Topic: Aude's Workshop

[Aude]

Late replies.

That's fantastic!  You make some remarkable figures, for sure. I gotta step my game up.

Thanks! I look forward to seeing what else you come up with.

Dude, Vinto looks really awesome! I was looking at him as a character less than a month ago and thought, "he would be a great character for someone to build." You really knocked this out of the park. The head sculpt is remarkable and the soft goods (plus aluminium) look really stunning.

Thanks Starchaser! Some of the FF characters really have that toyetic design.

Thanks for your reply Aude! Thank you for providing all the interesting info! I think I will spend some time on doing research on Legion.
I actually looked up "cabochons" since I hadn't known the word, but I knew what they are. Brilliant idea with the wire incorporated in the leather coat! As Tamer said, this makes so many cool poses look even cooler!

Thanks again. I've been experimenting with different fodder body builds for poseability lately, and there are some impressive 1:18 scale lines out there.

New build incoming.

[Aude]

As January draws to a close, I haven’t accomplished nearly as much as I’d like to have done as far as new customs are concerned. Travel in the new year has cut down customizing time. Small international parcels with pieces I was planning to use are MIA in the mail (some for over a month). I can’t convince W’s Scrapyard to scale down 3D prints for purchase (the reason for this remains a mystery to me as others seem to have had no issue ordering 1/18 prints from him)...

All is not lost, of course, and I have managed to turn out one completed piece since last posting. The usual goodies are all here along with a new addition: magnets! Having seen customizers employ them in the past, a golden opportunity for experimentation presented itself when the single plastic jetpack stock peg failed to hold. I picked up some tiny tiny 1.5x1mm magnets from this guy (fast & cheap) that worked great! Cue the electric guitars.

Death Watch Commando (Three Stripes) /// Din’s Protector
The Mandalorian








Composition: FL 2-Pack Boba Fett helmet, gauntlets (chopped) & modified jet pack (chopped & screwed), JoyToy Caucasus Mercenary “Veit” torso, pelvis, & legs, VC Boba Fett upper arms & forearms (chopped), VC Death Trooper hands. Epoxy clay sculpted armor plates and boots. Genuine leather pouches, linings, armor undervest, holster & straps. Stainless steel belt buckle, range finder stem, vibroknife, and rifle accents with aluminum chest piece & belt accessories. Plastic tube flamethrower hose. Neodymium magnet jetpack attachment & belt attachment/extension.

Process: The JoyToy figure responsible for most of the base body was originally intended to be used for an entirely different character, but the seller sent me the wrong figure. The flexible body warranted a combatant of some kind (rocker ankles in 3.75” practically demand it), so I decided between a few Mandalorian builds on a shortlist: Mythos Boba, 1313 Boba, or Death Watch Commando. After some discussion and input, the DWC felt like the freshest choice. Thanks to FunkoPOP, I had a decent full body reference image to work from. I intended to leave the stock rangefinder alone until one of the surgical razors snapped while working; the broken blade became the figure’s rangefinder stem, belt buckle(s), rifle casing, and vibro knife blade. With ball jointed hinges counting as two points, this figure has the most articulation of any that I have made with a whopping 38 POA.

I also created a mini display dio for the figure that was a little more involved this time. Unfortunately, the character didn’t read as well as I had hoped due to some darker elements in the display, so I had to scrap most of those shots (whoops!). Anyway, I’ve also included a photo of the display sans Three Stripes. The walls and flooring were made of some foam board with added texture, and the various objects/accessories were scavenged unmercifully from a clearance TBS Enfys Nest speeder.



I’ve been considering expanding the ‘process’ section and including progress pictures of builds in the future to show how all of the elements wind up coming together. Please let me know if this is something that would interest you.

[Tamer]

I am just speechless. So awesome. I know what will be at the top of the front pages today.

And I know I for one would love to see and hear more about your process.

[Clonehead]

I’m with Shawn on this one. I would love to see how you do it.
Fantastic figure and I’m grooving on the diorama.

[Moronarama]

Fantastic!  Again your soft goods and the sculpted armor are just breathtaking.  Your craftsmanship is masterful.

[Darth More]

Excellent idea, excellent diorama, excellent paintjob, excellent articulation, but 38 points-of-articulation…?? 

[hemble]

Awesome figure mate and the leather work is excellent.

Ron

[Aude]

I am just speechless. So awesome. I know what will be at the top of the front pages today.

And I know I for one would love to see and hear more about your process.

Thanks Tamer! I'll plan to do it.

I’m with Shawn on this one. I would love to see how you do it.
Fantastic figure and I’m grooving on the diorama.

Thanks! This latest figure left my work space in total disarray haha.

Excellent idea, excellent diorama, excellent paintjob, excellent articulation, but 38 points-of-articulation…?? 

