Thursday, March 3, 2016

Custom Galactus

When I saw the 31" Jakks Pacific Darth Vader I immediately thought that it would make a great base for a custom Galactus.  It was gigantic and the arms and legs were close enough to a Galactus design that I wouldn't have to modify them except for some coats of paint.

So I bought one when they went on sale and it has been collecting dust and I kindof forgot about the project.  However this custom contest put on by TNI gave me a good reason to dust it off and try my project.

I started by modeling the head in sketchup.  I found a face on the warehouse and built up the helmet around it.  I then divided it into 5 pieces so that it would print flat on a 3D printer bed.  I printed it up (in neon green of all colors) and glued it together.




I also printed a neck piece for connecting to vader's body.  This took a few trys to get the height just right.

Next up I worked on the chest.  I wanted a working light in it so I just a laser cutter to cut a hole in vader's chest.


I then designed a led light housing in sketchup, printed it out, and added the LED light.  The lens were laser cut and stacked to add detail to the chest light.






I then fitted it into the body and made the shoulder straps and waist coat out of chip board.

I painted him up and here are the final results:






Here he is with Marvel Select Silver Surfer:




To show a sense of scale.  The figure is 36" tall.

Monday, August 31, 2015

Force Awakens Black Series

(Clock wise from top) Kylo Ren, First Order Trooper, BB-8, Rey

"Rey, I am your Father..."     "You seem a little young 'Dad'..."

Solo Family?

These aren't the Droids you are looking for.

These two look good together.

Orange is the new Black.
The Black Capes are coming!

Stormtroopers through the ages.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Marvel Select Hulkbuster Review


 Marvel Select's Hulkbuster is a great addition to their line.  He is detailed and painted well and has a really good articulation scheme for a big bulky figure including Ankle pivots.  He might be a little small compared with some Marvel Select Hulks.  Personally I think Hulkbuster should be a little smaller then Hulk (unlike the movie version) so I am happy with his size.  He also fits great into a Marvel Legends Iron Man display.  Great figure with alot of fun play value.  Now I need to see if I can make some articulated fingers for him...


From the Front.

From the back.

From the Top.

Size Comparison with Marvel Select Savage Hulk and Marvel Select Grey Hulk.  He is not as big as the Select Hulks but it still works for me.  I personally thought the movie version of Hulkbuster was too large.

Size Comparison with Marvel Select Falcon and Marvel Select Ultron. 

Size Comparison with Marvel Legends Scarlet Witch and Marvel Legends Mark 42 Iron Man.  I think he fits in perfectly with Marvel Legends. 

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Bandai R2-D2 Model Kit (Black Series Comparison)

 So I recently received my Bandai Star Wars Droids Model Kits (I ordered both the R2D2 and C3P0).  This review is going to focus on the R2 kit and give a photo comparison to the Hasbro Black Series toy.

If you have never put together a model kit before - you will need a pair of small wire clippers, an exacto knife, some spray paint (optional), and alot of patience.  The two astromech droids took me approximately 2.5 hours to put together (not including painting).  

The picture instructions are easy to follow even though there are notes in Japanese.  The stickers and the feet hoses were the only parts that really tested my patience.
 
I strongly recommend painting the grey parts silver.  This is easy to do with a model kit as you just spray paint the spru.

I also gave my R5 a custom paint job because I didn't like the blue and red together.  I just painted all the colored parts a rusty red.

My finished droids. 

R2 standing with the Bandai C3P0.  This picture came out a little bright.  They look even nicer in person.


The following pictures show the Bandai next to Hasbro.  Overall the Bandai looks much nicer but maybe is just a bit too tall.  It is also just a little more fragile.  I like having both but would choose the Bandai if forced.