Silent G Customs Presents: Onesixthophrenia

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everybody!

The past year has been a time of change for me in many ways... being positive I am going to say that all but a few were good, some bittersweet, and maybe only one or two bad. These events have given me a new outlook on things and truly made me understand "Carpe diem" for all aspects of my life. Since this blog only covers one of those aspects, I shall espouse what applies to it.

At any one time I generally have 1000 ideas running through my head of projects I would like to do in 1/6, however many of them tend to not leave the notepad of my mind and that is something I want to change. In general I have found that I have befallen the usual cop out of "life getting in the way" but when you actually pay attention to what is going on around you, you find that it is just a cop out in many cases. We all have many things going on in our lives, but I have seen plenty of people who if they want to do something, they do it, they make time, etc... And I strive to be one of those people. So this year I have several projects that I really want to get done.

Upgrade and completion of Gillian's apartment & work on other set pieces - While making Gillian's apartment I learned a few things that needed to be improved. I will be chronicling those upgrades and how I will use them for future sets here on the blog as well as via some Youtube videos.

Restoring the POSSE - Pennsylvania Organization of Sixth Scale Enthusiasts - A local group of hobbyists based generally out of the Philadelphia area that I have run in the past. I have let the group rather languish over the past several years, but sometime around November I popped back into the group and started up some activity again and I am hoping that the interest continues and I can get this group back to active local participation as well as participation from members from all over through a variety of means in conjunction with my blog and other social media plans throughout this year. You can check out more about POSSE here.

Youtube - CSG Tutorials - As I mentioned, one of the ways I would like to bolster participation and sharing of the hobby through social media is via Youtube. I do tutorials here on my blog, but after seeing the huge community for miniature wargaming (that I used to very big into prior to 1/6) and model building in general, I felt it would be good to use that for my tutorials and just following projects in general. I have started with less than amazing tutorial on Youtube about 3 months ago in which I recorded myself working on a repaint of a Monster High doll custom for a friend. I didn't particularly share it here as yet because it was Monster High for one, which isn't really a main focus of my works (despite the more I see the creativity in their character designs, I keep getting ideas of my own to try just for the heck of it)... but moving on... those videos in the space of a couple months via Youtube have garnered many subscribers and views. If anyone is interested in checking out the videos you can go here. So as the months progress I am going to work on better tutorials and other things on Youtube (once I get my new camera) so I'll keep everyone posted on those.

Scratchbuilt Mecha - As I have mentioned in previous posts that for a while now I have wanted to build some sort of piloted mecha in 1/6. I am rather partial to Ashley Wood's WWR robot stylings as well as other influences such as my love for the Metal Slug series of video games, so I would like to take from a few inspirational sources and build something and the accompanying pilot for it. The mecha most likely won't be much larger than around 36" tall as I'd like to keep it reasonably for space considerations. I already have my ideas for pilot though. The base of the pilot is going to be a Hot Toys Resident Evil Sheva Alomar headsculpt on an ethnic skin tone Cy Girl clone body.

With these mentioned items being my primary goals in 1/6 for this year, I will of course update the progress of these projects as well as add new ones as others get completed.

So I want to thank everyone who has followed my blog since it's start and I look forward to your continued support and following in the future and hope to keep offering you all something of interest.

SG

TOP TEN OF 2011

2012-01-03T16:59:00.001-05:00

Hey Everybody,

It's time to recap what I think are the best things in 1/6 that I have gotten over the past year. I had mentioned before that this year I haven't bought many complete boxed items so this list is primarily a listing of loose items purchased throughout the year.

#10 - The Return of OJI Part I. - This listing is sort of a double listing. A few months back Old Joe Infirmary returned to the 1/6 scene and started selling loose parts once more. The Best part of this for me being that they had items from their "Fembasix" apparel line. For those who don't know, the Fembasix line was a small assortment of high quality and extremely reasonable priced lycra / spandex clothing items and some molded items. So for part I of this double listing, I am covering the lycra / spandex items.

They offer a couple different items, Their solid color pantyhose / tights, sleeveless bodysuit, and long sleeve leotard. These items come in a variety of colors, are great quality, and the $4 pricetag can't be beat. They make fantastic items for either super hero customs or in general just for wear individually or under other items to compliment... as seen in these pictures below of Gillian's spy girl "Noire" ensemble using a gunmetal grey sleeveless bodysuit under her Dollsfigure outfit (my #10 item from last year.)

Here is Gillian showing off a pair of the pantyhose / tights for just lounging around in.

These tights also look amazing if you take Takara CG style bootfeet and place them together over the pantyhose making like stocking boots.

#9 - The Return of OJI Part II. - This second half of my OJI listing is the molded items. Primarily their previously unreleased Goth / Bike boots. These are basic molded rubber boots. They have amazing detail and by far blow Triad's biker style boots out of the water. The tread and buckle detailing is fantastic and just makes for an overall fantastic sculpt. As you can see, I paired these up as well with Gillian's "Noire" ensemble and they look quite nice IMHO.

I hope that OJI brings back more of their Fembasix molded items such as the bare feet they used to offer which were simply amazing sculpts.

#8- ACI Military Shirt and Cargo Pants sets. - These were an item I was very happy to have gotten. They were high quality 5.11 styled clothing items in a variety of colors. Certainly expanded my mini me's wardrobe... making it match my 1:1 wardrobe.

You can check out more regarding these sets from my post earlier this year here.

#7- Sideshow Toys G.I.JOE: RAH Beachhead Crossbow. - This was another piece from one of Sideshow's G.I.JOE line. It is a modernized tactical crossbow. It comes with a removable bow section and a MOLLE mountable quiver with 5 removable bolts.

Now I personally recommend that if you have one available or that you pick one up off Ebay, that you add a ZC Girl / World scope to the weapon. I used a spare ZC Girl Desert Eagle scope and it's rail mount fits the crossbow perfectly and really accents it nicely.

#6- Sideshow Toys G.I. JOE: RAH Stalker Khukri knife. - This is a really nice piece that came with the RAH Stalker figure. I nice modern styled Khukri knife in a kydex sheath.

I picked up a couple of these, a pair of them went to use on my one custom version of Gillian for her post apocalypse styled ensemble and were laced onto her harness.

#5- TTL SS Girl V 2.0 Long Hair Headsculpt. - Repainted by myself for a sci fi WIP character "Erin".

#4- TTL Short Hair Female Headsculpt. - Repainted by myself for another sci fi WIP character: "Thessica".

#3 - Sideshow Toys G.I. JOE: RAH "Nalgene" style water bottle. - These miniature water bottles are quite the work of art. Expecting to have just gotten a bottle with a pop off lid, I was happy to find that it does actually screw on, and on top of that has the sipping insert in the neck of the bottle.

Since canteens are very old school now and the majority of hydration for sports and military today is either via hydration packs or these style of bottle, I definitely wanted to get myself some.

#2 - Hot Toys Spiderman New Goblin Sword Set. - Whilst I am not a huge fan of licensed figures, I often choose to get loose items from certain figures due to a style or design that I like. This was the case with the Hot Toys New Goblin. The swords the figure comes with (3) are all the same style handle, but the blades are varying lengths... which made them perfect for using as a sci fi / fantasy blade that starts out short and can change it's shape into a full length katana... so I picked up two sets of the blades so that one of Gillian's characters could have such a pair of magical / mystical blades.

Small

Medium

Large

#1- Custom Silk Couch by Corsetkitten - Gillian's apartment living room just recently got furnished with a fantastic silk upholstered couch that I received from Corsetkitten :) This piece really has helped a lot in giving me more than one set using my setup and was a great housewarming gift for Gillian ;)

So that is my top ten for 2011. Again, whilst I cut back this year, I found myself doing more with what I did have and limiting myself to items that I knew were going to be put to use rather than just sit in bins like so much other of my 1/6th.

Thanks for following.

UPDATE: APARTMENT PROJECT

2011-12-20T00:43:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

Thought I would share another apartment update with you all. Since my original design for Gillian's loft apartment wasn't going to work due to space constraints, I was able to refigure some things with it. Since the outer wall of the building with the windows was supposed to go from an open bedroom space into the living room, I decided that I could best use the one room as both by separating it with a wall. So now I can use the same room for both sets in the apartment... which works out nicely.

Big thanks to Corsetkitten for the awesome couch to help decorate Gillian's apartment :) Other things in the room are a Dollar Store candle stand that makes for a nice end table, the rug is a placemat (I need to do a post on the ones I have and are available.), and her modern styled Christmas tree which I got at Walmart. So here are a few holiday inspired snaps of Gillian lounging about in the living room.

Gillian's outfit is just something simple, top by SMcG Customs and tights by OJI Toys.

Thanks for following!

MUSINGS: ROUNDING OUT THE YEAR

2011-12-15T04:37:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

Been a little while since I've had a post so It's time for one. I figure I'll share some of the things that I want to try to do to round out 2011. First off will be my Top 10 of 2011 List. I started this last year and I would like to do it again this year. This year's list is going to be mostly populated with loose accessories I've acquired over the year as I haven't really bought anything completely boxed this year. Then I want to post a rundown of projects I would like to get done in the coming year. I am definitely looking forward to the new year and would like to get a lot done and offer more tutorials in both text and photo here on the blog as well as on youtube.

Thanks for following.

UPDATE: APARTMENT PROJECT

2011-10-29T11:22:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

Time for the next update. So last time we saw the loft having a new bed, and now it has new windows. I found the perfect acrylic sheeting to use for the windows that kept in line with the image I had of a warehouse loft apartment.

This is fluorescent lighting fixture acrylic. I picked this 4' x 3' foot sheet up for $12. It is nice to work with. Just measure, score with a knife, and snap.

Then I simply took an enamel paint pen and painted the lines between the panes and inserted them into the picture frames I am using for the window frames.

So the windows are now done. Next up is starting to make the place look more lived in and get rid of some of that empty space. The bedroom needs a nightstand, some art on the walls, and more stuff on the bookshelf.

More to come... Thanks for following.

UPDATE: APARTMENT PROJECT

2011-10-25T13:44:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

Time for another update on the apartment project. I last left off with the room built and some test snaps of an older bed in the picture for scale.

Well that old bed was a little too rustic for the style I was going for so I wanted something more modern. Since the idea of a wooden tray worked well for the rustic styled bed, I figured it would work well for a modern one too, I just needed to find the right piece.

So at my local A.C. Moore crafts I found an unfinished 10" x 13" wooden tray that I picked up for $5. I grabbed my sanding sponge to sand it down and set to painting it, just a simple black with gloss sealer to match a shelving unit I had for the room already.

Next step was the mattress. I just purchased a 2" thick polyfill pad from Walmart and cut it to size.

Then grabbed some blue satin fabric I had left over from a set of pillows a friend did for me a while back for the old bed. I took the satin, folded it over the polyfill mattress and pinned it. Then put the whole thing into the frame and tucked it tight.

Once that was together I grabbed the pillows, set the bed in the room on top of a nice fabric table placemat I picked up that makes a nice area rug, and snapped some pics.

Next up is to work on the nightstand, windows, and finally some artwork for the walls.

Stay Tuned and thanks for following.

UPDATE: APARTMENT PROJECT

2011-10-10T19:47:00.000-04:00

OK, so I have some updates for the apartment, well the bedroom so far at least.

So I left off last post with the basic 4 walls of the room. During this past week I have added the window frames and done the one wall in brick as my design was planned. Some interesting things to note along the way though.

As I said, part of the design for the apartment had one of the walls as red brick, so I wanted to stick with that. I started by thinning down some acrylic tan paint to paint the foamboard. I found that from a test piece, that when painted, the acrylic impregnated the paper and made it take the scoring better without causing as much tearing as it would have on the bare paper. I then took my burnishing tool and after measuring out the 1/2" increments on the foamboard I used my ruler to scribe the brickwork into the board.

My original plan was to use a tan undercoat as the mortar, then drybrush / roller paint the red for the bricks. However it didn't look as good as planned after. So once all the brickwork was done, I just painted over the entire piece with the red I planned on using for the bricks. Once that was dry, it was time for the window frames. I found some nice plastic dollar store picture frames that I thought would work nicely.

So I measured my holes for the frames and cut them out. Then test fit the frames in place.

Now, I had mentioned that there was something interesting of note during this project. Now that would be what happened after the window fitting. It would appear that the edged of the paper started to come loose. So I peeled it back some and was going to glue it down again, only to find that the entire paper covering peeled off with ease. So, I peeled it all off... in one whole sheet to expose the foam underneath, which still had the perfect brick pattern on it. I guess the thinned paint as well as the scoring loosened the paper adhesive.

So, I simply went with it and repainted the foam with the red paint once more, and proceeded to glue the windows in place. Once the windows were dry I then got my foamboard clips and pins, fit the walls together, inserted the floor, then placed an old bed in there for scale, and set Gillian in her bedroom to inspect the construction so far.

So the next steps to work on will be the doors and windows... stay tuned...

Thanks for following.

LOOK!.... IT'S AN UPDATE!

2011-09-28T04:29:00.000-04:00

OK, so I've been behind on keeping up with trying to get at least one blog post done each week, but I am happy to say that I do finally have some stuff underway.

