Two ebay auctions

 

I've got two auctions on ebay...one for my Hellboy Series 1 Kriegaffe and the other for my custom figure set of Artoo and Threepio inspired my the conceptual art of Ralph MacQuarrie.  They have low starting bids.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 



Star Destroyer made from Cardboard

Been a while since I updated (life tends to get in the way of hobbies), but I returned to a long gestating project.  I had initially developed plans to make this some time last year as a commissioned piece, but that only went so far and I could not find the email (to that person, my apologies...feel free to email me and let me know what's what).  Its just as well, because at the time I was completing my Enterprise and starting in on the bridge...and was perhaps a bit burnt out to be quite honest. 

Anyway, flash forward to today, and the fact that I had lots of cardboard from crib packaging (kid number two is due in 2 months!), as well as some distance from modeling anything, and I figured I could give this a go and make a 'prototype' of this project.  My son is currently enjoying my Star Wars toy collection immensely, and has seen the first original film and parts of the second (not the third one though...despite the fact that Return of the Jedi has Ewoks, its pretty terrifying [re: Rancor, Emperor, Jabba and Co.]...and I feel the same way about the prequels, especially II and III).  He really loves the movies, and loves looking at all of my 'behind the scenes' materials with pictures of the models and the copious amounts of Lucasfilm art department images.  I've seen him use a few things as a stand in for a Star Destroyer, and I figured I had enough in me to give this a shot.  

Now, the major benefit of using cardboard is that my little guy can lift up such a massive ship and play with it.  Also, I used material that was all destined to be recycled or thrown out, and with the exception of white spray paint and styro-foam craft balls, I had everything on hand to make it.  So, the basic structure is heavy corrugated cardboard, lighter cardboard for the detailing on the conning tower and 'sandwich filler' greeblies,   a packing tube for the engine nozzles (sawed into three pieces), cereal box cardboard for lighter details, duct duct tape, masking tape, and a lot of carpenter glue.  All told, it took about three days (including one very late night to do the detailing), and I now have templates worked out for the overall structure.  It has an internal support structure (one center piece running down the middle with 'ribs' about every 5"), and the overall length is shy of three feet.  As far as making ships of this scale, it was a relatively quick build-up and a great weekend project.  

More light for the Bridge

It was nine months ago that I was generously shown by a fellow modeler how to light a model (he did a good job, because the stuff he taught me stuck in my mind). The Bridge has essentially been sitting untouched since then, but I figured I'd best get to work and finish the lighting on the nerve center of the Enterprise.

Since I have the removable section of workstations, I have wired two separate strings of lights using two AA battery boxes. This way, the workstations can be removed, but the lights in the remaining bridge stations will be separately lit. I'm sure there is a way of doing this using the same power source, but this seemed like the most direct solution for a newbie like me.

The lights do look sharp in person, though my choice not to wire this thing before construction was complete irks me...I now have a like of lights that need to be covered on the top of the model.

Pirate Shop Gorgon: Work in Progress

Here are some work in progress shots...the final picture illustrates that the ship can be displayed with the sails up...but my little guy likes to have full sail most of the time.

Set sail with the Gorgon!

My little guy has been on a Pirate kick for quite a while...it all started in June when he dug out the pirate hat that came with last year's cheap Halloween costume. Needless to say, I thought this was pretty cool. It started the wheels turning on a long gestating desire to build a great big sail ship, and I figured if I built it sturdily enough, my son could play with it. I completed this beastie at the beginning of July, and am happy to say that it has withstood daily play from a very eager little sea monster. The whole thing is scratch built from styrene with wooden dowels for the masts, old bed sheet for the sails, and twine for the rigging. It took just over a month to complete (I'll post work in progress in a few moments). I think this is my favorite project to date, simply because I made it for my kid and he gets so much enjoyment out of it.

Superman and Lex Luthor - Circa 2005

A few more vintage figures for completeness.  I made these seven years ago (NUTS!). The Lex I'm happy with, but the Superman, while I liked at the time, came out a little too Civil War for me.  I dig the proportions, and the Namor head I used for Supes is one of my favorite head modifications, but I think a redesign for Superman should be more Sci-Fi or alien.  

Rocketeer 2012

Its been a looong time since I did any custom work, and even longer since I made a figure.  Despite the fact that I have a few outstanding works for other people, I wanted to ease back into it with a project that’s been percolating for ages.  While I liked my Rocketeer custom, I was always wanted to improve upon it, as well as actually make a decent scratch-build of the helmet. 

The figure was a Spider-Man at one time in the distant past.  I spliced on some Bullseye boots, LOTR Denethor hands, and clothed him in some fabric...the jacket is made from some thin material that has a leathery texture (thanks phinny), allowing for greater range of motion, and scales better.  The pants were made from some stretchy material that unfortunately pilled up when painted...I’m not too happy with the texture.  The helmet is pure epoxy putty that has been sanded and smoothed, with styrene fin and intakes, and fishing line for the art deco styling on the side.  The recessed lenses and breathing grate were achieved by applying masking tape to those areas, spraying several layers of primer, and removing the masking tape once the primer had dried.  There was enough of a recess in the paint to distinguish the lines.

The “Cirrus X-5” (as opposed to the X-3), was made from a plumber fitting, a plastic vial for the dome top, some styrene rod chopped up for the little rivets, fodder bits,  and some strips of vinyl.  I sprayed it with metallic silver, and accented it with antique gold.  I outfitted the bottom booster with a narrow channel to accommodate a flame chunk from a Marvel Legends War Machine.