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

[narceron]

Yeah, I'm just here as a guide to all things joe.



Now, if I could only customize. . .

[spudafett]

Narceron, if only......  lol

yeah take those alien mech arms and puting it on the other one would be perfect, probably solve the articulation problem as well. 

can't wait to see your swoop!  I love that cycle, it's so easy to manipulate.  I'm going to eventually make a swoop gang and I'll probably get a few more of those and do some different styles.

[Clonehead]

Yeah, I'm just here as a guide to all things joe.



Now, if I could only customize. . .

oh but you can, Simon. I have seen it. Let's see some more.

[DocOutlands]

Here's shots of today's action in the field surgery....

[DocOutlands]

Oops... sometimes you loose...

The fig on the left did fine...on the right...the peg ripped apart.  I gotta drill it out or something.

[DocOutlands]

So KeKe hung out with me, watching and absorbing.  She wandered off...then wandered back with this:

[DocOutlands]

Here's one I slapped together as a proof-of-concept checker for one of my Fixer characters...

[DocOutlands]

So my tauntaun came in today!  Had to try "Tex" out in the saddle...

[DocOutlands]

Tex may be bowlegged, but as you can see from the middle pic, he does NOT sit well in the saddle!  Well, the two gents who were on the paper-towel had their parts taken outside and base-coated.  I want to let them dry overnight before I start in on their painting.  I set several heads aside for molding, still need to fish out Maj. Bludd's head.  Figure on setting up the masters tonight, pouring molds in the morning.  Then, I'll prolly start serious painting on the two I worked up today.  I need to cast a couple of heads for the bodies tomorrow, as well.

I spent quite a bit of time in Surgery working on one particular character concept that is just flat trying to elude me.  I refuse to give in, of course.  I may have found the right approach - following up on that is one of tomorrow's tasks.

[Clonehead]

Lots of neat projects going on there, Doc.
I like the checker.

[hangarbay94]

I've wanted to do a paint job an a Taunton for ages...

It's great to see the operating table.

Jules

[Tamer]

That checker figure is pretty good. What character is that head from? Was that part of saga2 card with two figures? Bounty hunter if I remember? I like it.

Bummer about the Hoth rebel trooper not being able to sit on a taun taun. You would have thought thats why they gave him so wide a stance!

[spudafett]

hey doc, do you boil or microwave your figs before trying to pull out the rubber pegs?  this is what I've learned helps, get a coffee mug and fill it with water, put the figure in with as much of the loose accessories removed as possible.  Put the cup of water with the fig in it in the microwave for around 3 minutes or untill the water starts boiling.   Then is the tricky part, you've got to carefully grab the figure out (which WILL be hot) and yank that crap out before the plastic cools and becomes hard again.   

That should solve some of that pesky peg problem.  My problem is that I get into a hurry wanting to see a concept through and just start yanking... I've ruined too many parts doing that I should have learned my lesson!

Something you might try with that hoth trooper is getting one of the hoth lukes that were meant to ride the taun taun and swap the parts out.  Honestly I think the problem is the taun taun's sculpt.  The boys have the one that was packed in with the luke that's supposed to be able to ride it and it is realy awkward looking. 

good luck man, can't wait to see stuff finished up!

[DocOutlands]

Two-qt saucepan on an electric stovetop.  I use tongs to fish figs out and hold with a dishtowel.  I think I wrote up my steps for Kurgan somewhere - essentially what you said, but I use a stovetop, as we don't have a microwave (by choice).

I got confused when y'all referred to my checker fig!  Had to reread my original post to see what I'd said!  LOL  He *does* look like a meat-market clerk!  The head is from one of two 2-packs - either the Muftak and Kabe or Nabrun Leids and Kabe set.  All three are Cantina "extras" - Kabe comes up to the bar at one point, chittering, and gets a drink.  Leids may be a bounty hunter, not sure.  Gasmask, 4 arms, silver spacesuit, beehive hairdo/head, really big gun.  The apron is from the older Ugnaughts set.  The rest of the fig is a recent Jawa - either the LIN or Treadwell versions, I think the latter.  I plan on replacing the hands with the ones from the Kabe fig (which are non-articulated and will require some work and carving to fit right) and the feet with - of all things - the feet from a Teemto Pagalies podracer (with the big engine and "floating mushroom" droid).  Grafting them onto the Jawa legs may get...interesting.  Anyway - he's a later project...I just had all the parts at hand while I was B-n-P'ing yesterday, so I slapped him together to see how the parts looked as a whole.  He's a good start.

[DocOutlands]

Well, I had a thought today, so I went from removing a single screw to having a pile of TWENTY-SEVEN PARTS!!  Yeah, I was going to just remove 14 of the articulated arms to show Fixer in his "surplus property" plight.  Then I started thinking why not go on and remove all the arms and get him ready for a repaint.  Then I thought... let's remove this screw and separate as many of the pieces as possible for the best paintjob possible.....


When the Imperial Military originally sold off a quantity of FX-7 units as surplus, the more specialized medical instrument/appendages were removed for controlled disposal.  This left the units with their main grasper arm and four fine manipulators, out of an original eighteen.  Unfortunately, this left the units virtually useless.  They could handle applying medpacks and diagnosing ailments and injuries, but with no specialized tools, there was little they could do.  One unit, FX-0R8, found its way into the hands of a light-freighter owner who regularly carried passengers.  Having the FX-droid aboard met the BoSS requirements of a medical attendant for a commercial vessel.  After a particularly disastrous run, the ship's owner found himself at a salvage-yard, unable to pay for all the parts his ship needed.  A fast-talking deal threw the droid into the payment and the two parted company.  FX-0R8 then languished in the scrapyard, forgotten in one corner of a massive warehouse, until the chief engineer of the Macy Jade found the droid and made a deal with the scrapyard's owner to buy it.  At this point, Z'zik began modifying and upgrading the droid - until this time left in its basic Imperial livery - so as to have an assistant engineer aboard the ship.  The droid acquired a number of tool-attachments which were never intended for use on its frame, giving it the look of some mad scientist's experiment from the worst of horror holovids.  FX-0R8 developed a reputation amongst the Macy Jade's crew as being able to fix anything, any time and they bestowed upon the droid the name "Fixer."