So, what I am finally getting around to is working on building that scale apartment for Gillian that I've been wanting to do. Whilst I originally wanted a very grand styled loft apartment, I did have to succumb to realism and make something that could be broken down rather than a static 5 foot by 3 foot piece. So for now I have the bedroom under construction.

The bedroom will be 20L x 24W x 16H. So I cut down my 20 x 30 foamboard sheets making two 20 x 16 pieces and two 24 x 16 pieces, saving all the scraps for later of course.

I have foamboard clips as well as T Pins that will be used to hold the pieces together.

Old simple bed made from a bamboo tray used to give an idea of size.

My next update will have more pics of some of the other things that have gone into the construction since, such as picture frames that I found for great window frames, and of course adding in the trim and faux doors.

Also on a side note, here are some pics of other neat things I found while I was picking up supplies for the apartment project.

I guess with the popularity of KIDROBOT's "MUNNY" DIY Rotocast figures, other companies have caught on and started making them as well. These are two Halloween themed vinyl DIY figures I picked up for 2 bucks each at Michaels craft stores. I figured they would be something neat to work on.

And this is a plastic DIY Christmas ornament I found at Michaels as well, This I plan to cut up and try and make a retro style sci fi globe helmet for my retro space babe version of Gillian.

More updates soon! Thanks for following!

MUSINGS...

2011-08-28T05:24:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

It's been a while and I'm a bit overdue for an update. I have been thinking a lot about why I don't update that often. I've only ever wanted to have updates to my blog that actually had some sort of content and interest: Works in progress, completed works, custom pieces, various ideas, etc. I see many a blog, not just 1/6 out there that post daily if not more than daily, and this isn't meant as a slight to other 1/6 bloggers, more just my commentary on a personal view of blogging. I follow several blogs that all I see is the posting of every new item coming out ad nauseam... I'm sorry, but just re posting the promo pics of the latest Hot Toys / Toys City / TTL figure that probably has more than likely already been seen on every other board and forum on the net is just silly. I understand and think it's fine to post the occasional item that really excites you, etc... I've done that such as when the ACI 5.11 pant and shirt sets came out... but as I said, more than that doesn't constitute content in my eyes. Anyhow, I just thought I'd share a little more insight into one of the reasons I don't post that often. I apologize if that offends anyone.

So, moving on... What is in the works? Well, I still have many projects that I want to get to work on, but being shorthanded at work and picking up extra hours has put a bit of dampener on some of that, so it's only been a bit of work here and there.

I've been working a custom MP5 for one of my characters. I added a M4 style collapsible stock on it, an HK Claw mount with an Aimpoint sight, and also made a custom quad stack magazine for it. My first version came out OK, but I will probably make another one when I get some more styrene.

I've thrown together some more gear, and swapped out some gear on a couple customs that are already underway. I have been working on a modified load bear harness turning it into more of a corset design for my post apocalyptic survivor outfit for one of my custom Gillian Faire characters.

I do hope to get some pictures of all this stuff so I can actually have a decent post soon.

Thanks for following.

REVIEW: SIDESHOW TOYS G.I. JOE STALKER

2011-07-29T11:16:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

So this is one of the last things I got before having to reorder my finances. I didn't purchase the entire figure, more just the nude figure and some of his accessories. I'm not super keen on many licensed products, but often those products tend to yield good headsculpts and parts that would make for nice personalized projects. So when Sideshow's G.I.JOE: RAH Stalker was unveiled, I knew I wanted his head. Stalker has one of the best ethnic sculpts I have seen in a long time. So luckily, I just happened to have caught a Toy Anxiety part out at the right time shortly after his release. So I ordered his headsculpt.

I was hesitant to get his body, as I had heard some off putting things about the Sideshow Prometheus body, but rather than worry about a skintone match trying to put him on another body, and being that this is like the 3rd generation of this body, I thought it was safe enough to try. I have to say that the body isn't bad. It's rather on par with the Toys City male bodies. It only has a little play / looseness in the ankles, but that's really it, overall it was decently sturdy.

Something I like with Sideshow's G.I.JOE figures is the hands... on average each figure comes with 6 hands (Some even more)... 3 poses for each side to accommodate a variety of accessories. I ordered an extra pair of gloved hands for him as well so I would have extra wrist posts to put a pair of Hot Toys relaxed hands from the Barack Obama-esque True Type, so that my figure could have relaxed bare hands. They are a fair enough skintone match.

So the other accessories I got from Stalker were his old style 3.75" figure's HK MP5-esque submachine gun, which was OK, not the best piece, I think they modeled it directly after the 3.75" weapon... because it has just about as much detail... in retrospect I'd have passed on this piece having seen it in hand first.

I also ordered a pair of his Khukri knives... they are a piece of art. Nice sheaths that are reversible, and the blades themselves are fantastic. I didn't snap any pics of those as they are on the workbench in preparation for addition to a project. Overall I am quite pleased with the figure. I will probably do an eye repaint like I normally do on all my figures, but for now he's good until I decide who he is going to be.

Thanks for following,

MUSINGS...

2011-07-25T00:41:00.000-04:00

So, what have I been up to lately? Not too much. Mostly trying to reorganize myself to deal with a new financial situation that isn't going to afford me as much cash flow for 1/6 as I used to have.

Now trying to see things in the best possible light, this made me think that perhaps it isn't such a bad thing. Having less money simply means making and getting more out of what I've got.

So that being said, I need to refocus on some projects. One of my main projects that was truly a bit too "lofty" a goal needs to be reconsidered... IE The Loft...lol I think my original plan was great, and in the best possible situation would have been fantastic, but space and budget constraints are going to need me to downsize it some. I think rather than my large open space design, I need to make it more compartmentalized and modular so that it can be set up and taken down and not be a permanent fixture taking up 5 feet by 3 feet of my living room. So that will be a project I'll start revisiting in the near future.

I have more stuff than I ever know what to do with. I don't write trade lists mostly because it's easier for someone to just ask me if I have something than for me to actually sit down and catalog stuff. For my characters I want to work on for casts for projects, I need to go through what I have and start putting things together rather than keep thinking about buying new stuff to do the same.

Having less new things to get also gives me the opportunity to revisit older customs and update them... either be it with paint apps, applying new skills and techniques I know now that I didn't know when I made them.

So rather than look at this as being a bad thing or time, I feel with a positive mindset, I can turn this into a very good opportunity to work on things I haven't in a long while and catch up on things I've been meaning to.

Thanks for following.

WORKS IN PROGRESS: MERCENARY & THESSICA

2011-07-15T12:05:00.000-04:00

Last week I had repainted my Soldier Story Stephen Lang / Col. Quaritch headsculpt. This week it was working on his character and gear. So I have decided that his character is going to the a mercenary / head of security for an arms dealer character I will be working on for a cast of characters.

I decided to go with the pair of green ACI 5.11 Tactical style cargo pants, a black short I have had for ages by Hasbro. It is from way back, from a Delta Force Commando figure from well over 10 years ago. It's old, a little faded, and had rolled sleeves that I did on it years back, and it just seemed to fit nicely. I then used Hot Toys styled molded boots from the Toys City 90's SEAL. I'll have to pop up a quick tut on how I attached them without any modification to the Soldier Story body. PACA Body Armor Vest is from the Soldier Story SAD V2. Gloved hands are also from the Toys City 90's SEAL. Lastly the Safariland 6004 Drop leg Holster is from the Toys City DEA FAST figure.

For his armaments, I decided to go with a custom modified 21st Century Toys USAS 12 Shotgun. I shortened the barrel on it, made a compensator, added a mount for attaching a BBI / TTL Surefire Taclight Foregrip, and finally went with Sideshow G.I. Joe RAH line Magpul PMAGs for the magazines. I went with the Sideshow PMAGs because they are overscale... so much so they feasibly work with the weapon and approximate 8 round magazines for 12 gauge ammunition. I also modified two Hot Toys Kydex M14 magazine pouches with velcro to attach to his vest to hold spare magazines for the USAS. I also gave the character a Hot Toys Sig Sauer P250 handgun instead of the Sig P226 that his holster came with. Both weapons have practically identical dimensions so they both work with the holster fine.

So for now, this character is pretty much complete.

Now, on to Thessica. She is my repainted TTL headsculpt that I went with magenta eyes for something different.

I used the bodysuit from the ZC Girl Carol set and boots from Sideshow's Star Wars Asajj Ventress. I am basically going for a sci fi / survival horror / alien killing style character for her. I liked the brown outfit because it made me think of Ripley in Alien: Resurrection. For her weapon, at least her signature piece... If there is one thing I have learned from Aliens and Star Wars, it is that you can take any WWII German weapon and slap some parts onto it and make it into a neat sci fi weapon lol.

She still needs some more gear, but I am pleased with how she is coming along :)

Thanks for following.

REPAINT: SOLDIER STORY SEAL / AVATAR COL. QUARITCH

2011-07-05T09:18:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone,

So way back before the new year I picked up the Soldier Story SVD SEAL nude figure:

Top Ten of 2010 Post

This was a nice headsculpt that was based generally off actor Stephen Lang's character Col. Quaritch from Avatar. The base figure had a much darker hair color and didn't suit it for me.

So I repainted the hair white like the actor's actual hair, touched up the scarring, and then repainted the eyes.

Right now he is set to be the head of security for an Arms Dealer character I have in mind.

Thanks for following.

REPAINT: TTL HEADSCULPT

2011-06-19T08:57:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody. I finally got off my butt and worked on something. So I actually have an update for the first time in a while.

I got the new TTL base figure a couple weeks ago:

So after some deciding what to do with her, I thought I'd go with magenta eyes for an alien girl. So I finally repainted Thessica here last night and shot some quick pics of the repaint this morning.

I repainted the eyes in my usual fashion, and added a very light titanium gold eyeshadow, and a light wash over her lips to make them stand out some more, as well as lining between them. I am happy with how she turned out, albeit she does look a little sad, though I think that is more the sculpt than the paint.

I'll be working more on her outfit and accessories soon.

Thanks for following.

MUSINGS...

2011-05-19T04:25:00.000-04:00

It's been a little bit since I posted anything. I wanted to keep the blog to at least one update per week, but 1:1 doesn't always allow that. So I figured I'd just go over some recent aquisitions.

New TTL Girl:

When pictures of this girl started popping up on ebay, I started to get a bit hesitant due to photos. But after getting it in hand, it is very nice. The pictures on ebay had the hair looking really bad, super shiny, and even looking like they had rooted metallic highlights into it. But in hand, the hair is no more shiny than other heads, and these were all just cases of poor picture taking and camera flash. The hair is very nice, super soft, which for a short cut, makes it lay very nicely. I'll be doing an eye repaint on this head soon. I'm thinking of going rather anime with her, for some reason she is screaming for magenta eyes to me... so we shall see. I'll have more pics including before and afters.

Headplay Angelina Jolie / Lara Croft Head:

I ordered this on ebay and received this in the mail recently. This is a very nice sculpt, with great paint application. It's not a dead on likeness, but is a fair likeness for Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. She had the ponytail braided higher on her head than she did in the first movie. So I will be taking an older custom of Lara Croft and upgrading it with this new sculpt. I am quite happy with the paint applications, but I probably will still custom repaint the eyes... It's just what I do... I'm rarely happy with the eye paint on any head I get anymore since I learned how to do it better... lol

So I should have posts of these two projects hopefully soon, and I have a few other things in the works, as always, and I'll have posts about those in the near future as well.

On a side note, If you get a chance, swing by my good friend Corsetkitten's Blog... She recently had to say goodbye to a very special friend, so if you would, send her some love.

Thanks for following.

REPAINT: TRIAD TOYS JADE VAN HELSING

2011-04-23T22:27:00.001-04:00

I finally on a spur of the moment inspiration got around to repainting my Triad Toys Jade Van Helsing. She started as this:

And now looks like this:

I repainted her with a mix of P3 Formula, Citadel Color, and Americana paints. Giving her heavier eyeshadow and eyeliner, repainting her eyes side glancing, and redoing her lips in a darker bronze color.

There are a few other things I still have to get around to with her, I want to give her some different hands, different boots (the Triad biker ones are nice, but I don't particularly like the clunky look of them with Jade), and of course eventually make a copy of her sword from aluminum.

Thanks for following.

REVIEW: ACI MILITARY SHIRT AND CARGO PANTS SETS

2011-04-22T23:54:00.000-04:00

I received my sets of ACI's Military Shirt and Cargo Pants Sets.

These were a really nice offering that I was looking forward to. ACI makes nice quality stuff and this was no exception. Each set comes with a shirt, tank top, and a pair of 5.11 Tactical style cargo pants. The shirts have velcro closures, faux pockets, and faux buttons. The pants have a velcro fly, working pockets (sans the front thigh utility pocket), and draw string cuffs which the real ones do not, but this is a bit of a nice feature for anyone wishing to blouse them into boots. Each of these sets could have used one extra item... a belt.

