TMNT Custom Contest (Mark III)

[Patraw]

Those of you that still attend school/college ought to be settled into your new routines by now, and there are no "major" holidays on the horizon besides Halloween, so this seems like a good time to start the third Technodrome Forums TMNT custom contest to me.



Da Rulez:

01. Entry is open to any and all registered members of this forum. You may not enter someone else's work for them--if you know someone who would like to enter this contest, but is not a member, then they must join before they can participate.

02. One entry per person. All entries must be "new" pieces and your own work. You cannot submit anything that you've finished days, weeks, months, or years ago. That said, I will allow the entry of anything you may have that is still a work-in-progress at the time of the posting of these rules.

03. All entries must be TMNT-centric. Any character or thing originating in the TMNT cartoons, comic books, movies, video games, etc., is fair game as far as subject matter goes. Alternatively, you can also create an all-new variant of an existing TMNT character (i.e., Lion Licking Leonardo) or combine an existing TMNT persona with a character from a non-TMNT franchise to create an amalgam (i.e., Shredder + Predator = Shredator). In addition to the traditional action figure, vehicles, play sets, busts/statues, accessory packs, 1:1 replicas, plushies, Lego/Megablok sets, etc., are all acceptable things to make--as long as it's something generally recognized as a toy collectible, I'm fine with it (ask first if you're not sure). Your custom can be a repaint, modification, recombination, partial new sculpt, 100% new sculpt, or any combination of these things--be creative! A single entry can consist of multiple figures, but remember that you're still restricted to the same image size limitations regardless of how many items are part of your entry.

04. One image, per entry, but you may combine multiple pictures together within that framework (i.e. a collage/montage of photos) if you so desire. The dimensions of said image can be no greater than 600 pixels in width by 800 pixels in height and it should be in JPG format. Entries shall not contain any content that wouldn't be found in a typical PG-13 rated movie. You can place text or watermarks on your image if you like. I reserve the right to edit the dimensions and file size/type, or censor the content, of any entry I receive.

05. Entries must be submitted to me via e-mail or private message, to which I will reply with a confirmation (I'm not online everyday, so give me a few days to get back to you). Once you submit an entry and I accept it, that's it. I will not substitute it for an updated version or a different one--so, make absolutely certain you're happy with it before you send it to me. You may post your customs in this thread, for the purposes of discussion/display, if you so desire, but that DOES NOT constitute submission.

06. The contest entry period will last for roughly six weeks (forty-two days), beginning on September 18, 2008, and concluding at midnight, my time (Eastern Standard Time, USA) on October 29, 2008. Anything dated after that cutoff point will not be accepted. No deadline extensions for anyone, for any reason, period.

07. The contest winner will be determined via a poll with all forum members, including contest participants, eligible to vote. In the event of a tie, I will perform a tie-breaker decision via random chance (die roll, coin flip, etc.). Contest entries will be listed in said poll in the alphabetical order of the participants' usernames.

08. This is just for fun/bragging-rights unless someone wants to donate a prize. Anyone donating a prize is solely responsible for mailing it to the contest winner, including any and all shipping costs, and MUST be willing to ship internationally if need be. A donor may not place any stipulations/conditions on the awarding of their prize(s).

09. Any participant caught cheating during the entry period and/or during voting will be disqualified and expelled from the contest. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to: (a) Entering something someone else made and claiming it as your own work; (b) Entering an old, completed work and passing it off as new; (c) Individuals having, and voting with, multiple forum accounts; (d) Actively soliciting people outside the forums to join solely for the purpose of voting for your entry.





I will answer/clarify any questions/concerns people may have about these rules in this thread, unless, I feel your question has already been answered adequately above, in which case, I will direct you to read the rules again.

[Ninjinister]

Dammit, the uber-ass custom I'm working on won't be finished (or even started, seeing as I don't have all of the necessary figures to kitbash yet) for months. Ah well, I'll enjoy seeing the entries anyway :lol:

[Patraw]

Well, in the interim, why not try making something else for the contest, while you're waiting for those parts for your future project to come in?

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

Let's see if I can do another complete set of turtles and then not take pictures of them before the deadline again ;)

[Ninjinister]

Well, in the interim, why not try making something else for the contest, while you're waiting for those parts for your future project to come in?

Well, because I honestly don't have access to anything to further my customs at this point... all that I have is an unfinished figure which some people have already seen.

[Patraw]

You were doing a set of Samurai movie turtles weren't you? I don't think you ever showed us those, unless I missed them.

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

Yeah, they got finished with time to spare-- pictures just never got taken.

Still haven't decided whether or not to donate prizes for this one. I guess I have plenty of time.

[Patraw]

The S: If it's still unfinished, that's all right, the rules allow for that (you just can't enter figures finished before the contest began). Nor does it matter that people already saw it, the entries aren't secret or anything.

[Patraw]

Darth_CJJ: That's your call to make. If you do decide to, I'd appreciate it. You certainly went above and beyond the call of duty in regards to generously donating prizes last time.

[Ninjinister]

You know what, what the hell. I don't really plan on winning anything. I'll just participate because this'll be my first chance to do so. I'll send you a PM when I have a chance.

[shuriken]

Damn I just made a custom a few weeks ago... guess I'll have to do something else then.

[Bigfoot]

Sign me up!

[BigApple3AM]

Thanks for continuing the custom contests Patraw. Now since my sculpts aren't finish if I were to finish one would I be able to submit it?

PS Shreddator is awesome.

[Buffy]

I would like to sign up too.

[TurtleManiac]

too many rulez. y cant it be a completed custom u have, its still a custom contest. customs take time to complete.

[Patraw]

Buffy/BigFoot/Shuriken/The S: Glad to hear you all intend to participate. There are no "sign-ups" this time around, but I do appreciate people letting me know they're interested in competing.

tmntfan617: Yes, the rules are fairly extensive, but they're all there for a reason. I guarantee you that, had some of that stuff been left out, I'd be getting even more questions than I am now.

In my opinion, submiting customs you've already completed kind of defeats the purpose of having a contest in the first place (what's the sense of even having a deadline, for example, if everybody is already finished before the contest begins?). The intent is to try to start everybody out on a more-or-less equal footing. I realize making customs takes time; you just have to be realistic about what you can reasonably accomplish in a 6 week period. All that said, some other time, it might be interesting to have a contest where everybody could submit the one TMNT custom they think was the best they ever made.

Ectocooler: Yup, any figures you've got started, but haven't finished, are fine for submission if you can complete them before deadline. You just can't submit anything that was finished prior to the date of my original post on the afternoon of 9/17/08.

I might get around to making my imaginary Shredator one of these days. Somebody else can use the idea if they want to.

[Leonardo19]

Will TMNT Heroclix be ok to enter?

[Patraw]

Yes, Heroclix would be fine--the more variety in toy types the better I say.

[Bigfoot]

I must not be hip enough to know what a Heroclix is...

I know... Google it.

[Blade Raider]

I must not be hip enough to know what a Heroclix is...

I know... Google it.
You're not missing anything :P

Hmmm...I might have something done before contest end.

[notebook]

think i'll play too. count me in, patraw.

[Patraw]

aden/Blade Raider: Cool, glad to hear the two of you may participate as well!

[Ninjinister]

I want real licensed TMNT HeroClix :(

[Patraw]

Write the company that makes Heroclix (WizKids) and suggest it, or run it by Peter Laird. Who knows? It could happen.

And, for those of you that aren't familiar with Heroclix, here's some background info for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroclix

[A little *too* Raph]

Sweet, I'm in. I've been waiting for another contest to roll around to give me an excuse to do some customs I've had in my mind.

