A return to Metal Gear..

I have always had a bad habit of getting in over my head...and with this hobby it's no different. I tend to take on multiple projects at once then eventually find myself tabeling a majority of the work in order to center my attention on a single piece. Case and point - Metal Gear. I began working on a Metal Gear series shortly before MGS4 was released - for some reason I found myself on a "sith trip" and tabled the entire gear line to knock out figures such as Darth Sion and others. Now though, after almost a year of tableing these figures, I'm back at work - and I'm kicking myself in the arse realizing how much fun I've been missing!! Not to say working in the Star Wars universe isn't fun...it's a blast!...but it's nice to have a change of pace every now and again :) My Star Wars creations will not be taking a back seat...not in the least...but it will be sharing the spotlight now with various Gear characters...there's plenty of room at the table.

A short but sweet Star Wars update by the way!

Mazzic needed some adjustments to the ears....I had them sculpted too forward and a bit too small which threw the entire head sculpt out of proportion. After some minor adjustments though, Mazzic's head is close to completion - I will have a second headsculpt depicting him with his tradmark toothpic in his mouth. It seams that all my sculpts require multiple head sculpts these days - I'm not having a problem with that at all. Below is an image of the corrected Mazzic sculpt.



I have officially completed the Vong Warrior from Star Wars Invasion, as well as Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and will be priming the sculpts soon for painting. I look forward to how these Vong sculpts look when given some color.

I've began working on the Tonnika Sisters...and I hope to have the body frames set up soon. No microlady parts will be used for framwork this time around...I'll be using Joes.

Alright - On to Metal Gear, starting with and update to the Jonathan sculpt from MGS4. Had to create a larger ball joint for his waist/lower abdomen articulation...the previous one was too loose and when adding more weight of the FIXIT to the frame, the figure bagan to slump forward a bit - much better now.

I thickened the shoulders and added the upper arm sculpt.

The shoulders still contain ball joints but due to the thickening around them, a small amount of articulation has been lost...you can't position his arms at a 90 degree angle to the ground any longer...no problem, I can deal with that. He can still strike a firing position when holding a weapon.

I am working on his lower legs and feet as well. I had to go back and sculpt the boots - because of his mass, the hands and feet are out of proportion. I have a new set of hands ready but I have to resculpt the boots. Below is some of my progress. In order to retain ankle articulation I had to lower the tops of the boots a bit. Looks a bit like cross trainers now but I'm alright with that - once it's painted the boots will work well with the rest of the sculpt. Still working on completing the boot straps; the lower arms and hands will be added next.





Here's a fun "before and after" shot. I originally used a dremeled down microman kinnikuman figure, adding joe parts and a ball jointed neck. Parts of the original articluation still exist and work very well. I like the kinnikuman frame for larger figures and intend to use it again soon (possibly Ed).



Next, I worked a little over the weekend on Raiden(MGS4). Sculpted the base of the lower torso/abdomen and added some of the base to Raiden's left upper leg...the muscle so to speak.





So far, so good - but I do have a delemma...Raiden has clear parts that go over his shoulders and his lower legs. I am concerned how I may be able to create these. I have worked with the crystal clear resin/plastics before and no, I don't have a pressure pot...which suits me fine, the last one I had blew up...not a fun experience (a long story). I guess since the parts are small, I may be able to get away with a slow pour which may negate the air bubbles...we'll see.







Finally an update on Vamp from MGS4 - I wanted to show off a bit of his existing articluation. One of my goals for this figure is to retain as much articulation as possible - Next to Raiden and Gray Fox, Vamp is one of the most animated characters in the Metal Gear universe..I want to make sure I do that some justice. I will be resculpting the facial features and the hair to allow him to look up...and no suprise, a variant head sculpt is also in the works. Vamp is one of my favorites in the MGS universe...



I resculpted and thickened his waist a bit - another proportion issue. The image below was me having some fun with photoshop...



Some other Metal Gear figures in the works or "planned to be one day" but nothing worked or photographed yet...

Metal Gear Solid:

- Solid Snake - Working

- Gray Fox - Working

- Psycho Mantis - Planned

- Next Generation Special Forces soldier - Planned

Sons of Liberty:

- Solid Snake - Working

- Solidus - Planned

- Raiden - Working

- Iroquois Pliskin - Planned

- Tengu Commandos x 2 - Working

- Gurlukovich Mercenaries - Working

- Cyborg ninja -Planned

Snake Eater:

- Jack - Working

- Naked Snake - Working

- The Boss - Planned

- Big Boss (snake) - Working

- Eva -Planned

- GRU operatives - Working

MGS - PO:

Frank Jaeger as Null - Planned

Python - Planned

Big Boss - Planned

Meal Gear Peace Walker:

Big Boss - Planned

Metal Gear Solid 4:

Old Snake - Working

Raiden - Working

Vamp - Working

Meryl Silverburg - planned

Ed - Planned

Laughing Octopus - Working

Long list huh...but hey...it will keep me busy!

