Custom figures and dioramas

Dearth

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Sal is one of those figures that I keep postponing, but I've had several people approach me about making one.

The problem with Sal is that Super-Sculpey works best as a veneer over a poseable action figure, but it's too fragile to use for the points of articulation.

So first I need a base figure with a potbellied simian shape, and then it's just a matter of putting Sal over it. And that's gonna be a LOT of man-hours.

Theoretically, at that point I could have a mold made and make copies, but they would probably all be solid, unjointed castings. I want the one for me to be at least '1977' articulated... neck, shoulders, hips.

I had to look through my reference pics of the Sal proto, because the group shot with Gonzo that you linked didn't look familiar at first, but sure enough, I had saved it on my computer a while back.

Here's another...

http://threads.rebelscum.com/imagep...hp?file=202024&imagewidth=500&imageheight=375

And I've also got some great reference pics of the actual puppet that someone provided a while back, but at his request I am not allowed to share those.

I do know someone who makes molds and does recasting, but if the time he's taking to make copies of Kermit's top-hat are any indication, doing an entire Sal figure would take forever for him to get it right.

Alex
 

Muppetaz

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Hey Dearth, would this figure work?http://threads.rebelscum.com/imagepopup.php?imagename=http:%2F%2Fthreads.rebelscum.com%2Fphotogallery%2Fwatermark.php?file=202038&imagewidth=220&imageheight=220\

Maybe with a little filing down on the arms this could be sal. Ive seen this figure before so I also know it's the right size.

also I almost finished my baskervile, except I ran out of brown paint.
http://threads.rebelscum.com/imagep...p?file=202037&imagewidth=1024&imageheight=768

and also this weekend I got my first Vinylmation. :smile:
http://threads.rebelscum.com/imagep...hp?file=202036&imagewidth=576&imageheight=768
 

Dearth

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Sweet, rowlfy! Thanks! Those will be tremendously helpful when I finally begin trying to sculpt that bad boy. I just saved them into my Muppet projects folder.

Taz, the Donkey Kong figure idea has been brought up before, and I can see the appeal of using an ape that's wearing a tie to make an ape that's wearing a tie. It's certainly thinking outside of the box for a solution, and I always encourage that... but whenever I see those Super Mario figures in stores, I still think DK is a) too big and b) the torso is the wrong shape for Sal.

Donkey Kong's torso is muscular at the top and narrow at the bottom, like an upside-down pear, whereas Sal's is the opposite. (It would be kinda funny to pose a DK next to a Johnny Fiama and have Johnny ask if Sal's been working out.)

Maybe if Donkey Kong's arms and legs could be removed and swapped out before beginning the sculpted overlay, then there'd be something to the idea... if someone actually buys a Donkey Kong and tries that out, I would love to see some pictures.

But I still think he's just slightly too large. Especially now that I've seen the pic rowlfy mentioned, with Sal next to the production Johnny Fiama figure.

Alex
 

Muppetaz

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good idea, after i buy the backstage I'll get an donkey kong and try it out. if it works I could send it to you for the sculpting and painting.
 

Muppetaz

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Dearth, do you think you could make some star wars dioramas? From the tantive 5 hallways, and lukes grage?
 

Dearth

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Dearth, do you think you could make some star wars dioramas? From the tantive 5 hallways, and lukes grage?
Scaled to the Muppets? Or just scaled to regular Star Wars figures?

I have a huge Star Wars collection and have done a few simple dioramas. For some reason, I've never tackled the Tantive IV. Which is kinda surprising...

You see, the guy who gave that name ("Tantive IV") to Princess Leia's Rebel Blockade Runner was author Brian Daley, when he adapted the films into excellent Radio Dramas. I love how widespread the term has become in recent years.

I am fortunate enough to call Brian Daley a mentor. We never met in person, but we exchanged many phone calls and letters in the last few months of his life, and in fact I conducted the final interview he ever gave, published in a friend's fanzine back in the early 90's. Sadly, just a couple of months later, I was also writing a eulogy to him in those same pages.

It was a tremendous loss to me personally. A few years later, my oldest son was born eleven days earlier than predicted, coming unexpectedly on Brian's birthday, and as a result he had the name 'Daley' added to the names we'd already selected. (I'd previously considered Daley as his first name, but decided it sounded better as a girl's name, and thought to keep it in reserve in case I ever had a little girl. Good thing I used it when I did, as to this day I only have sons.)

The third play that I ever directed, about eight years ago, was dedicated to Brian. I cast myself as one character who gets word via a letter that his mentor has died, because I'd actually lived that experience and knew exactly what I wanted it to look like... so in performance the prop letter that I took from the envelope every night was in actuality a photocopy of a letter Brian's widow sent me after he died. No acting required.

Then about four years ago, I was going through a life change. Someone asked what did I plan to do with my life now, and I listed two things I desired, one of which was, "I'd like to get back into my writing." I distinctly recall wishing silently to myself that I still had a mentor like Brian, to give me guidance and encouragement.

Coincidentally, on behalf of a friend's website, I had sent an email to Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet asking for clarification about a detail in one of his upcoming books. His response floored me... "Alex Newborn! I certainly remember your name, from your wonderful eulogy to Brian Daley in the old Star Wars Collector! You should be writing for the Insider!"

So, thanks to my literary guardian angel Brian Daley, and to Steve Sansweet for making that connection, I had my first real professional writing assignment. A second followed, but the first (a seventeen-page history of the original Star Tours attraction) is pretty hard to top. You can see why, despite the fact he's been gone for fifteen years, I still tend to refer to him in the present tense.

Anyway, excuse the tangent. Back to the dios... for my shelf of Rebel Fleet Troopers aboard the Tantive IV, I just used the packaging inserts from some action figure multi-packs, basically they're just shots of the corridor set from the movie.

But I have seen some fantastic Tantive dios made, and I still hope some enterprising customizer will make the whole thing out of wood and then vacuform some wall sections as kits. No such luck yet.

Prowl around over there at the Rebelscum threads in the diorama section. One guy even did one scaled to 12" dolls, and it was amazing.

As for Luke's garage, I've never attempted that one either, aside from drawing the scene with a blue ballpoint pen on the inside of a shoebox when I was, oh, around ten years old or so.

An old buddy of mine who calls himself Sillof made a pretty good one, though. I got to see it in person when it was on display at one of the Star Wars Celebrations in Indianapolis. Either in 2002 or 2005. He's on the Rebelscum threads too, or you might want to check out his website, Sillof.com

Sillof's Luke's garage dio: http://sillof.com/images/Dioramas/D_garage2.jpg

Browse around the whole site, he's also got part of the Tantive IV in there, at least the bridge where Vader strangles Antilles, and the escape pod areas.

He's totally self-taught, very talented and an all-around great guy... even if he did marry into a crazy family.

(Little joke there... his wife is the first cousin of my ex-wife.)

Alex
 
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