[Bigfoot]

Last time, I went overboard and made like 10 customs. (Let me know if you want to see pics.) This time will be no different. I know I can only enter 1 submission, and I will make it clear in the end wich is my final decision. But these little contests give me a reason to "get away" from the real world.

Well anyways... It all started out with an idea...
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/TheBase.jpg
Yes, a self made NECA playset was in my future...
I needed some stairs for the entry into a NY style apartment...
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/FirstStairs.jpg
Hmmm...Those stairs are kinda big, these lower ones are more to scale.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/StairComparison.jpg
Now a railing and some posts... This is all cardboard so I need to primer everything before I start slapping paint all over it...
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/WhiteWall.jpg
All white! I mean right. That will work just fine. You can see I kinda drew an idea of what I wanted with pencil at this stage.
PUT SOME PAINT ON IT! It takes time... and I wanted the right color... so I asked Raph...
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/RedWall.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/RedGrayWall.jpghttp://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/SomeBricks.jpg
And that's what it looks like...
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/GroupShot1.jpg
This was my first diorama of sorts. It took all weekend with all the drying times, and I am constantly adding detail. I just added garbage cans, fake rats, and an address this afternoon. I learned alot making this, and would do things differently in the future. I want to go even bigger in the future, but with a 2k3 theme. If anyone else has knowledge on the subject, or have pics of self made dioramas, please share. One of my questions for now is does cardboard work better over that styrofoam posterboard stuff? The edge of mine started to wrinkle up when they got painted.

Anyways, I actually have pics of something I did while this was drying, but there is a limit of how many pics you can post...

[notebook]

thats awesome. i'd love to see more of yr cutoms.

[A little *too* Raph]

Wow, thats pretty sweet Bigfoot. I'm lookin forward to seeing what you enter in the contest

[Bigfoot]

Thank you.

Like I said, I repainted these 2k3 turtles while the Neca thing was drying. I painted them with a very cool shimmering metallic paint. It started out as a test just to see how the paint would stick, and then I started mixing up different colors. These are in no way supposed to represent or be an example of anything that already exists. I just repainted them but with quite a bit more detail than you would get from Playmates. Oh yeah, and the color scheme is a bit different, but they look awesome in person, so sparkly.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/GayTMNT2.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/GayTMNT3.jpghttp://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/GayTMNT4.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/GayTMNT5.jpg
Thats right, a copper shell!

And here are some past figs...

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/GroupFinal.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/CustomSplinter1.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/CustomApril2.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/CustomMikeyShredder6.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/CustomPD4.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/BigfootComparison.jpg

[Patraw]

A little *too* Raph: Glad to hear you intend to participate.

BigFoot: Cool, Mirage-style diorama. I think the stairs are the best looking element and match the NECA pieces pretty closely in style. The bricks and windows on the building face are a tad bit on the messy side--they need sharper and more defined edges. They appear to be just painted on--they'd look more realistic, and I think you'd find them easier to paint, if they were actual raised, 3-dimensional elements.

The interior of the corrugated cardboard is visible on your stair posts--I used to suffer from the same problem when I first started working with that kind of cardboard. If you want to get rid of that unfinished look, what you do is cut out a strip of paper, the width of the thickness of the cardboard, and then glue that around the edges to cover it up. Cardboard does have a tendency to wilt/warp when you paint it, as does paper, the best thing to do is apply thin coats and do smaller areas, rather than larger ones, at a time.

The psychadelic turtles are cool, I particularly like the blue/yellow Raph, because it reminds me of Mekka Turtle from the original NES game. I think a wave of turtles with those types of color schemes would be awesome.


And, here's what I've been working on:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_sisyphus_progress.jpg

I still need to make the two pairs of smaller wings, which will go inside the shell, and clean up/add to other areas, but I'm getting pretty close to finishing the sculpting work. Should have around 33 points of articulation when finished (little is permanently connected at this point in the process).

[Ninjinister]

And, here's what I've been working on:

-Image snip-

I still need to make the two pairs of smaller wings, which will go inside the shell, and clean up/add to other areas, but I'm getting pretty close to finishing the sculpting work. Should have around 33 points of articulation when finished (little is permanently connected at this point in the process).

Yay Sisyphus! You know, I wonder how he got his name. Maybe he's a dung beetle....

[VaughnMichael]

Yay Sisyphus! You know, I wonder how he got his name. Maybe he's a dung beetle....
S, I'm pretty sure he's a Scarab Beetle.
http://www.seekingcenter.com/connections/clip/healing_03/HA_050_scarab.p.jpg
but hell maybe you're right, his color always threw me off.
http://www.bu.edu/sjmag/news-cms/photos/Lanista.jpg
I wonder who came up with him.

[Ninjinister]

S, I'm pretty sure he's a Scarab Beetle.


Dung Beetles are scarabs. Besides that, I was kidding. As you know, dung beetles roll big balls of poo around. Well, Sisyphus was a Greek king who was punished to roll a boulder uphill for all of eternity, in the underworld.

[VaughnMichael]

Dung Beetles are scarabs. Besides that, I was kidding. As you know, dung beetles roll big balls of poo around. Well, Sisyphus was a Greek king who was punished to roll a boulder uphill for all of eternity, in the underworld.
Yeah I know about Sisyphus, but I wasn't aware that Dung's & Scarabs are the same thing.

[aprilsfan]

wow bigfoot, those turtles look amazing painted red and blue. and those foot ninjas painted different colors are pretty neat too. who would have thought that the 2k3 figures just simply painted differently could look so cool.

[Ninjinister]

wow bigfoot, those turtles look amazing painted red and blue. and those foot ninjas painted different colors are pretty neat too. who would have thought that the 2k3 figures just simply painted differently could look so cool.

The different coloured turtles actually remind me of these fellows:

http://ninjaturtles.com/toys/1997/donskim.htm
http://ninjaturtles.com/toys/1997/leocycle.htm

[BigApple3AM]

Hahaha, Pimp Daddy Splinter. That's awesome.

Patraw: Wow Sisyphus is looking good. Have you ever thought of doing figures larger than 1-2"? With all the articulation you give them they'd fit in great with the NECA TMNT if they were larger. You gotta do the other 3 turtles now since Don looked so good (and that playset on your website is badass).

[Patraw]

All done:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_sisyphus1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_sisyphus2.jpg

Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot glue, wire twist ties, ink, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions*:
(* The numbers given are approximations, as the dimensions of this figure can vary considerably depending on how the joints are positioned.)
5.7 cm/2.2 in. x 3.2 cm/1.3 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
Thirty-six points total: Neck (2), shell (3), wings (4), shoulders(4), elbows (8 ), wrists (4), groin guard, thigh guards (2), hips (2), knees (4), and ankles (2).

Time:
Roughly four days: Construction occurred on September 18, 20, 23, and 25 (2008 ).


The S/VaughnMichael: I don't know what kind of beetle Sisyphus is supposed to be (I have the game, but not the manual, so I don't know if they gave any background story on him there, didn't find any info on GameFAQs in that regard either). My guess would be a Goliath beetle, but a scarab is certainly a possibility. The Japanese like to keep big beetles as pets, so my guess is that the design might have been inspired by that--they might have been trying to channel a bit of MK's Goro with the four arm thing too.

Ectocooler: I've made plenty of larger figures in the past, but Baxter is the only TMNT one (I think he's about 8 inches tall). I mainly make smaller figures these days because it conserves space, takes less materials, and I find if more challenging.

Yeah, Don is kinda lonely by himself . . . I should have made a mold when I made him, then I could have turned out all four pretty quick like. That's kind of the rub, I don't like sculpting multiples of the same thing, which the turtles basically are.