Midnight Navy Shirt & Pants / White tank Top:

One downside to the shirts is that 3 out of the 4 long sleeve sets have no closure at the cuffs. I assume this was done to allow the customer to roll up the sleeves without having to deal with velcro getting in the way. This however makes no sense that they used velcro on the 4th shirt. Anyway, this problem is easily solved with some thread / fabric glue. I'll wind up sewing the cuffs on this set closed.

Tan Shirt / Black Pants / Black Tank Top:

Brown Shirt / Tan Pants / Black Tank Top:

Red Plaid Short Sleeve Shirt / Green Pants / White Tank Top

I hate the red plaid shirt... I don't mind plaid... just red plaid is horrible.

White Plaid Shirt / Charcoal Pants / White Tank Top:

This white shirt is the only one that came with velcro on the cuffs. I'll probably wind up removing it so that I can make the cuffs tighter or roll them.

All in all, at $24 a set, I am happy with them. As I said, these sets could have used some belts, but I'll just have to pick or make some extras. The first picture in this post has my mini me wearing a Playhouse plaid short sleeve shirt... the faux buttons are a bit big and it has metal snap closures and the pants are the same style but made by BBI. All pieces are of comparable quality, clean stitching, and nice materials. Now my mini me's wardrobe almost matches mine as I have each one of these pairs of pants in 1:1.

Thanks for following.

REPAINT: GILLIAN V 3.0

2011-04-12T12:37:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

So we already know my insane obsession with Gillian... Starting with the Fashion Fever Gillian, Then making the less "Babsish" TTL Gillian, and now the Barbie Basics Gillian...

I'd fought with the urge to get her after Erica brought her to my attention a few months back... but after some prodding my others... I broke down and got her to see how she would look.

I mounted her onto a TTL large bust body, and then repainted her eyes gradient brown, and gave her Gillian's trademark freckles.

I think she came out looking nice... but sadly... I'm just not feeling it. The head is pretty in it's own right, but I'm just not getting the same vibe from her. The wide expressive eyes of the other two emote a sense of fun, where as the Basics head seems more somber.

Perhaps I just need to let her grow on me more.

LMK what you all think?

Thanks for following.

MUSINGS: WHAT'S IN THE WORKS?

2011-04-11T04:36:00.001-04:00

Hey Everybody,

Just an update on what's in the works with my hobby wise.

I've been juggling a couple projects. Working on an outfit for Gillian. I need to get some bias tape and sew a couple extra belt loops onto a pair of Triad Jade's booty shorts... I want the outfit design to have suspenders, but the problem is, the shorts only have belt loops on the sides, so I can't put the suspenders on without the belt tugging up in the back and the front and look like crap. I need to add about 3 more loops... two in the front center lined with each leg and then a single one in the middle in the back... then it should be good to go.

I finally broke down and bought the Barbie Basics Series 2 #14:

After my friend Corsetkitten showed her to me and mentioned that with a repaint she would make a great rendition of Gillian, despite about 2 months of fighting the urge, I finally broke down and got her (like I needed more Gillians lol). So being as I couldn't find her anywhere in stores, I ordered one online... and of course, what do I find the very next day... I find her in Target... on sale no less... so now I have two of her... lol So I'll be doing her up soon and I'll have her posted here.

Crazy Dummy has a neat new upcoming U.S. Army Ranger figure.

I really like the headsculpt. After having just seen the trailer for "Warrior", considering his role in Inception and him playing Mad Max in the remake, and looking at other pics, I'm pretty sure they were going for actor Tom Hardy:

It reminds me a bit also of actor Erik Palladino:

Palladino starred as Sgt. "Scream" Silas in the short lived Iraq War drama "Over There". The head is not exactly him, his face is a little more round, but no doubt I expect OSW to start being flooded with "Sgt. Scream" bashes when this figure is released.

Anyhow, it's a nice head sculpt and one I'll be looking out for when it gets released.

So that's about it for the moment.

Thanks for following.

MUSINGS...

2011-03-24T05:47:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody,

Nothing super new going on with me, just thought I'd throw up a post of some various stuff.

A couple new things got unveiled recently. I'm rather interested in them as I believe they have some nice working potential.

The new TTL body and headsculpt:

This is the same sculpt as the two versions of the SS Girl, but this time with a jet black bob haircut. I really like the face and think that with an eye repaint, has a lot of potential.

ZC Girl EVE Pale:

Again, I nice headsculpt that is different and I believe as well has potential. Not a super fan of the ZC body, though it does have a surprising range of motion beyond some other bodies out there.

As for projects of late, I haven't worked on much since Madame Krieg. I have a few things in mind and of course older projects that I still need to get underway.

What I would like to do soon is go through many of my older customs and thin down what I have. I have so many characters that I have made over time, and they were cool to make, but after a while they just take up space and if I don't have a specific use for them as a character or within a group of characters, I'm going to start posting them up for sale. So when I do that, I'll post links here in case anybody would be interested in obtaining some works of mine.

In non 1/6, I recently saw Battle: LA

I have to say I thought it was a great movie. It took all the silly stuff out of Independence Day and then mixed it with the gritty war feel of Saving Private Ryan. Definitely something worth seeing IMHO.

I'd like to give a shout out to Resistence827 on Flickr. He made an awesome custom of Aaron Eckhart's character, SSG. Nantz a while back. Resistence827 has some of the best 1/6th (and other scale) photography and pics on Flickr I have seen... so check him out:

This weekend I'm heading to see Suckerpunch on IMAX. Can't wait to see it and to see what Hot Toys is going to give us from the movie as they have the license. I also love the recently released pinup style art posters from the movie:

I'd love to get these in 1:1 and I think I'll make some 1:6 versions too for my Power Team wall lockers lol.

Thanks for following.

CUSTOM: ALTERNATE HISTORY / SCI FI - "MADAME KRIEG"

2011-03-10T01:17:00.000-05:00

Madame Krieg is a recent custom alternate history / sci fi character that I had in mind for using the TTL SS Girl's uniform when I first decided on ordering her. As I'm not really into WWII figures anymore I decided I would mix the uniform and greatcoat with my last remaining set of Cy Girls Midori's Kerberos armor.

I started off with all the gear before deciding on what head to use. So I looked through what I had and knowing I needed a small bust body to go under the armor, I remembered having a TTL first release brunette head that I wasn't doing anything with.

I had repainted the eyes on the head I had a while back.

I never wound up really doing anything with her. So I thought she would work well for this project. So I gave her some grey eyeshadow, made her eyeliner a bit thicker, and gave her black lips.

Overall I think the new makeup went well with the ensemble.

the complete breakdown on the figure is as follows:

Body: TTL Small Bust Brunette 1.0 w/ Takara Cool Girls Midori armored gloved hands.
Uniform: TTL SS Girl 2.0 (White) Pants, Boots, Greatcoat, Hat, and Belt.
Armor: Takara Cool Girls Kerberos Saga Midori.
Holster: DID Walther P38.

Thanks for following.

KITBASH: "HOLLYWOOD" STYLED U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES

2011-03-08T02:55:00.000-05:00

I haven't really focused on doing straight out military stuff in a long time. I do make the occasional military bash though. This was just a quick kitbash of parts to represent a rather "Hollywood" Military themed U.S. Army Special Forces Commando.

By "Hollywood" I mean light on some gear that a proper SF Warfighter would have.

The breakdown of this bash is:

Head: Hot Toys Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright from Terminator Salvation.

Body: Standard Hot Toys True Type.

Uniform: Soldier Story ACU FCS Crye Combat Uniform.

Boots: Playhouse Merrell Boots.

Gloves: Hot Toys Blackhwawk Hellstorm gloves painted to match the boots. This doesn't exists in real life but I thought it made a neat touch.

Eyewear: Soldier Story Oakley M Frame 2.0 Glasses from the Soldier Story 10th SF Figure.

Holster: Foliage Green Blackhawk SERPA Holster for M1911A1 Handgun. Soldier Story Leatherman tool in CQC pouch on rig.

Body Armor: Wildworks ACU plate carrier with cummerbund and pouches from the Soldier Story ACU FCS set.

Rifle: Custom modified DML M4 with Duostock and Surefire taclight forgerip from unknown manufacturer's M4. Custom painted in an ACU esque camouflage scheme.

The figure could still use some more gear, which I will probably fill out over time... maybe, maybe not... We shall see.

Thanks for following.

REPAINT: TTL SS GIRL 2.0 WHITE OUTFIT

2011-03-02T04:05:00.000-05:00

OK, so I got the TTL SS Girl last week and did a mini review. So I recently repainted her. Just a simple redo of the eyes and shadowing between her lips.

Before:

After:

Thanks for following.

SEMI REVIEW: TTL SS GIRL 2.0 WHITE OUTFIT

2011-02-24T01:12:00.001-05:00

OK, in previous posts I had mentioned that I was waiting on my preordered TTL SS Girl. I bought this set for the girl primarily, with secondary ideas for uniform parts from it. I have no interest in German SS figures as I don't collect WWII Military anymore, and even when I was I wasn't into all the Nazi figures.

So, review of the figure. As with everything I have bought from TTL so far I have been impressed at the quality and tailoring of the items. However in this case, it wasn't a tailoring issue that was a problem, it was a poor QC issue.

The white dress uniform jacket was manufactured using a stained batch of textile as you can see the color variances of the pleat panels in the back, and the breast pocket. It didn't help that whoever was packaging the figure had grubby hands either. As I said, I didn't get the figure for that specific uniform, but the fact that they left all the insignia off it for the purchaser to add, would have given the option for the jacket to be used on something else possibly... but with the staining I will probably try and wash it and see if that helps, if not,it will just get tossed. I have contacted TTL and sent them the pictures. What they will do about the issue is another story.

So, onto the main reason I got the figure:

The headsculpt turned out quite nice. I agree with a few other people that whilst it didn't turn out looking exactly like the promo head, it has a lot that makes it look better in many ways. I have yet to repaint her eyes and any other details I might do. At least the dress blouse she came with was in nice condition and clean...lol

As for the rest of the set, the uniform great coat, pants, bootfeet, and other items were top notch. The only really bad thing out of the whole set as I mentioned is the uniform jacket. I'll be digging out my remaining Takara Kerberos Panzer Cop Midori armor to see how I plan to work that together with the greatcoat, pants, and bootfeet to see what I can make for my last Kerberos custom.

Thanks for following.

WHAT'S NEW?

2011-02-19T04:50:00.000-05:00

So, been a bit behind on posts for the blog here, so I figured I'd just do an update on what I've been up to.

My main project of late has been my 1:1 AK 47. Tax return came in, so I ordered all the parts to upgrade my Romanian made AK into a more tactical configuration. I'll throw some pics up on here when it's all done probably.

I've ordered some loose parts here and there for various customs.

My TTL SS Girl shipped.

So here is to hoping the head looks nicer than these pics:

And looks closer to the original pics:

Or at least doesn't require too much to get it there. I'm sure it's still a great face regardless.

I've also gotten my remaining CG Midori gear to use the greatcoat from the figure with for another Kerberos custom.

As for the rest of her stuff and who she will be... well no idea yet.

Other projects that I would like to start to work on soon:

New Cushion and Pillows for the Daybed:

The daybed was a simple metal tray I picked up at Michael's Crafts a while back and I made a simple foam cushion for it with a Chinese inspired cotton print I had found. I bought a new satin brocade print in black, gold, and magenta that I want to make a new cushion and some throw pillows for it.

So that's about it for the moment. I mean sure, there are all sorts of other things on my mind, but for now those are the main thoughts I can garner lol... it is 0450 EST...

Thanks for following.

UPCOMING MUST BUY: ACI MILITARY SHIRT AND CARGO PANTS SETS

2011-02-01T04:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, I don't often have a lot of "must buy" items. There are many items I like and would like to get, but on occasion there defnitely is a "must have" and this is one of them:

ACI's new Military Shirt and Cargo Pants Sets:

I'm not keen on the red plaid shirt, but the other 4 sets are great. I love these because I actually own every one of those color 5.11 Tactical Pants in real life...lol... so of course this is a must have for Mini Me...lol

The only thing that I can see is a mistake with these, as with Hot Toys 5.11 Tactical Pants that came with Royce is that the real ones do not have drawstrings... but big deal, I'll just remove them.

ACI has great quality stuff for good prices, so I cannot wait for these sets, I will definitely be buying all 5 of them.

Thanks for following.

CUSTOMS: TTL BRUNETTE REPAINT

2011-01-31T03:44:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

Just sharing two quick pics of the repaint I did on the TTL Brunette base body I got last week.

Stock Head:

Introducing Rosalind:

I repainted the eyes with P3 Formula Paints "Arcane Blue" by Privateer Press and then repainted the lips with "Sanguine Base" by P3 as well.

Thanks for following.

SIDE PROJECT: ALL'S FAIRE BLOG

2011-01-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

I had mentioned a while back that I had been planning to work on a second blog devoted to my favorite girl Gillian. Well I have started that project:

ALL's FAIRE

So for all things Gillian Faire, check out this blog. I hope it will turn out to be a fun project and affair for my followers and other 1:6 hobbyists.

Thanks for following.

