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Post by martingb on Mar 1, 2007 14:50:47 GMT -5
Great to see a few post already. And some bloody ace ones too! OK! Casimir. As ever your figure really looks to me like a real deal store bought item. The paints and design really don't look home made at all. Pro stuff!! I know you were in a rush this morning so maybe a bit of info about what you did and what was cannibalised or whatever would be great to hear. The facial paintwork is especially good. Nothing to fault it. Nice to see a novel approach to her too and not a 'costumed' version. I like it all the way. FB WHAT A CRACKER MATE!! That final sequence of the movie really is a highpoint and the idea of you doing the character in those final(or were they?) moments of madness is a stroke of genius. You did an amazing job on the outfit but what struck me is how close you got her looking to Michelle.(With a touch of Madonna from DIE ANOTHER DAY too!) My big worry about female figures is making them look like a real sexy girl and not a transvestite or drag queen. The make-up/paint here really looks like a proper woman and I tip my hat to you on that one. The tousled hair and stance is bang on and the costume itself is perfect. The tiny stitches are superb too. The look of the PVC outfit is just right. A highlight so far for me! Kev You never fail to deliver a real 'Off The Wahl' package. The darkest and most oft-forgotten corners of Batman's world are where you hang out mate and I am so glad you do. The concept itself is just the greatest and the execution matches. Sewing is supposed to be a problem for you?  ? Not by the look of Catwoman's outfit. The use of wire in the 'bustierre' and cape is so clever but authentic looking too. The use of an available head but with enhancement is something I would never even dream of trying. You dive in there and pull of a real Mego style job and you put hair in there too. So many elements which could so easily go wrong but you pull it off. Catman is a real bang on job too. The accessory work on the boots and the emblem is just the tops mate and the mask reminds me of a TV Batman so I reckon you need to take a shot at an Adam yourself soon. The box rounds it off. The presentation too. How do you do it mate. Smashing stuff! Homonculus This is a superb job. Only custom number two??? Are you kidding us. Superb. It looks perfect alongside The Dark Knight himself. The paint work on the costume is just beautiful. Please fill us in a little more on that mask. That is a great piece of work mate. Really, once more we see a custom job that looks store bought. I am so intimidated by you fellas who really cut and hack away at a real toy and then come out with a figure like this. I would like to know how the articulation is taken into account with a figure like this too. Any particular problems it posed you? I wouldn't know where to start. A top class entry mate. Love it! |
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Post by casimir on Mar 1, 2007 20:05:26 GMT -5
Well, there ain't many yet, but them that's there sure are purrty.
Ha! Purrty! Get it? I'm so funny!
But seriously, some fine work all around.
Andy... So happy to see your work again! And it's a stunner! I, too, love the look of that last scene. (Actually, I love the look of the whole movie. Too bad the script is so weak.) You really captured her look in "comic book" style. Well done! And stealing parts from wrestler figures is ingenius.
Picnic... I would expect nothing less than Atomic Age hilarity from you, and I was not disappointed. I'm no great judge of Mego-style figures, but your work always looks top notch to me. More than anything, though, I look forward to your selection of obscure subjects. Your admiration and respect, and slight tone of irreverance, always comes through.
homunculus, I have to be honest. As much as I love "the Dark Knight Returns," I hate the sequel. However, those feelings can't prevent me from seeing a good custom! She looks really accurate to Miller's drawings (and I can't bring myself to call his recent work art!). You rendered the figure with great accuracy. And she looks great next to Bats. All the more impressive for being your second custom.
Martin, as I said above, I'm no judge of Megos, but this looks sharp to me. Almost as if Mego sold higher-end versions of it's dolls... Regular figures in fancier outfits! I'd love to see a group shot of your growing collection some time.
Nice work, folks! I hope we see a few more.
C.
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Post by aburabusimbutu on Mar 1, 2007 20:30:10 GMT -5
Well we are off to a good start!
Cas- Leave it to you to find the most visually interesting Selina Kyle from the animated series to pick. I've seen this episode and it never even dawned on me that her clothes were in Catwoman colors! Duh.