[Archon_Turtle]

Just throwing my hat in the ring again... I've just begun construction of my entry :-)

[Bigfoot]

I was wanting to make a Starlee figure and was wondering if anyone had some good pics of the toy that was going to be produced. All I found on Google were some crappy screenshots. Any pics posted in this thread or pm would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Patraw]

The S: Looks like you were right, I found this on Wikipedia, can't say it resembles the character much though:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus_(beetle)

Archon_Turtle: Welcome aboard! I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

BigFoot: There's tons of Fast Forward screenshots here, organized by episode, you're sure to find some StarLee reference images:

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/cartoon/newsynopses06.htm

[Buffy]

I'm planning on making a Sh'okanabo Splinter and I remember seeing foto's of a finished prototype from some toyfare. Can someone help me find those pictures?

[Blade Raider]

I'm planning on making a Sh'okanabo Splinter and I remember seeing foto's of a finished prototype from some toyfare. Can someone help me find those pictures?
Here ya go. Fall Toy Fair gallery:
http://74.52.193.82/events/main.php?g2_itemId=54995

[DragonDavy1]

Can I get signed up for this?:tgrin:

[Zachatello00]

whoa, I've never seen some of those FF prototypes. Awesome! I suppose though, that those are way beyond history at this point.... oh well.

[Buffy]

Here ya go. Fall Toy Fair gallery:
http://74.52.193.82/events/main.php?g2_itemId=54995

Thank you very much! :D

[Archon_Turtle]

My Official Entry:

Based off the Wolverine character in this 1984 Eastman/Laird sketch:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/TMNT_as_Marvels-duoshade-1984sm.jpg

I am VERY pleased with him. He actually came out better than I was expecting him to.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/100_0397.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/100_0399.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/100_0400.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/100_0401.jpg

[notebook]

wow dude! that is great! i was hoping somebody would make a wolverine turtle!

i am making a daredevil and two spider-man figs as well, but not for this contest. here's a pic of spider-mike
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2102/2895012060_424ab79825_m.jpg. after posting this pic, i went back and straightened out the front logo a little bit. it's very hard to be symmetrical without a guide.

i am also making a red/blue version, but i have to wait for my paints.

[DragonDavy1]

Sweet work, they look great!

[tOkKa]

My Official Entry:

Based off the Wolverine character in this 1984 Eastman/Laird sketch:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/TMNT_as_Marvels-duoshade-1984sm.jpg

I am VERY pleased with him. He actually came out better than I was expecting him to.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/100_0397.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/100_0399.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/100_0400.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Wolverine%20Turtle/100_0401.jpg

-->> ..my hero .. !! :D

[Buffy]

Very cool Wolverine and Spider-Mike!

[tOkKa]

-->> .. i dunno .. if i'm entering this,prolly not .

Still .. -



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3243/2897668181_50151c06f9.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897668181/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2897668183_b209012f7f.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897668183/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2897761603_55511104ac.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897761603/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2897718395_03ede0ae05.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897718395/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/2897718397_8b4cd7f3b1.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897718397/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2897718399_34e37cbd7a.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897718399/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/2897761605_b1c1d3ab98.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897761605/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/2897761607_63ae47d240.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897761607/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2898642030_b009980fa4.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2898642030/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2897843357_bb413702a7.jpg
@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrible2z/2897843357/

[Buffy]

I love your halloween Krang Tokka :)

[Patraw]

Archon_Turtle:
Excellent Wolverine/Turtle combo custom! He looks a bit strange without a shell, but he's cool nonetheless.

Note, and this goes for everybody: All submissions must be e-mailed and/or PM'd to me. Posting them in the contest thread DOES NOT count as submission this time. I had problems with that during the last contest which is why I'm not accepting that as a form of submission in this contest. If you post your entry in this thread, but don't e-mail/PM it to me, you won't be in the voting thread. Also remember that, once someone submits something to me, it's final. You can't change your mind later and exchange it for something else, or even update it, so be absolutely sure you're happy with all aspects of your entry before you submit it to me.

DragonDavy1: There are no sign-ups, all you have to do is make something and submit it before deadline.

aden: Very nice Black Spidey Costume Turtle. I'm glad to see some people doing TMNT amalgams!

tOkKa: Very interesting repaint of Krang; I never thought of him as being a pumpkin, but it works. I like how your paint style mirrors your illustrations too. I hope you do consider entering it, or something else, for the contest.

[tOkKa]

Archon_Turtle:
Excellent Wolverine/Turtle combo custom! He looks a bit strange without a shell, but he's cool nonetheless.

..

tOkKa: Very interesting repaint of Krang; I never thought of him as being a pumpkin, but it works. I like how your paint style mirrors your illustrations too. I hope you do consider entering it, or something else, for the contest.

-->> Thank you..

..again, just sharing, may enter.. if i email you ..then i guess that means i've entered .

contest aside , P .. where is your website of photo account or whatever, T-drome thread .. anything ..

i wanna see more of your customs specific.

I am terribly intrigued with your Video Game figs.

Sisy is killer.. but your animation shows more like the Mechaturtle and Mother mouser !!


** well wait, i do recall a thread or something with your customs, i 'll look it up.


>v<

[tOkKa]

I love your halloween Krang Tokka :)



;)

-->>.. ..thanks, kicker..

[Ninjinister]

Lovin' the Krang-o'-lantern. It's a wonder why despite being co-main villain with Shredder, Krang never got kooky variants in lines.

[Archon_Turtle]

Archon_Turtle:
Excellent Wolverine/Turtle combo custom! He looks a bit strange without a shell, but he's cool nonetheless.


Thanks Patraw. I chose to remove his shell because he was depicted without a shell in the eastman/laird sketch I based the figure on.

[Patraw]

Archon_Turtle: Yeah, I noticed that he didn't have one in the artwork you based in on. I'm not faulting you or anything for it; it's good to be accurate to the source material. It's just unusual to see one of the TMNT without one.

tOkKa: Well, again, I hope you do submit something, the more the merrier. All of my sculptures can be found at this address:

http://www.angelfire.com/ult/ace/figure_index.html


*************************************************


This isn't for a TMNT figure, per se, rather it's a generic 2.5-inch-tall articulated female body that I'm making specifically for the purposes of creating a universal mold, so that I can mass produce the body type relatively easily. If this works out well, I hope to make humanoid male and skeleton bodies for the same purpose as well. Once I have the basic molds, I can then start modifying them to make more specific molds, such as say, a Foot Soldier. This will save me a lot of time in the future--it's kind of inefficient to sculpt a brand new humanoid body each and very time, when using an old one as a starting point would literally save me hours of work on each figure. I just started it last night, so there are still things to be done before I can create the mold. I need to makes some hands (probably fists, as I think individual fingers will break, due to their delicacy at this scale, in the mold) and feet, as well as modify/clean-up the sculpt in general. I'm probably not going to make elbows, knees, or a neck in the mold (which is why they're missing) because those pieces are simple and easy to make anyway. If this venture is a success, I could, for example, cast two of these generic female bodies and then customize one into Karai, and the other into April O'Neil, relatively easily. I could then take that a step further, make a mold of Karai's finished body, and then mass produce a bunch of Karai Androids (Same As It Never Was).

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/eve02.jpg

[thebrownranger]

Write the company that makes Heroclix (WizKids) and suggest it, or run it by Peter Laird. Who knows? It could happen.

And, for those of you that aren't familiar with Heroclix, here's some background info for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroclix

That reminds me, does anybody have pics of those custom tmnt Heroclix they can post up? That would be a really cool submission!