Madness? This is where the fun begins. With the rule that ball joints count as two, here is the breakdown: ball head (2), ball neck (2), ball mid-torso (2), ball waist (2), ball shoulder 2x (4), ball elbow 2x (4), ball wrist 2x (4), ball hip 2x (4), swivel thigh 2x (2), double-jointed knee 2x (4), ankle swivel 2x (2), rocker ankle 2x (4), and toe swivel 2x (2). If I had articulated the gauntlets to swivel, we could have reached 40... Since I can't top this articulation, my next trick will be to produce one of those lovely articulation-free figures that seem to have flooded discount chains.

In all seriousness though, thank you. I was checking out the dios tonight and admiring the way you set up the Utapau rock base. That one really looks fantastic! I also realized when setting this one up that I only had one SBD (by a stroke of serendipity, the one that pops apart). Prequel figures are a minority in my collection, but Three Stripes will definitely need more droids to fight so I've ordered a couple more. He's currently posed ready for a vibro knife fight in my work area.

Awesome figure mate and the leather work is excellent.

Ron

Thanks Ron! The leather has been a treat to work with, and since the figures are so small, I know I'm going to get a lot of mileage out of it. While the front pouches aren't strictly accurate the the show and more an homage to Boba's Empire kit, I liked the look of them and went with that style anyway. In retrospect, I would have made them functional if I had gotten the magnets in sooner. Next time...

[Darth More]

Madness? This is where the fun begins.

True, that would be the better movie quote! It's just that your Mando knocked me off the Chair when I saw him! I can only agree with previous comments - your sculpting work on his armour is amazing! Can you please send Hasbro an application? Man, am I happy that they finally discontinued the 5 POA line - "Thank the maker!"
So muh articulation is just awesome. Back in 2008 a friend of mine had a Spider Man figure that was about 50 cm tall, quite heavy - and LOADED with arti! I mean even the fingers had 3!! (three) joints each!! It must've been from Hasbro, too! I find it extremely disturbing that they seem to lost interest in making many super-articulated figures in 1/18 scale since 2012...at least the stuff we get in 3.75"/TVC is quite decent! But as Long as The Black Series lasts, TVC will always stay their new step child.

Man, you got talent! Let Hasbro know! Miss the times of DePriest and Steve. Cheers.

- Philipp

P.S.: By the way, have you seen how prices of Mando and Clone Wars stuff skyrocket, now?

http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10579.msg216352#msg216352

[Starchaser]

Aude - this is a magnificent build. You are working with so many different mediums which, in itself, is impressive. Your attention to detail is excellent and the aluminium work and leather work really make this figure stand-out. I like how the diorama turned out as well - disassembling the Nest speeder was a great idea for parts. Keep up the inspiring work.

[Lenny Quinn]

Glad I scrolled through your pages. Great stuff, inspiring!

[Don]

Damn! That Death Watch commando is crazy-good work!

[Aude]

Looks like it has been a month since I posted in this thread, so replies are long overdue (and also an inquiry/request).

Aude - this is a magnificent build. You are working with so many different mediums which, in itself, is impressive. Your attention to detail is excellent and the aluminium work and leather work really make this figure stand-out. I like how the diorama turned out as well - disassembling the Nest speeder was a great idea for parts. Keep up the inspiring work.

Thanks Starchaser! The leather details are super fun and quite easy to make with the right material, so you'll be seeing quite a few more of them. The same goes for the stainless steel details, actually. I use a surgical scalpel with interchangeable/disposable blades that dull and snap with some frequency, so I also have plenty of steel bits to use. Thankfully I still have all fingers and both eyes... at least for now. I bought the Nest speeder to use for dio parts but also to possibly put together a 6" figure since the body is a great base in both scales. When/if that happens remains to be seen.

Glad I scrolled through your pages. Great stuff, inspiring!

Thanks Lenny! I really do enjoy sharing them with a passionate community. 

Damn! That Death Watch commando is crazy-good work!

Thanks Chuckles! The JoyToy figures have the best articulation I have found at 1:18 scale, especially through the trunk and legs, and I plan to work with more in the future. If I'm completely honest though, I missed the mark on the colors. The Death Watch armor on the show is a lighter blue, almost a teal or cyan. I tried a Citadel glaze that I wasn't familiar with and should have just mixed the color I wanted with existing paints. He was a much darker blue throughout the assembly process, and needed to be lightened up more than he was. If I revisit him, or make another one for any reason, I will hit the color more accurately.

~//~

As stated earlier, I also have a question: would any of you be interested in molding & casting a 1:18 scale blurrg? I have a nice raw segmented PLA print that is ~4x3.5x8" that it would be wonderful to have 2-3 of in a more durable/flexible material. If interested, send me a PM! Renders of the model:


PS- Keep an eye out for a fresh custom or two in the coming week.

[Tamer]

Well first of all, how cool is that. A 3D Print File for a blurrg! Let me go share this on our pages.

Looking forward to what you share next.

[Aude]

Tamer, thanks for sharing this. To clarify, I am in possession of a physical copy of this model and hoping to find someone interested in molding the pieces. Happy to cover shipping, cost of materials, etc. Plus, you’ll have a 3.75” blurrg!