Now comes the "Casimir Rubber Stamp" comment about the clean lines, perfectly exceuted shapes, spotless paintwork, precise assembly etc.....You are really a machine aren't you- admit it!
Andy- What a perfect moment to commemorate- the blend of Catwoman and Pfeiffer that showcases the sexy Catwoman costume and the equally stunning actress. I am really drawn to the hair sculpt on this as it has so much of the right motion, shape, and detail. Can't believe on such a small scale you captured her look right down to the eye make-up so well. Genius.
Ditto on the massive amounts of subtle details, stitching, laces, etc. on the costume. Even the whip has the right drama and I love that you went as far as to make the kitty-tazer! All wrapped up with a brilliant paint job.
Hommunculus- First off,could you possibly have picked a name that's harder to spell??
I am surprised to read this is only your second custom. The first thing that impressed me was the animal print you so carefully painted onto her costume. You captured the real cheetah-like spots which are not at all a polka-dot looking affect but real animal fur!
Then there's the hand-crafter head that captures the shape and details perfectly- particularly pierciing eyes through the mask!
I'm cusrious what base figure you used as the body-type as it looks to be designed specifiaclly for Catgirl suggesting to me that you have made alterations so that it met your needs.
Great work!
Mart- Once again you treat us with a rendition from the '66 Adam West Batman show that looks like a real toy that would have (should have) been offered at the time. I think the head came out great and does lean more than a little towards Lee Merriwether. That's a good thing since you are slowly assembling the United Underworld from the Batman Movie. Top job on the costume- be sure to pass along congrats to your buddy that helped out. But the real pleasure of this is seeing her all assembled with the belt fitted perfectly on the hips, the gold chain, the little cat ears and the REAL showstopper- those delicate claws so carefully and perfectly added! Amazing work!!
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Post by casimir on Mar 1, 2007 21:52:34 GMT -5
D'oh! Les just joined in!
Uh... I'd add some clever and praising comments about Les' entry, but I'm coming to grips with the fact that I think I just fell in love with a plastic doll. Please don't tell my wife.
Les. The Master. Nuff said.
C.
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Post by batlaw on Mar 1, 2007 22:50:19 GMT -5
Man you guys certainly do ROCK! the standard of excellence continues! I wish I coulda / woulda participated, but its kinda nice to just sit back and admire and appreciate these beauties w/o the inferiority complex that is normally accompanied by personal involvement lol  Great Great work all around fellas |
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Post by homunculus on Mar 2, 2007 5:02:41 GMT -5
Really great customs guys! Casimir- As always, a great action figure, perfect! Your animated customs always look so clean, and as has been mentioned, like a store bought figure! You were a great inspiration, one of the main custom sites that I used to view before I started customising. I even discovered another customiser in the cinema that I work in, yours was the first site that he mentioned! FB- A really nice custom, captures the feel and look of the film perfectly! I just watched this film again recently for the first time in about 5 years, its really spot on the character! Picnic-Man- Great customs! Its not normally a style I go for but you've really put that bit more effort in with the packaging too! They look great! MartinGB- I love the look of this custom:) The suit looks brilliant on her, excellent job. I really don't know how you guys do such intricate work with material! I'm struggling working with leather and glue! FMLes- Really stunning work! Amazing attention to detail, you truly are the figure master! I love the cat too:) As for my custom, I used the Marvel Legends X23 figure. I managed to get it in a bunch of Marvel Legends that I got pretty cheap from the US, I only needed the legs from one so the rest went straight into the fodder box! When it came to this Custom Project, I took a look at the fodder box, pulled out a number of animated Catwoman figures...decided I couldn't do much with them, then discovered X23... Her hair, boot spikes and hand spikes were removed, belt, boot buckles, arm bracers, front zip and collar were all dremelled off. Areas were filled with sculpey firm, then she was boiled to harden the sculpey. The areas of sculpey were then sanded and filed, then I sculpted the mask and ears. The only real concerns with a multi-posable figure like this one were the areas that were filled, because I needed to make sure that I wasn't getting rid of any movement. The other point was paint, and making sure it didnt pool in the joints. Paint rub was pretty bad with these but ended up ok! The paintjob hides a multitude of sins, believe me! I finally found a use for a pretty horrible action figure! www.ultimatetoys.com.my/New/MarvelLegends/MarvelLegends12/MarvelLegends12SetLarge.jpgThis is the original figure, in the bottom left. These are promotional images though, and the actual figure they released was worse than this. Cheers for the comments! |
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Post by martingb on Mar 2, 2007 8:23:59 GMT -5
Les! As ever a show stopper. Real clever and nicely executed. The look is very much of the period so you nailed that all the way. The costume detailing is amazing and the face paint too. What a tableaux with your Bruce/Batman. Really Les you really are the bench mark for all this 12 Inch stuff. Brilliant.
