Building a Better Action Figure Line

New 52 Red Robin Custom Rundown

Concept:

Yup, I still hate Robins but I also love challenges when it comes to customizing.  This guy was a bit intimidating as he was sitting on the bench for around four months.  With the new character design, the cape as two different "modes", one being in the form of a wing (see above) and the other being more straps blowing in the wind.

Process:

I hate going with Marvel Legend figures for DC characters because it just doesn't fit with other DCUC figures but DCUC teen bodies are hard to come by at a decent price.  I also like that, with scale, the Marvel body (Archangel in this case) tends to be shorter and more athletic than the teenage body.

Straps for the cape were a pain in the butt since I wanted to put the figure together to see how it would work before I painted.  Bad idea.

Final thought:

I liked it, customer liked it so it is a win win!

Red Hood New 52 Custom Rundown

Oh hey!  An actual custom completed!  A overview to go with it!  Jeez, I might have enough content to have ads on here in about...seven or eight more years..  Let's get to this before I put you to sleep.

Concept:

I hate Robins, let's just get that out of the way.  Batman is so bad ass that he doesn't need help.  Fortunately the people over at DC don't agree with me and I am okay with that.  Mainly because some of my favorite characters evolved from Robin personas ala Nightwing.

The "Under the Red Hood" arc never grabbed my attention more than any other Batman run but DC got it right the second time when they did the movie (awesome flick btw), so a Red Hood custom had to be made.

I usually like to keep my DC characters with DC Universe figures and Marvel characters with Marvel Legends characters but I saw a sick Red Hood made by the customizer Paint Samurai and loved the look and wanted to capture a more angry Red Hood.

Process:

Not too much special techniques or anything here.  The heads were the hardest part of this custom, mainly because I couldn't decide on the overall look I wanted.  All in all, I think I started and scrapped four helmeted heads before I was happy with the fifth.  Same problem with the unhelmeted head but I only went through two before making the final call.

New things I tried with this one was drybrushing with a translucent gray over a black.  Of course the photos really don't show that but I might learn to shoot someday.  

Final Thoughts:

I really liked this one.  I am already in the process of making a more DCUC type Red Hood with some ideas that I had while wrapping this guy up (implementing new things or changing aspects of customs any time after priming is a recipe for disaster), so we will see where that goes.

On top of that, I don't really like the Jason Todd head.  It's not angry enough and, sadly, it is the most angry head I had in my fodder.

Love it or hate it?  Let me know what you think

P.S.  Give yourself a high five if you noticed that I made ANOTHER alteration to my Batman figure.  Will it ever be done?

Top 10! Current Action Figures on my Shelf

The action figure, one of the coolest toys ever created.  If you think about it, most times, it is a piece of plastic that weighs less than a pound and does absolutely nothing to benefit our lives except make us happy.  Sure the dog makes me happy when I come home but I have to walk him and pick up after him but with a figure, I don't really have that responsibility.  In an enlightened rum and diet mind state this past weekend, I decided to bring out a ton of action figures and just inspect them for no reason at all.  It got me to thinking about which ones would make the list of the best of the best.  Now, keep in mind, this is not my all time favorite as, due to moving and life events,  I am missing figures that would EASILY make the cut (I might make an all time list in the future).  To make the cut is simple, do I physically own you.

10.  DCUC Copperhead

Some of you not vast in the comic book knowledge might not even know who this guy is but that is what makes the DC Universe Classics line so great and this figure.  The amount of detail through out the body all the way to the head sculpt is a thing of beauty.  What stands out to me is that the chest piece comes from a previous Aquaman figure and to be able to match the same detail (even though some sort of tool was probably used) for the newly sculpted parts allowing the overall design to flow perfectly.

9.  DCC Trinity War Superman

A simple repaint from DC Collectibles Justice League line, this figure added a metallic look to the new Superman design.  I'm a big fan of Jim Lee and I thought the new costume designs of the New 52 were a much needed fresh breath to DC.  The added points come from the metallic look,which just makes the figure POP!

8.  DC Direct Hush Batman

This guy was my default Batman for many years.  Not only did my man crush for Jim Lee's work make this figure amazing, it was the best head sculpt for Batman that I have seen in years.  So much so that myself and every other customizer out there used this head sculpt for any Batman figure made.  This figure also had a sweet alternative hand that was holding the infamous grapple gun.  This figure was the reason as to why I started collecting full lines (vs "cherry picking" my favorite characters) again.  I really want to rate this figure higher but the short cape just kills me.

7.  Bandai Lion-O

I loved ThunderCats as a kid, so when Bandai made this bad boy, I had to get it.  Again, this figure could have been higher on the list but two things held it back.  One (not pictured), the ankle joints were orange (WTH) and two, I love the six inch scale and this guy is around eight inches.

