Wes Custom: When teh ebil Shreddar attax!

[Wes]

So I've finally amassed all of the components necessary to do my zany Shredder custom! Preview pics follow:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred01.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred02.jpeg

I went with the Wonder Man base because a) the arms are flesh-colored, saving me the trouble of painting them, b) the head can kinda pass for a Japanese guy in this scale (kinda reminds me of the Silver Samurai, actually) and the red eyes give him a cyborg vibe (since I intend for him to be an "upgraded" Shredder of sorts, a la Cyber Shredder), and c)...

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred03.jpeg

The head is pretty much small enough to work with any of the removable 2K3 Shredder helmets! Of course, the style of the movie Shredder's head means that his eyes are way higher on the head (hence WM's forehead staring out), so I actually intend to use the Feudal Shredder helmet. It's actually a bit tight, so I've dremeled the back of it out to provide him with more room -- should look pretty good.

Of course, right now I'm in the process of trying to get the smoke smell out of that helmet, so it's unavailable at the moment. :sick:

Originally I was planning to paint the suit pink a la Tournament Fighters, but now I'm not sure I want to do that given that I fully intend for him to retain his poseability and don't particularly want to put in the effort required to protect the joints. I'll probably just end up painting the body black to cover up the blue highlights (the base plastic is black and isn't highlighted at the joints, so no problems there) and giving him a pink cloth... human billboard type shirt. (I have no idea what those are actually called!) The original figure's bracelets and boots will probably end up silver, unless I decide to do some silver/black combo for the former.

I also plan to make him a new purple cape (plenty of fabric left over from when I made a cape for my Kong-to-Grodd repaint) -- this loaner from 1987 Shredder is just a placeholder. The new cape will attach to the Super Shredder shoulderpads, into which I may also dremel indentations underneath so that they can sit more upright on the body. I'll probably end up gluing the rest of the armor in place, but, like Piccolo's shoulderpads/cape combo, I want the shoulderpad ensemble to be easily removable.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred04.jpeg

Comments? Suggestions? Do share! That said, keep in mind that I'm not really looking to make this a terribly involved project and that I'm obviously not going for a direct interpretation of any one version of Shredder. This is just my take on the character given the level of effort I'm willing to exert and the parts available to me. :D

[Lil G]

thats real good. i would buy that if they sold it at stores. you should keep on making customs.

[Ninjinister]

I'll give you your due praise if you give me your Mystic Fury Mike. :lol:

[Blade Raider]

I like it. Can't wait to see the finished figure :D

[Wes]

Thanks, guys! :D

Lil G: Oh, I'm too lazy to do customs that often -- I've still got two on the table that I've been working on since about this time last year. Painting just saps my will to finish anything, so I'm hoping that minimizing it will keep me interested!

Ninjinister: Ha! I was actually quite glad that I remembered I have him. I was all sad after I mangled my Battle Nexus Mikey because my 2K3 Turtles were without a Mike... and then I found one of his weapons and was like WAITAMINUTE!!! My 2K3 Turtles are four once again. :)

BR: Hopefully that'll happen sometime before 2010!

[notebook]

thats an interesting custom. i usually don't like marvel legends-type stuff, but that's a good base and it goes well with the cape and super shredder armor.
i like the blue/black costume. i would somehow get rid of the w...
anyway, very promising.

[cynic-al]

Oh, it looks nice, but why don't you try a paint wash in the "metal" areas to give it a rusty look.

[Wes]

aden: I actually dislike the blue highlights, so I'm planning to go over those (including the W) in straight black. :) Also, I'm curious -- what is it that you don't like about ML-type stuff? I'm really only doing this for the articulation (well, and for fun, since the NECA Shredder will be coming soon enough), as I'd be satisfied with one of the 2K3 Shredders otherwise!

cynic-al: Oh, it's hardly finished -- this is just the test fit phase (hence the clear bands holding the pieces on and the 1987 cape). I'm not sure I'll do any washes, as I'm absolutely terrible with them, but I do plan to paint the metal pieces silver! I might paint the central part of the belt black as well; I'm not quite sure.

[Tuxedo Moroboshi]

This looks most promising, Wes! I can't wait to see your completed figure. I've seen what you're capable of considering how awesome your custom Gorilla Grodd is. Though, you also "finished" that one a few hundred times. :lol:

(Not that there's anything wrong with going back to something several times, of course. ;))

[Wes]

Ha! Yeah, that Grodd... the only custom I ever actually finished, and you rightly note that it took me forever to be satisfied with that! Grodd is the reason I'm trying to minimize painting -- 'cause if I start painting I know I'll just keep painting and painting and painting and painting. Argh.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred05.jpeg

Minor update -- I dremeled some indents into the shoulder armor so that it can sit properly now. I also think I might swap the legs out from the thigh down (assuming I can find a Black Panther figure), which would completely save me the trouble of painting them. Gotta love those bootleg tactics, eh? :D

Also, long ago, I had an idea that involved using Super Shredder armor with a Raphael figure -- given how well the armor works on Wonder Man, I'm now convinced that this would result in pure awesome. I now need to acquire another Super Shredder... and a B/W NECA Raphael. :lol:

[notebook]

aden: I actually dislike the blue highlights, so I'm planning to go over those (including the W) in straight black. :) Also, I'm curious -- what is it that you don't like about ML-type stuff? I'm really only doing this for the articulation (well, and for fun, since the NECA Shredder will be coming soon enough), as I'd be satisfied with one of the 2K3 Shredders otherwise!


eh, i guess it's just the style. while they have top-notch articulation, i've never been too big on the whole marvel/dc costumed superheroes thing, aside from a casual interest in a few characters.

[VaughnMichael]

I say who cares what other customizers tastes are, as long as you or the people your making them for are happy that's all that should matter.
Everyone's got a vision of what a character should look like, so your not going to please everyone.
Me it's not my ideal version of Shredder, heck the NECA one isn't even my fave version, that would look more like Tournament Fighter Shredder or Later Mirage Shredder.
But that's besides the point keep up the fun work and I'd like to see more in the style.
I for one love Marvel Legends and am completely obsessed with the best toy line on shelves right now DC Universe.

[Wes]

aden: Ah, I see -- so you're not so much into the ML/DC character lines in general as opposed to harboring any specific issues with ML-based customs. Gotcha. :)

Vaughn: Well, I care what other customizers' tastes are! I mean, I'm not going to let them determine what I ultimately do, but others' input/insights/suggestions/etc. are always welcome.

The Tournament Fighters Shredder is my ideal version of Shredder too, but I'm much too lazy (and OC when it comes to painting) to even want to attempt a straight up replication of his in-game appearance. I also suck at sculpting, and the Super Shredder armor is conveniently oversized enough to fit a ML figure. :)

Besides, I kinda want to make something that, while based on other interpretations of Shredder, is ultimately unique. It's entirely possible that a Jin Saotome or Loosecollector will come along and do a wicked Tournament Fighters Shredder... and then I'll be left feeling more/less like mine is inadequate. But if I do a largely unique version, anyone who one-ups it will be copying me. :D

That said, I have an interesting idea for how to proceed -- which will take this custom in a slightly different and more, say, demonic direction... -- but I'll need to acquire another figure before I can proceed. I'll keep y'all posted. ;)

[VaughnMichael]

Vaughn: Well, I care what other customizers' tastes are! I mean, I'm not going to let them determine what I ultimately do, but others' input/insights/suggestions/etc. are always welcome.

The Tournament Fighters Shredder is my ideal version of Shredder too, but I'm much too lazy (and OC when it comes to painting) to even want to attempt a straight up replication of his in-game appearance. I also suck at sculpting, and the Super Shredder armor is conveniently oversized enough to fit a ML figure. :)

Besides, I kinda want to make something that, while based on other interpretations of Shredder, is ultimately unique. It's entirely possible that a Jin Saotome or Loosecollector will come along and do a wicked Tournament Fighters Shredder... and then I'll be left feeling more/less like mine is inadequate. But if I do a largely unique version, anyone who one-ups it will be copying me. :D

That said, I have an interesting idea for how to proceed -- which will take this custom in a slightly different and more, say, demonic direction... -- but I'll need to acquire another figure before I can proceed. I'll keep y'all posted. ;)
eh don't mind me I'm just sick of people being overly opinionated over things that aren't made for them.
It's one thing to give an opinion or share your own ideas but I've grown tired of the down talking, it makes me not want to share the things I'm doing.
But that could be why they're doing it, wanting to be the only ones making customs. This is why I think some go to the level of doing nothing but talking down someone elses work.
If I don't like something I just tend to keep my thoughts to myself and move on (you know if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all and all that...)