CUSTOMS: THE CALE SISTERS

2011-01-24T10:32:00.000-05:00

Searlait and Siobahn Cale:

The Cale Sisters started out as just Siobahn (on the left), She was a BBI Goth Alagua that I repainted the eyes on to make into a goth girl. Later on I wanted to get a second Alagua head because of my OCD of always buying multiples of things. So a little while after I had gotten her and gotten ready to paint her identically to the first one, I found out something... It wasn't the same head. Turns out it was the same head, but what I didn't realize was that a wonderful factory mishap had happened. The first Alagua head must have been pulled from it's mold too son, and deformed some, but not at all in a bad way. It deformed evenly and kept the features, but had just enough of a change to it that set it apart from the normal head (Searlait, on the right). I really liked this, I liked it so much, I knew they would make perfect sisters, having just enough difference to tell them apart, but enough similarities to make them twins. So my twin goth sisters, Searlait and Siobahn Cale were born. They both have identical custom painted mixed color eyes, green hair, and dark lips.

Their ensemble is by SMcG Customs, a fantastic custom outfit maker who I have dealt with several times and highly recommend to anyone.

Thanks for following.

TUTORIAL: TTL HIP MODIFICATION

2011-01-24T10:17:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

I love the TTL body. But with every body on the market it has it's pros and cons. The major con of the TTL body is the lack of range of motion in the hips. The TTL body can't close it's legs well and sit properly. This tutorial will will show you the amazing difference that the hip modification can do.

So to start we'll go over tools. Whilst a Rotary Tool helps, this can be done with an X Acto knife, it just will take a while. I use a Tungsten Carbide Cutting Bit in mine.

Next you will want your X Acto knife for some fine trimming work if needed, and of course sand paper. Sanding sponges work best IMHO, but aren't necessary.

So we'll start by showing off the body and the areas that we need to remove stock from.

The areas highlighted in red are the areas of stock removal. I usually start with the hip section removal. What you want to do is rotate the legs in such a way to give you room to get your cutting bit into the space and remove the stock. You will have to work the legs around as you do this. Just keep moving them around so that the opening is there for your bit. Once you have your areas of red removed from the hip sections, go in with your knife if need be to smooth some spots and then go in with your sand paper to smooth it out.

Then once you have the hips done, go in and using your tool remove the stock on the legs. You want to hollow out those areas marked. You are making the groove / channel larger for the crotch / hip section to fit into. Make sure to make the stock removal smooth, and try to maintain the smooth curves on the legs. Once the stock is removed sand your areas smooth. Then you should have this:

Do any further cleanup or stock removal as necessary until you are happy with the range of motion in the doll's legs. Why you are done you should have this:

Unmodified Body on the left, modified on the right.

Modified body on the left, Unmodified on the right.

With this modification, TTL bodies can close their legs and sit properly. You can see the gap and angle of bend the unmodified body has compared to the modified one.

Hope this helps some people,

Thanks for following.

TOY REVIEW: TRIAD TOYS JADE VAN HELSING

2011-01-23T18:47:00.001-05:00

I just got my Triad Jade Van Helsing on Saturday, so I put her together and figured I'd do a review of her.

This figure to me was an overall decent figure. I have some complaints and some praise for it. This figure comes in at a price point of around $120. I got mine for $114 from Good Stuff to Go.

Starting off, the figure is Triad's Alpha female body. This is a nice full figured body with curves you aren't going to find on other bodies on the market. It's a good blend of aesthetics and articulation. It has some drawbacks. The neck is very wide and this makes it hard to use any heads other than Triads without any modification... sadly also this even befalls some of their own heads having compatibility issues. The wrists are a drawback to me. The design of the wrist post is flat ended, which means that it doesn't seat properly inside the wrist sockets of the hands. This can easily be fixed with using CG / TTL / etc wrist posts with the Triad hands, granted this is not something you should have to do, but it's not a deal breaker. There were some skintone matching issues with the individually packaged Alpha bodies and hand sets, but the boxed figures don't seem to suffer from this. Triad has said themselves they take greater oversight of the boxed items than the items for customizers, which is good, considering the pricetag of Jade, but you shouldn't just limit your oversight of quality to your high end items IMHO. Anyway, the hands that came with Jade all matched the body very well.

Jade's headsculpt is nice, with good paint application on it. It's a good stock paint job, but I will probably repaint / retouch her to make her more mine. Her hair... well I like the two tone colors, but... the best way to describe her hair is "Post Apocalyptic" lol... It definitely needs some taming, and the cutting on it leaves a bit to be desired, but it's tough with short hair cuts on dolls.

Jade's outfit is nice. It's a nice Steampunk inspired ensemble. I feel it needs something to complete it, I think a nice brown leather corset would look awesome with it. The material is good, and like most all Triad's outfit offerings, it is the strong point of the figure. I like the colors, and little details. Her belts and holsters are well done with nice metal working buckles. The only thing I would have asked for with her shorts would have been more belt loops. The two on the sides are nice, but a couple more would have been better to keep the belt in place better. I like the secondary lower set above the garters for her leggings, they worked nicely for the pistol belt. I like the buckle setup for the garters too. Her psuedo coat / cape / duster is nicely done, but doesn't really do much for me, if it were more of a duster it would have been better.

As for her weapons, Jade has very nicely designed and steampunky looking revolvers. They have a decent paint job, but considering the weapon offerings from other companies currently (including Triad themselves), for the pricetag I'd have expected a bit more to them. I'd have at least expected them to break open possibly being the design is like that of older style revolvers. The revolvers go nicely into the holsters on her belt.

Jade's sword was a bit of a let down. The let down mostly being because of the price point of the figure. Triad's Dakota was around $30 less than Jade, and came with a metal sword. Jade's machete was plastic, and not even a really solid plastic. This was a serious letdown, and I will probably make my own for her out of aluminum. It did come with a nicely done scabbard however.

So, in summation, this figure is decent, I'd give Jade 3 of 5 stars, mostly because of the price point issues. This figure would have been worth it had it been closer to Dakota's pricetag of $90. I know that Triad is a smaller company with smaller runs, however if they want to compare themselves with the big boys, they needs to make their offerings worth the value of big boy prices. I'm content with this product, and I probably will have it grow on me more as I do some custom work to her and make her more "mine". I think though that if I had to do it over again at the $120 pricepoint I would have passed most likely and just tried to get loose parts.

Thanks for following.

1:6 SCALE CUSTOM PARACORD & HEMP BRACELETS

2011-01-21T05:09:00.002-05:00

Hi Everybody,

This has been a project that has been a while coming to post on the blog here. I finally have my 1:6 Scale Custom Paracord & Hemp Bracelets ready to show off and take orders for.

I offer them in two styles currently, Solomon Bar and Lizard Tail. They can be made for both male and female figures and can be made in solid colors or two tone in the available paracord color choices:

NAVY BLUE, WINE, TANGERINE, IRISH GREEN, AQUA MARINE, LIGHT OLD GOLD, SPUN GOLD, SUNFLOWER, CINNAMON, GOLDEN YELLOW, KELLY GREEN, FERN, KHAKI, DARK TURQUOISE, WHITE, ROSE RED, WILLOW, RAINBOW, BRONZE, LAVENDER, BABY PINK, RASBERRY, PURPLE PASSION, BLACK, SILVER, & NUTMEG.

The assortment of colors I have are great for both Armed Forces and School Pride bracelets!

Hemp colors available:

White, Tan, Brown, & Black.

These bracelets are hand woven by myself and are fully functional with loop and toggle closures.

Sample Bracelets:

Solomon Bar Style

"The Thin Blue Line" Bracelet for Law Enforcement (Black and Dark Turquoise)

Dark Turquoise and Silver

Black and Willow

Black and Silver

Willow and Bronze

Rasberry and Baby Pink

Light Old Gold and Aquamarine

Golden Yellow and Black

Wine and Navy Blue

Cinnamon and Khaki

Fern

Khaki

Rasberry

Wine and Cinnamon

Purple Passion

Purple Passion and Lavender

Brown and Tan Hemp

Lizard Tail Style

Cinnamon and Khaki

Fern and Khaki

Dark Turquoise and Silver

The Bracelets are prices as follows:

Solomon Bars - $4 each or 4 for $12.
Lizard Tails - $6 each or 4 for $18.

Shipping will be included in all U.S. orders. International shipping please inquire. I'd prefer Paypal payments, but contact me if you wish other methods.

If you are interested or have any questions regarding styles or colors, please contact me via my e-mail link on this blog.

Thanks for following.

Usual Musings...

2011-01-19T04:55:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

I'm overdue for a blog entry, so I figured I'd go over a few things.

I've been working on a few characters for upcoming stuff. I have some items coming soon from SMcG Customs to complete my Goth Twins and some other clothing items for Gillian. I have a TTL Brunette coming as well to turn into a villainess with an eye patch I think... I just have a desire to do a woman with an eye patch.

Preorder wise I cut back on an upcoming item. After seeing the production pieces I decided I didn't want as many... I'm also trying to cut back on being so compulsive with buying figures I like... and this helped.

I wanted 3 of this girl when she looked like this:

But not so much like this:

Still a nice sculpt, and I think the messy hair and photography have a lot to do with it, but I'd rather have one in hand and like her than get 3 and not. I'll be taking her outfit:

And pairing it up with my final set of Takara Kerberos Panzer Cops Midori armor I have. Using the greatcoat sans the SS regalia.

Triad Toys Jade Van Helsing shipped yesterday. As with a lot of Triad stuff, one has to be wary. I had one on preorder and I hoping that Triad would do a decent job with her. Triad has even claimed on their board that they have more oversight with their boxed items being they are shorter runs. (Why that should make a difference on how you control the quality of items you produce is beyond me.) Anyhow, not to beat Triad up, from the production pics this item looks good. Whilst I am not one to keep a figure intact, she will of course be broken down, touch ups make, and turned into some other character.

This is an item ran across the other day at Walmart:

Kinda neat little cartoony dinosaur that I thought might make a neat pet for my Cave Girl Gillian. It has some neat features, the mouth opens and locks back, and then snaps down when you press it's tongue. Makes a few sounds too. The eyes are really neatly done. They follow you depending on the angle you are looking at them. I passed on it though... I couldn't validate the $10 price tag on the thing due to it's lack of poseability. Perhaps it's something I'll pick up on sale down the road.

So that's just a quick update hobbywise for now, more soon.

Thanks for following,

Warehouse Loft Apartment Project - Preliminary Design 1

2011-01-09T14:29:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody,

So, I've started with some preliminary designs for my warehouse loft apartment that I want to make. I've rendered these using the Sweethome3D program.

So this is what I have so far with my first design. This model would be roughly 60" L x 36" W. The bathroom and closet on the model wouldn't be built, I just did them to get the layout right.

I'll be posting further design ideas throughout the week.

Thanks for following.

So what's up for the new year?

2011-01-06T04:04:00.001-05:00

Hey Everybody,

I thought I'd do a post going over what plans I have for this year.

1. Warehouse Loft Apartment Set - I've had an idea for a warehouse loft apartment that I designed a while back that I have wanted to build for a while. As of right now it would currently measure 60" L x 48" W x 32" H. It's would take up a significant chunk of real estate in my apartment, but I feel the time and space would be worth the effort.

2. Second Blog - I'm planning on having a second blog this year that will be based on Gillian Faire: Who she is and featuring serialized stories revolving around her. This blog will coincide with Gillian's upcoming spygirl adventures. I'll have more to follow on this coming soon.

3. Mecha and Girl Pilot - This is a project that will sit on the back burner for a bit, because it still require some more planning and design. Basically, I really like the retor styling of the 3A Ashley Wood designed World War Robot figures.

Whilst my design won't so much be a robot, but a piloted mecha, I want to design something along that styling and a cool female pilot to operate it.

4. 1/6th Braided Jewelry for Sale - Soon I will be posting items such as these:

Up for sale on this blog... I'll be offering these in a wide variety of colors and combinations (about 25 colors to choose from) for both guys and girls... So stay tuned.

5. YouTube Tutorial Vids - I plan on turning some of my tutorials into videos: Eye Painting, Flocking, and a few others are planned.

So that's the preliminary stuff for starting the year.

Thanks for following.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T04:33:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great and safe New Year's Eve.

Again I'd like to thank my followers and perusers of my blog. I look forward to seeing all the great projects everyone has in 2011 and hope to get a good many done myself to share with you all.

TOP TEN TOYS OF 2010 - #1

2010-12-31T00:47:00.000-05:00

#1 - TTL Perfection Murderess.

OK, I think some people who know me saw this one coming :) But it is for good reason I swear :p

Overall this figure is my #1 of the year because it gave me my new Gillians :) I'm a little biased.

But this figure also helped me create another character: Anzelika.

The figure comes with a great combination of items. A TTL large bust body with IMHO the most beautiful female sculpt ever made (can you tell I'm biased?), several pairs of hands, a really nice outfit, boots, coat, and of course her accessories.