[Patraw]

I don't think Leonardo19 had any done yet, he was just asking if it'd be okay for a submission. If anybody else has ever made any custom HeroClix TMNT figures, I don't recall seeing them.

[A little *too* Raph]

quick queston. What are the most useful dremel attachemnts that you guys have found? Ive been using a cutting drillbit and a grinding stone alot, but it seems like there must be more useful and efficient tools than that. Any suggestions?

[Patraw]

I've considered buying a dremel for sculpting work, but, thus far, haven't done so. I'd drop Jin Saotome a line, I know he uses one, and I'm sure he could give you some pointers/advice on the subject.

[thebrownranger]

I found these customs online from this link: http://www.algrim.info/hcmods.htm

http://www.algrim.info/tmnt33.jpg

I'm just curious as to what you'd need to sculpt custom clix especially this small.

[Archon_Turtle]

I found these customs online from this link: http://www.algrim.info/hcmods.htm

http://www.algrim.info/tmnt33.jpg

I'm just curious as to what you'd need to sculpt custom clix especially this small.

You could always ask him. Theres an email link on that site you linked. :-)

[thebrownranger]

You could always ask him. Theres an email link on that site you linked. :-)

Sure thing! I hope he responds back. :P

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

Between being poor and being unable to find most of the materials and bases I'd need for customs anyway, I'm glad I have an extra K**** to make an adult S******.

[Patraw]

Cool TMNT HeroClix custom figures--I've never seen them before. My guess is they were made with super sculpey and really steady hands. It's tricky to sculpt that small, but it's definitely do-able if you've got the patience. The redhead makes me thing of Ann O'Brien, rather than April though--maybe it's a repaint of another figure?


*****************************

Here's how my universal female body looks after a couple of more days of work (I slapped a couple of coats of acrylic paint on it so that the problem areas are easier to see--it's difficult to spot when things are amiss when the figure is covered with burns and newsprint text). I also replaced the arms and legs I showed last time with new ones, as I felt the originals were too thick/masculine looking--I did save them for potential use with another figure though. I know I said last time I wasn't going to bother making the neck, elbows, and knees, but I decided to do it anyway, just so I can make sure all the proportions are how I want them--those five pieces probably still aren't going in the mold though. The figure is getting pretty close to how I want it, but there are still some problem areas, most noticeably the breasts and feet. The head's probably a tad too small, but seeing as how it's going to have hair sculpted on top of it in most cases, which will make it larger, that should be okay (and if it isn't, well, then I'll have to sculpt a new one). Once I get everything fixed up okay, it'll be mold-making time, then casting, and, finally, if all goes well, a steady stream of female figures utilizing this base body.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/eve03.jpg

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

As many customs as you make, you should just figure out a way to make molds of your "bases" so that you don't have to sculpt a base for each custom...

[Ninjinister]

The S: Looks like you were right, I found this on Wikipedia, can't say it resembles the character much though:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus_(beetle)


Hmm... interesting, so my theory came full circle. I'm very read up on my mythology, but not so on my bugs, so I'm both glad and surprised that I wasn't too far off the mark.

Speaking of which, I think I might have found a possible inspiration for Sisyphus. It's a Hell of a longshot, but the connection clicked in my brain. It's from Page 32 of Issue 32 of Volume 32... I mean Volume 1.

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2137/3232pz0.png

Oh, what I wouldn't give for the full colour version of this issue....

[A little *too* Raph]

Well I figured I'd post some WIP pics. Comments welcome, good or bad.

Hmmm... wonder what its gonna be...
http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/stage1.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/stage2-1.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/stage2-2.jpg

[Zachatello00]

Nice! Maybe he should have asked you for a new body instead of Shredder.

[Patraw]

Believe it or not, the entry period is almost half over already (remember, deadline is midnight, my time, on the 29th)--time flies! I hope everybody who intends to participate has a good start on their projects.

Darth CJJ: That's the whole idea!

The S: That comic bug is a possibility for Sisyphus' origin--I imagine Mirage Studios provided Konami with comic art as reference material when they were working on the Tournament Fighters games. Thanks for sharing that hypothesis!

While I like Sisyphus and Aska, I still wonder why Konami felt the need to make up those two characters when there were so many real TMNT characters to pick from.

I was also pondering, the other day, if there might be some connection between Antrax and Sisyphus, one inspired by the other, maybe? They've both got four arms, which is a pretty flimsy connection, as they're both insects, but still, I wonder.

A little *too* Raph: Looks good so far. That wrestling body should make an excellent base for Krang's Android Body (or maybe an Utrom)--the proportions look pretty close, even unmodified.

***********************************

So, here's the bottom half of the mold. I don't know how well the green clay I'm using is going to work out--it's taking forever to air-dry/harden; at this rate, it may be a week before I can even try my first casting. If it ends up not panning out, then I'll have to try a different medium for the mold.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/eve06.jpg

[Ninjinister]

The S: That comic bug is a possibility for Sisyphus' origin--I imagine Mirage Studios provided Konami with comic art as reference material when they were working on the Tournament Fighters games. Thanks for sharing that hypothesis!

While I like Sisyphus and Aska, I still wonder why Konami felt the need to make up those two characters when there were so many real TMNT characters to pick from.

I was also pondering, the other day, if there might be some connection between Antrax and Sisyphus, one inspired by the other, maybe? They've both got four arms, which is a pretty flimsy connection, as they're both insects, but still, I wonder.

I thought of it not because it's a bug, but because of a specific kind of bug. I don't know if it's apparent from the scan, but that isn't a boulder that bug is carrying.

As for why Sisyphus and Aska were added, maybe it's the same reason three second characters like Sleeg and Monster appeared in Mutant Melee. True, they were actual TMNT characters, but they were obscure as Hell. Quarry and Stonebiter would have been better choices.

Antrax and Sisyphus having a connection never crossed my mind, as they were completely different kinds of insects. But still, who knows what the devil Konami was thinking. They had April cosplay Blaze Fielding for Chrissake!

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

Patraw I'm about to PM you about an important question I have regarding this contest.

As far as being able to enter this contest is concerned, I certainly won't be working on customs at the last minute, as I've already finished one of a four figure set, and the second is also almost finished. I think I remember reading in the rules that we could submit more than one figure as long as they were all part of one (1) entry, correct?

[Patraw]

Darth_CJJ: Right, you can submit multiple figures as one entry, but they all have to fit within a single 600-pixel-wide x 800-pixel-high JPG image. Obviously, the more figures you squeeze in, the less well you will be able to show them off, which is something to consider [i.e., you could conceivably put 30 figures in your entry (assuming you could do 30 customs in 6 weeks that is), but you probably wouldn't be able to see the detail in any of them very well in a group picture of those dimensions].

I didn't allow people to submit up to two entries this time because the forum only allows 15 poll options, and I wish to avoid overshooting that if at all possible (i.e., it would only takes 8 people, submitting two entries each, to go over that limit), because then people would have to post their votes directly in the voting thread, instead of anonymously in a poll [which, if the extremely low voting turnout (6 votes) for the honorable mentions categories in the last custom contest are any indication, is something the majority of the people here don't like and/or aren't comfortable with]. Allowing multiple figures per one entry amounts to more or less the same thing as multiple entries anyway, in my opinion.

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

Darth_CJJ: Right, you can submit multiple figures as one entry, but they all have to fit within a single 600-pixel-wide x 800-pixel-high JPG image. Obviously, the more figures you squeeze in, the less well you will be able to show them off, which is something to consider [i.e., you could conceivably put 30 figures in your entry (assuming you could do 30 customs in 6 weeks that is), but you probably wouldn't be able to see the detail in any of them very well in a group picture of those dimensions].



Yes, but shouldn't that not matter since we can post as many pictures as we want into this thread?