Def. cool idea, and looking forward to seeing what way you go with it.

[Patraw]

Wonder Man (never would have thought anyone would use him as a base) actually makes a pretty good Shredder figure--nice job! The "W" symbol is kind of distracting, but other than that, your custom is a mighty fine take on Shredhead.

[TurtleManiac]

thats a great base to start with, doesnt hav to be an exact universe of shredder, original creations are always cool too. and ya super shredder's armor goes great on any figure. personally i would paint the whole helmet silver or gray, to eliminate that new age black/silvery-blue look that theyve been giving shredder toys since 2k3 not my favorite color scheme. what else hav u got planned for this custom? im still working on my 3rd shredder custom, progress has been slow lately.

[Candy Kappa]

he looks awesome!

[tigermask44]

You need to go ahead and paint this guy up and do it right. It could be incredible.

[Wes]

Thanks for the compliments and encouragement, all! Here's another WIP pic... please, no jokes about what the exposed pegs might look like.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred06.jpeg

Nothing fancy -- I'm just going over stuff in black. I'm planning to swap out the boots, so I haven't touched the lower legs yet in case I need to break out the hot water down there. Hard to tell, but the shoulder armor has also gotten a coat of silver paint.

Also, note Wolverine in the background -- I've been "working" on him since at least November. Yeah. And Alex and Mallah, if you can see them back there? Even longer than that.

Anyway, here's a goofy mockup of what the finished product may look like!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredmock.gif

Almost has a Next Mutation flavor to it...

I... am completely obsessed with the best toy line on shelves right now DC Universe.
Finally, Vaughn, I forgot to point out that this statement is factually incorrect. Not because DCUC figures aren't cool, but because Mattel's crappy distribution means that they can hardly be called "on shelves right now." ;)

[Blade Raider]

Finally, Vaughn, I forgot to point out that this statement is factually incorrect. Not because DCUC figures aren't cool, but because Mattel's crappy distribution means that they can hardly be called "on shelves right now." ;)
I didn't even see DCUC at retail until less than a month ago. I was starting to think they were comic shop only like DC Direct.

I like the mock up. Think it will look great once finished!

[VaughnMichael]

Finally, Vaughn, I forgot to point out that this statement is factually incorrect. Not because DCUC figures aren't cool, but because Mattel's crappy distribution means that they can hardly be called "on shelves right now." ;)
ahahahahahah very true but you just have to get there before all the douche bag scalpers do to grab them, I just got Big Barda, & Captain Cold last week at my local toys r us.

[Doc_ock_4mugen]

Wes: If the Feudal Shredder helmet doesn't work and you're forced to use Movie Shredder's Helmet, Magneto's (X-Men Boxset and ML 3 Magneto) head Works Perfectly with 2007 Movie Shredder's helmet...

[Wes]

Thanks for the tip, Doc -- I'll look into that if I'm ultimately unable to de-smokify this blasted thing. :)

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/armor1.jpeg

I have a feeling this'll end up looking way overdone on the finished version, but I still find it more visually interesting than the plain silver! Besides, drybrushing is kinda fun... it's like you get to watch detail appear magically before your eyes! I think I might drybrush his torso some color too.

I want to drybrush the world.

[Nelson]

"... drybrushing is kinda fun... it's like you get to watch detail appear magically before your eyes! ... I want to drybrush the world."

Amen, dood. As of now I am very inclinned to drybrush the old PLaymates figures, so much detail lost because of the simple color application they have. But I wouldn't do it unless I get some duplicates.

ALSO the custom looks great. I'd like to do something similar but using a DC Universe CLassics figure as a base. Of course I would have to find a DCU figure lying on the street first...

[Wes]

Amen, dood. As of now I am very inclinned to drybrush the old PLaymates figures, so much detail lost because of the simple color application they have. But I wouldn't do it unless I get some duplicates.
I know how you feel! A pal recently passed a bunch of his childhood figures on to me, and I'm strongly tempted to repaint the Shredder figure he included. First things first, though!

ALSO the custom looks great.
Thanks! This is my first attempt at drybrushing, so I'm quite pleased with the results. It's entirely possible that that was just beginner's luck (my first wash looked pretty darned good too), but assuming that this is a pretty crappy first-time drybrushing job I've gotta say that drybrushing looks pretty decent even when it sucks. I've done some horrible washes, though, to the point that I'm not going to bother with them again until I've gotten some serious practice with a junk figure. I do better with paint wipes, but this drybrushing looks so neat that I think I'll do Shredder's torso as well.

I need to figure out what color to use for that, though. Any suggestions? I do need to buy some dark purple paint for another project I have in mind... I'm also sorta tempted to do a sort of teal -- like the Super Shredder in TMNT III on NES, but that's less likely. :)

I'd like to do something similar but using a DC Universe CLassics figure as a base. Of course I would have to find a DCU figure lying on the street first...
Yeah, DCUC figures are so rare around these parts that I'd have a hard time using one for a custom. Not to mention the poor quality control -- how much would it suck to make a cool custom only to have the leg snap off at the hip? You might have better luck using a DCSH Superman as a base. He's got that wide stance, but the figure isn't terribly rare or costly and was made before Mattel did whatever it did to make DCUC figures horrible.

[Nelson]

I need to figure out what color to use for that, though. Any suggestions? I do need to buy some dark purple paint for another project I have in mind... I'm also sorta tempted to do a sort of teal -- like the Super Shredder in TMNT III on NES, but that's less likely. :)

I'm partial to purple. Also, I'm not sure how are you going to approach the torso but I wouldn't combine purple with black, I would rather try using two shades of purple. Dark purple for the base and a lighter one for the drybrushing part. Leave the black for the armor and other parts that if worn in real life would show wear.

EDIT: Too late, I forgot that you already painted the base! Un-read this post!

[Wes]

Well, I could always paint over it! :lol: But I do want whatever color it ends up being to be really dark -- like, almost black -- hence the black base coat. Given that, I'm strongly leaning towards a dark grey at the moment... Once I get the dark purple paint I intend to use for the upcoming project(s), I might have to do a small side-by-side comparison on the figure's back to compare.

Anyway, barring any minor touch-ups, here's the finished armor!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/armor2.jpeg

Now all I need to do is pick out a color for Shredder's torso, drybrush that up... and wait until I can score some Black Panther boots to proceed. Ah well, I have some ideas for minor projects to keep me occupied in the interim... :D

[Candy Kappa]

the finish on the armor looks wicked

[Wes]

Thanks, Kiwamu! I am rather pleased with it myself. :)

[Wes]

Okay, new pics and a choice:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/greybrush.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/purpbrush.jpeg

I think I like the grey drybrushing (top pic) better in person, but only because it's more obvious -- much like the subtle highlights on Hasbro's most recent Spider-Man Classics Venom figures, the purple drybrushing (bottom pic) doesn't really show up in most light (it's barely visible here, and wasn't really obvious with the flash). That said, whereas the grey drybrushing makes it look like Shredder's wearing grey rather than something darker, I want black to be the dominant color on his body.

So I'm left with a couple of options: simply paint over him in a flat black and be done with it, or paint him some other color (ideally purple, pink, or even blue) and drybrush black over that. I have no idea how it'd turn out, but I'm going to try it out on an accessory to gauge the effect.

Comments, suggestions, recommendations? Share!

[Doc_ock_4mugen]

You could paint it flat black, AND combining a bit of the grey with some black, making a slightly lighter shade of Black to drybrush on top of the flat black... It'll be slightly more subtle than the Grey, but it'll be slightly more visible than the Purple...

Drybrushing Black over another color looks rather weird. Black is better for washes...

[Machias Banshee]

Amazing job on this custom, Wes! I love the work you've done on this.. :thumbsup:

[Wes]

You could paint it flat black, AND combining a bit of the grey with some black, making a slightly lighter shade of Black to drybrush on top of the flat black... It'll be slightly more subtle than the Grey, but it'll be slightly more visible than the Purple...

Drybrushing Black over another color looks rather weird. Black is better for washes...
Suggestion taken under advisement! Though honestly, I was just covering up the back with purple to see what I thought... and now I almost want to drybrush over the black with a lighter color... like a lighter purple or even pink. I'm hesitant to go for a really visible purple since I'm still sorta planning to do the cape in that color and I want there to be a difference there, but that could change depending upon how I like the outcomes on my test accessory.

Speaking of which, I tried the black over purple drybrushing on it... and I agree that it looks pretty odd. Kinda dirty. I think I'd dig it on a character like Rat King (and I could see trying something like that on the cape, since I'm thinking want it to look kinda dirty in keeping with the worn appearance of the armor), but I'm not sure I want Shredder's actual clothes to suggest that he's traded his life as an evil ninja for that of a chimneysweep. Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cheree...

