Ray Martin 11 - I Want To Show You My Biceps (Christa Bauch, 70 minutes)
As Ray Martin customers know, the Ray Martin approach is perhaps vaguely similar to the WPW style, but attempts to add more of a "sensual" element. Though I liked this video, I wouldn't call it a success from a stylistic point of view.
The video starts with about five minutes of Christa flexing her incredible biceps in a tight, long-sleeved black top. This section is very good in places, and only so-so in others - black is a tricky color, and when Christa hits certain poses (like bicep shots with her arm in front of her torso), her arm doesn't stand out well, due to the lack of contrast with the rest of her body. This is followed by a rather long (about 12 minutes) segment where Robin Parker applies some sort of oil to Christa (wearing a black bikini), in preparation for the posing to follow. Since Christa is just standing there, but isn't actually doing much of anything, this starts to drag after a few minutes - I ended up watching most of this on fast forward. Also, although a look at Robin could have been a nice plus, it wasn't, since she was wearing a very baggy sweatshirt. The posing scenes that follow are worth the wait, however.
There is another oiling segment later in the tape; Christa is wearing a blue bikini this time. This second oiling scene is much better than the first - the difference is that they did a lot of close up shots and moved the camera around enough to keep it interesting. The trademark Bauch ab punching scene takes place during the oiling segment, with Robin Parker and some anonymous guy (we only see his arm, which is probably just as well) doing the honors. After Christa hits her poses in the blue bikini, she switches to a red leotard and poses in front of a nice wood wardrobe chest. Unfortunately, this wasn't the best choice of background, since the wood is nearly the same color as her skin. She then changes to the last (and in my opinion, best) outfit - black spandex shorts and a pink top - and poses her legs for several minutes. Though Christa is probably best known for her biceps, her legs are also outstanding. The tape then closes with a nice arm posing segment in the same outfit.
Christa is one of my favorites, and in the condition she was in (contest shape, or very close to it), it would be hard not to like this tape. However, I prefer the standard WPW approach, without the "cutesy" stuff. I don't buy a lot of Ray Martin tapes, but I have the impression that they typically include even more of this. For example, on this tape, the dialog was minimal, presumably because Christa's English was somewhat limited. But this is probably a matter of individual taste. In any case, the video quality is outstanding - as good as on WPW tapes, perhaps even a little better than their norm (the lighting is absolutely superb). Overall, a good choice for bicep fans.