[Patraw]

Darth_CJJ:
You can post however many photos you want in this contest thread, but they won't be in the voting thread, which is what ultimately matters in the end. You have to win solely on the merits of what you submit to me as your official entry. You may put a text address of an URL(s) directly on your entry, to additional photos, if you so desire, but there's no guarantee that voters are going to take the time to visit it.

Like the last contest, I will not permit anyone to post additional photos and/or links to customs inside the voting thread once it's up. Participants will be allowed to respond to questions/comments about their customs in the voting thread, but they will not be allowed to display, or link to, any additional content, as that would undermine the purpose of restricting everyone to the same image limitations.

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

I've already finished two customs that will be parts of a four figure set... Tokka and Vaughan have seen them, and I sent pics of one of them to Murph and he thought it was freakin' awesome...

[VaughnMichael]

I have?:-?

[Patraw]

Fifteen days till deadline, after tonight--if anyone out there is planning on participating, but hasn't got anything started yet, you'd better get crack-a-lackin'.

Darth_CJJ: Okay, hope you can get all four done by deadline. If Murph thought it was awesome, then I expect great things . . .

************************************************** ***

I started sculpting a super-articulated mini Buzzroc Sunday night. I've only got the legs done so far. There's fourteen points of articulation in those alone, 4 more that the real toy has altogether. I didn't work on Buzzroc anymore yesterday, 'cuz I was busy working on finishing a Super Mario Bros. 3 diorama that I started earlier in the month.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzroc_legs.jpg

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

I have?:-?

Tokka said he showed you the pics I sent him...

[VaughnMichael]

Tokka said he showed you the pics I sent him...
oh lol he had no idea who the stuff was from, he's all "some random person sent me pics of turtle figures":lol:

[Patraw]

Here's some more sculpting progress on mini Buzzroc. Most of the body and head are done now--I think I need to shorten the torso up some, but I'll probably see how it looks with arms first though. I made his abdomen/tail stick straight out of his backside, rather than hanging down like it is on the toy, because I think it looks better that way and it won't hinder the leg articulation as much in that position. I'm going to make his wings significantly bigger than they are on the toy, in addition to articulating them, 'cuz I think the toy's are too tiny to realistically support flight (plus they'll look cooler). Sisyphus' wings were pretty tiny too, but I was restricted by having to fit them inside his shell; I don't have to worry about that here.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzroc_body.jpg

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

oh lol he had no idea who the stuff was from, he's all "some random person sent me pics of turtle figures":lol:

Yeah, I sent them from my phone so he didn't know who they were from. But I talked to him later and he told me that he showed them to you and you thought they were good as well.

[Patraw]

Almost done now--I mainly just need to make the trident, whip, and pistol/holster. The wings aren't permanently connected yet because I haven't decided whether I like them or not. Forty points of articulation total. Excluding the wings, he's a little shy of 3 inches tall.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzroc_arms.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzroc_near.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzroc_paint.jpg

[raven6859]

That Buzzrock is incredible!

[Buffy]

Very cool Buzzrock! If only playmates could make a figure like this....

[Patraw]

Thanks!

I like Playmate's Buzzroc (as well as Multiflex, and to a lesser extent, Dumpjumper) quite a bit--it just needs more articulation and paint ops. Buzzroc and Multiflex are two of the best villain sculpts/designs I've seen come of Playmates in some time.

[VaughnMichael]

Thanks!

I like Playmate's Buzzroc (as well as Multiflex, and to a lesser extent, Dumpjumper) quite a bit--it just needs more articulation and paint ops. Buzzroc and Multiflex are two of the best villain sculpts/designs I've seen come of Playmates in some time.
All thanks to Mirage's own Amazing Mike Dooney!:D

[Patraw]

Playmates ought to let Dooney design all their original characters then!:D

[VaughnMichael]

Playmates ought to let Dooney design all their original characters then!:D
Indeed they should, indeed they should.
I wish they would work like they did before with the old Mirage crew, creating all kinds of crazy characters.

[Leonardo19]

Great job on the Buzzrock! Can't wait to see more of your customs in the future! I have enjoyed all you have done so far.

[notebook]

buzzrok! awesome!
that's a good, intersting choice for a custom.

i'm finishing my cryin hound figure...should be done tomorrow.
i'll be submitting him along with the stump tmnt.
maybe i'll do a stump leatherhead too as part of the set, if i get the base figure in time.

[Patraw]

NINE DAYS TILL DEADLINE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!! Remember: All entry images must be e-mailed and/or PM'd to me--posting your custom photos in this thread IS NOT a submission.

aden: Okay, looking forward to getting your contest submission!
Remember, you only get one 600 pixel wide x 800 pixel high (max) image, so if you're going to submit a bunch of figures as your entry, you'll have to take that into account as far as how your presentation goes.


*****************************

These are Buzzrok's accessories, complete, but unpainted/unassembled, that I made on the fifth, and final, day of this project. The trident is done in three separate pieces because it's easier that way.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzrok_arsenal.jpg

And here's everything finished. I shortened Buzzrok's wings up a little bit, and replaced their joints, as they were too stiff for functionality, but, other than that, and a few paint touch-ups, the figure is identical in construction to what I showed before.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzrok10.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzrok11.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_buzzrok12.jpg

Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white paper, white/hot glue, wire twist ties, a paperclip, plastic, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions*:
(* The numbers given are approximations, as the dimensions of this figure can vary considerably depending on how the joints are positioned, especially the wings.)
7.0 cm/2.8 in. x 4.2 cm/1.7 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
Forty points total: Neck (4), wings (4), shoulders(4), elbows ( 8 ), wrists (4), chest, waist, hips (2), hocks (4), fetlocks (4), and ankles (4). Additionally, the whip accessory is bendable and the pistol holster has one point of articulation where it plugs into Buzzrok's waist.

Time:
Roughly five days: Construction ran from October 12-18, 2008, with no work performed on the 13th or 14th.


I don't know if I'm going to sculpt anything else for the contest before deadline. I started sculpting a DOOM II figure yesterday, but, it should be a quick one (I'd say I'm already over half way done with it), so, I would still have time to crank out another TMNT figure or two yet . . .

[Ninjinister]

Well, crap, the deadline's sneaking up on us, eh? I'll just submit my figure as is, then. I had a lot on my plate this past month or so, so I never got around to picking up the paint to touch it up.

Speaking of painting, and this is for a much, much later product - anybody have any tips on painting an Utrom? A co-worker said to make a mold of it with Miracle Mold, but I'm still a beginner in even the painting stage, so I'm not sure I'm ready to mold things yet.

Anyway, amazing Buzzrock, Patraw. It's even more detailed than Playmates', and even it its diminutive size, it's clear how awesome it is.

[Patraw]

The S: Yup, deadline always comes sooner than you think.

On painting an Utrom: I imagine the exo-suit would look very nice with some metallic/chrome paint on it, and I'd advise a black wash to bring out the details. For the squishy Utrom itself, I'd probably paint it red, then dry brush pink onto it, or, alternatively, paint it pink and apply a red wash. I'd put a coat of transparent gloss over that, to make it look wet. You could get fancy and paint little veins and crap on it too if you wanted.

[Ninjinister]

The S: Yup, deadline always comes sooner than you think.

On painting an Utrom: I imagine the exo-suit would look very nice with some metallic/chrome paint on it, and I'd advise a black wash to bring out the details. For the squishy Utrom itself, I'd probably paint it red, then dry brush pink onto it, or, alternatively, paint it pink and apply a red wash. I'd put a coat of transparent gloss over that, to make it look wet. You could get fancy and paint little veins and crap on it too if you wanted.