Machias: Thanks! Let's hope the final product turns out as well as the armor...

And while Shred's got a ways to go, I should have a minor custom done tomorrow. Hopefully y'all will find it... amusing. :)

[notebook]

nice work so far.
i would paint him pink/scarlet ala mirage, esp if you plan on using 88 shredder's cape.
however, if you painted him purple and used 88 splinter's robe, that might be interestinga s well.

[Wes]

nice work so far.
i would paint him pink/scarlet ala mirage, esp if you plan on using 88 shredder's cape.
however, if you painted him purple and used 88 splinter's robe, that might be interestinga s well.
Well, I definitely don't want to do him red/scarlet -- the NECA Shredder's got that scheme covered, and I want this one to look a fair bit different even beyond the armor and base body. The pink I chose/mixed would likely be the fuchsia of the Tournament Fighters Cyber Shredder, for nostalgic reasons.

In any case, I plan to make the cape myself, so color's not too much of a problem -- I do have purple cloth left over from when I made a cape for my Grodd custom, but I could always buy more of another color. Cloth is pretty cheap and I don't fancy having naked Splinters scurrying around here. :)

Given the worn look of the armor, I bought some burlap that I may use for the task since it'll fray and generally look pretty worn as well. It'll need to be painted, which means I'm not at all bound to the colors of materials on hand! And if I don't like the cape for Shredder, it could always go to Skeletor or Goro or one of the many other figures I have around here that would benefit from tattered capes.

[Wes]

So I've come to a bit of a standstill with the Shredder. In addition to still not having decided which color I want to paint him, I still need some parts from another figure before I can proceed. And then I've sort of become dissatisfied with the forearm pieces... I almost want to use the shin guards for those instead, but then that would leave poor Shredder without shin armor! Which means I would have to either hunt down another Super Shredder or use the armor from the 1987 Shredder, which I don't think would look as good. Sigh.

Any suggestions, comments, and/or well wishes will be appreciated!

In the meantime, here's a (mostly) quick repaint job that I did on a dollar store bug:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/fly0.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/fly1.jpeghttp://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/fly2.jpeghttp://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/fly3.jpeg

Look familiar? Yes, no?

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/flycomp1.gif
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/fly4.jpeg

:lol:

I think I'll make a few more -- and get some clear flight stands; this one was just borrowed from a Masked Rider gashapon -- just for kicks. I also have a bunch of other random insects (each multipack only had two winged insects each), so if anyone else has any suggestions for what to do with them (or needs random bugs for some project), I'm all ears! :)

[Ninjinister]

Ah, TMNT1 game customs. That's something I'm really fond of :p

[Wes]

Isn't everyone? :D

[Ninjinister]

Who other than you and I have done them, though?

[Wes]

Hmm... good point! I think I thought you were being sarcastic, though -- I'd forgotten that you'd done a few yourself. :)

I may have to do a Foot soldier with this Rulk Black Spidey if I can't think of anything else to do with it! And that extra First Appearance Thing would be excellent for one as well... assuming I could minimize the paint rub with the figure's articulation.

[Ninjinister]

Yep, I did Mechaturtle Form 1 and a Foot Soldier. Then again, mine are based on the NES version, and your fly is based on the PC version. Double obscurity points to you!

I've got a few more TMNT1 game-based customs on the drawing board, but I've taken a temporary hiatus from customs to work on other things, like my fan game and getting ready for my vacation next month.

[VaughnMichael]

Patraw would be the other member that does video game based TMNT customs.;)

[Ninjinister]

Patraw would be the other member that does video game based TMNT customs.;)

But did he do any based on TMNT1? I don't recall any.

[VaughnMichael]

But did he do any based on TMNT1? I don't recall any.
Honestly I don't remember, I think moma mouser?

[Ninjinister]

honestly i don't remember, i think moma mouser?
Manhattan Project?

[VaughnMichael]

Manhattan Project?
I thought the first nintendo game had a large mouser in it.

[Wes]

I thought the first nintendo game had a large mouser in it.
It does! The third one does as well, though, so I'd have to see the custom to know which version Patraw did. :)

[Ninjinister]

There is a difference. TMNT 1's Big Mouser is several times larger than the Turtles. TMNT 3's Mother Mouser is only big enough for a Foot Soldier to ride in.

Patraw's is the latter:

http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/kramwartap/TMNT_mamamouser2.jpg

[VaughnMichael]

ah ok my bad I never realized as I never got very far on the first video game.
and everything Patraw does is very small so I'd never know lol

[Ninjinister]

Yeah, this is the boss from TMNT1
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5623/bigmouse.gif

I'd like to find out if anyone else does TMNT1 customs, though!

[VaughnMichael]

I def. don't remember fighting mobygames in tmnt1 that must have been a much later level, you's the king of the turdles!:lol:

[Ninjinister]

I def. don't remember fighting mobygames in tmnt1 that must have been a much later level, you's the king of the turdles!:lol:

I fixed it, aight?

[Wes]

Ohhh, I think I remember Patraw's now -- he's the one who works with foil, right? I'm pretty sure his was the one from TMNT III.

Vaughn: Don't feel too bad about not reaching the giant Mouser -- unless you're cheating, it's literally impossible to get to that part in TMNT1 on the PC anyway. :)

[Ninjinister]

I've always wondered what Mechaturtle looked like on different consoles....

[VaughnMichael]

I've always wondered what Mechaturtle looked like on different consoles....
That's as far as I could ever get, then I fall off the roof!:evil:

[Dragnskull]

Look familiar? Yes, no?

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/flycomp1.gif
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/fly4.jpeg



okay thats deff not a screenshot from TMNT on the NES, what is it from?

[GK Punk]

The PC Version

[Wes]

GK is correct. :)

[Nelson]

GK is correct. :)

I though you were going to post a pic of the finished figure. -_-

[Wes]

Unfortunately, it looks like the finished figure will be quite a while, as I've decided to get even more ambitious with it! I decided I didn't like the way Super Shredder's forearm armor looks, so I decided to order another figure and use its shin armor for the forearms. That figure arrived today, but I still need to paint his armor up accordingly.

Then there's the matter of the boots. I initially thought Black Panther's would work better than the Wonder Man boots, but now I'm not so sure I like them either... so now I'm looking for an XMC Magneto or some other figure with armored-looking legs to better approximate the Cyber Shredder look. I've also decided to sculpt over the Feudal Shredder helmet's mouthpiece, so I had to order some Apoxie Sculpt for that... and I still need to buy sculpting tools.

I even went to the trouble of finding some bootleg ninja figures with crappy claws to see if I can't trim them down to make more appropriate Shredder claws. Hopefully they'll work! I'm also considering using other materials for the belt... oy. So yeah, considering that I don't have all of the stuff I need to finish the custom and have no idea how long it will take me to acquire them, this could take a while!

That said, here are some more WIPs!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/magenta1.jpeg

I decided to go with the Cyber Shredder magenta. I'll probably add one or two more drybrushed coats to the torso (more for the legs, obviously) and then go over that with an additional, lighter coat for highlighting.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/helmet1.jpeg

And here's the helmet, pre-paint and additional sculpting. I decided to sand off the gem on the crest (as well as the mold lines). Future modifications will entail lengthening the faceplate, filling in the swirly things, and -- of course -- painting it black and drybrushing silver over it. I may also paint the eyes yellow, but probably won't since I'd feel compelled to do the same for the Wonder Man head and I suck at painting tiny areas like that. And painting in general, really. :ohwell:

[Sarah]

I wanted to wait until you were finished before I made a comment, but it looks like you wont be done before X-mas. :lol: I like what you've done so far, and it's a good idea to use the shin armour on his arms. I used the same method a few years ago on another Shredder custom that I made. and I thought your idea to place his chest armour on his back was damn brilliant. I probably would have cut the blades away from the chest piece and glued them to his shoulders. Im looking forward to you finishing him, so hopefully you actually get it done some time this year. ;)

[Nelson]

Blah blah excuses

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/magenta1.jpeg



It looks a lot better with that color, IMHO. And there's a rat WTF O_o

[raven6859]

This is shaping up to be one imposing looking Shredder.

[tOkKa]

-->> O' F:teek::oK

[Wes]

Thanks for all of the encouragement, peeps!

So I went to the trouble of getting a Magneto body so I could swap in some more metallic legs... but now that I've done it, I see that Magneto's lower legs are a tad shorter than Wonder Man's. :( Lemme know what you think...

