A Thread For Custom Figures

[Zed_PM]

Your wish is my command!

part 1 - changing the Doctor into Hamlet - bare arms

You almost cut off Jack O'Neill's arms? I would have paid $50 for him!

Anyway, David as Hamlet looks awesome.

[GermanAstra]

Astra - not only are your Dr Who / Hamlet customs great work in themselves (the dinner suit is exceptionally well done, and difficult to replicate in that scale,

And the Doctor Who figures are even smaller than the Stargate ones! More like Mulder and Scully, if you have those for comparison.

- you demonstrate how to use Mulliput very well too. The right balance to create good believable customs, not overdoing it into lumpy goo statue territory.

Thank you very much! Yeah, I don't want statues, I still want to play with my figures. Not sure if you also took the time to look at the acutal Hamlet scenes - in the end I cut off the heavy Milliput bowtie and made one from paper, which easily could be replaced or removed (as in some scenes he opens it and it hangs lose). I could let you know when the next batch of pictures is ready, if you like.

Has Mr Tennant seen your work? (I spotted you have met the man himself from your page's profile pic?)

That was at the backstage door in London where he was doing Shakespeare this year. Because of that, only play-related items were allowed for his signature. At first I had intended of making another Hamlet figure for him (a friend of mine has made some John Barrowman customs out of Captain Jack Harkness figures and given then to him personally) but I think the next time I see him I might want to give him a photoalbum with the Hamlet scenes instead. Hope there will be a next time

You almost cut off Jack O'Neill's arms? I would have paid $50 for him!

Oh no, you understood that wrong, sorry. Jack was just standing there as a model, to show me how the arms shall look in the end. I did not cut anything off of Jack, only David's and my own thumb accidentally
The Stargate and Doctor Who figures do not match in any way.

Anyway, David as Hamlet looks awesome.

Thank you very much as well!

I gotta find myself some of that milliput and experiment.

Here's a bit of history: Milliput was first invented to repair broken things in the househould. It is easily kneadable and dries and hardens after a few hours. It comes in different colors. I was recommended the white one as it is the finest.

Back in the Sixties someone wrote to them and told them he had started to use it for making figures. Since then they advertised that part and it became a huge success, I think they make good money with it, it went from a little family business to a big one. You can read about it all here:

http://www.milliput.com/home.htm

[boom stick]

Hi B-Stick and Astra - I disappear for Christmas and you both go snap happy! Wonderful work both of you ! B-Stick its clear using Millput or Fimo is the only thing you haven't done yet. I spotted your Blue Jack O'Neill figure straight way cause you have colouring screen accurate! That's not easy to do. I also like your take on the Teyla figures in juggling the costuming a little. You have to give Milliput a try, it opens up so many more options.

Astra - not only are your Dr Who / Hamlet customs great work in themselves (the dinner suit is exceptionally well done, and difficult to replicate in that scale, - you demonstrate how to use Mulliput very well too. The right balance to create good believable customs, not overdoing it into lumpy goo statue territory. Has Mr Tennant seen your work? (I spotted you have met the man himself from your page's profile pic?)

Keep up the good work guys! - I have almost but not quite finished two new Stargate customs myself. More news on that soon.

Thanks for the kind words Thunderbird. The blue Jack is the one from DST. I only painted the belt for his t-shirt version with the blue pants, so i can't take credit lol. What i did not post here but is in the album are the 2 green BDU garrison versions of Jackson and Mitchell. Those were originally the blue BDU uniforms so i painted them to match the Jack O'Neill one. Oops looking at the picture i clearly have work to do and repaint Jackson's arm.

Looking forward to seeing your new customs in the near future


Ps. thanks Astra for the link

[GermanAstra]

I customized another action figure - this time I took a Doctor Who figure and made David Tenannt in his white Navy uniform from the theatre play "Much Ado about nothing", which I saw live in London last year. Please click the link to my LJ to see step-by-step pictures and explanations with all the details. There is also a picture of the original, so you can compare how well I did

http://dieastra.livejournal.com/37992.html

[Thunderbird 2]

Astra - that's impressive! Trying to fabricate real military uniforms is always tricky! You have done tropical whites very well there!

