo session. We start with a shot of Banzai, as he arrived even before I could pick up the camera. Note that when I set this up, the Joe was wearing sunglasses. Sometime in the few seconds before this shot, Banzai somehow knocked them off. I found them later on the dining room floor, unharmed, but I didn't actually realize they were missing until I was through and was loading the pictures into the camera.

Banzai got bored and left, but before I can snap another shot, Oz arrives to check things out.

And Oz is in no hurry to leave.

Then Oz leaves, and I finally get three usable shots!

I change the setup, but whoops -- plop -- Oz is back, and this time he's settled in to stay. He seems to be wondering where that ladder goes.

Oz had to be removed from the scene by force. I finally managed to get three more cat-free shots. Banzai returned, but only after I'd taken down the camera and started disassembling the set. It's about this time that I notice the glasses are gone. Sigh.

So there you have it. The final score, Cats 5, me 6. I win! I win! But only on a technicality.

More Adventure Cat tales to come. I can almost guarantee it.