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/legcomp1.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/legcomp2.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/legcomp3.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/heightcomp1.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/heightcomp2.jpeg

It's the height comparisons that really kill me -- granted, Wonder Man wasn't the tallest figure to begin with (and DCUC figures are generally taller than MLs), but still. :ohwell:

Would you guys stick it out, or go hunting for longer legs?

[Candy Kappa]

I think the height is nice

[Nelson]

I think it's nice, too.

[Jester]

I like the legs too. Height be damned!

EDIT: Wes, do you want a Wonderman to NECA TMNT size comparison shot?

[raven6859]

I think the height's fine. Whole thing's looking great.

That Nightwing figure looks huge! It's not a fair comparison.

[Wes]

Yeah, I suppose Nightwing isn't a fair comparison -- the DCUC figures are giants compared to MLs. :)

I guess this could work after all, then, particularly since the plan is to put him with the 2K3 figures:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/2k3sizecomp1.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/2k3sizecomp2.jpeg

And yes, Jester, please do share a size comparison of Wonder Man to the NECA Turtles! :)

Incidentally, there's been some discussion on another thread about whether the NECA Shredder will in fact be 6.25" or more along the lines of 7". Considering that this figure is 6" and will probably approach 6.25" with his helmet -- and assuming that the NECA figures are noticeably taller than the 2K3 Turtles -- I'm thinking 6.25" might be kinda undersized for that line.

[Jester]

Wondie with My NECA Benvenuto.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/Jesterangelo/105_0038.jpg
Should I enter Benny custom in the contest? :P

[Wes]

Thanks a bunch for posting that pic, Jester! The height doesn't look too off, though now I'm even more convinced that the NECA humans should be in a 7" scale -- Wonder Man himself cleared 6" before the leg swap, and that looks more like the height I'd want April to be.

This Shredder should still look great with 2K3 figures, though!

[Topsu]

Painting looks nice so far, can't wait to see the finished custom. Also, how'd you take of arms and legs? I'd need to do that myself to ML-fig for painting, but I haven't done that before...I think the brute force would just break it.

[Patraw]

Excellent painting job on Shredder so far; the purple dry-brush job looks really stellar at this point. I'm sure the finished piece is gonna rock!

The little fly is cool too. Personally, I felt the generic enemy choices in the original NES game were a bit on the odd side--kinda like the game started as something else and then Konami changed it into TMNT when they got the license.

[Wes]

Topsu: Boil 'n' pop! Or, rather, microwave 'n' pop. I microwave a tupperware container (you don't need the lid on it) of water for 3-4 minutes, then take it out and drop the figure into it. A few minutes later, I pull the figure out and voila -- the hot water has softened the plastic enough for me to pop off the limbs. Not all parts can be popped (with most figures, the hip/shoulder connections can't, since they're held in place by the front/back halves of the torso being glued together), but many can. Heads, too.

You can also use a hairdryer to heat up and soften the plastic -- I recommend this with parts you've painted, since the hot water might damage your paint job -- but sometimes only the water will work for me.

Patraw: Thank you for your faith! Though I'm not so sure given the results of my latest work. :|

I'd originally gotten an extra Feudal Shredder to use his helmet, figuring that it would work well for Wonder Man. Well, apparently I was wrong...

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/helmet2.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/helmet3.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/helmet4.jpeg

It does give him some welcome height, but I think it looks way too big. I don't know what to do now. I could try hollowing out Super Shredder's head... or I could try something else. I'm tempted to use Armorized Shredder's original helmet, but that would require me to cut it up and I'm not sure I want to do that. Decisions, decisions...

And yes, those TMNT1 enemies were odd, weren't they? I got a couple of fodder Human Torch figures to use as the Fire Freaks. :D

[Jester]

What about either Mutation Shredder's helmet?
http://www.tmnttoys.com/04figures/mutations/shredders.jpg

[Wes]

Possibly! The old line Mutations Shredder helmet would've been really fun to try -- especially since he wears a mask kinda like that in the NES Tournament Fighters! Unfortunately, I've spent a bit of time pricing it on eBay and been unable to find it at a decent price. I'm betting the new MutaShredder would work too (I guess it's the same size as the Armorized Shredder's helmet, which seems more/less okay), but I haven't been able to find that figure cheap either. :(

[Doc_ock_4mugen]

If you're going with the 2k3 figs then the slightly shorter legs will keep him in scale.

[Wes]

Shredder's been stalled by the helmet concerns -- it's way too bloody big, as seen below:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/helmet2.jpeg

Buuuuut I've done some work on my Foot ninja custom in the interim!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/footwip1.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/footwip2.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/footwip3.jpeg

I'm going for an "animated" take on the design seen in Manhattan Missions, so I've sculpted oversized glove cuffs and poofy pantsleg bunches, a collar thingy for his vest, and a belt (mainly just to try my hand at sculpting). I've also added swivels to the glove and boot tops, since the Spectacular Spidey base figure lacked those.

Fun times!

[Patraw]

Foot Soldier custom looks good so far; any particular color/weapon you're shooting for, or are you just going for the generic purple variety?

[Dragnskull]

have you considered sclupting your own helmet?

in theory it would be made with basically 3 pieces...

[Wes]

Patraw: Well, I'm thinking Manhattan Missions, so this is the intended color scheme:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/gamefoot.gif

Any weapon could work, but right now I'm thinking I'll paint a kama from one of the old line figures and give him that. I've got several of them lying around and have never used them for anything (since they weren't the Turtles' signature weapons, I quickly pushed them aside even as a kid), so I'd be glad to get some mileage out of them!

Dragnskull: Well, I kinda suck at sculpting... so no, I hadn't considered that! Plus I want it to be removable, and I don't think I'd be able to sculpt a removable helmet. I'm not even sure I'd be able to sculpt a static one!

[Powder]

How the progress?!

[Lordmylar06]

Wow, Wes I really like all your progress pics! I can't wait to see your Shredder when you finish. I can't believe I haven't seen this thread before now. Good stuff!

[Newton Gimmick]

I'm really intrigued by the Shredder and the Foot. I may end up trying both eventually. My painting skills are nowhere near where you've gotten yours in such a short time though. We shall see.

[Wes]

UPDATE!

Some of y'all saw the mostly finished Foot Ninja in that custom contest a while back. Here's that pic again:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/footninjacustom.jpeg

Well, I've finished the retouching and here's the (mostly the same) finished project.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/tmntmmfoot1.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/tmntmmfoot-group.jpeg

w00t!

And also, the latest WIP shot of Shredder:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred909-1.jpeg

Yes, I'll finally finish him one of these days...

[Powder]

the foot is great but that shredder is amazing

[Patraw]

I agree, Shredder is looking better than ever. I dug the Foot Soldier group photo as well. Wouldn't it be cool if Playmates made 'Evolution' packs of a particular character like Hasbro does with Star Wars--I'm thinking a Foot Soldier evolution pack would be neat-o, in addition to being a great army builder set.

[Wes]

Thanks for the compliments, guys! I really do hope to finish Shredder before too much longer.

And yeah, Playmates evolution sets would be pretty cool -- that probably would've been the ideal way to release the 20th anniversary figs, especially if they'd released them alongside slightly updated versions of the well-articulated 2K3 TMNT figures. WITH ELBOW JOINTS, MAN!!!

[rinascimento]

now you need to do a cartton based foot soldier and some different colored foot soldiers from the coin op (black/white,black/blue,black/pink,black/orange,black/yellow), and you'll got a complete collection!
shredder looks amazing!

[Wes]

Thanks for the comment, Rina!

Slight update (same test leg, different angles):

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/legspikes.jpeg

Considering that I went to the trouble of getting those armored-looking lower legs -- and that there's not much I can foresee doing with the dinky left forearm armor pieces from Super Shredder -- I'm thinking maybe I'll just cut those spikes off and glue them to the legs. (Right now they're being held in place by poster tack.) It'd be more along the lines of Cyber Shredder's leg armor, and it would let me keep more awesome Super Shredder leg armor pieces for future customs.

My only concern is that the lower spike could limit the forward ankle articulation.

[Wes]

More preliminary project pics!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/caseywip1.jpeg

Casey Jones (claw hands will be replaced; just wanted to make the base figure more obvious ;) )

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/newfootwip1.jpeg

Eventually, these guys will be ninjas! The one on the right may not be a true Foot Clan member, but he'll still hang with Shredder's forces in my universe. :D

[Candy Kappa]

casey looks awesome

[Tuxedo Moroboshi]

Wow, that Shredder is really coming out amazingly!

