Tattoo gurus Rick Walters–longtime manager of Bert Grimm’s World Famous Tattoo–and Inked reality TV show star Thomas Pendelton, a tattooist himself, were in town today filming a future episode of Pendelton’s new A&E TV show.

They don’t know–or won’t say–the show’s title, but the destination on their tour bus reads Ministry of Ink, which is the name of Pendelton’s clothing label. That’s also pretty much this show’s ambition.

It might be the Scooby-Doo of tattoo reality shows–but in a good way: with better plot, way better animation, and a 1973 Silver Eagle tour bus purchased from three Arkansas choir groups and refurbished with a mobile tattoo studio.

And instead of solving mysteries, they get to travel around the country meeting a chosen, tattooed few. (Also, as the de facto “Fred,” Pendelton doesn’t have to wear a red scarf.)

“We’re actually going to where these people live and seeing what the story is behind their tattoos,” says Walters’ stepdaughter Krystin Jones, a tattoo artist on the show.

In this episode, Pendelton and some of his cast had themselves tattooed by Walters, at the country’s oldest tattoo parlor, which is Kari Barba’s Outer Limits outpost–the former Bert Grimm’s World Famous Tattoo–at 22 Chestnut Place.

“It’s been 15 years since we’ve been down here,” says Pendelton, who tattooed here himself in the late 1990s. “[Walters] hasn’t tattooed in this shop since ’03.”

“It was fine,” a still-ZZ Top-bearded Walters said as they broke for sandwiches at Modica’s Deli a few blocks away. “If they had left it the same, it would have been pretty terrorizing.”

Outer Limits is very much remodeled from its Bert Grimm’s days, but Walters was on familiar ground. He tattooed Pendelton, Jones, show tattoo artist Tommy Morgan (and maybe a coupla other folks) with anchors, in honor of the shop’s nautical theme–and the years they tattooed there.

Walters even joined them, getting an anchor, the Bert Grimm initials “BG” and the years ’78-’03 on his already muchly-tattooed left hand. We kinda doubt that he tattooed himself–but it’d be totally punk rock if he did.

The show films through mid-February, cast members said–visiting San Diego, Arizona and possibly Texas–and it should start airing in March or April.

Tags: "Fred", "Inked", "Scooby-Doo", A&E, Arkansas, Bert Grimm's World Famous Tattoo, California, kari barba, Krystin Jones, Long Beach, Ministry of Ink, Modica's Deli, Outer Limits, Rick Walters, Silver Eagle, Southern California, The District Weekly, Theo Douglas, Thomas Pendelton