I ordered 3 boxed figures. I turned all the bodies and heads into versions of Gillian. I used one of the tight lycra top / vinyl hot pants outfits paired with the TTL black coat (my #6) to create Anzelika. A pair of the boots from another set to go with the Dollsfigure Outfit (my #10) to create my Spygirl Gillian. The blue coats are great pieces... but I've yet to find a use for those...lol

The only downside I have ever seen with TTL's items is the head to body skin tone discrepancy. The heads are usually pinker than the bodies. This usually becomes more apparent during photography of course because of lighting, etc. I use GE "Reveal" bulbs, which tend to really make it stand out.

Overall, this boxed figure has brought me the most enjoyment this year :) I'd happily buy more just for the heads and bodies... and obsession...lol

Thank you all for following me and taking a look at my list of my top 10 toys and all my projects of the year. I hope to keep you all coming back with many more projects, blurbs, and tidbits into the next :)

TOP TEN TOYS OF 2010 - #2

2010-12-30T01:37:00.000-05:00

#2 - Hot Toys Clash of the Titans Perseus Head Sculpt.

I like the actor Sam Worthington. I think he's a good actor with a great screen presence. From Terminator: Salvation, to Avatar, to Clash of the Titans... I think he carries himself well in both action and dramatic roles. I still want to see him in the movie he did of a modern day adaptation of Macbeth.

Anyhow, Hot Toys, a company that doesn't rest on it's laurels has so far released two versions of Sam Worthington. They released him as Marcus Wright from Terminator: Salvation (which I have as well) and not to disappoint, they did not re use the same head sculpt for the version of him as Perseus from Clash of the Titans.

Sam's head sculpt was one that I had to add to my collection. I was able to preorder the Hot Toys Perseus head online parted out. I got mine for I believe $35. I ordered two (Something I do a lot...because I'm OCD like that.) I figured that two heads plus two Hot Toys bodies, coming in at around $150 was better than $300 for two complete boxed Perseus figures that had a body that was over built for Sam Worthington (Much like they did with Adrien Brody), wasn't as poseable, and also a bunch of accessories I had no use for.

So who did Sam play this time? His new role is as "Rhett Paladin" another action / adventure / spy character to compliment (and be the love / hate interest) of Gillian (She had a big say in that.)

As you can see, Sam / Rhett here is dressed up in the TTL Men's Suit Set. It works great and looks great on him. The cut of everything is fantastic as is the quality as I mentioned before. This is an item that I highly recommend and am looking forward to getting more like it from TTL's assortments coming in the new year.

These two items in conjunction with each other are what made this my combined #2 & 3 of the year, as they went together to make a great character.

Thanks for following.

TOP TEN TOYS OF 2010 - #3

2010-12-30T01:11:00.000-05:00

#3 - TTL Men's Outfit with Black Jacket.

TTL makes some fantastic men's clothing. The TTL men's outfit set includes a fantastic pair of black jeans in a great scale denim fabric, leather belt, molded biker style boots (Hot Toys ankle ball style), a great black cotton tank top, and depending on the set you get, an amazingly done sport coat in either black, burgundy, or grey.

The quality of each piece in the set is outstanding and most certainly worth the $30 US average price tag.

You'll read more regarding this set under my #2 of the year post.

Thanks for following.

TOP TEN TOYS FOR 2010 - #4

2010-12-28T10:42:00.000-05:00

#4 - Hot Toys Blade: Trinity Abigail Whistler Head Sculpt.

Again... another head. This one doesn't need so much introduction to those who follow my blog. Hot Toys Abigail Whistler had two things I wanted... a head sculpt of Jessica Biel and a neat pair of boots. I did get both parted out, but this post is just about the head.

This was one of the heads that I wasn't super keen on until production piece photos started showing up. I liked that the production piece had lighter hair. I just felt the production head had more character than the prototype one.

So as those who follow my blog know, Jessica here became my character of "Darla Dauntless". I repainted her eyes green, which was just a random choice by me, but something I found out later was actually right... granted not AS green as the ones I did, but certainly not the color that HT did them.

So, not much more to say about Jessica / Darla here :) If your not a normal follower of this blog, just check out the link in this post to "Darla Dauntless" on the blog for more pics and info onto who I turned this great head sculpt into.

Thanks for following.

TOP TEN TOYS OF 2010 -#5

2010-12-28T10:23:00.001-05:00

#5 - Hot Toys Predators "Royce" Head Sculpt.

As you can see many of my favorite items for this year are head sculpts. So many great figures came out this year, but many of them didn't come with enough items as a whole to make them worth while as a total purchase. So through various dealers and Ebay I procured the items of interest I wanted.

Adrien Brody for the most part was an actor I couldn't stand until the past year. After seeing him in the movie Splice and then Predators, I took a closer look at the actor and his range. So after seeing those movies and some others I had a new found respect for him.

after seeing him in Predators, I felt he really fit the role well and was a real bad ass as "Royce"... to the point of upstaging Ahnold's "Dutch"... Dutch got his ass handed to him by the Predator, where as Royce pretty much handed the Predator it's ass... and it was a tougher Predator even...lol

When I heard Hot Toys was making Royce I knew that that the head sculpt of Adrien Brody was one I wanted to add to my collection. His face is just very full of character and the likeness is dead on.

The only downside to the head is that HT made him dirty, which was fitting for the role he was based upon. So I need to experiment with removing the grime if I can. The only other thing I will do is as usual: repaint the eyes.

I didn't buy the entire Royce, so I didn't have the body he came with, but that was fine for me. Adrien Brody was pretty buffed up for the role, but nowhere near the body that Hot Toys made him on. I simply mounted mine onto a Hot Toys True Type body and he looks fine. As usual, for now, I'm still deciding who Adrien will become.

Thanks for Following.

TOP TEN TOYS OF 2010 - #6

2010-12-26T08:49:00.000-05:00

#6 - TTL Female Fashion Clothing Set TTL 68016 Trenchcoat.

TTL makes some really nice outfit sets. The pieces are really high quality. Once of the sets released this year that seriously caught my eye was this female fashion set with the black leather trenchcoat with fur collar. I didn't particularly care for the rest of the outfit set, but the coat itself i knew from the moment I saw it was perfect for helping me finish up a character I had been working on...

Anzelika Kamarova - My Russian Mob Princess :)

I was lucky enough to have obtained just the jacket from my awesome friend Arianne :) She bought the set thinking the collar was faux fur, and being it turned out to be rabbit fur, it creeped her out...lol So she remembered me mentioning wanting it, so she gave it to me, and thus thanks to her I was able to complete Anzelika :) So thanks again Arianne :)

The piece is just a really nice. It's a decent thickness pleather, so it doesn't really inhibit range of motion, and so long as your figure has decent;y tight joints you are good with it.

So that's #6.

Thanks for following.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-25T00:54:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

I wish you all a happy, warm, and safe holiday with your loved ones :)

TOP TEN TOYS OF 2010 - #7

2010-12-25T00:50:00.000-05:00

#7 - Soldier Story U.S. Navy SEAL SDV Team 1 Headsculpt.

Soldier Story has been releasing some amazing head sculpts. Their most notable of this year I believe is the above Soldier Story U.S. Navy SEAL SDV Team 1 figure. The sculpt clearly being based upon actor Stephen Lang playing the hardcore soldier Colonel Miles Quaritch in the movie Avatar. Specifically right down to the scars.

This is a head sculpt that is just completely full of character which is why I love it. I got mine specifically for the role of my Spygirl Gillian's boss for her photo stories.

He does need a bit of work. I'm going to repaint his hair to look more like the actor's actual hair color, just give it a bit more highlight and definition. I'll also redo his eyes and tone down the scars some to look more natural.

Once all that is done, then I will obtain a nice dress suit for him to wear so he looks like an archetypal "Company Man" which will suit his role as Gillian's boss.

Thanks for following.

TOP TEN TOYS OF 2010 - #8

2010-12-24T01:13:00.000-05:00

#8 - Hot Toys Jill Valentine Head

Hot Toys makes a lot of figures that I like. Not always specifically for who they represent, but more so for head sculpts be they a specific actor / actress or just look in general. With the price tag of most Hot Toys figures, I have stopped buying entire boxed figures unless they have enough parts included that I can use on other projects, as I rarely keep figures stock. So when I saw Hot Toys' upcoming Resident Evil Jill Valentine I really liked her head sculpt, but of all her accessories, she only had three things that I had any interest in: Her Head, Her Beretta PX4 handgun, and her boots. I was lucky enough to get two of the three things.

I got her head loose through Toy Anxiety for @ $35, and I picked up two pairs of her boots for $5 a pair at Monkey Depot.

So back to Jill's head. I just thought that Jill had a "pretty average" face. By that I mean that she isn't anyone drop dead gorgeous, but she looks like someone you would easily see on your day to day walk of life. Many people don't like sculpted hair, but it's hardly something that bothers me. She lacks some range of motion in the neck however. I think this is due to her having been made for the newer female True Type body that Black Widow and She came with.

I already had a body to put her on, a Caucasian Hot Toys True Type Female. Which was a decent enough match for her. The way her jawline is sculpted just seems a little off to me the way it sits on the neck, like she is tucking her chin in perhaps. Not anything major.

So like most heads I get, Jill can expect a repaint of her eyes (factory painted eyes just don;t do it for me anymore) and probably some dry brushing of her hair to give it some highlights.

As for who she will be? That is yet to be decided.

Thanks for following.

TOP TEN OF 2010 - #9

2010-12-23T02:48:00.000-05:00

#9 - Hot Toys True Type Female (Cuban American Version)

The Hot Toys True Type Female is like many other female bodies on the market. It has it's pros and it's cons. Many people tend to dislike the silicone torso, general proportions of the body, skinny wrists, and most people hate the face sculpt.

Personally I like everything about the body. I like the face sculpt a lot. I'm a person who is very much into "unconventional" beauty... strong jaw lines, etc. so it is one that looks very good in my eyes. I think the Cuban American version's skin tone offers a great variety of ethnicities for this body. Whilst the Caucasian version of this figure is nice as well, I just don't like the way she looks as much.

I've worked on a couple custom repaints of this head.

Valencia Naranja:

and Lena:

I was going off this picture for the makeup:

Anyway. I'm personally a fan of this body, I like the way it looks, I like the silicone torso cover and the range of motion it allows and also the aesthetics in general. It offers a truly different body for variety. It's a good body for the price @ $40 U.S. and I personally haven't had any issues with any of the 10 of them I have bought (5 Cuban and 5 Caucasians).

Thanks for following.

TOP TEN OF 2010 - #10

2010-12-22T01:43:00.000-05:00

So, finally joining in this year, here is the beginning of my top ten toys for 2010.

#10 - "Explorer / Spy Girl" Dollsfigure Outfit

I'm lumping this in as a single entry, even though I bought two of these. I have both the Black and the Khaki versions. Gillian got the black and Darla the khaki.

I just really loved the retro look of the outfits. They are reasonably priced, but also in the same vein you are getting what you pay for. I got both of mine on Ebay in auction for I think 10 bucks shipped each.

As those who follow my blog have read, I modified mine a bit, removing the buttons and snaps and resewing the buttons on the opposite side to look unbuttoned. The main reason for this was that the outfits are near impossible to button over any doll's chest... which in the cases I used it for, was fine with me...lol

I only used the main outfit in both cases. The other accessories aren't anything amazing. The pistol they came with is not the one pictured, which would have been nice, a Russian Tokarev TT33 w/ removeable magazine and working slide, but bot sets I got came with a crappy one piece copy of Cotswold / 21C's original M1911A1 .45 handgun.

Overall the outfit is nice, easily worth 10-15 shipped, but not much more IMHO.

So that is #10 for this year.

Thanks for following.

Various Musings...

2010-12-18T05:37:00.000-05:00

OK, so today I came to some conclusions...

I realized it's pretty bad when you have so much stuff, you forget about things you have. Last night I was preparing to buy some HT Truetype Narrow Shoulder bodies for my HT Adrien Brody / Royce heads. I currently had two HT TT Advanced bodies that I had purchased for my Sam Worthington / Perseus heads. I had given one of them to Adrien Brody, but that then left me still requiring two more for my other heads (as I have two of both Sam and Adrien) and the fact that the body was too built. granted, Adrien Brody was pretty buff for Predators, but not that much.

I was about to drop 80 bucks for two narrow shoulder bodies for the Adrien heads, but then realized I still have a case of HT TT first version bodies (which are in between the advanced body and the narrow shoulder) and I hadn't even tried them to see how he would look on them.

HT has always done a fairly good job of making sure that even though there may be slight differences between the batches of plastics, they are generally a good match regardless.

So now, both Sam and Adrien have two bodies a piece and I didn't drop 80 bucks I didn't have to.

Continuing with this thought, I have been looking at matching up some characters to other characters. I was looking for a male character to go with my Goth Twin Sisters. I wanted someone late 20's early 30's, with a serious / stern / stoic look to him, who was relatively clean cut but with an edge. So I had one head that was a recommendation by my friend Sydnee, but when I placed him with the sisters, he didn't fit the bill. So I was again looking around online for heads.

After rummaging around this morning for something completely unrelated, i came across the perfect character... and I've had him for ages and haven't done a thing with him. I have an HT Chris Redfield on a normal TT body. He has just the right look and pairs up with the sisters nicely. I just need to do a few things to make him a bit more "mine" as I like to do. I'll probably redo his eyes and add some drybrush highlights to his hair to bring out the details a bit more.