[raven6859]

Casey looks great, really looking forward to seeing the Shredder finished though!

[Wes]

Slowly but surely...

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred1209a.jpeg

[Powder]

Sooooooo sick.

[Ulisses31]

Great work, I like very much the colors :)

[Wes]

Input required, friends!

I've been considering a variety of ways concerning how to do the gauntlets, but as I was doing more test fitting with the forearm blades it occurred to me that I didn't like how they extended all the way to Shredder's biceps! So rather than trying to shorten them, I thought moving them down might kill two birds with one stone.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredclaw1.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredclaw2.jpeg

So I'm thinking I might do this and have the claws "attached" to the hands via the same wrapping on the forearms -- sort of like how Slash's claws were attached back in the day. (The claws themselves would be a bit shorter; I just want to have somewhere to hold when I paint them.) This, however, would limit the wrist articulation -- either Shredder'd be left with his wrists permanently bent inward or doing so would produce noticeable gaps, and flexing the wrists upward would be out of the question.

There's also the option of attaching them the original way and using the 2K7 movie line Shredder's claws, but that wouldn't solve the tall forearm piece issue... and admittedly I like the look of the longer curved claws.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think!

[Ulisses31]

Wolverine Style all the way...:tlol:

[Wes]

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/ratkingwip.jpeg

Just a very early WIP, obviously. I need more tiny rats!

[Topsu]

Where'd you get that tiny rat, since I've been trying to find one to put next to my neca turtles (small ones)?

[Powder]

How about a compliment instead of a self servicing question?

Lovin the concept. You aiming to have your customs be in scale with the NECA turtles to some extent, or just trying to make em SICK?

[Topsu]

How about a compliment instead of a self servicing question?

Ah, good point Powder, I shouldn't write comments just after waking up...
Anyway, altho being a WIP, it does look good, Ratkings head fits surprisingly well into that body. Can't wait to see finished versions of that and Shredder :)

[Powder]

:) You da man topsu. Haha this is just a guess but I think the rat came from the 2k3 ratking? I know he comes with 2 or 3 just like that. Orrrrr he may have chopped it off of the ratking that he's already decapitated. I'll go with the latter.

[Wes]

No worries -- questions are totally fine and fair game! I mean, I'm asking questions myself, so you guys should feel free to offer answers if you've got 'em whether you have compliments or not. :)

This is not to say that I don't appreciate compliments, of course -- so thanks, guys! :D

Topsu: The rat is from the Silent Screamers Graf Orlok -- he comes with six. I actually don't want to keep this rat with Rat King in a permanent capacity (I'd like to keep my Graf Orlok "complete" as it were), but I've been thinking of tracking another one down for its rats. Unfortunately, I don't quite want to pay $15+ for three of the little guys (which is about how many I'd need), so I'm still looking for other options.

Powder: Well, I'm an articulation junkie, so I'm all about making new representations of the characters with additional poseability! As far as the scale goes, they're more to scale with the 2K3 Turtles than the NECAs -- I don't have any of those, but they look large enough to be in a 7" scale rather than 6". Of course, the Rat King on X3 Juggernaut body is particularly large, but I'm going for the TMNT Tournament Fighters interpretation in terms of size. I'll probably glue rats and creepy crawlies to him a la the original Playmates figure, though. :)

[Ninjinister]

Can you get a better shot of the rat? From this angle it looks like a slug with a rat tail.

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

Slowly but surely...

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shred1209a.jpeg

I'm very confused, but also inspired. I'll probably be mutilating a MOC Movie Star Foot Soldier in order to do something similar soon.

[Lordmylar06]

Your progress on these is looking fantastic! That Shredder looks really cool, and I can't wait to see what your Rat King finally looks like.

[Wes]

Can you get a better shot of the rat? From this angle it looks like a slug with a rat tail.
Sure, soon. Those guys are little, though -- hard to get proper shots of them. :lol:

I'm very confused, but also inspired.
Why confused?

Your progress on these is looking fantastic! That Shredder looks really cool, and I can't wait to see what your Rat King finally looks like.
Thanks! Rat King is quite far from complete -- who knows when I'll finish that guy! -- but Shredder should be finished before too much longer. Really all I have left to do is paint some of the metallic areas and he'll be good to go.

[BoggleKng]

Nice work so far.. Cant wait to see dem finished..

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

Maybe I won't be as confused when I see the final product. It looked as if you used a bunch of "parts" to make a slightly more accurate Super Shredder, and then tore him up again and further mutilated him.

I got my own Shredder custom to worry about though :twink:

[Wes]

Maybe I won't be as confused when I see the final product. It looked as if you used a bunch of "parts" to make a slightly more accurate Super Shredder, and then tore him up again and further mutilated him.
Oh, you mean for the claw pics? Yeah, I took his legs back off to work on the paint rub, since there was a bit at the tops of the thigh pieces. I also sand the connecting areas down a bit so they weren't so darned tight -- I didn't want to risk snapping his leg off when trying to turn them later!

I also detached the legs at the knee since I'm preparing to paint the lower legs silver -- rather than trying to mask off the thigh pieces to avoid getting silver on the pink, I figure it'll be easier to paint them separately and then reattach them afterwards. :)

[Patraw]

Rat King's head looks suprisingly good on Movie Juggs' body--it'll be interesting to see how the final version turns out.

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

We need another contest, Patraw...

[Patraw]

The thought has crossed my mind on several occasions, but now isn't a particularly good time for me, as I intend to shortly begin work on an entry for a contest/challenge on the Shifflett Bros. sculpting forum that I belong to.

That said, any of you should feel free to start a TMNT custom contest of your own if you like--you don't have to wait for me to do it. You could even just copy and paste the rules I've used in the past (other than obviously changing deadline dates and stuff like that) if you wanted to use them instead of coming up with guidelines of your own. I really think it'd be better for the Technodrome Forums in general if different people were to take turns organizing the custom contests instead of one person--variety is the spice of life.

If I have the time, and the rules are agreeable to me, I'd probably participate if someone else were to put a TMNT contest together in the near future (maybe Ectocooler would be interested, as he did the one prior to the three I did).

[Wes]

Still no tiny rat pics, but another WIP shot and a BONUS blast from the past!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/widestance.jpeg

Same as before; this one just depicts the results of my modifications to the ankle articulation. The XMC Magneto's ankles originally didn't allow for much tilt action, but now Shredder will be able to hit wider stances while keeping his feet flat on the floor. :)

I'm also rethinking my lower on the arms idea for the forearm armor... which puts me back in the camp of needing to find out what to use to make the hand gauntlets. Arrrgh.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/childshredder.jpeg

And in response to Oroku_CJJ's excellent movie Shredder custom, I mentioned that I particularly liked it for reasons related to my childhood Shredder figure. Here's why: after seeing TMNT 1990, I liked the film depiction of Shredder so much that I wrapped my own figure in glittery red cloth and covered him with tape to keep it on. He's since lost a shoulderpad, but his glittery outfit has remained intact all these years. :)

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

That Shredder is going to be so tight when you finish him... :twink:

[Sarah]

That Shredder is going to be so tight when you finish him... :twink:

yeah... if he ever finishes it. :lol:

what is on the eyes, and why did you paint the blades black?

[Wes]

That's poster tack over the eyes -- rather than trying to paint around small areas, I just use that stuff to mask them off. :)

And as far as the reason for the black painting, that's prep work for the drybrushing! First I paint the areas black, then I drybrush them silver to get that gritty metal look. I still need to give them a few more coats of black to get everything (the helmet could use another as well), and then I'll be ready to drybrush those parts silver.

And then all I'll need to do is figure out how to do the gauntlets and the cape and I'll be good to go!

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

If I had money to buy customs that people list on e-bay and I were to come across the finished version of this, I'd definitely buy it. Looks really good so far.

[Wes]

Ah, but I'd never sell it! I could see duplicating customs for sale purposes, or perhaps making ones with intent to sell... but not this one. This sucker is a (very) lengthy labor of love. :)

It's also my first experience with a lot of new techniques (for me) -- drybrushing, articulation enhancement, figure combination, and so forth -- so I'd probably want to keep it around for that reason alone. I've also done a remarkably good job of cutting down on paint rub, at least for the time being (we'll see how those legs do once they're drybrushed silver). Even so, I think from now on I'll try my hardest to select figures in the appropriate colors. Would've done that here, but there aren't too many pink superhero figures. ;)

Do people really pay that much for customs from unknowns? I know I wouldn't buy a custom from someone I'd never heard of -- no matter how good it looks, there's no telling what kind of quality it'd have.