Thanks for the tip. My main concern is that the Utrom itself is a different material than most of the other figures and their accessories, so I feared that Testors acrylic would murder it.

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

If I were you, I would make an Utrom mold, or just sculpt one by hand. I saw some really good Utrom customs (including Ch'rell) on a site one time but now for the life of me I can't find them anywhere.

[A little *too* Raph]

Well, here's an update.

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/krang2.jpg

I'm gonna need to start cramming some hours if im gonna get it done. :o

Patraw: That buzzrock is amazing! How is that mold working out?

[Patraw]

ONE WEEK (7 DAYS) LEFT TILL DEADLINE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!!


A little *too* Raph: Krang's body is looking good--I hope you can get it finished by deadline.

Unfortunately, no, my mold for the universal female figure didn't working out too well. The clay mold went awry, and a second, wax mold I made didn't work out too well either. I did have some success making a mold for Baby Bloobers (Super Mario Bros. 3) out of hot glue though (you can check that out at http://kramwartap.fortunecity.com/bloober_family.html if you're interested). Currently, the female body is sitting in my desk drawer--I got tired/frustrated with picking bits of wax out of the body's crevasses--the result of the last molding attempt--with a sewing needle and tossed it in there. Not sure at this point if I'm going to go back to it or not. I definitely need to refine my mold-making/casting techniques if I'm going to start doing it regularly.

The S: Yeah, I agree that you'll want to be careful with the Utrom since it's made out of that weird rubbery plastic--hard to say what paint might do to that (you might have to wash it off first, as the Utroms are a bit sticky if I remember right). Maybe you could buy some of those cheap sticky rubber toys they have in gumball machines to test your paint on--those seem to be made from a similar material.

[Ninjinister]

ONE WEEK (7 DAYS) LEFT TILL DEADLINE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!!

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5621/sadakofu5.jpg


The S: Yeah, I agree that you'll want to be careful with the Utrom since it's made out of that weird rubbery plastic--hard to say what paint might do to that (you might have to wash it off first, as the Utroms are a bit sticky if I remember right). Maybe you could buy some of those cheap sticky rubber toys they have in gumball machines to test your paint on--those seem to be made from a similar material.

I think a co-worker is going to make a mold of them for me. I think I'll spend the quarter to get one of those vending sticky toys just to test it.

[notebook]

i'm still waiting on the base figure for my trap custom, but both cryin hound and stump wrestling leatherhead are nearly complete. i'm still gotta touch 'em up a bit.

cryin hound-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2960895366/

stump leatherhead-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2963588893/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2964429578/

[Ninjinister]

Was there ever a Stump Wrestler Leatherhead, or is this something of your own creation? I don't recall a lot of the ol' Archie comics....

[notebook]

yeah, i think he showed up toward the end of issue 7 with a a black mask.
i used issues 12-13 as a refrence for him.

[Ninjinister]

yeah, i think he showed up toward the end of issue 7 with a a black mask.
i used issues 12-13 as a refrence for him.

Hmm... yeah, I looked at a few images on the official site, and I vaguely remember that appearance for him... I need to go to my parents' place and get the rest of my comics to jog my memory (if indeed I have those issues).

[Patraw]

aden: I never thought I'd see a Cryin' Hound custom--great job on him!!! He's a little lumpy, but I think that look goes okay on him. Gotta love four armed dudes.

The Stump Leatherhead is pretty nice too--I always dug them big yellow eyebrows on him.

[raven6859]

Hey, nice work Aden! Brings back a lot of fond memories! I especially like Leatherhead, looks very clean!

[raven6859]

Patraw, that Buzzrock looks incredible! It seems a slightly odd scale that your working in though. May I ask why you chose it? It's about 3" right?

[Patraw]

FIVE DAYS TILL DEADLINE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!! Remember, all entry images must be e-mailed/PM'd to me--posting them in this thread doesn't count.

raven6859: Yes, he's a little under 3" in height--I used the mathematical formula for my 2.5" scale human figures on him, but, because of his unique physiology, he ended up a bit taller than that in the end, which is fine, as he is monstrous/alien in design. I work in the scale I do because (1) it saves me money in terms of materials, particularly paint (2) the figures take up less space, and (3) I find it more challenging to sculpt on a smaller scale.

[shuriken]

Well I figured I'd post some WIP pics. Comments welcome, good or bad.

Hmmm... wonder what its gonna be...
http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/stage1.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/stage2-1.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/stage2-2.jpg

GAAAHH! you killed Mark Henry! honestly though that looks really cool, as well as Buzzrock, Sisyphus, and the Stump wrestlers. You guys are doing a great job:).

[A little *too* Raph]

a couple more WIPs

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/krang3.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/krang4.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/krang5.jpg

I think I'll actually be able to finish it, but only if I find the charger for my dremel :o

[Ninjinister]

a couple more WIPs

-snip-Pics-snip-

I think I'll actually be able to finish it, but only if I find the charger for my dremel :o

As McDonald's commercials used to say, I'm lovin' it.

[raven6859]

Hey Patraw, just curious. I was wondering if it was so they were in the same scale as the current mini figures, though I must confess I have no idea how tall they are!

A little *too* Raph, Krang's body looks awesome, I cannot wait to see the finished article!

[Patraw]

TWO DAYS TILL DEADLINE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!! Needless to say, if you plan on participating, and haven't e-mailed/PM'd me your entry image yet, you'd better get your butt in gear--I don't play when it comes to deadlines.

As of this morning, I have received entries from:

Archon_Turtle
Patraw (me)
raven6859

A lot of people expressed interest in participating, so I'm a bit disappointed to only have three official submissions at this point--hopefully there's a bunch of more still coming in.

If you think you should be on this list, but aren't, I didn't receive your entry image for some reason, so you'd better send it to me again. Remember, anything dated after midnight, my time, on this Wednesday, October 29th, will not be accepted.


A little *too* Raph: The android body is looking super sweet--I like how smooth you've gotten it. Are you sculpting your own Krang, or using/modifying an existing one? Time is getting tight, so I hope you can "git er done".

raven6859: They're sorta in scale with the current Mini Mutants, but they don't look right next to one another, due to mine being more realistically proportioned and the Mini Mutants being super-deformed (big hands/feet, etc).


************************************************** *****

Here's my final sculpt for the contest: The TMNT III: Radical Rescue version of Scratch. I'm officially "locking in" the trio of Sisyphus, Buzzrok, and Scratch as my entry.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch_process.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch_process2.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch3.jpg

Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot glue, wire twist ties, string, ink, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions*:
(* The numbers given are approximations, as the dimensions of this figure can vary considerably depending on how the joints are positioned. For the sake of simplicity, the tail/ball-and-chain were excluded from the measurements.)
7.2 cm/2.8 in. x 3.4 cm/1.3 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
Thirty-seven points total: Neck (2), shoulders(2), elbows (4), wrists (2), waist, tail (15), hips (2), knee (2), hock (2), fetlock (2), and ankles (3). Additionally, all of the links in the chain can move freely.

Time:
Roughly three days; October 24-26, 2008.

[Ninjinister]

Damn, Patraw, your skills are amazing!

Expect my submission by the day's end.

[notebook]

that scratch is killer.
nice job.

i finished all my figures (still debating whether or not to include wingnut and screwloose in the lot), but i still have to photo them together.

[Ninjinister]

These photos are just to show other members; my actual submission is on its way to Patraw now. This is my first custom - Nightmare Raphael, and I can see where the fig isn't perfect, but y'know, I'm happy with what I've got. I originally was going to have the armor a more Shredder-ish shade of gray, but messed up on the black-to-white ratio, but I'm actually satisfied with the way it turned out. After all, this isn't Mirage's, 4Kids', or even Playmates' interpretation of the character, but mine!