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Post by aburabusimbutu on Mar 2, 2007 8:44:48 GMT -5
Les- Brilliant work on that- I was mesmerized by the face with the very cat-like eyes, her expression has the look of her about to pounce!
I like the way you merged her cilvillian attire with her nocturnal "work clothes", very clever use of the boa as a tail. She does have a sort of foreign mystique about her that conjures thoughts of Val Lewton's Cat People.
I also like the texture of the mask and the goggles- they come across as very "period". The black fur leotard is adorable, she would be at home on stage in some smoky beatnik cafe.
It is really neat to see your '39 series grow and this is another fine addition!
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Mar 2, 2007 9:56:29 GMT -5
First of all, WOW GUYS! LOVE seeing these awesome figs as always. Every six months, another fun set to ponder and study, and learn from! Cason- WONDERFUL! Excellent execution as always. I love the muted colors she is wearing. I never saw that episode of that show, so it was new for me. But I can't miss the effect of her attire and look thanks to your most likely, dead on capture. Great face and hair! And of course, love the cat! Nice touch! Perfect work from you once more! FB Andy- WOWSA! I mean, HOT! I too loved her in that scene, and was even thinking of taking on this figure in 12" for this challenge (So glad I didn't!), and your sculpt work is phenomenal! Her hair is so good that I am stunned. LOVE The back shot! Her hair! Just wonderful! Perfect detail all around. You really captured her in that moment of the movie. I can even hear Max Schreck now .."...a big ball of string!" that part where he was begging her...that line keeps going through my head now! Super work Andy! Great to see your work again! Kev/Picnicman- As always, a showstopper! That display! Those old ads and comments!  I love all that! Sets the tone of the Atomic Age so well! And then...your figures! WONDERFUL! And we get two for one! A very charming set that really captures your love for this era. I'm always impressed by the thought and work you put into your figures. Amazing! I wanna see what these all look like together now! You must have a fortune tied up in homemade Atomic Age figures by now! Great work Kev. And the box by Anthony is yet another of his amazing wonders! You guys are the tag team of the custom world! Always pushing some new frontier! BRAVO to you both! Homunculus- Man! I was not expecting this! Carrie as Catgirl! Man...that's original! ANd I love your execution! That shot on Batman's shoulders alone is worth the whole challenge! Super work my friend and it is no nice to have a new face in here among our challenge participants! You really came through for us all! Thanks and wonderful job! Martin- I knew it! THANK GOD! Somebody did a Julie! She is WONDERFUL too! Man! You really are on a roll with your amazing Mego Batman figures of late, and this is no exeption! Excellent craftsmanship, love the material! and wonderful attention to detail. Her accessories are all there, and her claws...man...at that scale! How'd you do that?!?!?! And her hair...SUPERB job all around! Oh, and that leopard skin background! I almost did that! ;D It might have made this an even more grouped challenge had I, but what the hey! I like that it is a sho nuff, CAT background for these. We shoulda made it a requirement! Again, all in all guys, SUPERB! Proud to be amongst ya! Sad she didn't have NINE lives....but...what the hey! The six I see are fun enough! GREAT JOB fellas! |
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Post by glorbes on Mar 3, 2007 19:04:35 GMT -5
First off, let me just say that every one did a fantastic job of their entries. As always, the variations that can be taken from Batman's universe never ceases to amaze me, nor does the talent that is on display here at this board. I'd also like to say that I'm sad I could not get an entry together this time around...inspiration failed me, and the deadline came and went. At least I have these kick-ass customs to drool over though!