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

I know I wouldn't buy a custom from someone I'd never heard of -- no matter how good it looks, there's no telling what kind of quality it'd have.

People do it all the time. I'm gonna have to start sending you links. :tlol:

[Wes]

Ha ha, please do! I wouldn't actually buy any of them, but I'd be very interested in seeing what customs other folks are selling. The only customs I ever see on eBay are the ones that get major props on the toy boards I frequent -- in short, the ones by really well-known guys like Jin Saotome, Kyle Robinson, and Loosecollector.

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

Never heard of those guys...sort of like loving a song and not knowing what band recorded it. Not many people get famous customizing action figures, though.

[Wes]

Ha! I didn't mean famous in that everyone would know their names, but famous in the collecting/customizing community... kinda like how everybody knows Mike Crawford's name because of his toy reviews.

Anyway, go here if you're interested in seeing Jin Saotome's work (http://jincustom.com/). Of course, I'd never pay that much for a freaking toy, but I've seen his customs sell for thousands of dollars on eBay. Loosecollector's stuff is here (http://www.angelfire.com/planet/loosecollector/) and Kyle Robinson's work is here (http://www.kylerobinsoncustoms.com/). There are a bunch of well-regarded customizers in the community (at least in terms of their work; a lot of people hate Jin for some kind of drama that went down some years back), but these are three of the top dogs who come to mind right now.

[Sarah]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! you started this custom a year ago and you're STILL not finished. :P

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

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! you started this custom a year ago and you're STILL not finished. :P

He has the record for worst ADD of customizers everywhere... :tlol:

[Samhain]

I love that Shred head. Looks sick.

[Wes]

THANK YOU for the positive reinforcement, samhain. :tcool:

[Ulisses31]

I like your custom, but let me say... I love scary crayon... yesterday I´ve reda all the DP hell... :teek:

[Wes]

Thanks, Ulisses! Always nice to have another fan. :D

[Loco]

Look familiar? Yes, no?

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/flycomp1.gif
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/fly4.jpeg
:lol:
:lol: nice dude !I like that Shredder you made , just wicked ! keep customin :rolling:

[Wes]

Thanks, LA. :)

PROGRESS!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredheads.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredangle.jpeg

Even with the unsteady edges of the yellow eyes, you don't even want to know how much time I spent painting just that bloody head. People have made multiple customs in less time. :(

[Mutated Turtle]

Thanks, LA. :)

PROGRESS!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredheads.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredangle.jpeg

Even with the unsteady edges of the yellow eyes, you don't even want to know how much time I spent painting just that bloody head. People have made multiple customs in less time. :(

The long time was worth it,this custom is epic.

[Loco]

I really love that new head
did you built it entirely ? it's gonna be the best shredder custom ever

[Topsu]

Wacky action Shredder head, I presume. Looks nice, bu how much work you still have left with that figure? I'm not quite sure what more is missing from him...

[Loco]

now you say it topsu I see that Wacky action shred'head ,so my question was useless, well the work on it is awesome.
I think he just miss a bad cape now :evil: hehe ;) If Time is what he need , Wait We will :D perfect work take time.

[Wes]

Thanks for the compliments, guys! Topsu is right that the head is the Wacky Action Shredder head -- though I'll take it as a compliment that you didn't recognize it offhand, LA. :) I did do a number of things to it in addition to painting it, like dremeling around the "crest" to make the division between it and the helmet dome slightly more pronounced and hollowing out the back part of it below the jawline to give it a more 3D look when worn. I probably would've done more about those mold lines on the top if I'd noticed them beforehand -- that part of the helmet was black on the original figure, so they weren't as noticeable to me as some of the other issues with the sculpt -- but ah well.

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

Even with the unsteady edges of the yellow eyes, you don't even want to know how much time I spent painting just that bloody head. People have made multiple customs in less time. :(

Yeah, I don't think the edges on the eyes are unsteady at all. This is one of the most amazing customs I've seen in awhile. Your work has a very Street Fighter feel to it, and I really like that.

Sure, people have done multiple customs in less time but this is bad-@$$.

[Wes]

Thanks for the encouragement, CJJ! I was hoping to have him mostly finished by now, but I've had some setbacks with the claws and noticed some new paint rub, the latter of which necessitated more dismantling and sanding and now repainting. Arrrrrgh.

But very soon he'll be done, and then I'll be able to not finish other customs I started ages ago. x_X

[Wes]

So it's not Shredder -- or TMNT related -- but I just finished a custom that's been in my work area even LONGER than Shredder. (Actually, most of the customs in my work area have been there longer than Shredder... only two are more recent, and I could basically finish those at any time.) Behold!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/wolviefin1.jpeg

Kinda hard to tell what I did, aside from the addition of the metal claws! But his fleshy parts have received a brown wash and the yellow parts received a darker yellow wash, and the blue areas have all been repainted with a brighter, more vibrant blue than the almost blue-green of the original figure. Dullcote to knock off the plastic-y gloss, though I did add some brush-on gloss finish to the eyes and the teeth/lips for a touch of realism. Snarlin' and slobberin' Wolvie, comin' atcha!

Also, metallic blue shoulderpads!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/wolviefin2.jpeg

Talk to the claws, Sabretooth!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/wolviefin4.jpeg

X-Men versus Street Fighter!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/wolviefin5.jpeg

And yeeeeeeah, I suck at sculpting, so the claw guards aren't all that smooth. I just pretend he's mangled them in the course of many battles, which also explains why the claws are so dirty. He's been impaling oily Sentinels and whatnot. :P

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/wolviefin3sm.jpeg (http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/wolviefin3.jpeg)

MARVEL SUPERHEROES UNITE!!!

And not really a custom, but...

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/usagispot.jpeg

The colors aren't accurate, but then Usagi isn't comic-accurate either, is he? :lol: I'm leaving Spot untouched so that, like Usagi, he can maintain his unique vintage charm throughout the years. ;)

[Topsu]

That's just some random small dinosaur, isn't it? Looking good nonetheless, giving me more ideas. Also, why not give Shredder metal claws if you've done it with Wolverine? Altho they are different looking blades....

[BigApple3AM]

Great job on the Wolverine claws! I did my ML 6 Brown Wolverine year back but it didn't turn out as nice.

Interesting how you used 2 movie figures in your picture (which is awesome btw) and they still look good. Props to Marvel for having their movie characters look like the comics. Now if only they could get the X-Men rights back.

And I think you sold me on that Marvel Select Sabretooth if I could only find it...

[Wes]

Topsu: Yep, just a random dinosaur! He reminded me of Spot, though, so now that's who he is. :) And yeah, the claws are different on Shredder, hence my decision not to do them the same way as Wolverine. I also don't want Shredder accidentally impaling someone (or me); Wolverine scares me enough in that respect as it is!

Ectocooler: Thanks! Yeah, the Marvel movies lately have been pretty good matches for the comic characters (even if the movies themselves haven't been all that great) -- I don't even mind the movie Spider-Man's look, really. I'm not at all a fan of the movie X-Men suits, though, which stings even more since I think those movies are flipping awful. I hated X2 beyond my ability to express my hatred.

That Marvel Select Sabretooth is pretty neat, too! Considering how large he was in the 90s cartoon, I think he's the perfect size to go head to head with Wolverine.

[BigApple3AM]

I'm not at all a fan of the movie X-Men suits, though, which stings even more since I think those movies are flipping awful. I hated X2 beyond my ability to express my hatred.


We're friends now.

[Candy Kappa]

I hated X2 beyond my ability to express my hatred

Yes!
My gf hates it as well, she can rant hour long how much she hates it

[Wes]

Wow, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one! X2 gets so much love from the geek community it makes me sick.

And OMG, did I finish a custom?!? I DID! I DID FINISH A CUSTOM!!!

But it's still not Shredder.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster01.jpeg

IT'S A MEMBER OF THE RATT PACK!!! Also known as a "mutant rat" as seen in Manhattan Missions, though they mostly wore brown suits. I rather like this grey, though.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster02.jpeg

Shot of the base figures that went into the creation of the custom! It's pretty much an Eon Kid Steeljaw Jack with TMNT Splinter head and hands. I have no idea where the shoes came from (I got this body headless and handless in a fodder lot), but I think they work well for the character! The gun is from a Terminator Salvation endoskeleton.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster03.jpeg

A little fun with the actual figures I used to make this guy. Hopefully someday I'll find a use for Splinter's tail and feet as well.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster04.jpeg

If you get this joke, you are awesome. :)

Thanks for looking!

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

Nice job!!! I'm not familiar with Manhattan Missions, but your customs are usually spot on...can you post a screen cap like you did with Headdroppin' Raph???