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5307/dscn0001jo4.th.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn0001jo4.jpg)http://img338.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php) http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/5122/dscn0003ko7.th.jpg (http://img372.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn0003ko7.jpg)http://img372.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php) http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/4763/dscn0004hl3.th.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn0004hl3.jpg)http://img266.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php) http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2708/dscn0007wm7.th.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn0007wm7.jpg)http://img232.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)

Oh and I know my camerawork sucks.

[VaughnMichael]

Nice Buzzrok & Scratch can tell you put allot of work into them, I can't help but wonder do you draw them out first?
I oddly enough enjoy the Playmates one a bit more but I think that has to do with the fact that I'm such a fan behind the people who designed those 2 toys Michael Dooney (Buzzrok) & Ryan Brown (Scratch).
I like the Buzzrok you did more than Scratch though as there isn't much differnce in the look, but something is missing from Scratch that leaves him almost soulless to me, still nice job.

[notebook]

so i'm done. here's some pictures-

stump wrestlers (tmnt + trap, cryin hound, and leatherhead)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2979576214/

trap
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2974818316/

wingnut and screwloose (was gonna enter these as well, but decided not to. here they are anyway.)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2969404022/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2973966395/

[Archon_Turtle]

so i'm done. here's some pictures-

stump wrestlers (tmnt + trap, cryin hound, and leatherhead)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2969404022/

trap
http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2974818316/

wingnut and screwloose (was gonna enter these as well, but decided not to. here they are anyway.)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2969404022/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewerlair/2973966395/

Holy Broken Links, Batman!

[notebook]

argh, thanks. edited my orig post, should work.

[Dragnskull]

TWO DAYS TILL DEADLINE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!! Needless to say, if you plan on participating, and haven't e-mailed/PM'd me your entry image yet, you'd better get your butt in gear--I don't play when it comes to deadlines.

As of this morning, I have received entries from:

Archon_Turtle
Patraw (me)
raven6859

A lot of people expressed interest in participating, so I'm a bit disappointed to only have three official submissions at this point--hopefully there's a bunch of more still coming in.

If you think you should be on this list, but aren't, I didn't receive your entry image for some reason, so you'd better send it to me again. Remember, anything dated after midnight, my time, on this Wednesday, October 29th, will not be accepted.


A little *too* Raph: The android body is looking super sweet--I like how smooth you've gotten it. Are you sculpting your own Krang, or using/modifying an existing one? Time is getting tight, so I hope you can "git er done".

raven6859: They're sorta in scale with the current Mini Mutants, but they don't look right next to one another, due to mine being more realistically proportioned and the Mini Mutants being super-deformed (big hands/feet, etc).


************************************************** *****

Here's my final sculpt for the contest: The TMNT III: Radical Rescue version of Scratch. I'm officially "locking in" the trio of Sisyphus, Buzzrok, and Scratch as my entry.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch_process.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch_process2.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_scratch3.jpg

Materials:
Newsprint, Kleenex, white/hot glue, wire twist ties, string, ink, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions*:
(* The numbers given are approximations, as the dimensions of this figure can vary considerably depending on how the joints are positioned. For the sake of simplicity, the tail/ball-and-chain were excluded from the measurements.)
7.2 cm/2.8 in. x 3.4 cm/1.3 in. (highest point x widest point)

Articulation:
Thirty-seven points total: Neck (2), shoulders(2), elbows (4), wrists (2), waist, tail (15), hips (2), knee (2), hock (2), fetlock (2), and ankles (3). Additionally, all of the links in the chain can move freely.

Time:
Roughly three days; October 24-26, 2008.

sry to stray off topic, but is that big raph a oldschool toy or a custom...cause ive never seen it before...but it looks like a playmates toy...

[VaughnMichael]

sry to stray off topic, but is that big raph a oldschool toy or a custom...cause ive never seen it before...but it looks like a playmates toy...
It's a normal zied Raphael toy from 1996 Coil Force Raphael.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/VaughnJohnny/000_1105.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/VaughnJohnny/000_1106.jpg

[raven6859]

Hey Patraw, glad to see you got my entry, sorry to trouble you with the unnecessary email! Scratch looks totally amazing! I'm so jealous! Really makes me want to customise a whole bunch of mutant animal characters! I'm not keen on the figures in the new mini-figure line, but I really like the sewer playset and Battle Shell - I kind of assumed that your figures were designed to be in scale with those, until I saw your site and realised you have a whole bunch of non-tmnt characters in that scale!

Great work Aden, really brings back a lot of fond memories - I was pretty young when I was reading the Archie series, so I totally forgot about characters like Trap! Also, I'm particularly fond of Wingnut and Screwloose - they were the last of the original line of figures that I got!

Hey The S, your Nightmare Raphael is cool, is it based on "The Darkness Within" episode. Big fan of that one! Didn't Raph take up the identity of the Shredder in the Image comics series as well?

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

He sure did take the identity of the Shredder in the Image comics...!!

[Ninjinister]

Hey The S, your Nightmare Raphael is cool, is it based on "The Darkness Within" episode. Big fan of that one! Didn't Raph take up the identity of the Shredder in the Image comics series as well?

Yes on both accounts (although darth_cjj already answered the latter).

[Bigfoot]

Here is what I have been working on over the last week. It's a Cody to Starlee transformation. I did the best I could with the few crummy screenshots that I had.

Before:
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/Cody.jpg

After:
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc261/MintOnCard/Starlee1.jpg

[Ninjinister]

Ha ha, Cody got a sex change and became his own girlfriend? :lol: Wicked!

[VaughnMichael]

Ha ha, Cody got a sex change and became his own girlfriend? :lol: Wicked!
that is all kindsof creepy!:o

[Buffy]

I'm still working on my figure, hope to post it by this evening just in time for the deadline. I would have finished it sooner but I had a few bad days.

[Blade Raider]

http://vault.error-403.net/files/3/Customs/25thTMNT/25thTMNTWave01.JPG
http://vault.error-403.net/files/3/Customs/25thTMNT/25thFootNinja01.JPG
http://vault.error-403.net/files/3/Customs/25thTMNT/25thKarai01.JPG
http://vault.error-403.net/files/3/Customs/25thTMNT/25thKarai02.JPG
http://vault.error-403.net/files/3/Customs/25thTMNT/25thAgentBishop01.JPG

Design Reference:
http://vault.error-403.net/files/3/Customs/25thTMNT/tmnt_wk23-04.jpg
http://vault.error-403.net/files/3/Customs/25thTMNT/tmnt_wk36-01.jpg
http://vault.error-403.net/files/3/Customs/25thTMNT/tmnt_wk24-01.jpg

This is wave 1 of my own custom line of TMNT figures. Why? Because Playmates sucks and NECA only currently does comic based figures (Which I've never cared for...the comic, not the figures I mean).

01 - Foot Ninja
I've posted a Foot Ninja before, but I'm posting it again since it's part a set. I gave him a huge bow this time because it's a nice change from swords and daggers, etc. This isn't going to be the last version of the Foot Ninja since I'm still not happy with it.
Parts: Head-25th Snake Eyes (Butterfly Swords), Body-25th Storm Shadow, Bow (Lords of the Ring?)

02 - Karai
This took forever to make. I think it turned out well. The flesh tone differences are not noticable AT ALL in person. Hate painting with flesh colors as I can never get them looking good in photos.
Part: Head-SW Bultar Swan, Torso/Upper Arms/Legs-25th Scarlett (Heavyly shaved down), Lower Arms-Clone Trooper, Feet/Daggers-25th Storm Shadow, Webgear-Hong Kong Elizabeth Swann, Swords and Sheaths-2000 Snake Eyes, Chain-Kaiyodo Trigun Wolfwood (Dang, I think that's everything...)