6.  Playmates 2011 TMNT Raphael

The last of my old school love.  If you haven't been watching the new cartoon on Nick, SHAME ON YOU!  It is a great rendition of my favorite characters and the figures follow suit.  The articulation is just a tad better than the old school figures that I had but the new look is better.  My favorite turtle with an attitude looks like he is ready to dish out a beating and I love it.

5.  Hasbro SDCC Exclusive Archangel

My God!  Someone finally got it right when it comes to wings.  This figure would be so boring without those wings (obviously, it is just their standard body with a new head sculpt).  This exclusive had the figure in the X-Force suit but the vacuum sealed wings are SO pretty and the articulation is even nicer.  You can separate the outside of the wings, flip them around, and get a cool effect where they wrap around the figure.  A true masterpiece.

4.  DCUC New 52 Batman

I really wanted this figure to be higher but it just can't.  Any time a company makes a comic accurate figure of Batman, you can assume that it is going to make my fav list.  The Horsemen have a great tendency to mix a lot of different artists look into one figure in the DCUC line and they continued with this guy.  I see a little Lee, Capullo, and Finch plus a few others wrapped into one figure.  When I saw the prototype for this figure, I was sold.  Sadly, Mattel casted the main parts in a bluish gray, missing the now famous knee pads and that it kills me.

3.  DCC Justice Batman

Figured out that I love Jim Lee yet? Kidding aside, this is a great figure.  Nice long cape, colors are what they should be, great sculpted detail.  A true collector's piece.  This could easily make my all time favorite list had it not been severely lacking articulation.  Again, being the current look of the batsuit scores major points in my book (it's a disease, I know).  I love the New 52 designs and Bats is the best.  A lot of people hate that his underwear is not on the outside but I realized how dumb it was the year I put on a batsuit for Halloween.

2. Hasbro SDCC Exclusive Wolverine 

Good old Wolverine is my second all time favorite comic book character but in 2008, when Clayton Crain drew Wolvie in the X-Force outfit, I was blown away.  I loved the black and gray black ops uniforms and the red creepy eyes.  Fast forward to 2012 when Hasbro made the above figure for their exclusive set.  One of my favorite costumes for Logan, incredible articulation, and an amazing head sculpt where he is not screaming like a jackass.  The showstopper is the claws.  Not only are they vacuum sealed in this silver material but they are not warped and bent like every other Wolverine figure that we have every gotten.  But WAIT!  There is more, the claws are removable!  Finally, a bad ass looking Wolverine that is shorter than most figures (the way he should be).  This figure was reused in the latest ML line that came out in coordination with the new movie, but the paint apps were awful.  Truly a shame as that and this costume are my two favorite costumes.

1.  DCUC Custom Batman 

You honestly had to see this one coming.  I know this comes off as being arrogant but this is really my favorite figure, currently.  It is a nice blend of my favorite artists, heck, it is made from two figures that are on the list.  Head, cape, and gauntlets based on Jim Lee art, body based on Greg Capullo (I like the less armor look for the body because Batman is a badass that doesn't need armor).  Any version of Batman in his current costume is a chart topper for me.

Yeah, it is not a retail figure but that is the great aspects of custom.  You get the figure that YOU want.

So there you have it.  Will these figures be on my top 10 all time?  Stay tuned.

Love or hate these figures?  Let me know in the comments below.  Also, I wouldn't mind hearing what your top 10 are.  To each their own!








*Note:  All but one of these photos were not taken by me, but you probably already knew that based on the quality.

Custom New 52 Batman Version 2

I warned you that it would happen.  I just can't leave the figure alone!

So we are currently up to 10 DC Collectibles Justice Batman and 2 DCUC All-Stars Wave 21 Batman figures to make this one guy.  Why 10?  Well, I found a mold error in the DCC capes and finally got a hold of a cape that didn't trigger my anxiety.

So what did I change this time?  Well, I thought the gauntlets were too bulky, and my lady told me to step up the game.  So I trimmed them down, resculpted, and then added some of the pieces from the DCC Batman's gauntlets to not only streamline but also give a techie feel to it.


The final change was the unmasked head.  Since a lot of artist are now drawing the cowl like a helmet, I hollowed out on of the many DCC heads out so it looked like an empty cowl.

So not too many changes this time around but it's the small details that make me happy.

Let me know what you think in the comments below or visit my page at:

www.facebook.com/Truwe316

Masks For Figures, The Action Feature That Never Was

As a customizer, I get some really weird requests.  It's okay, it's kind of the point of customs...doing what the factories can't do.  On one of my commissions, I had the one request that really got me thinking, removable mask.  I am not sure if I should call it a weird request, as it is one of my favorites, but I often wondered why it just never banned out in retail.

Hard Plastic

My first exposure to this (and maybe the start of my obsession with head swapping action figures) was the Bruce Wayne figure from the "Batman Returns" toy line.