Is this going to be a contest entry? I hope so.

[Wes]

Thanks, CJJ! But you've never played Manhattan Missions? Seriously?!?!? Stop what you're doing RIGHT NOW and play through the game. It bloody rules, and you can beat it relatively quickly. (I played through it last night in celebration of nearly finishing the Ratt Pack member. :D ) Probably my favorite TMNT game of all time, though TMNT: Tournament Fighters is ultra high on the list too.

Anyway, I'll be sure to take more photos later (hence my not posting him yet in the contest thread; I want to be clear on what kinds of pics are allowed before I do so!), but here's an image with the Ratt Pack members as seen in Manhattan Missions.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/mm-rattpack.gif

You only ever fight the ones in the brown suits and the boss with the blue-grey jacket (twice), but there are other Ratt Pack members around as seen in the cutscene pic... so yeah, I just say this guy is one of them. I was tempted to paint the suit as well, but what I love most about this custom is the total lack of paint rub at the joints, not to mention the general lack of chippable paint elsewhere. Finally, a custom I can handle to my heart's delight! :D

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster05.jpeg

And for good measure, here's a closeup of the face. :)

[Leonardo87]

Excellent customs Wes! I am amazed of how well they are detailed. Keep up the great work!

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

See my last post in the contest thread regarding the details you asked about.

As far as the color of the suit goes, its fine, it matches the suit the one in the bottom right hand corner is wearing--my only beef is that you didn't find or make a corsage for him... :tlol:

Wes, I can hook you up with some more Splinters if you want them...they wouldn't be free but I've always thought a lot of you so you'd get them cheaper from me than you would anywhere else. Ask anyone I've ever sold loose/incomplete stuff to on here.

[Wes]

Ha, you'd give me a deal? I appreciate the sentiment! :)

I'm good on Splinters right now, but I can always use cheap fodder for my experiments! I'm trying to find out an easy yet effective way of adding new joints to 2K3 and vintage TMNT figures. I've found some workable methods, but nothing I really love yet.

[Powder]

Wes, I can hook you up with some more Splinters if you want them...they wouldn't be free but I've always thought a lot of you so you'd get them cheaper from me than you would anywhere else. Ask anyone I've ever sold loose/incomplete stuff to on here.

No offense but can you post once without trying to coin?


LOVE the custom, dude. You oughtta paint the pants black though to fully match the character. :-p

[Loco]

And OMG, did I finish a custom?!? I DID! I DID FINISH A CUSTOM!!!

But it's still not Shredder.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster01.jpeg

IT'S A MEMBER OF THE RATT PACK!!!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster02.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster03.jpeg

A little fun with the actual figures I used to make this guy. Hopefully someday I'll find a use for Splinter's tail and feet as well.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rattster04.jpeg


Yeah X2 was bad I don't like so much x mens but I like the Claws and the work you made for wolverine ( my favorite x men if I had to choose one)

what is the Ratt Pack ? is it just in the game you are talkin about ? or a real story ?
That Splinter is cool :tgrin: he got class I like the Gangster Hat I tryed to made one but your one looks way better also I'm askin why he have a Purple hEAD edit : (but now i saw the game picture, I think i get it) I like it and even I don't get the word "swiped" I love your 2 funny pictures , very good ;) and good job thats splinter is really some awesome idea dude.

No offense but can you post once without trying to coin?

no offense you got it right that's kind of Annoying :tlol:

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

No offense but can you post once without trying to coin?

Yes I can, considering I only charge for shipping when I'm offering someone custom fodder...that Splinter is really common.

[Ninjinister]

The generic Ratt Pack members in Manhattan Missions (and by extension, their boss - who just may supposedly represent the main man himself) are based on the actual leader of The Ratt Pack from the RPG, Labb Ratt.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/2450526267_273d4095cd.jpg
Thanks for the image, tOk'!

I have plans to make the whole pack some day, but that's a "much later" project.

EDIT: Here's Labb with his hat, which is obviously what Manhattan Missions' developers based the thugs on:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2007/2451369311_f7556d1093.jpg

[Wes]

Thanks for the compliments, guys!

You oughtta paint the pants black though to fully match the character. :-p
Well, it's not specifically meant to be the boss from the game -- among other differences, note the red shirt (I just kinda wanted to paint something red!) -- though if you like, you can pretend it's the middle rat in the picture with the truck.

But in all honesty, I would've finished Shredder weeks ago if it weren't for the paint rub issues, so yeah... I'm not painting the pants because I don't want to deal with that! The minor problems at the wrists are annoying enough for me. :P

And CJJ, just asking for shipping is kinda like offering them for free -- so you should've said that! :D But yeah, I'm good on Splinters for now. (Thanks though!)

Speaking of coining... man, I think I'm going to have to make some eBay customs. Even ones that don't look all that great to me are going for pretty impressive amounts! Of course, there are others that seem decent enough that aren't going for very much at all. Hmm.

[Wes]

Few more pics, gave him a different gun.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rottnratt01.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/rottnratt02.jpeg

Oh, and he has a name now! ROTTN RATT! :D

[Wes]

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/fiinalwippic.jpeg

Final WIP pic -- because the next time I photograph this thing, it will finally be DONE.

It'd already be done if I hadn't glued that piece a tiny bit off -- looked fine when I did it, but then I came back and it really bugged me so I ripped it off. I'll need to do some minor repainting at the edges of the area, and maybe a tiny bit of sanding, and then glue, and then I can finally put Shredder to rest.

[BigApple3AM]

Wow that looks great, nice paint work!

[Powder]

Indeed, its looking beastly, man.

[Nelson]

Thanks, LA. :)

PROGRESS!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredheads.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredangle.jpeg

Even with the unsteady edges of the yellow eyes, you don't even want to know how much time I spent painting just that bloody head. People have made multiple customs in less time. :(

Oh, crap, man. I hadn't seen this head shot. It looks amazing. I'm going to ask you for painting tips.

And, on second thought, don't enter the contest thanks man

[Wes]

And, on second thought, don't enter the contest thanks man
:(

I need encouragement, not discouragement! It's already quite possible that I won't finish this thing on time. ohwell:

But since you like it, here's another pic of that head:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredhead2fin.jpeg

The mold lines on the top of the helmet after I originally painted it bugged the crap out of me, so I sanded and resculpted the top area numerous times in an attempt to get rid of them. The overall result isn't nearly different enough to justify the amount of time I spent doing that -- the shadows on the helmet look deeper and it has a slightly more crackled appearance, but otherwise it looks about the same -- but at least I was able to remove the mold lines to my satisfaction.

[Mutated Turtle]

And, on second thought, don't enter the contest thanks man

What the hell? you are way rude.

On topic:That Shredder looks amazing, Wes!

[VaughnMichael]

Wes, it's looking great!
If there is one thing I've learn since starting, it's that you do them as you want because people are always going to have something negative to say.

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

What the hell? you are way rude.

I think Nelson was making a joke...he doesn't want everyone else to lose.

[Blade Raider]

jokes...why the internet has smilies.

It's looking great Wes. Others may be faster, but you have quality.

[Candy Kappa]

jokes...why the internet has smilies.

sarcasm should be in yellow text, angry comments in red, jealousy in green.
and underage people should write in pink, FBI agents in blue

[Nelson]

The mold lines on the top of the helmet after I originally painted it bugged the crap out of me, so I sanded and resculpted the top area numerous times in an attempt to get rid of them. The overall result isn't nearly different enough to justify the amount of time I spent doing that -- the shadows on the helmet look deeper and it has a slightly more crackled appearance, but otherwise it looks about the same -- but at least I was able to remove the mold lines to my satisfaction.

Hey, it's true! The original Wacky Action Shredder does have some marked mold lines in the head. You really got rid of them because they are not noticeable at all in yours. Congratulations, man. But really, I'd like some painting tips. I've tried the drybrushing and wash techniques that are explained in some tutorials on the web but I must be doing something wrong, as they never end up the way I intended.


What the hell? you are way rude.

Come on, man. I had just said that it looked amazing. That last sentence was a joke (a bad one), as Oroku_CJJ pointed out.

In any case, I'd like to state that this particular post contains 0 sarcasm. That's why there are no words in yellow. Sorry for the confusion.

[Wes]

It's going to be a squeaker, but I think I'm on track to have Cyber Shredder presentable before the contest deadline! Just need to wait a half hour for this last bit of paint to dry, then add some satin finish for a metal sheen and wait some more... and then we should be ready to shoot. :D

Hey, it's true! The original Wacky Action Shredder does have some marked mold lines in the head. You really got rid of them because they are not noticeable at all in yours. Congratulations, man.
I appreciate it... those things really got on my nerves! I've sanded down mold lines elsewhere, but in many cases I just leave them alone. Those lines right on the top of Shredder's noggin right bugged me to death, though.