In other news... I ordered some more hobby supplies yesterday. Ordered more colors of cord for wrapping my knife handles as well as another related project with it. I ordered some tiny metal buckles from Rio Rondo for said other project as well.

I also have another idea to check out today... thanks to the Inception (Plug for IMHO the best movie of the year) by my friend RichardTheBloody last night... We were talking about customs and heads on ebay and he mentioned wanting the Barbie Joan Jett head. This is a head I really liked from the get go seeing pics of it, but I had passed on because outside of my FF Gillians and some heads I already had, I've mostly leaned away from Babs head on CG customs. Rich mentioned that I should get Joan and turn her into Space Babe Gillian's nemesis... a dark queen like "Malificent" of space... I have to say I agree with him...

Damn him for such a great idea! lol...

So my local Big Lots has them for I think $25 bucks, so I'm gonna pop there today, see how she would compare to a CG 3.0 body since she is pale, and then decide if I'm going to go that route or not. If I do, all the credit to Rich for such a great idea.

So that's about it for the hobby side.

I'm off to see Tron Legacy on IMAX in 3D today.

Have a good one and thanks for following.

Cave Girl Gillian

2010-12-17T10:40:00.000-05:00

So,

In my never ending obsession with the Babs FF Gillian... being as I kinda see her as a "B" Movie Actress in my mind... I've done up another Gillian Faire, this time starring as a Cave Girl to compliment the kitchyness of Space Babe Gillian...

She still needs a spear or staff, but overall I like how she came out. And so people don't think I just keep changing her out... a few shots I took to show off the Gillians together.

I also just won another Gillian mint in tube on ebay yesterday for 10 bucks... I was quite shocked... not like I needed "another" Gillian...lol

Thanks for following.

"Ankhs for the Memories"

2010-12-15T06:40:00.000-05:00

OK, terrible pun.

This is a large pin I picked up at a jewelry show at a mall ages ago that I'm just now getting around to snapping pics of. I liked it because of the nice detailing and the Tiger Eye stone scarab inset. I simply clipped the pin mountings off the back so it would be a nice display piece for my various explorers and adventurers.

And a few more Darla updates while I'm at it. I felt she needed a shotgun, so I gave her a DML Browning Trench Shotgun.

Thanks for following.

Darla Dauntless...

2010-12-11T03:58:00.000-05:00

If you can't tell by now, I caught up on a lot of stuff today picture wise, so for my third post for today, submitted for your perusal, I present my new daring 1930's adventuress...

Darla started out as a pair of boots actually... talk about starting from the ground up. I had purchased a pair of Hot Toys Resident Evil 5 Sheva Alomar's brown leather knee high boots.

I knew that whoever they were going to be used for was obviously going to have to be a Hot Toys True Type female body. So that was obviously the next thing added to her. After seeing the Dollsfigure Khaki Tan Explorer outfit on ebay.

So I knew the brown boots would go great with that, and having had the black version of it for my Spygirl Gillian, I knew it was decent enough for the money. Dollsfigure stuff is getting exactly what you pay for, it's relatively inexpensive and the quality is average. I paid I think $10 shipped for it.

Next came the decision of who would Darla be (well she didn't have the name Darla at the time), So after much searching, I decided on the Hot Toys Jessica Biel as Abigail Whistler head. I won her on EBay for around $45 shipped. So I got her head and it worked fine on an HT True Type body. The only thing I did extra to the head was repaint the eyes to make her more "mine" instead of stock.

So, having most of Darla's outfit together, I set to doing what I did with Gillian's version of the outfit, which is being it fits ok everywhere but the chest, I removed the upper two snaps and resewed the buttons on the opposite side to make it look properly unbuttoned... and yes, it's unbuttoned for a reason because she is a "pulp" style heroine...lol

I ditched the crappy canvas belt that the outfit came with and added a wide brown leather belt by DML. It fit the looks nicer and blended the transition of the top and shorts of the outfit as it is a one piece outfit.

So once the outfit was all complete, next came the gathering of accessories.

1. HAND ASSORTMENT. - Various Hands for various poses and holding items. All Hot Toys from various figures. 6 shown here, but 8 different hands in all for her.
2. GOLDEN IDOL. - Custom Idols. See my post HERE.
3. BRITISH SMLE MKIII RIFLE. - Dragon Models.
4. RELIC DAGGER. - Hot Toys from Prince of Persia Dastan.
5. U.S. M1911 HANDGUN. - BBI.
6. GERMAN ARTILLERY MODEL LUGER. - Dragon Models.
7. BULL WHIP. - Sideshow Indiana Jones.

Relic Dagger

SMLE MK III Rifle

Bull Whip

Artillery Model Luger

M1911

Darla still needs a couple of things. I need some pouches, a holster, a knife and sheath for her belt, but aside from that, I like how she turned out.

Thanks for looking.

Cody's new digs...

2010-12-11T03:07:00.000-05:00

So, following up after Cody showed off the knives for me, I figure I'll show off Cody in her new ensemble.

Her gear is a mix of BBI ACU pants, T shirt is by SMcG Customs, and a ZC Plate Carrier vest with pouches by BBI.

Her Soldier Story HK416 Carbine

Her Soldier Story Mechanix Gloves (I really like these gloves because I used to have the 1:1 pair.)

Her Hot Toys "Jill Valentine" Boots (which look really neat paired with the ACUs IMHO)

Thanks for following.

Finally... Something Sharp!

2010-12-11T02:13:00.000-05:00

OK,

I finally got around to getting good pics taken of the knives I've been working on.

The knives started as this, a simple styrene test.

But then I moved up to Aluminum.

The first couple knives has OD green cord that was a hair out of scale, it still looked nice, but not as nice as the newer cord I found. The smaller diameter makes it look much better.

I redid the handle cording on the one knife from above.

The knives currently are false edge, but can easily be honed if desired. I'm also going to be experimenting with various finishes and cording as I make more. In the near future I will probably start selling them as OOAK pieces (or thereabouts, it's not like I can't make the same knife more than once.) so if anyone is interested, drop me an e-mail.

Thank for following.

Various tidbits...

2010-12-07T04:49:00.000-05:00

OK,

I promised myself I'd keep up to date with this thing, and I'm going to do that, even if I don't have much to say, I'll post it.

So what's new? Let's see...

I got the first of my two Hot Toys Adrien Brody heads... and I must say WOW... HT never rests on their laurels with anything, each head sculpt I get from them just bowls me over with how good it is. They really got him down. I will probably only touch his head up with the one thing I fend doesn't satisfy me with HT heads; The eyes never seem to have enough "depth" so as usual, I'll repaint them gradients as I've done with just about every other head sculpt I've gotten recently... factory eyes just don't cut it for me anymore...lol

I got some more gloved hands, which some people from some boards know is probably the last thing I need any of...lol I picked up a set of 6 various posed hands by Sideshow from their G.I.JOE RAH Beachhead figure. All six hands are going to one figure, it's just nice to have various poses for each figure.

I picked up a new bit for my Dremel, one that should make it a bit easier for faster stock removal of the aluminum when I make my knives. I picked up a 1/8" Tungsten Carbide Cutting Head.

Also on the knife making side I found a new online source for the string I use to make the handles. This new place has more colors and offers a larger amount of it for a cheaper price.

In other news as well, Inception comes out on DVD today, so I'll be going to someplace after work to pick that up. If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly suggest you do. It is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen.

OK, take care folks and thanks for reading.

Bit delayed on updates...

2010-12-04T01:36:00.001-05:00

I've been busy working on a few projects, I don't have any pics of them at the moment because I want to have them "just right" before showing them off... but I'll at least give some info.

OK, so the main project I have been working on is knives... I've been working on scale knives using .64 gauge Aluminum sheet. I've completed 4 so far, but I want to have a few more done before showing them off. I've had a really fun time making them so far.

Sorting out older stuff in my collection... I was going through some older customs from the past years and seeing if I really like them or if I can revisit them, or just scrap it and start something new with them. One of said customs was a CG Ice repaint from like 6 years ago. I liked the repaint at the time, but not so keen on it now. I liked the outfit, but sadly over time, the pleather of her outfit has deteriorated. So I took the custom apart, I'll use the outfit parts that are still good down the line somewhere, and I removed the head and set the CG 2.0 body aside.

I redid the eyes on another Babs FF Gillian head. I've always thought of the FF Gillians I have done as sort of a "B Movie" Actress, so in that vein, I will be making this one into a Cave Girl, as I allready have her portraying a 50's Space Babe (see HERE). I repainted her eyes the same, a nice gradient shading, which I think gives her a more neutral expression. I also repainted her lips a more natural color. So I'll have pics of her when I figure out her cave girl outfit. I'm still trying to decide if I should go back and repaint the original Gillian's eyes the same way or keep her the same... any ideas?

I do still have some other stuff I need to catch up with pictures with (Darla, Cody, some others) and hopefully soon I'll get all that stuff snapped and posted.

Stay tuned and thanks for following.

Murphy's Laws of Shopping...

2010-11-20T01:32:00.000-05:00

"When you win something on Ebay, you will inevitably find it parted out at your favorite e-tailer the very next day."

So... Hot Toys Royce has arrived on the web, and originally I had preordered 2 of him boxed. This morning I realized that he really didn't have enough stuff that I wanted him boxed, I just wanted the Adrien Brody headsculpts. So I cancelled my preorders and decided to just get the headsculpts. So I was bidding on one on ebay. I knew that if I didn't get one on ebay that my favorite e-tailer Toy Anxiety wouldn't part him out... but I also knew that the moment I won the head on ebay, that tonight when I looked on their site, they would have. So I won the head for about $46 shipped... and of course, lo and behold, Toy Anxiety has him parted out tonight. This of course was not particularly a bad thing, as I did want two of his heads, so I bought a second one for a bit less than I paid for the first, so I'm happy.

So, today I got some other things in the mail... I got the replacement casing for my Crackberry (no literally, the outer screen shield was cracked), my WWI DML Long Barreled Artillery Luger Pistols (one of them is the property of Darla), and some aluminum sheet for a project.

As for stuff in the works, I repainted Darla's eyes, I liked her head factory, but I wanted to really make her a bit more "mine" so I repainted her eyes green... it also let me try out a new color I got... "Wasabi"...

OK, so that's about it for now, stay tuned and thanks for following.

After Show Report

2010-11-16T00:54:00.001-05:00

Hi Everybody,

Just a quick blurb about the New Jersey Collectors Con in Cherry Hill this past weekend. There wasn't a great turnout of 1/6th (Arianne02 & Wax Murderer, Dr. Wild, and Myself only), the show was dominated my small scale G.I.JOE and Transformers... and some amazing cosplay. Perhaps future shows might have a bit better turnout, but at least the show wasn't a complete bust.

I'd like to thank everybody who came and who purchased stuff from me. It was great meeting new people (glad you were able to make it Rosi! and thanks for buying so much stuff :) )

So just a quick shout out and thanks, and stay tuned for more postings in the coming weeks.

Thanks for following!

Goodies and stuff currently in the works...

2010-11-13T04:06:00.001-05:00

OK, so I've gotten the beret flocking tutorial out of the way, and that was really fun. In the coming week or so I'd like to do a few more flocked berets as well.

I'll be getting some aluminum sheet soon for a forthcoming project. I'm hoping it will go as well as planned, and if so, I'll be sure to do a tutorial on it as well.

So, I got some goodies this week... it's funny that I'm going to a show tomorrow to get rid of a lot of stuff, all the while still buying more. So I placed a couple orders this past week between my favorite online shops for some loose parts. The majority of that stuff has arrived and been sorted into it's relative projects.

The goodies that I've ordered:

2 x loose Hot Toys Prince of Persia "Sands of Time" Daggers from the Dastan figure. I always love neat stuff like that for artifacts and relics for my adventurers.

1 x loose Hot Toys Jill Valentine head.

2 x pairs loose Hot Toys Jill Valentine boots.

1 x loose Hot Toys Abigail Whistler head.

2 x loose Hot Toys Abigail Whistler boots.

1 x loose set of Soldier Story U.S. Navy SEAL SDV "Mechanix" Gloves.

6 x loose Soldier Story black 20 round PMAGs.

4 x loose Dragon WWII German Artillery Lugers with stocks and drum magazines.

1 x loose Sideshow Indiana Jones bendy whip.

1 x loose BBI Rosanna Jones ACU uniform. I'm only using the pants though, the jacket was a piece of crap.

1 x Dollsfigure khaki shirt / shorts outfit.

And lastly just some various assorted pieces such as spare ankle balls for Hot Toys bodies, some various extra posed hands from the recent Hot Toys female releases.

So, what are these things going to? Well:

The ACU pants and a pair of the Jill Valentine boots are going to my upcoming spokesmodel for this blog: Cody Lynn Sorenson

You've seen her before showing off my HALO minifigs, she will be taking up a full time job as my scale reporter and model for this blog.

The Dollsfigure khaki outfit, Hot Toys Abigail head, Indy whip, and some other stuff like one of the daggers from Dastan will be going to make my new classic B Movie heroine "Darla Dauntless".