Re the sideburns, - a kraft knife (carefully!) used and then repaint the face to match the arms again. I can understand you not wanting to risk it though.

Shortening hair is always problematic, because yo have to cut out the existing style and the re-apply and sculpt. I will lengthen hairstyles if a character requires it, but I don't shorten styles. There is too much risk of having a head that looks like its been punctured like a melon! its worse if pre-moulded facial hair is involved on male characters.

I have completed two more SGate customs. One is not as complete as I would like, but I hope to get pics done in the next few days or so! Here are a couple of clues: Posts 342 - 345 in this thread, Mooncat to be credited for inspiration, and I STILL need an DST Atlantis Tac vest (if there are any spare?)

[GermanAstra]

Astra - that's impressive! Trying to fabricate real military uniforms is always tricky! You have done tropical whites very well there!

Thank you! And so THAT's the official name of those. I didn't know how exactly to call it.
The play was Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing" but it was set in modern times - well not so modern but the 1980s time. In another scene he wore shorts and sandals - now that will be a challenge.

Re the sideburns, - a kraft knife (carefully!) used and then repaint the face to match the arms again.

I did cut away and overpaint the sideburns with my Hamlet figures - there I had to repaint the face anyway, as the face had a very glossy layer which looked odd. I haven't yet found out though how to make the paint smooth and thin, it is always so thick and sticky. It looks okay when not looking at it too closely, but I was taken aback after I had taken a close-up picture and then saw it in huge at the computer screen and noticed all the brush lines, if that's what they are called. It looked as if he had many wrinkles. I did not include this picture in my Hamlet post for that reason.

Looking forward to your new customs! I am too lazy at the moment to go back and search for the posts (already 1 AM over here) but I remember dimly that we once got a Hathor promised which we never got - but that wasn't Mooncat if I remember correctly.

Sorry, no left-over tac vests from me, from Atlantis I only bought one figure of each character, my collection was big enough as it is.

[Thunderbird 2]

Hullo all,

done these photos in a hurry, but here they are - Corrected Colonel Sheppard (minus tac vest) and Atlantis Expo Jonas Quinn!

The evolution of these figs is quite simple. I intended to do a short sleeve BDU version of Jonas, as a "I want to go offworld too!" figure for the SGC. Dr Beckett took priority though, and in making the good Doctor, I ended up with two Shep heads, and two Atlantis bodies left over. Add BDU Shep to that mix and it was getting a bit daft.
Having seen Joe Flanigan's excellent portrayal of Col Shep over the years and learning how gracious and accommodating he is with his fans, I had to do justice to his character in the show. - The other irony is I initially did not like the "smiler" Shep head. In pics it just did not look right. However on a test fit, i found not only did one of the heads look good, it was true to the character and the actor. Far more than the standard head, and a better fit too. It was not planned, I had not set out to add him, but the end result paid off nicely.
Basically I have taken the Garrison Uniform Sheppard, and fitted him with a Wave 1 Sheppard head. The feet are those of the SG1 Jonas Quinn, to give him Shepp's authentic "boot look" like SG1. I gave him a tanned skin tone, as he spends most of his time outside. I did debate his forearm hair but left that for now. He does need an Atlantis Mens tac vest. though.

Jonas was the result of a loose SG1 Jonas figure, and the McKay body left over from making Dr B. The sleeve flag I created is the logo of the company (now out of business) who sold my hillwalking boots and jacket! Not sure I made his skin tone right though, it looks a bit too pale.

Corrected Colonel Sheppard is a salute to our own Mooncat - as his larger version of the character was the style inspiration!

[rowie4life]

Then it came to getting the pieces and making them work! - For that, I have set up the pictures on my Flickr page here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thunder...7628119775140/

Firstly, i made that mock up, that inspired you. I completely forgot that I made it until i saw the picture in your link.

Secondly, that custom Beckett head is awesome. Any chance you gonna make copies/casts of it to sell?

[Thunderbird 2]

Firstly, i made that mock up, that inspired you. I completely forgot that I made it until i saw the picture in your link.

Secondly, that custom Beckett head is awesome. Any chance you gonna make copies/casts of it to sell?