That's the update for now - For more images of my work, check out my photostream on FLICKR at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sith_fire30/

Thanks again to all those that have become a fan of my Facebook page!! I appreciate all of your continued interest!- If you haven't become a fan, please click on the banner to the right if you'd like to join in! Take care - Star Wars update next time!

sith_fire30

The Hasbro Booth and Kerr Ultra Waxer...

Finally!!! It took a few weeks but I've finally fully recovered from Celebration V and it was a blast! Got to meet up with and old friend and his son (which I haven't seen in twelve years) and had a great time geeking out to Star Wars for 4 days. Hope to go to the next one - so much to see you need to attend a couple of them to experience it all!! LOL!

One of the highlights was visiting the Hasbro booth and getting the opportunity to speak with David Vennemeyer, their head sculptor. It was fantastic to see him at work, and witness the process he uses to create. The photos below are from Rebelscum.com and GalacticHunter.com...

By the way, I've got to get me one onf those "head stands"! LOL!

So, after taking it all in and picking my jaw off the floor (LOL! ) I took advantage of the little time I had with him and explained what I do and the process I take to create my pieces...first thing he asked was why I was still taking the long road when creating my sculpted work- basically why I was working in FIXIT when I could just work in wax and create my castings from that. With all the work I do I should be working almost exclusively in wax.

Honestly, FIXIT sculpting is a process that I've enjoyed and something that has worked for me - I've used wax on a regular basis when refining my work, but I've never used it as the primary sculpting medium. I agree though that I should begin working much more with wax...get a feel for the material and the wax carver (which I scored a new one recently -sweet). I'm not a stranger with working in wax, but I guess FIXIT has spoiled me a little...I still feel though, with my current work, instead of exclusively working with wax, that I continue my familiar process and simply add more refining options using wax.

After speaking with Dave and learning much about the creative process that goes on at Hasbro, I asked about the freelance process and how it works...suffice to say, I am very interested...and a reason all the more that I am fitting wax work back into my daily routine. Also I am working a bit more with 3/D design...especially in Zbrush and Maya...I've worked with Zbrush before, just not on a regular basis. Seems the industry is working more and more with these programs...just hope they don't leave us sculptors in the dust! :)

It was great talking to Dave and getting a sneak peak into the work that is going on at Hasbro!

As I said earlier, I recieved my new wax carver yesterday, the Kerr Ulrta Waxer with foot pedal control...and can I tell you, the foot pedal is awesome! It gives you so much more temperature control - it's insane! If you plan to invest in one of these waxers, get the foot pedal accessory. Also the hand grip is much more comfortable...I was cramping up using my old one!

The Kerr is more expensive than the competition, but it's a good investment in my opinion.

Finally my apologies for the lack of updates over the past several weeks - ever since Celebration, it's been one thing or the next...the house went through some rennovation, my grandfather passed away and my daily workload has become more intense...it's been rough but all is well and things are getting back to an even flow.

As well as working on various Star Wars characters, I am getting back to work on the Metal Gear line as well as working on some Gundam models that have been staring back in the face for years...so I've got much to do and many updates to post in the furture. Thank you all for your continued interest - the next post will be an update on my Star Wars work - Need to get Dass Jennir finalized as well as some Vong from Invasion.

As always, any comments and suggestions you may have - please e-mail me or post a comment.

For more images of my work, as well as new Metal Gear images of existing sculpts I will be working on, check out my photostream on FLICKR at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sith_fire30/

Thanks again to all those that have become a fan of my Facebook page - I'm over 75 fans now!! AWESOME!- Let's keep it going! If you haven't become a fan, please click on the banner to the right if you'd like to join in! Take care till later!!

sith_fire30

The Good, The Bad and the Pirates...not neccessarily in that order...

Two weeks till Celebrations 5!!! Very excited!

A year or two ago I decided to begin work on a 1:18 scale version of Darth Vader. I haven't been satisfied with Hasbro's attempts - they have come close many times , but there's so many versions out there, I've lost count on which ones have come close to hitting the mark.

Same thing goes for Boba Fett...which is another figure I have chosen to redo but that will be for a later post.

Anyway, so I have this idea of an ultimate Darth vader...and so far I have completed the sculpt of the body, borrowing a little here and a little there from previous Hasbro figures. I've created two versions of the chest and shoulder armor - most of the images you will see below will feature the armor he wore during Empire and Jedi. I've created two sets of arms...one set for a new hope, the other for Empire and Jedi.

