Topic: Doc Outland's Custom Figures (updated 3/26/14)

[DocOutlands]

So, the pieces are falling into place nicely!  The pics are helping me figure out what I need to do to each figure to make them distinct from each other and visually interesting.  I mean - we're dealing with clone/stormies here, so they start out with the disadvantage of being visually identical.  Therefore, you gotta liven them up with distinctly different gear.  Imo, anyway.  So, I have the challenge of creating four distinct individuals from four identical faceless starting points.  Oh, *and* insinuate a backstory, as well!

[Tamer]

looking daggone good to me Doc.

[Clonehead]

The visor looks great on that Faie helmet, Doc. You should cast that visor and I will cast the Clone wars one.
This is going to be one killer looking team.

[DocOutlands]

Oh, that's one of the pieces I *must* cast!  I think I found where the sprue/pourhole attached on it, too.

So anyway, I roughed out the camo.  Nothing *nearly* as fancy and intricate as that snow-cape you painted, Clint!!  But it is a camo cloak and does its job.

[Clonehead]

I like it, I like it!! It's nice to see a diversity of styles, here. I am juiced about your project, buddy. Keep going.

[DocOutlands]

Just because I like to run my head about what I'm up to...

I wrapped one of the faie's in foil and started laying down hotglue!!  I went for a pushed-back headwrap look.

Boy did it SUCK!!!  Over an hour later, I'm STILL picking foil bits out of the inner wrinkles.  Of course, in that time, I put on more foil and laid down another run of glue.  Yeah, my first effort was full of voids, loops, strings, and so on.  I'm trying to fill in the voids and otherwise sculpt the really bad first run.  I'm letting the second one cool in place longer, too.  I should prolly go back and reread the tutorial while I'm at it...   

Yes, there will be pics.

Actually, it may not look all that bad after I get it cleaned out and do some refinement sculpting and painting.  It fits over the sniper helmet *quite* nicely.  The kids think its the coolest thing since articulated knees and ball-joint heads.  I plan to make them better and melt some brains.  Peg the awesomeness meters.  We'll see.  Heck, at this point, I'll take "look nice"!!

[narceron]

low temp glue gun?

[DocOutlands]

ayup - low-temp.

[DocOutlands]

Oh, I think once I finish off the snipers, I'm going to pose them in the side of a gunship, or just disembarking.  Or WOW!  Get one of the little Titanium-style gunships and have it in the background like its just dropped them off and is on its way elsewhere as the snipers fade into the brush...!

[Tamer]

I love the way these snipers look and am now envisioning a Ghillie suit made up for the shooter and spotter in this series. I like the idea of your pics too.

[Clonehead]

That is a good pic idea. All you need is a convincing background and foreground and some support for the gunship and you are a go.

[DocOutlands]

So here are the DONE! shots of the 4LOM repaint.  Simple, straightforward stuff.  He's not yet been sealed w/ the matte spray.  I figure that'll be tomorrow.

[DocOutlands]

And now...the real excitement - the SNIPERS!  Here's a full-team mock-up.  I set this up to get a feel for the flow of the figs and see how things were working.





In the second pic, you can see the (crappy) attempts at thrown-back hoods on the spotter and sniper.  I'm headed in the right direction, I just have a ways to go yet.  You can also see why I like this fig sculpt - they look like they are walking!  I love the poseability and inherent dynamic quality of this figure.

The other three cloaks are on the paint-rack, drying as I type.  I plan to repaint the existing details so as to create more visual distance from the base fig.  I need more Kashyyyk Trooper belts, too.  I'd like to incorporate Baccara's sniper plate onto the sniper if possible (the cloak might disagree).  I'd like to give the Flanker a pack.  The battle-droid pack will be extra-detailed so as to not look like they just ripped off a skinny tinny.   And there's a problem - the cloaks don't work well with packs.  So I don't know if I'm going to scratch one or the other or take a whole new route on cloaks.  For purposes of the competition, I suspect I'll scrap the packs.

I mean - a fig is NEVER really finally done until you're satisfied with it, right?

[Clonehead]

That is if you are ever fully satisfied with it , Doc. As my skills improve, I still look at past figure projects and wonder what it might have went like had I done something more or different to it. I usually ignore that feeling as I plunge forward into other things.
  I love the 4 lom, buddy and the sniper team mock-up has my mental wheels spinning, thats for sure.
I am really interested to see how those hot glue wraps turn out and how you progress using this technique.
Great work, buddy. You are going to give the other contestants a run for their money.

Speaking of contests, have you thought any more about your resin contest entry?

[Tamer]

the 4Lom looks good. I do like that sniper squad, especially the one with the vizor.