So stay tuned and thanks for looking everyone.

QUICK AND EASY FLOCKING TUTORIAL

2010-11-11T01:37:00.000-05:00

Hey All,

As I mentioned in my previous post, I would be having a quick tutorial of how to do quick and easy flocking on a beret.

I started out with making a USAF Security Forces Airman about two years ago now (time flies). I based the figure on the Airmen I had seen at McGuire AFB in New Jersey during the air show in 2008. So I've had this figure around for a while and had kept wavering on what type of cover to give him. I had a Patrol Cap that went with his ABUs, but it just didn't fit or look right on the head I was using. USAF Security Forces wear dark blue berets, however there aren't any pre made Security Forces berets out there. So as I said, this guy just stayed cover less for the time being... until the day before yesterday.

Whilst cleaning stuff up and sorting my collection in readiness for the show this coming weekend, I came across the Hasbro Classic Collection molded beret. These berets had nice sculpting but were often a tad large on Hasbro heads... something that was not an issue with the slightly larger noggins of an Hot Toys head. So after setting it on the head, I decided that this was going to be just what he needed.

So I grabbed some blue paint and painted the beret up. Something was still off. All the high end gear that the figure had, the beret just didn't stand out being simply painted plastic... So I thought about flocking.

So I took a run down to Michael's Crafts and picked up some supplies, drove back home, and then turned a lackluster piece into something to really set the figure off and complete him.

So we start with the beret on a spare head on the left and an original beret on the right. I used a spare HT head during this process, as for any type of headgear painting, it just helps to have a "sacrificial" head to aid in holding the item for painting.

Starting from the beginning, as this is supposed to be a tutorial, we'll start with the painting. I started by using Games Workshop Citadel Color Midnight Blue and I added some Americana All Purpose Sealer / Adhesion Promoter to it to ensure a good bond to the plastic.

Just grab a brush, doesn't have to be super fancy, but it does need to be able to apply both the paint and later the glue, and be able to keep the glue off the leather band at the bottom of the beret.

Once you have the beret painted with the Midnight Navy (or whatever color your beret will be) let it dry thoroughly.

Next up is the glue, I prefer to use Elmer's Washable Clear School Glue. It has a great, smooth, not to thick not to thin consistency that makes it perfect for brushing on. Plus it has a good working time for pieces like this. So once your beret has dried for a good half hour or so, get your brush and paint the beret with a coat of glue. The coating should be decent, but don't over do it. Remember do not get glue on the leather band at the bottom of the beret. Wash your brush out good once you are done with the glue as well, this is one of the reasons I choose the washable glue, it rinses nicely out of the brush and doesn't harm it.

Now for the magic... Martha Stewart Crafts Flocking. I purchased "Wild Blueberry" as that was perfect for what I was working on, though they have a ton of fantastic colors in these wonderful shaker bottles for about 3 bucks a piece. The bottle has both a duster filter and an pouring one.

So quickly after you have put your glue on, drop your brush in your water cup (it will be fine for a minute) grab your flocking bottle and open the top to the "pouring" mouth. You'll be coating your beret liberally... it will seem like you are wasting a lot, but you really aren't (I've done two berets like this and have used less than 1/8th the bottle) you just have to get a good coating. So dust the beret with the flocking and as you go tap and blow on the beret to remove the excess. Do this a couple times going all over the beret and making sure you have a good coating over the whole thing. Once you are satisfied with your coating, finish blowing and tapping the excess off and then leave the beret to dry.

Once the beret has dried, I usually give the glue at least an hour, give it one more blow off, then go back with a fine brush and using black, touch up the leather band.

Lastly, to finish the beret off, it needed a flash. USAF Security Forces wear the "Defensor Fortis" flash:

So using some Inkjet Printer Sticker Paper I scaled down the flash image and printed it out for completing the beret.

So there we have it, finally, after two years I have completed my USAF Security Forces Airman.

I hope this tutorial can help some people out and of course if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I will probably be doing a few more of the berets in the future so I'll be showcasing them here as well.

Thanks for checking it out.

Upcoming Projects

2010-11-09T01:07:00.001-05:00

I've been a bit busy of late, between a computer crash and preparing for a toy show, I haven't worked on much outside of those two things.

Computer crash was fixed, I have a nice new laptop now, which will also help a bit more with keeping this blog updated more as I'll have my things to work on with me more often.

Secondly, I'll be attending the New Jersey Collector's Con in Cherry Hill NJ this coming weekend

http://www.newjerseycollectorscon.com/

I'll be having a table there to move some older stuff out (hopefully), mostly older military stuff and G.I. JOE Classic Collection stuff.

So in actual hobby related projects, I will be having a tutorial on flocking plastic berets coming within the next week or so as well as some info on another project I am planning on undertaking that I hope works out how I plan...lol

Keep checking back and thanks for following everybody.

Destroy all Humans...

2010-10-21T00:49:00.000-04:00

So this is a neat item I picked up a bit ago (actually, I think last Christmas... wow time flies) that I only recently got around to taking good pics of.

This is the 1:18th scale Harvester from the Terminator: Salvation movie toy line. It stands around 18" tall, and though it was made for 1:18th scale, it fits nicely in with 1:6th as well.

It is very poseable and has a lot of neat features such as the flip up shoulder cannon / missile launcher (thinking of replacing it with something else), spring loaded opening claws (they are nice, but could use a stronger spring), the fully poseable set of smaller robotic arms with claws, and lastly, light up searchlights... which were honestly quite pathetic, they are just a clear insert illuminated by an LED, so they don't actually give off any light.

Despite these minor shortcomings, overall as a nicely poseable killer robot it was worth the money. These, as far as I know, never made it to brick and mortar retail as the toy line got cancelled before the second wave was released. I got mine off Ebay for I think $30 US shipped, and this was a year ago, and now they are going for around $45 US shipped on Ebay, still not bad IMHO.

I think with a little work, one could easily rewire the lighting and actually have proper searchlights in the shoulders, as well as some of the other small things. I am still on the fence as to if I'm going to bother.

Mega Blocks HALO Minifig Custom

2010-10-20T01:23:00.001-04:00

In a follow up from my post yesterday about the Mega Blocks HALO figures, I wanted to show off how nice these figures really are. They have surprising nice detailing, something that is lost on a factory mass produced paint job, then again, I can't expect a lot for $2 each. But with a little bit of paint application, you can really bring out the details and turn this:

Into this:

I started out with trying a simple drybrushing of the armor with Deco Art Dazzling Metallics "Festive Green". This didn't turn out great IMHO.

So I then washed over the entire figure with Games Workshop Citadel Colour "Orc Flesh Wash"... This is an old color that I don't think they make anymore even... I'm surprised it's still good... just goes to show how GW has made their paint pots to purposely let their paints dry out, as this is still in the OLD OLD style paint pot and I've had it for at least 15 years.

Once the wash was dry, I then drybrushed over the armor with Daler Rowney FW Pearlescent Ink "Macaw Green".

Once the armor was finished, I them moved to the visor. I started with Games Workshop Citadel Colour "Burnished Gold" for the base. I followed that with Citadel Colour "Flesh Wash". Again, this is one of those colors they no longer make, and I have had this bottle for about 15 years... again proving the theory that GW makes their paints dry out on purpose for sales... but moving on.

Once the wash was dried, I then went back and painted the interior areas of the panes on the visor with Daler Rowney FW Pearlescent "Mazuma Gold".

Finally, to finish the figure off I painted the major visible unarmored parts of the suit with Privateer Press Formula P3 "Cryx Bane Base" which is a dark grey.

I added a couple details to the Pulse Rifle, drybushing it with GW Citadel Colour "Boltgun Metal", painting the rubber foregrip section with the Formula P3 "Cryx Bane Base", and then a dab of Formula P3 "Coal Black" which is a dark teal on the LED Round Counter.

Overall I feel this quick paint job really brought out the nice detailing on these figures and at some point I will probably try on a few more.

Toys like to collect toys... right?

2010-10-19T01:20:00.000-04:00

The lovely gamer girl Cody here would like to show off some of her fantastic 1/6 and 1/1 HALO collectibles.

1/6th Hot Toys HALO Master Chief John 117

1/6th Exclusive Active Camo Master Chief

1/6th Hot Toys HALO: ODST "Rookie"

Master Replicas Life Size HALO Master Chief's Helmet and BR55 Battle Rifle

OK, so maybe Cody like the rest of us wishes that Hot Toys would pick up the HALO license...

Cody's 1/6th figures here are by Mega Blocks, a Lego like building toy company. They make a line of Figure and vehicle sets from the HALO universe. Previously the figures had to be purchased in sets with vehicles, however, they recently started selling their miniature figures in blind bagged format for around $2.50 US. These figures surpass Lego figures in so many ways, sculpting, poseability, accessories, etc... and as you can see... make for very nice 1/6th scale in 1/6th scale action figures.

I had originally only bought maybe 2 of their boxed sets, the low end $10 sets, but since they started selling the figures individually, I picked up a few more.

As for Cody's other collectibles, the BR55 Battle Rifle is Die Cast and by Master Replicas and was released around the time of HALO 3, and the Helmet is from one of McFarlane Toy's sets.

As for Cody herself, she is a clone Takara CG Doronjo head / body that I repainted the eyes on.

Her "fashionflage" T shirt is by SMcG Customs... the finest 1/6th female T shirts I have bought.

Enjoy,

Anzelika Kamarova: Russian Mafia Princess

2010-10-16T11:15:00.000-04:00

Anzelika is a repaint I did using a clone Takara Duenan Knute head. After getting the TTL Assasin Girl, the outfit she came with was really nice, and I popped this head onto the body wearing the outfit... and for some reason to me, the face, the look, demeanor, all screamed "Club Hopping Russian Mafia Princess"

So I set about a repaint of the head, repainting the eyes, lips, adding some heavy makeup and some custom made earrings, and now I have Anzelika here... who does seriously look like an angry bitch. Best not to interupt her partying lol.

In addition to the basic outfit that the TTL "Perfection Murderess" came with, she is wearing a TTL coat from one of their sets that was given to me by my friend Arianne.

Right now her "Fashion Accessories" are a 21C AK47 with an HT 75 round drum magazine added, and then a custom made 21C AK47 pistol modelled after those done by Ewbanks Customs. I would like to eventually go back and make her a newer one with actual wood furniture and metal parts.

Enjoy,

Quick Bash: Russian Vityaz MVD Sniper

2010-10-16T04:03:00.000-04:00

Just a quick bash I threw together with some parts laying around. Started with a BBI G3 Body, threw some Dr. Figures fingerless gloved hands on that and a spare HT Truetype carded head with a balaclava on it. Then used a DML WWII Panzerkombi tanker jumpsuit for the base as it is close to Partizan camo that is used by Vityaz units, 21C Russian combat boots, a Hasbro mesh fabric Ghillie suit, and finally a 21C Dragunov Rifle. Not bad for a simple bash.

Enjoy,

SAVOIR FAIRE OR OR FAIRE GAME? - PULP SPY GIRL

2010-10-15T05:48:00.000-04:00

Gillian Faire returns once again in her new incarnation as a sexy pulp / retro super spy.

This is my third version of the TTL "Perfection Murderess" headsculpt done up as Gillian. I wanted something sexy and a departure somewhat from her normal "girl next door" look, so I went with the heavy eyeshadow and darker lipstick, both of which when coupled with the new ensemble gave her a nice attitude for the custom.

The outfit is a one piece by Dollsfigure. I removed the top pair of snaps on it as it wouldn't button over her chest and the re-sewed the faux button on the opposite side to make it look properly unbuttoned. The boots are from the figure set she originally came with. Her hands are currently HT female hands painted black as she awaits new gloved hands from another figure. And lastly her weapons are custom pieces done by me.

Enjoy,

RETRO SCI FI BABE

2010-10-15T03:43:00.000-04:00

So, I finally got off my butt and snapped some pics of new stuff to share with everybody.

So to start, a couple months ago my friend Arianne02 gave me an outfit from the Takara Kisaguri Honey... it's a blue and silver outfit that to me was very reminiscent of the 50's Sci Fi Space Babe genre... So I threw it on a CG clone body, and then decided to go with one of my all time favorites, the original Babs Fashion Fever Gillian.

I repainted Gillian's eyes to a nice brown gradient to make them a bit diff than stock paint apps. Threw the outfit on her and voila... 50's Retro Space Babe.

Her silver pistols were recommended by my friend Sydney Bee, she thought they would look better and better fit the "retro" look than the original sci fi handguns I had her with.

Enjoy,

Idolatry

2010-06-26T10:14:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody,

Been a while since I have shared anything, but this past weekend while hanging out with Cobroldy, he found me an awesome pack of Tiki God necklace party favors at at Party / Teacher supply store.

The pack was 6 bucks for 12 statues (3 each of 4 styles) and with a little work, they came out looking awesome.

I cut off the rings on the tops of the heads, removed the "CHINA" marking off the bottom of the bases, and removed the cheap plastic crystal eyes.