Casimir
Filling out the ranks of the Animated Universe is your Modus Operandi, and as always you do so with such skill and style. Selina looks fantastic and (as is always the case) eerily flawless. You've captured the simplified and yet oh so challenging look of her civilian look perfectly. Brilliant work.
faithfulbutler
The likeness works quite well for me. I knew precisely what you were going for, and the matching of the the costume's details is precise and on-model. Seriously Andy, this one was a surprise, but an alltogether pleasant one. Its too bad you couldn't produce more customs, because they're always fantastic when you do.
Picnic-Man
Kevin, when you post a piece, one is not only guaranteed a terrific, authentic-looking figure, but also a history lesson in the esoterica and ephemera of the comic book medium. Yes, there's no surprise that the figure itself sports some terrific craftsmanship, but your choice of subject matter educates as well. Catman and Catwoman look simply fantastic...and Anthony's box brings that extra element of authenticity.
homunculus
While not a fan of The Dark Knight Strikes Again, I have to say that I am excited as hell about this custom. The base figure is an inspired choice, and the detailing and sculpture is phenomenal. And...that paint job...wow...what a fantastic and painstaking procedure that must have been. I think this is also the first time I've seen someone make this character...it certainly sets a high standard for anyone attempting to repeat your success.
MartinGB
Old school style, and a deep affection for the 60's show...its gotta be Martin's entry. What a great job you've done assembling such beautiful Mego custom...the parts and pieces you've assembled make for a brilliant version of Newmar's Catwoman that will look smashing next to your growing West Batman collection. Pretty soon you'll have all of the Gotham Underworld in your grasp.
Figuremaster Les
This isn't the Selina Kyle that walks the line between good and evil...this is a frightening, cold-hearted criminal and seductress. Brilliant work Les. While not as "complex" as Mr. Freeze, the conceptual basis of your choices showcases a unique complexity all its own. I think some of the issues you discussed in your write-up are some of the road blocks that I ran into, and why I could not formulate a satisfying design for the character. Your take on her is exactly what I wish I could have come to...a sensible, realitsic version of the character, but with more edge and madness than she's ever exhibited before. I LOVE the eyes, man...they're gorgeously painted, but they also scare the crap out of me. You never disappoint, and I love this addition to your growing '39 collection. I want these designs to be in a live-action movie.
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Post by Wild Willy on Mar 7, 2007 12:55:06 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]blackkryptonite wrote[/glow]
Wow guys, these are all very good! I'm really impressed with the talent that has gone in to putting these creations together.
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Post by Wild Willy on Mar 13, 2007 0:10:16 GMT -5
Wow gang, I was holding out on my comments until i could get my entry submitted and again I appologise for being so late.  First off I have to once again comment on yet another amazing collage to kick off our custom showcase. Kevin never fails to represent CBF with his crafty & cool style of doing the headers for these events, and his catwoman collages really set the mood for what follows. Thanks Kevin, you da man!!! [glow=red,2,300]Casimir[/glow] I've never seen this version of Selina before but she looks very trim and proper, I'd like for comparison to see her in Cat-woman guise. Top stuff! [glow=red,2,300]FB[/glow] Now help me out here, this is a 6" figure correct? because I feel like I'm looking at a 12" custom here, that suit looks like real leather tailored to fit. Awesome rendition of catwoman, it's great to have a Batman Returns version included in this event. Very Hot!!! [glow=red,2,300]Picnik- Man[/glow] Very interesting start to your wonderful presentation. Reading the "Comics Codes Authorities" gave me a laugh and a reminder of how innocent things used to be. ( wonder what they would have thought of Verotika comics) I like how you encorporated a comic into your presentation and included a bonus figure for us to enjoy, Catman!. I don't know much about this guy but I have seen a few customs of him over the past couple years. You did an excellent job on amalgamating all the ellements to create his costume and I'm pleased to see your "signature" cape style on this guy. Great sculpting of the cowl but I find the blanc white