Hi Rowie,

Thanks very much for posting - I have amended the notes under the mock up pic on Flickr to credit the image to you. I felt bad that recognition was not going to the person responsible up to now, so its nice that I have been able to fix that.

Re multiple copies of the Beckett head, I very briefly flirted with the idea of doing several and selling them after I got Dr B finished. Unfortunately the only way I would have been able to do it, would be multiples of the same process, and it was hard enough to get the heads of McKay and Scotty once, far less three or four of each! I have no experience with making moulds, plus producing a number of something like that costs a fortune. - Others in this thread paid to get heads of Beckett and in the larger 1/6 scale (O'Neill and Shepp were also done) and the costs were high from what I recall.
- This was one of the reasons I posted the pics, to show and share the process as I did it. If it worked, others would be able to copy me to make their own Beckett figures. If it didn't, then only I would have thrown good money after bad.

My original plan was to try to make two figures, - the completed Offworld Beckett I have, and later on, a second Season 1 Atlantis Base version. Not only would this have emulated your pic but it matched DST's range, with the Weir, Shep, McKay and Teyla figures. Alas, the scarce number of the figures, and the cost when they do show up has put me off. - That's partially why the headless Tan McKay body ended up becoming Atlantis Jonas Q.

[rowie4life]

A guy on He-Man.org sells copies of his custom MOTUC heads for £15.

[GermanAstra]

Hullo all,

done these photos in a hurry, but here they are - Corrected Colonel Sheppard (minus tac vest) and Atlantis Expo Jonas Quinn!

You know, if you hadn't told in detail what exactly you have done to change Shep for the better, I would have not spotted the difference and would've thought it was the original figure. I guess that is well done then!

I did debate his forearm hair but left that for now.

Heh! Has anyone ever attempted to use wool or something really fuzzy, instead of painting it? Because if I am ever going to make that David Tennant in short pants then I need very hairy legs...

[Thunderbird 2]

You know, if you hadn't told in detail what exactly you have done to change Shep for the better, I would have not spotted the difference and would've thought it was the original figure. I guess that is well done then!


Heh! Has anyone ever attempted to use wool or something really fuzzy, instead of painting it? Because if I am ever going to make that David Tennant in short pants then I need very hairy legs...

I take that as a major compliment Astra! I always try to aim to make the figs I do blend in with the offical releases as much as is possible.
Technically Shepp is not finished, not till he has a tac vest. I think I might address the arm hair issue in the way DST were going to do their short sleeve version of Dr McCoy from Star Trek, but I will deal with that later.

I have one final SGate custom planned, but it is going to have to wait for a while. There is a certain character head I need, and I can't find it anywhere right now.

Re facial and arm hair, to be honest its not something I have thought about until the SG1 / Atlantis figures because of their scale and level of detail. - Anything smaller like the Dr Who, Primeval, or Playmates Trek figures of the 90's are just too small to concern detail that fine. - Not unless its a distinct moustache or beard. As to body hair such as the legs? - It just would look odd to attempt to address it.

[Mooncat]

Had chance to paint my Sunohc 1/6th scale heads heres the results, have to say that Sunohc got the likeness down on these headsculpts imho Im very pleased

[Thunderbird 2]

Impressive work Moony! My only criticisim now they are completed, is the expressions of Teal'c and Carter seem kind of neutral? Maybe I just can't get that 12 inch Teal'c going "Grrrr" out of my head! O'Neill and Dr Jackson look great, right down to Daniel's traditional glasses and hat!

Any full length team shots?

[GermanAstra]

I think they are very nice, Mooncat! I'm not sure, Thunderbird2, how the painter could change the expression with painting? Surely this is up to the sculptor?

I want to share two new custom figures as well. Again those are real people - Carole and her brother John Barrowman. It all started with some action figure story I made, where my figures read the book "Hollow Earth" which those two had written together. But for the official miniature book signing in Cardiff I did not have a figure of Carole. So, I wanted to change that.

Here is the story first, you will even find some Stargate action figures along with the others, all reading the book!

http://dieastra.livejournal.com/39004.html

And you can see detailed step-by-step pictures of how I made the figures out of a Willow and a Captain Jack Harkness over at my Livejournal:

http://dieastra.livejournal.com/41677.html