Dearth/Alex's Customs and Dioramas v2

[Muppetaz]

Thank you, I'm using acrylic paints so I think I'll try thining it as well as sanding and washing the figure. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Dearth]

Guess what I got in the mail today?

A prototype of white-shirt Lips. This is my second Palisades prototype, following my purchase last year of the checkered suit version of Mega Gonzo.

Ironically, I spent about half for the prototype Lips that I did for a carded white-shirt Lips a few years back. Very happy with this investment, and best of all his paint isn't nearly as tacky as the real one.

Too bad he is missing most of the detailing on his poncho, but still pretty neat.

There's something odd about the COA, though. Looks really cheaply printed, but the foil sticker seems legit.

Alex

 

[Dearth]

Alex

 

[Dearth]

Well, I have now bought ANOTHER Muppet prototype, my third so far. It is the one I paid the least for, and the one I am happiest with!

On the left is the WW Dr. Teeth that arrived today, on the right is the white shirt Lips proto that arrived April 20th. Not pictured is the Mega Gonzo in checkered suit proto that I bought last year.

Two great things about this Dr. Teeth... I got him for about a third of what I've seen the production version of this deco go for, and he was surprisingly complete.

In the auction photo, he was missing his hat's feather. I contacted the seller, who said it was definitely NOT included. I put in a low bid because of this, then accepted the seller's counteroffer, so imagine my delight when I opened the wrappping and found the loose feather inside.

Some of you may recall that I once CUSTOMIZED a regular Dr. Teeth figure into a re-creation of this variant, saying that a customizer would never pay an inflated price for a simple re-deco figure whose sculpt was widely available. In fact, it was the already-painted custom that made me think a featherless proto could still be displayed well with the hat and/or feather I'd previously made.

My decision to paint one stemmed from missing an opportunity to buy the variant for around $50 a year or two ago, which was about the max I wanted to spend. Right after that, every one seemed to be selling theirs for $150.

So I am delighted to report that the counteroffer for this PROTOTYPE of the toy was only $50! I jumped at it.

And since this is a thread about my customs, here are some comparison pics for anyone who wants to see how close I got it, just consulting some online pics of a real WW Dr. Teeth. My custom is always on the left, the real proto is always on the right:

 

[Dearth]

I also took a comparison pic of the regular white shirt Lips (left) with the proto (right).

Very happy with both of these, and my Mega Checkered Gonzo. Now if I could just find a prototype seller offering Sal the monkey!

Alex

 

[Muppetaz]

cool.

 

[j3h]

Fasinating and informative as always Dearth; congrats on your acquisitions!
Have you inquired with Ken/corndog about Sal?
any thoughts about trying to custom a Sal using a Donkey Kong series figure (I think someone said the Grandpa character could be a close base)?

 

[Muppetaz]

That would be awsome if you got a Sal, perhaps you could make a mold of him to make more Sals.

 

[Dearth]

Ken/Corndog has great prototypes, no question about it, but I can't afford his prices. I've been fortunate on these three to acquire them from less expensive sources.

I've heard the suggestion about the DK figures as a possible base for Sal, but I have never seen any in person to know if their size is correct. It also looks like so much overhaul is involved that it would be easier just to make one from scratch.

If I managed to get my hands on a Sal proto, I would almost certainly defer the expense by having molds made and offering recasts to everyone whose Johnny Fiama feels so lonely.

Wait, that sounds like it's about profit. No, if I somehow got a Sal for FREE, I would still try to have reproductions made so everyone could fill that void too.

In other Muppet news, I have finally ordered a Jurassic Park Jungle Explorer vehicle to customize into a Jurasick Pork version. Hopefully this summer I'll get Jurasick Pork finished.

Alex

 

[LipsGF4Life]

God, ur lucky, I wish I had figures of the Electric Mayhem