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Post by Figuremaster Les on Jul 1, 2005 20:15:38 GMT -5
This is the head for a new Christopher Reeve I am working on. I have found several such heads on the market and, not being totally happy with any of them, have decided to rework and resculpt one up for myself. It's a tiring job as his features are tougher to capture than I ever thought. This one references another base headsculpt that was way too small and too narrow for the scale figure I wanted. This is the head so far. Revisions to come...  It's going in the 1978 12 1/2 inch Mego Superman body with a non-posable neck for realism. More to come... |
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Post by martingb on Jul 2, 2005 2:51:29 GMT -5
Wooaahh!! That is looking pretty good fella. My yard stick on a likeness is if somebody were to show you a head or figure with no introduction and whether or not you'd know who it was. This is bang on even at this stage in the project. Congratulations buddy. I always wanted a proper movie Superman figure but no commercially available products ever really did justice to the late actor but this is gonna be a fitting tribute I reckon. Great work.
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Post by faithfulbutler on Jul 2, 2005 7:16:41 GMT -5
Ok,i think you are amazing to say the least Les.Even at this"rough stage"the likeness that is coming through is phenomenal.I'm really looking forward to seeing the head paintjob you do on him since you be the resident head painting genius around these parts.
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Post by casimir on Jul 2, 2005 15:05:48 GMT -5
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Post by plasticdoctor on Jul 3, 2005 16:37:34 GMT -5
Les looks really good....Reeve is tough...his face looks very different at different angles....and while you may nail a profile something else seems off.....but it looks really good...
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Post by Wild Willy on Jul 3, 2005 23:52:57 GMT -5
Definitly a great likeness. Les do you have a shot of the head before you altered it? Just wondering how the likeness was and what you had changed to improve upon it.
Great stuff!
Will
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Post by aburabusimbutu on Jul 6, 2005 23:15:37 GMT -5
For my two cents, that is the best Chris Reeves sculpt I've ever seen. I'm betting that nose was tough and you got it perfect. Maybe I'm not very discerning, but from where I stand this whole thing looks to be perfect from the hair to the chin. Beautiful.
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Jul 7, 2005 11:44:57 GMT -5
Wow. Thanks Kevin. I can't take all the credit though. I originally got a super Jim Mattox sculpt that was pretty good, I mean, it does have many features correct as you can see below, but I felt it was a bit small and also a bit too thin and had some features that were not fully realized. But, I was ok enough with it to post it as is, finished on my site.  Think of it this way, I took what Jim started, and am in the process of perfecting it to my own liking. That's no slam on Jim's work by any means. I have built, painted, documented etc. the version he produced (It was a bust actually and I got it for the sole reason of fitting it to my figure's head, a project Jim was aware of when I bought it...) so, I am very respectful of his work. But now, I am trying to make it my own version. Building on the efforts of another is one way of building a better mousetrap, no? So, That's sort of what I am doing. I did and am still refining the features. the nose, the eyes etc.  This new particular head was a pretty bad recast that was provided to me by the customer that wants this figure made for himself. He didn't like the Mattox head as it is a bit too small for the 12" figure, and says he got this slightly larger one on Ebay. It was obviously a built up, puttied up Mattox head that was kind of rough when I got it. Why my customer didn't see that is a mystery. It was not that well masked.  So, my idea was to keep the changes going so as to make it a wholly new original. Now, it's well over 80% or more reworked. You can see some of Jim's work in there. A foundation if you will. I did this same thing with my Episode III Obi Wan and a Christopher Lee Dracula. I guess I like reworking heads. Although I have done some originals. I need to show my Alicia Silverstone Batgirl head sometime. I hope this still warrants your respect of my efforts on this one. I will keep posting the new develpments as there is another details pass coming. Dimple in chin, creases by the mouth, changes in the hair, etc. It's close, just not quite there yet. But again, thanks for the comments and do acknowledge Jim Mattox too! He's a super sculptor! |
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Post by radioscooter on Jul 7, 2005 13:38:18 GMT -5
Looks great Les. Coming along!
-s
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Post by faithfulbutler on Jul 7, 2005 18:34:36 GMT -5
You're definitely right Les,although the original head is nice it really is too thin.I doesn't really look like Reeves for mind either imo.Yours however is looking spot on!
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Jul 7, 2005 18:50:45 GMT -5
Thanks Andy and Scot, and the rest of you. I do really appreciate the comments.
This is one very hard likeness. Proof is in the low number of versions made so far AND the lack of access to thereof...
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Post by BlackKnight on Jul 7, 2005 19:00:44 GMT -5
WOW!!!!  ;D That is truly the best Chris Reeves head ever!!!! I'm sure your figure will look fantastic! He is the coolest Superman ever! IMO.  |
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Post by aburabusimbutu on Jul 7, 2005 19:14:09 GMT -5
Far from losing respect for your work, I have gained all the more reading how you have acheived this. I think you are very honest and forthright about how you have worked the head to this point.
And frankly, you have finessed it into something far greater (and different) than it started out to be.
Myself, I don't know how you guys can work this hard on something, get it so perfect, and then sell it!!!
PS- Can we see the Christopher Lee head? Please?
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Jul 8, 2005 12:45:24 GMT -5
Well, I reckon. Here's a departure from the Reeve for a bit...but it does show what I mean by reworking an existing head. You all may be aware of two of the three 12" Christopher Lee figures out there, The Sideshow Scaramanga and the Kenner Count Dooku (Also out is a nice Hammer Horror Dracula with fangs showing, but I don't have him yet) Here are the two heads I do have  After analyzing the both of them, I felt the older Star Wars one had actually captured the "real" C Lee in subtler form, so I filled the soft vinyl head with a mix I concocted (superglue soaked kleenex tissues for a lightweight but very solid paper mache' style filler) gave him a shave and a putty job and added just a bit of hairlane and painted up my version. And here is the head I used for the finished Dracula version  And here is the whole figure. He's a Sideshow Lugosi Drac body, which gives you the hand with the ring, then the reworked Dooku head, and the Sideshow Buffy Gentlemen suit, then add 12" Grandpa Munster's red lined cape (or for the 1958 version a solid black 14" Darth Vader cape with appropriate tie) and viola! Instant Christopher Lee Dracula, sans fangs.  That's my way of reworking an existing head. With the Christopher Reeve project I am actually sculpting on more than even this C Lee ever needed. I guess you can see what I mean. Anyway Kevin, there you go. Hope that explains my crazy methods better. Oh, and I would be willing, provided I can work out how to do it, to cast up some Reeve heads, but only for a few of you guys and NOT for the general public. We can work that out later. When/if I can cast this one up. I am NOT going to just go through all this effort and make it and then sell it off without having a copy for myself! So, we'll see. Thanks for the comments. |
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Post by casimir on Jul 8, 2005 13:47:57 GMT -5
angremien, for those of us who work in smaller scales (i.e. no cloth!), modification is what it's all about! Mr. Reeve is looking fine, by the way.  C. |
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