Currently, I am working on three helmets...each reflecting the distinct style they portrayed in the trilogy films. I am close to completing the "New Hope" version - which is more of a battle worn, dulled out helmet, potraying Vader as a general on the front lines...which is my favorite of the three. I feel his optics need to be larger though...I'll have like 20 versions of this helmet beofre I reach the right one LOL!

Empire's version will be more shined, ridged and intimidating (potraying the Commander) while the Jedi version with be that of royalty, heavily shined and untarnished, but a tad less menacing, showing vulnerability.

Note that the "New Hope: version in the following shots is glossy, once finalized I intend to dull it out quite a bit. You'll also notice that the details have not been added to the body and tech - I still have a tad bit more work to do before proceeding with additional detail work.





The above image is that of the "New Hope" version masked in a star field - similar to that of the movie posters. Just having fun :)

The following pictures are nothing more than test shots of Vader - His proportions, how his soft goods work with the body etc - I am far from showing a final version of this guy but I think I'm closing in on the 50% point. Once the helmets have been finalized, I will break each one down and resculpt into their three components then begin work on Vaders human head sculpt, so when all is said and done, the figure will sport a removable helmet feature. Easy and fun right?...uh, no and no. LOL!








Some of these shots were taken by my iPhone so my apoogies if some are a bit grainy...

You can see the beginnings of my Darth Stryfe in the background :)

That's Master Lukes head and a newly sculpted head of Jarael (from KOTOR)
being preped for paint in the background...





A few shots of my WIP Jedi version of the helmet...





...and a couple shots of my WIP "Empire" version...unpainted. You can see in the background in one of the images a small gallery has formed to watch the show...those pieces to the right are waiting to be painted or close to being completed all together :)...for the exception of Darth Stryfe of course.





Alright, so that's all for Vader right now. Lets get one with a couple more updates....

Embo Update....Ironic that I just finish working on part of his soft goods that hasbro beats me to the punch. LOL! No matter- I'm looking to make this Emobo's soft goods appear to be lived in....



Some additional images below of Embo's sculpt. I'll begin working on the lower legs soon.





Next is Nym - A Feeorin pirate that was first introduced in the game Starfighter then made his comic book appearance in a Dark Horse short called Single Cell by Haden Blackman and Jan Duursema. A raider of the Trade Federation during the Clone Wars and leader of the pirate organization Lok Revenants, Nym and his crew became Rebel sympathizers during the Galactic Civil War...although he would never admit to it.

Sculpting is ongoing - Currently adding the tentacles as well a building the body framework. His left, lower arm in cybernetic so this figure will feature various attachements that will replace the lower arm if desired. This sculpt will reflect Nym as he appeared in Single Cell.







Alright - another shot of the gallery....K'Kruhk, Vong Commander (forgot his name), Nym and Starkiller (from TFU2)



Finally an update on Master Jedi Luke Skywalker from Invasion. Luke's sculpt is about 95% complete for the exception of some belt detailing and adjustments to his sleeves - He will have two seperate head sculpts, both per different artists' interpretations. As you can see, he contains a high amount of articulation, and will include his Jedi robes. Expect to see additional painted updates coming soon :)









That's all folks for now! As always, any comments and suggestions you may have - please e-mail me or post a comment.

For more photos of these pieces, check out my photostream on FLICKR at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sith_fire30/

Thanks to all those that have become a fan of my Facebook page - I'm over 50 fans so far!! All because of you guys! Awesome - Let's shoot for 100 next!!! If you haven't become a fan, please click on the banner to the right if you'd like to join in! I've been a bit overwhelmed at work over the past few weeks but promise to post more updates...especially while at celebration!

Thanks again for your interest guys! C-ya at Celebration V!!!

sith_fire30

Some Cool Shades....

My next sculpt in the works is that of the smuggler/pirate named Mazzic as featured in the graphic novle adaption of Timothy Zahn's Star Wars : The Last Command. This is the only character, other than Lando, that sports a sense of style sporting those cool shades and spiked hair LOL! I don't know why, but the character reminds me of Tyler Durden from Fight Club...probably for the same reason...the shades, the hair. The head sculpt is alomst complete - still working on that hair of his :) Just a teaser this time around - If you'r not familiar with the character, a pic of him is below as well as this link....

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mazzic



I have also begun work on additional Sith from the Star Wars Legacy comic series...

Darth Yuln...



and Darth Stryfe...



I have the bodies prepped and began the head sculpts last week - nice to do an additional female Sith to go along with my "almost completed" Darth Talon.