I basecoated them with an Ochre color acrylic. Then painted them in a nice metallic gold followed by a brown ink wash to shade the recesses and details. Once the wash was dry, I drybrushed them with gold again to bring out the shine once more. I sealed them with Micro Flat sealer, then replaced the old eyes with high quality Swarovski crystals.

So as you can see, with a little work they can really stand out and make perfect idols for those Indiana Jones and Lara Croft fans out there :) The first two pics are of the best one, which is distinctly Mayan looking.

I'm going to be trying a couple more different finishes on the remaining ones I have, so I'll post those as I get them done too.

Enjoy,

Valencia Naranja

2010-03-20T08:50:00.003-04:00

Valencia is my first custom repainted Hot Toys True Type Female. She is the "Cuban American" version, which I like better than the normal Caucasian version, simply because her skintone allows for many more options of ethnicity for characters. The skintone also brings out the details of the face sculpt more nicely too I think.

For the repaint I simply repainted her eyes a deeper blue, added some smoky charcoal brown and iridescent purple / gold eyeshadow, and painted her lips a deeper red.

Her ensemble as it stands at the moment is a ZC Girls white sports bra, Triad Toys Otaku Panty, and a pair of the best 1/6th stockings I have ever seen made by http://www.smcgcustoms.com. Her heels are from the Hasbro SDCC Exclusive Baroness figure. Her gloved hands are from the HT Sheva Alomar figure.

Enjoy,

Race Bannon

2010-03-11T00:44:00.002-05:00

For a while now I've been planning on making a custom of Race Bannon from Johnny Quest. So yesterday I finally got the rest of his outfit and sat down to repaint the head I planned to use. I chose the Hot Toys True Type Special Edition figure. So after a quick repaint of the hair to white and the eyes to blue...

The outfit is a Figuretoy red polo I got off ebay, grey 5.11 Tactical pants by Playhouse, and HT Merrell boots.

Though after finishing the head, I can't tell if I made Race Bannon or Anderson Cooper...lol

Enjoy,

The NEW Gillian...

2010-03-04T12:33:00.002-05:00

So, Gillian is pretty much my favorite girl...

She is a Barbie Fashion Fever headsculpt that was shown to me by my friend Corsetkitten about 5 years ago. I never thought she needed anything, just the factory paint apps and overall composition of the head made me fall in love with her.

Though recently I have realized one major problem with her... that her cute yet cartoony looks didn't allow her to be used alongside many other types of dolls with the exception of those of similar style. So I was limited to using my favorite character in photostories that I want to do because of a limited cast that would fit in with her.

So I set out to look for a headsculpt that could work for a "non cartoony" version of Gillian. I needed a head with the same color hair and a similar facial structure. I could easily paint the rest to match.

I recently found that head in the TTL Assassin Girl figure:

So, having my base head found, I simply repainted the eyes brown to match the original Gillian, and of course gave her freckles...

The two Gillians...

This restyle is by no means an abandonment of the the original Gillian, simple allowing me to use my favorite girl in some adventures with a bigger cast. I still have plenty of plans for the classic Gillian.

Stay Tuned & Enjoy,

1/6TH MINIATURE PETS: LEON THE CHAMELEON

2010-01-27T00:28:00.003-05:00

Just snapped some quick shots of some miniatures I've had for ages, yet again catching up on stuff I should have shared a long time ago. This is Leon, Gillian's pet Chameleon. He's just a small handpainted (not by me) resin lizard I picked up at a flea market last year sometime. I need to get and do up reptile tank for him.

UPDATE: Marci Nairey

2010-01-26T00:24:00.003-05:00

I finally got all of Marci's gear finalized and on her and I'm pretty happy with how she finally came out.

SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT ON ME....

2010-01-24T18:41:00.004-05:00

I picked these up a while ago from http://www.dealextreme.com to use for with my Adventure Team and various explorers as portable lighting units. I paid about $2.50 a piece for them with free shipping. These are clones of the Stanley brand keychain and you get what you pay for. They are decent, but the switches are a bit iffy.

All in all, an OK purchase, and a neat prop when you can get them to work. I'm thinking of picking myself up an actual Stanley one as I am sure the reliability is improved.

GILLIAN EXPLORES AN ICE CAVE

2010-01-18T14:18:00.004-05:00

So, while out the other day taking pictures with Amber, I also came across another photogenic spot. So Gillian decided to explore a cave behind an ice formation in the mountains where she was hiking. She's a bit adventurous, deciding to do it despite not being dressed for the weather.

Enjoy

ADVENTURE TEAM AMBER

2010-01-17T01:03:00.004-05:00

Amber Michaels is one of my characters who I have neglected getting some really good pictures of. An adventurer / explorer should be outdoors, so with the good weather this weekend I took the time to finally take some good outdoors photos of her.

Amber is a Barbie Alice in Wonderland head on a Takara Cy Girls 2.0 body. Her outfit is from the Hasbro Secret of the Savage Swamp set with a Sam Browne belt and knife from DML and boots are Hot Toys. her Fedora is from one of the Ertl hunting figures that I drybrushed with brown acrylic to pick out the details. The Adventure Team logo on her shirt is custom printed on inkjet printer fabric.

Marci Nairey: Soldier of Fortune

2010-01-16T10:47:00.003-05:00

Marci Nairey knew at an early age that she wasn't cut out for a typical girl's life. Born into a wealthy family and being a born fighter, she spent her educational years in prestigious private girls schools. Instead of going to college Marci decided to travel the world to experience and learn new things and meet foreign peoples... with the intention of being paid to take their lives...

She travelled the globe tagging along with soldiers of fortune and getting the best paramilitary training her parent's money could buy (unbeknown to them) in various countries to learn the arts of war in pursuit of her ideal of a fun and lucrative living as a soldier of fortune herself.

Marci spends the majority of her time living and working in the many hostile regions of the third world countries of the African continent.

Marci's livelihood has certainly left it's mark. Often seen with her hair covering the right side of her face in an attempt to hide an unfortunate mar to her beauty... a large facial burn scar caused during an explosion several years ago.

Marci is based on the Hot Toys Blonde Secret Service ERT Girl. I originally repainted her eyes to brown when I got her. I only recently decided to add the scarring the other day after looking at her and thinking of an interesting reason for how her hair lays over her right side of her face. The scarring was done using Liquitex Light Modelling Paste mixed with some Liquitex flesh tones. I simple stippled the mixed on the face (It has the consistency of cake frosting) and then I sponged it with a mixture of pink / purple, and then finally drybrushed it to blend it. Overall it came out looking quite nicely like the reference photos of facial burn scarring I looked into prior.

Her gear is a mix currently of 21C, Hasbro, BBI, ACE, and Sideshow.

Enjoy.

AEON FLUX

2010-01-04T23:46:00.003-05:00

Well, since it's a new year and I've got a new camera, I've been catching up on some long needed pics. So I figure the best way to usher in the new year and new posts to my blog is to show off a custom I did about 3 years ago that I never took good pics of...

Aeon Flux

This was my custom take on Aeon Flux, wanting to merge aspects of both the movie and the animated series.

I started out using a BBI Tan Perfect Body as that matched the head I chose to use. Aeon's head is an Integrity Janay and Friends "Alyssa" that I modified to mount on the body and trimmed her hair. The outfit is a Triad Toys "Bond Girl 1.0" outfit over an OJI black leotard. The stocking boots are Triad bootfeet simply slipped into OJI black tights and then put back together.

Her weapon is the latest edition, having only been added at the time of these photos today, and that is a Triad Toys "Vanity" KRISS SMG, mostly for its futuristic look.

Enjoy...

Wow!!... This thing is still here....

2009-12-09T12:06:00.002-05:00

OK,

I know that my blog I began forever ago is still here, and it honestly has been forever since I have posted anything to it. So I think I'm going to blow the dust off things, clean out the cobwebs, and start actually posting stuff here again soon.... Stay tuned...

AGENT 626 - CODENAME: COBRA

2007-08-02T01:39:00.000-04:00

An homage to the B Movie Spy Genre of the the 70's.

Yes, the name is corny... it's supposed to be.

Agent 626 - Codename: Cobra is a custom modified Jakk's Pacific Charlie's Angels Lucy Liu headsculpt, that I straightenedand trimmed the hair on, and made a mount to put it on a CG 2.0 body. The outfit is Triad Toys' Domina 2.0 Black, with the thigh high boots from the Pole Position outfit. Her holsters are from CG Ice, and I have used micro velcro to make the thigh straps for them. Her sidearms are the new sculpt 21C Blued Desert Eagle handguns from the new "Street Heat I" weapon set. IMHO this is the finest Desert Eagle sculpt I have seen... with fantastic detail, great paint apps, quality of the mold, and the fact it has removable magazines and working hammers.

I really like this custom, whilst not very in depth of a custom... only real work was modifying the head, It is one of my favorites. The ensemble of the the great headsculpt (Whilst not Lucy Liu, it is a great Asian sculpt nonetheless), superb quality of the the Triad outfit, and my love of most things "B" Movie make it so.

AMY CINTRON V 4.0

2007-08-02T01:18:00.000-04:00

I recently aquired a custom recast of the DML Amy headsculpt that has been modified to fit on a standard CG / PB neckpost. The headsculpt is of a very high quality, the paint apps are quite nice as well, matching the skintone of the new BBI Hispanic PB very nicely. The reason that this is V 4.0 of Amy is that there was the original release Amy as a United States Army National Guard Soldier, Then re-released as an AAFES Exclusive figure by DML released in a pale skintone, and a darker skintone that could be considered possibly AA, but moreso looks to be Middle Eastern because of her features. This head is perfect for those who like the DML head, but aren't to hot for the DML female body.

I recently touched up a few minor paint issues with the head, such as touching up the hairline a bit, and then drybrushing some color onto her hair for some added depth.
Overall, the headsculpt IMHO is well worth the $17 shipped I paid for it.

Also featured in this are some recast gloves from the CG Ultraman "Annu Yuri" figure... which too are of very high quality and are a nice soft rubber... the wrist posts they come with are also a perfect match for the Hispanic PB.

Sister Sabrine

2007-07-12T20:58:00.000-04:00

Sister Sabrine is a custom repainted Cy Girl Ice in Triad Toys Salem Knights outfit & bootsleeves made for me byCyseamstress. She is the partner to my Demon Hunter character Raith McKinnon. She is armed with a custom modified BBI M14 Rifle. The small cross is from a pack of die cast scrap booking trinkets that I picked up.

NEW SIGMA SIX G.I. JOES

2007-06-25T19:05:00.000-04:00

I have been a fan of the G.I. Joe Sigma Six line for quite a while. My main reason for starting to collect these figures is the fact that they come with such cool 1/6th scaled Sci Fi looking weapons.

Today at Wal Mart I came across some of the new assortment of $10 Sigma Six Joes, Gung Ho and Inferno. I picked up both figures... could have done without Inferno, but he kinda looks cool.

Gung Ho is awesome, the most realistically military themed Sigma Six Joe so far. Whilst he isn't perfectly true to the original Gung Ho (He isn't bald) the headsculpt is cool, has a real badass look to him, and he comes with enough gear to make him a feasibly real Marine. The figure comes with a somewhat sci fi modified M240B Machine Gun... I say Sci Fi Moded as its still identifiable as an M240B, but its redesigned with some added parts to make it look like say a version a couple years down the line... and caseless... the ammo belt for it, looks like the rounds developed for the HK G11 Caseless Assault Rifle. Gung Ho also comes with a removable helmet, a small knife and sheath that can be mounted onto any of the mounting holes for gear that are on the Sigma Six joes, a belt, a chest rig, and a multi tool... which is kinda silly looking. But overall well worth the 10 bucks I paid... an awesome figure.

Inferno is a decent figure, he looks better with all his gear on of course, his headsculpt is kinda lame looking. a decent firefighter character along the lines of the classic RAH Barbecue. Inferno comes with a removable helmet, small O2 tank for the front of his vest, a large tank for his back, and a huge axe.

New 21C Weapons Sets

2007-06-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

Hey All,

The new 21C weapon set assortments finally arrived in my area. I must say, that compared to the QC on the last few series, 21C looks to be coming back. I wasn't able to pick up all the sets, though I will be going back to do so, I did pick up the Street Heat II set.

So far basing my opinion of the QC of this assortment off of this set, I have to say I am really impressed. The tooling, sculpts, paint apps, and overall quality of the weapons in this set are great.

I primarily picked up this set for the USAS 12 Auto Shotguns. The set comes with two... one normal with the 20 r0und drum, and the other in a temperate woodland camo with the 10 round box magazine.

The other two weapons in the set were some sort of Benelli shotgun with a modified foregrip and barrel / tube shroud, and a small sawn off. The sawn off is nicely done... with the exception of one thing... no ejection port. And the set also comes with two small pouches, one in black and one in OD Green... they however have no clip or anything to attach them to gear? So they will just wind up being gear stuffers.

My only complaint / desire for this set would have been the inclusion of more mags for the USAS 12s. Even if they only included one drum, a second 10 round box magazine in black would have been great, being as the box magazine if for the camoed one, and its of course in camo.

When I decide who is going to get the gear, I'll post some pics.