As you can see from the pic, the hard plastic just doesn't line up with the head perfectly.  If my memory serves me right, I also believe that the head piece really did not stay on the figure.  Also, it look s like he has gorilla feet and hands with the snap-on gloves and boots.

The Rubber Mask

As technology progresses, we get a tad closer to seeing better accessories in our favorite figures.  The Batman San Diego Comic Con 2012 figure sadly failed in going any better.

This guy is close but there are some flaws.  For starters, we are missing the famous black eye paint which just looks weird in my opinion.  Second, the mask is just too big and makes Bats look like a bobblehead.  A valiant effort from Mattel but we are just not there yet.  They could have made the rubber a tighter fit but it would either have caused the mask to rip when the buyer was taking the mask off or making it next to impossibe to take the mask off.  It really was a lose/lose for the designer.

Pin Head 

Probably the best attempt I have seen still falls short as it causes the dreaded "pin head" effect on the figure.  Marvel Legends Xorn figure (see below), had a nice mask that fit perfectly on the Magneto head (no spoiler alert as you should have read this over ten years ago).

While the Xorn mask looks great on the figure, the Magneto head is just a tad too small giving the pin head effect.  Personally, if I was a toy designer and I HAD to make a figure with a removable mask, this would be the choice I would make as it is not quite as bad as the other two.

The Other Guys

There are several other options out there as far as giving the masked/unmasked effect on action figures.  There was the Power Rangers head flipping toys out there for a while but these guys had box like torsos and it was sort of creepy when their chest and back burst open and their head would spin down as a helmeted head spun up.

Finally there is the best way to do it, the swappable head.  Scroll down to the custom Batman figure (or wait for pics of v1.2 that will be coming up) to see what I am talking about.  I feel this is the best way to go as comic book characters are (usually) shown having the same size head whether they have their masks on or off.  Off the top of my head, Jason Todd as Red Hood is a great example of this (funny enough, he is the character behind this pointless post).  Most artist, whether the helmet is on or off, will draw his head the same size.

Final Thoughts

It just doesn't work.  I really don't blame toy companies as it would either cost way to much money to execute masks at a small size or the material would probably rip the first time customers tried to use it if they went with a rubber like material.  The "pin head" effect works too but us fan boys will bitch too much.

What are your thoughts?  Did I forget to bring up an action figure that executed the removable mask?  Let me know!

Ben Affleck IS Batman

Everyone and their mother that knows me on a personal level knows that I am a Batman Fanatic.  Hell, some have called me a Batman expert.  This will be more of a personal post because after the article below (or some version of it) hit the web, my phone, e-mail, and Facebook has been flooded with messages from friends and family.

http://variety.com/2013/film/news/ben-affleck-is-the-new-batman-1200586881/

To give visitors a 1% understanding of my Batman knowledge, I have read every single issue of Batman from 1989 to current.  Before digital, I had roughly eight to ten large plastic totes of Batman comics.  In every house I have lived in, I have had a Batcave of some sort where I work on customs or display some of my stuff.  My mom is still pissed that the basement of her garage is full of Batman stuff that people have given to me over the years, it is even rumored that she might have to move it to a hayloft.  Long story short, I know Batman and in the upcoming Superman movie Ben Affleck will be Batman and I am okay with it...for now.

Let's start off by saying I am not an Affleck fan.  If I made a list of my top ten actors, he would not be on it.  I can't even tell you the last time I saw one of his flicks in theaters. 

I have seen his movies, though, and I do know that he can play the affectionate asshole like my dear Bats.  In "The Town", he was a great anti-hero. Shit, his best friend is (and I dare say) a bigger Batman fan than me, Kevin Smith.  Hopefully he has enough sense to ask Kev for some tips to playing the Dark Knight.

Look at Heath Ledger.  I was pissed when I found out that the singing high schooler, and poor knight was going to play my favorite villain of all time, the Joker.  What were they thinking?  The bank scene in "The Dark Knight" had me thinking that he might be an okay choice.  Heath wasn't good with that though.  He did the little magic trick in his next scene and I KNEW he was the Joker.  Remember the scene where Gordon gets promoted and the Joker started the creepy slow clap?  That was not in the script, it was all Ledger.

But we are talking about Afflect here.  So what good point can I bring to this casting choice?  The movie will be Man of Steel 2, so if he flops, Warner Brothers did not dedicate a whole movie to him.  If he is really good, we have our new Batman for a few movie.  If he does good but you just don't like him, you will see a new Batman sooner or later.  Just realize that Batman is Warner Brother's version of James Bond, the actor can be replaced at any time and the fans will still go.

I say let's give the guy a chance.  Worse case, he screws up a Superman movie, so what do I care?  Best case, I get to see a good Batman hit Superman in the face.  In the long run, I win!