And yet another character that has made it to my workbench, a character that made it's firat appearance in the video game Starfighter, but later found his way to the comic book pages of Dark Horse's Star Wars Tales - thanks to Haden Blackman and Jan Duursema. His name is Nym, a Feeorin pirate and badass LOL! - His head is alomst complete, I am working on the upper body now. Nym will be sculpted as he appeared in the Star Wars Tales story, Single Cell.

Read a little bit more about Nym here....

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nym

He's got quite a history!



So there you have it! Always have work to do and keep busy with - never a dull moment. By the way, a little update on my custom Embo...I've found some material that will work very well for soft goods - I hope to begin work on painting the designs and patterns soon.

I've also began work on a resculpted Boba Fett (since it is the 30th anniversary of ESB) - Hasbro simply can't get it right in my opinion...not to say that I', any better but I'll give it a shot! I'm also reworking my Darth Vader custom - something about the helmet I'm not digging. Decided to revisit the sculpt. I want to make the helmet three seperate parts...the body is complete and I'm very happy with it :)

Alright guys - that's enough! LOL! Thanks for your comments and visits - I'm thrilled you are interested in my work! If you haven't visited my page on Facebook yet, click on the banner on the right and become a fan! And check out my Flickr page from time to time - got updated images coming - and yes, Dass Jennir and H2 are on the way - just had a bit of a delay is all.

Sculpting Armor...a short "How To"...

In this particular case, shoulder and chest armor for my Embo sculpt. For those of you that are saying "Embo who?"...here is a link to the character that is featured in The Clone Wars animated series...

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Embo

This is a little "how-to" in pictures - nothing too fancy but it will give you an idea how I sculpt, clean and refine pieces made using Aves FIXIT sculpt - which has a cure rate of about 4 hours - after that, the material becomes unworkable for most sculpting techniques.

For this how-to you're going to be working the clay in the final hour - when the tackiness has faded but the material can still be mended enough to create a shell. A shell you ask?......see the pictures below...

I whipped up a batch of FIXIT earlier and waited till the fourth hour to begin kneading and rolling the material into semi-flat sheet. At this point, the clay has lost the tack that would keep you from rolling the material in the first place- if you see the clay sticking to your roller, let the FIXIT cure a bit longer.

After you have flattened a desired portion of FIXIT, begin to drape it over the body and create the shape of the armor...keeping in mind that this will be nothing more than a shell which you will sculpt the details on later.

So once you get the FIXIT shaped the way you want - you have what you see above...a very rough, uneven shell.....but you're not finished. Let dry 24 hours....you have some sanding to do.

24 hours later - time to sand down your shell. You need some heavy grit sandpaper and an xacto knife for creating straight edges. As you can see in the above images, I've already spent some time sanding the shell down and refined the shape. Two reasons for the high grit sandpaper: the ease of sanding uneven areas down, and scoring of the smoothed surface. This will allow you to sculpt detail that will adhere to the shell surface.

So after cleaning up the shell, I begin sculpting the armor plates...here are a group of pics that show my progression.

I work in stages - a couple plates at a time, allowing them to cure overnight then add a couple more and so on till complete.

And that's it! - a simple how-to that takes some practice learning the effectiveness of the sculpting material - you'd be surprised what you can do with FIXIT. It's an amazing product!

Embo has full motion of the shoulders and arms with the new armor - just a tad higher that shoulder level. I hope you enjoy the pics and have learned a little about using the FIXIT sculpt! I appreciate all the comments and suggestions you may have - please, as always, e-mail me or post a comment.

For more photos of my EMBO's work in progress, check out my photostream on FLICKR athttp://www.flickr.com/photos/sith_fire30/

Thanks again to all those who have become a fan of my Facebook page! Please click on the banner to the right if you'd like to join in!

Have a great weekend!

sith_fire30

E3: and if Unleashed wasn't enough...

Bioware introduces a second theatrical realease to their upcoming Old Republic game - The Hope of Alderaan.

The sith lord featured in this piece is outstanding...if I never play the game, I'm already a fan thanks to these fine pieces of CGI.

Amazing - Thanks to Lucasarts and Bioware for some much needed inspiration and ideas :)

You know some of these guys will be on my workbench soon!

BTW - I am in love with the lady jedi LOL! - anyone know her name?

The new Force Unleashed trailer...

Hey guys! E3 is here and along with all the great games comes great trailers- one being the new Force Unleashed feature seen below.

No doubt that you will be seeing a new Galen custom from me soon LOL! Especially after seeing this :)

Curious - Why doesn't Lucasfilm produce future Star Wars related films and episodes using this type of CGI - It's beautiful!