eyes kinda creepy looking, but hey! if thats how they are, thats how they are. Catwoman looks awesome and I really love your costume work here, The wire in the "Boobs area" is exceptional and holds them puppies right where they need to be. I also noticed the claws in her boots which is somthing I noticed in the comic reference pic then scrolled back to see if you did them, great attention to detail. Again your Wired cape method pulls a winning hand and gives a nice textured natural looking flow to the way it hangs. The packaging is awesome! and of course adds to your ever growing collection from this era. You will now have to take an "Atomic Age" collection pic for us to drool over. Nice entry Pal. [glow=red,2,300]Homunculus[/glow] I haveta say that when I scrolled down and saw your entry "jumping out at the screen" I was kinda surprised. I've never seen this version of Catwoman before but I haveta say she is as cute as a button! Hard to believe this is your second custom, it looks great! The body suit paintjob looks perfect and evenly matched with full consistancy throughout. I love the pose of her on Batman's shoulder, Kinda makes her seem even more catty. Cool job! [glow=red,2,300]Martin[/glow] I just knew I could count on you to produce some eye candy from the 66 TV series. Great likeness and tribute to the sexiest Catwoman to hit any screen. Excellent choice of material for her body suit and magnificiently tailored I might add. There is so much goodness here, from the clawed gloves to the hipster belt, this Julie custom is awesome! Impressive are the cleanliness of the mask shape and the flawless job on altering the boots, if you hadnt mentioned it, i'd have thought they were Mego produced boots. Beutiful figure Mate, can't wait to see some group shots of your TV collection. [glow=red,2,300]Les[/glow] If one word could describe your entry it would have to be VAVAVAVOOOOOOM!  This chick is super hot!, That first picture with the lepoard coat is stunning and captures the sensuality of the character perfectly. Your face painting tallents again exceed your past works. Those eyes are just piercing and quite intimidating to look at. I love the job you did painting her makeup, My Jolie would look amazing with these details from you. I absolulety got a laugh from the cat wearing the goggles, Too funny there Lestro!, Great seeing Batman Back in action along with your Joker of the era, always a treat. Well gang I think we had a great turnout and some wonderful entries. Even though we sometimes get loaded down with life stuff, these events are so much fun and I can't wait to see whoes next on the chopping block. Awesome job everyone!  Will |
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Post by martingb on Mar 13, 2007 8:51:37 GMT -5
Will!! Top stuff mate. Really impressed by how much you augmented a standard figure with such a variety of materials. Liquid rubber!! Now that is something I would be scared stiff to try messing with but you did a great job. Sexy and authentic to the artwork. I think the face looks like a toy so don't knock it mate. Many 1970s Mego figures of female characters failed to be 100% likeness and it is only now we see real bang on lookalikes. I dig this all the way. The long boots, the claws, the lot! Excellent.
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Post by casimir on Mar 13, 2007 22:00:34 GMT -5
Willy has joined the party!
I am most impressed with your idea to coat the figure in latex. Ingenious! (Or maybe it's always done and I never noticed. Just take the compliment.) Does she retain any articulation under the latex? Or is she frozen in place. Either way, it's a cool technique. How long did it take to apply? Tell us more!
C.
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Mar 13, 2007 22:22:14 GMT -5
WILL!!!! ;D The man himself comes in last, but what a finish! And you know, I was telling Kevin that this was the only Catwoman costume style that didn't show up that I expected. And I am so glad you did it! Better late than never indeed!!!!! So, latex! I am too scared to know how you did that! Don't be so hard on yourself about paints my man. That figure looks great, and I am just proud that you got her done and in. All hail the Chief!!!! Thanks Will, and it was indeed a wonderful show this go round! |
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This chick is super hot!, That first picture with the lepoard coat is stunning and captures the sensuality of the character perfectly. Your face painting tallents again exceed your past works. Those eyes are just piercing and quite intimidating to look at. I love the job you did painting her makeup, My Jolie would look amazing with these details from you.