03 Agent Bishop
I made a John Bishop figure for the last contest, however, I was never happy with him. This one looks far more like him. Think his the best out of the 3.
Parts: Head-25th Duke, Glasses-Comic 3-Pack Baroness (glued on), Body-Last Crusade Indy, Coat-DC Infinite Heroes Commissioner Gordon, Gun-SW Mara Jade

[Patraw]

ROUGHLY FOURTEEN HOURS LEFT TILL DEADLINE!!! Barring circumstances outside my control (i.e., health problems/illness, internet failure, etc.) the voting thread goes up sometime tomorrow.

Well, I’m very happy to say that I logged in this morning to see a whole load of submissions waiting for me! As of this posting, I have received and accepted entries from:

aden
Archon Turtle
BigFoot
Blade Raider
Patraw (me)
raven6859
The S
ToSte

If you think you should be on this list, but aren't, I didn't receive your entry image for some reason, so you'd better send it to me again. Remember, any submission dated after midnight tonight (U.S. Eastern Standard Time), won't be accepted.



I've already commented on all the new stuff, via individual PMs, so I won't repeat that stuff here again. I'll just say great work everybody, and I'm glad to see the entries finally start to pour in like they should!

VaughnMichael: I made Scratch meaner/more serious looking, maybe that's the "missing soul" you're referring to--the original toy's head sculpt looks too friendly/goofy for my tastes. He looks mean in the video game, without pupils, which is the look I was going for.

I make some quick reference sketches before I sculpt, but those are just a rough guideline to make sure I don't forget anything or paint things the wrong colors. Any significant design changes I make, like giving Buzzrok larger wings, are usually just out of my head. I can take pictures of the sketches if you want to see them, but they're not much more than scribbles.

[Ninjinister]

VaughnMichael: I made Scratch meaner/more serious looking, maybe that's the "missing soul" you're referring to--the original toy's head sculpt looks too friendly/goofy for my tastes. He looks mean in the video game, without pupils, which is the look I was going for.

I was thinking the same thing; that your Scratch looked a bit more "realistic" (or rather as realistic as possible for an anthropomorphic cat wearing an old-timey prisoner's uniform), to the slightly cartoonish original.

Design changes on customs based on actual product vs. what looks better to the customizer is something I'm becoming familiar with. Although the darker armour on the Nightmare Raphael was initially in err, I decided the figure looked better like that. My next custom that I'm currently working on, has a slight change in wardrobe to suit my whim.

[Buffy]

While I was painting my figure, it fell apart: do'h! Back to the drawingboard I guess.... :(

[A little *too* Raph]

My entry for the contest is krangs android body. I didnt have time to make a Krang, so im just submitting the body. I wanted to make it more of a primative, first gen andriod body, something more mechanical and less refined than in the cartoon, with hoses and wires everywhere. As you can see I only got a couple of hoses on. I plan on doing more to the figure but this is my entry. Here are some pics.

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/krang_front.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/krang_diag.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/krang_back.jpg

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w355/mazdaguy_2008/krang_don.jpg


_________________________________________

Blade Raider: Your figures are awesome! I especially like the foot ninja. Good job on all of them

Bigfoot: I never would have thought of making a starlee from a cody figure, but it worked out pretty well. Ingenuity at its finest!

The S: Nice custom. I always kinda liked the idea of Raph taking on the role of shredder. I do like the darker armor too.

Patraw: I was never really a fan of Scratch but your figure is great. It blows my mind that you make all your figures from scratch (no pun intended) Great job!

Aden: Good job on the stump wrestlers. I like that you repainted the turtles to give them a consistent skin tone

I think I got everyone there. If not, sorry, I'm goin back through the thread to take a look now.

[Patraw]

Deadline has come and gone, if you didn't get your entry done on time, you're out of luck. Get on over to the voting thread and cast a vote for your favorite custom out of the nine possible choices!!!.

Buffy: Sorry to hear your figure self-destructed. While it's too late to participate in the contest now, I wish you better luck on your next custom project.

A little *too* Raph: Even though you didn't get it as complete as you would have liked, it still looks fab. I really dig the look of CO2 canister on his back!

**************************************

Here's the quick reference sketches I worked from for the Buzzrok and Scratch figures (I couldn't find my Sisyphus ones--I suspect they went out in this week's trash). Just ignore the extra stuff, like the mushroom, those are sketches for other projects.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/scratch_sketch.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/buzzrok_sketch.jpg

I can draw/paint fairly well when I put some effort into it--years ago, all I did was illustrations, no sculptures. Here's a couple of samples (I don't have any TMNT drawings):

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/illustration_example.jpg

[DMC362]

Patraw is there anywhere on your site or in the forums that you give a detail instuctions of how you create the bases for you figures. I see you use paper products but how do you get them to be soild it looks like you burn them. Because I was interested in making some orginal figures for display around my house and the process you use looks like something i could do with my limted buget.

[notebook]

Blade Raider- Awesome! Your figures seem superior to the officially released versions!

Bigfoot- Once the creepiness factor subsides, that Starlee figure is great!:D
Btw, I liked your psychedlic turtles and Bigfoot repaint.

The S- Cool idea. I like the color you made the armor.

raven6859- Touch and Go! Coool! Nice job.

ToSte- Now, there's an idea! That's awesome. The figures look so cute riding around together!

A little *too* Raph- Sweet. The finished version should be awesome. I liek how it's way more articulate than the official Android body.

Patraw- Those figures you made are ridiculous (in the best way possible)! Tough to say which one I like most, but that Buzzrok is particularly outstanding.

Archon Turtle- Nice job, bub. :D

[Buffy]

Buffy: Sorry to hear your figure self-destructed. While it's too late to participate in the contest now, I wish you better luck on your next custom project.


Thanks for the wishes! :)
The reason my figure fell apart was that the figure itself was too heavy. I'm going to start with a light base figure and then use clay around it. I'll save a lot of clay this way too :lol:.
By the time there is a new custom project here on the drome, I'll have more experience :)

Love your sketches by the way!

[Patraw]

DMC362: I’ve never made any tutorials on how to make paper mini action figures, sorry. The figures become solid due to multiple layers of paper and glue being built up and/or the use of what I call “Kleenex putty” (Kleenex and white glue mixed together to make a sticky, clay-like substance). The figures get burnt because I use a woodburner as one of my sculpting tools—they’re already pretty solid before I apply heat, but the woodburner does have the side effect of hardening/drying them out further. You don’t need to use a woodburner--I made paper/cardboard sculptures for years without one.

Papier mache (hereafter referred to PM) is a good sculpting medium if you’re on a budget—the stuff I make costs me very little in materials.

If you’re really interested in pursuing it, here are links to two great online PM groups that I belong to—in addition to being message boards like the Technodrome Forums, you’ll find a lot of tutorials that you should find helpful.

http://www.papiermache.co.uk/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PaperMacheArt/

To the best of my knowledge, I’m the only PM sculptor that makes articulated figures at such a small scale, all the other PM sculptors I know make significantly bigger stuff (often 1:1 scale). I started out making larger stuff too, in the beginning, so that’s probably what I’d recommend doing initially. I only began making these mini figures in the last year-and-a-half or so.

There are also a number of PM how-to books that have been published over the years. It’s likely you’d be able to find at least one at your local library.

[Buffy]

Thanks for the links Patraw, I'll be sure to check them out.

[DMC362]

thanks for the info