But really, I'd like some painting tips. I've tried the drybrushing and wash techniques that are explained in some tutorials on the web but I must be doing something wrong, as they never end up the way I intended.
Well, I painted Shredder almost entirely with drybrushing (aside from the unpainted flesh of the arms, only the area with his eyes wasn't drybrushed), so I'd like to think I've gotten quite good at it during the time I've spent working on this thing. What specifically is giving you problems with the technique? It looks like you did a good job with it on Casey and April way back when.

Washes I'm less skilled with, but I do okay on that front. What problems are you having there?

Come on, man. I had just said that it looked amazing. That last sentence was a joke (a bad one), as Oroku_CJJ pointed out.
And yeah, I figured you were joking! It's cool. :)

[Nelson]

Well, I painted Shredder almost entirely with drybrushing (aside from the unpainted flesh of the arms, only the area with his eyes wasn't drybrushed), so I'd like to think I've gotten quite good at it during the time I've spent working on this thing. What specifically is giving you problems with the technique? It looks like you did a good job with it on Casey and April way back when.

Washes I'm less skilled with, but I do okay on that front. What problems are you having there?

Yeah, I should have been more specific. Well, with washes what happens to me is that if the brush is too dry, the resulting paint application is hardly noticeable, requiring multiple coats. Is that normal? If I apply a littile more paint in the brush, the proccess is faster, but the brush strokes are noticeable in the figure afterwards.

With washes it's worse. instead of the paint ending deposited in the details of the sculpt, it creates a weird camouflage effect in the figure. And in some parts you can even see some dripping stains once it's dry. And once dry, you can't undo it. Frustrations galore. It could be the paint/water ratio used, but I've tried augmenting the water ratio and I still get the weird camouflage effect. You see, the torso of my Cyber-Shredder custom was washed. It certainly doesn't look like it was, as the muscles are not defined as they should after a wash. I'm beggining to think that after the wash, one is supposed to dry brush the figure with the base color (the one used before the wash), to eliminate the camouflage and end up with only the parts that accentuate the sculpt. But the tutorials don't mention that so I'm confused.

I know it must be hard to you to understand this via text and offer a solution. You don't have to. I guess I just wanted to share my frustations (what a drama queen.)

[Wes]

Nelson: I take it you meant to refer to drybrushing rather than washing in the first part, yes? If so, yes -- it's definitely normal to have to go over drybrushed areas multiple times, and you want to leave as little paint as possible on there to avoid showing brush strokes (unless you want the brush strokes to show; sometimes that's a desirable effect). I think I did about six passes of the magenta on Cyber Shredder, followed by two more passes in a lighter pink just to mute the contrast a bit. With the wrapping on the arms, I started with a black base and drybrushed pewter grey, white, and then antique (somewhat yellowed) white -- with multiple passes of each (and some quaker grey at times, outside of the standard progression above, to mute the colors and provide for additional blending).

At any rate, unless you want different effects (I left more paint on the brush for the darker purple on Rottn Ratt and then "properly" drybrushed the lighter coat overtop, which as you can see provided a much different look than that of Shredder's outfit... though the relative softness of the Splinter sculpt was also a factor there), it's better to have less paint on the brush with drybrushing.

Washes are trickier, and admittedly I still haven't gotten the hang of them entirely. Here's what I've learned, though. First: it's tempting to think that you want to leave more paint in the brush when washing, since you want it to pool in the recesses of the sculpt. But if you have too much on the brush, it'll collect everywhere... which is how you end up with the camo designs. Wipe the brush off like you would when painting normally, then proceed to paint in long, even strokes. Paint in one direction, and don't aim for complete coverage (i.e. don't pass over the same area multiple times, which I tend to do when painting normally).

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/tmntmmfoot1.jpeg

And here's a trick I like to use. After the paint has been on there for about a minute but is still wet, take a damp cloth or paper towel and gently wipe the surface of your item, which will get rid of the excess on the top but leave some of the paint in the recesses -- which is what you want. Like see how the indents on the Foot Ninja's vest are more pronounced? That's partly the light, but also because of the black wash (even though I wiped most of it off; contrast that with the unwashed gloves). It also helped to make the brown/red less bright than it was before.

However, even a perfect wash isn't only going to darken the recesses -- you're still going over your entire surface, so it's going to darken the raised areas too (just not as much). As such, if you want the raised areas to remain the same color that you had before, you should indeed plan on drybrushing over them again... though in that instance I'd probably just drybrush the piece from the start and skip the wash altogether. I think washes work best on figures with bare plastic (I used washes on my HML Wolverine modification to add depth to the bright yellow and unpainted flesh) or to add distracting grunge to painted areas that look too bright and/or aren't painted/sculpted especially well (like I did with the claws on that figure).

Of course, some people like to mix and match, and each technique has its place, but in general I think I prefer drybrushing to washing. Of course, most novices do, and my opinion of washes might improve if/when I get better at applying them!

Moving on...

So I posted the combined contest image in that thread, but here are a few solo shots. Maybe even more pics to come after I've done a few minor touch-ups, but yeah.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder2.jpeg

"Classic" helmet, with yellow cyber eyes (when I played TMNT Tournament Fighters as a kid, I always thought Shredder's eyes were glowing yellow).

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder1.jpeg

"Super" head, with normal eyes for vintage appeal. :P

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder3.jpeg

And per Shredder's appearance in the game, the shoulder armor and cape are removable!

Recipe: ML Wonder Man base; knees and lower legs from XMC Magneto; vintage TMNT Super Shredder and Slice 'n' Dice Shredder heads; Super Shredder armor.

So it took me forever and ended up being way more challenging/ambitious than I'd originally intended (before I was pretty much going to glue Super Shredder armor on Wonder Man and call it a day; you can see the early pics in this thread for an idea of what I was planning at first), but I'm really pleased with the result and think I've learned a lot over the course of creating this bad boy. :D

And I've already begun work on my second Shredder!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/shredderii-wip1.jpeg

Assuming I'm able to finish it "quickly" and with much less effort (which shouldn't be a problem, since I have a game plan and know what I'm doing this time around), I think I'll try to sell this one. :d

[Ninjinister]

What exactly is drybrushing? I was once told that it consisted of just getting a bit of paint on the tip of one's brush, but that never produces any different effects than standard brushing, for me....

[RayH]

Just so totally blown away by this figure, The drybrushing is just so well done, its the perfect base body to capitolize on drybrushing as well since the BP sculpt has so much texture. Love the blades so much, they make shredder look very imposing.

easily one of the best TMNT customs i've seen, and I think it would be a crime if this doesnt win the contest.

[Nelson]

MEGA TUTORIAL

Wow, Wes, thank you! You went above and beyond the call of duty, those are super-precise instructions! Yes, I mixed up the terms and said wash when I was talking abour drybrushing at first. It's good to know that I was not doing it badly, but that I was not doing it enough (please pipsqueak, don't take that sentence out of context.) I'll have to be patient and apply many coats to truly see the effect. You also answered another doubt I had but forgot to ask: how to know when to use drybrush and when to use wash. Thanks again.

I want to paint the Shredder again but I'm kind of nervous about it, so I'll try my new knowledge on that Max Winters figure I bought some months ago specifically to repaint it and see if I can make him look less McDonaldish.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder2.jpeg

"Classic" helmet, with yellow cyber eyes (when I played TMNT Tournament Fighters as a kid, I always thought Shredder's eyes were glowing yellow).

This is the best pic so far.

Cyber Shredder does have yellow eyes, but for some reason the in-game sprite has them white. I was going to paint mine's yellow, but changed my mind at the last minute.

And I've already begun work on my second Shredder!

Very cool.

Oh, Ninjister, in drybrushing you have to use the brush (with paint on it) on a piece of paper cloth so that the brush loses some of the paint and end somewhat dry, and it's after that that you paint the figure, softly. That way the paint doesn't cover all the parts of the figure, just the "bumpy" parts of the sculpt.

[Wes]

Thanks so much, guys! And I'm honored, RayH -- what with your awesome original sculpts and nifty repainted NECA Turtles, praise from you really makes me feel special. :)

Cyber Shredder does have yellow eyes, but for some reason the in-game sprite has them white. I was going to paint mine's yellow, but changed my mind at the last minute.
Actually, I'm now pretty sure they're supposed to be white in the game (the pic in my sig is made from Shredder's ending in part). I always thought they were yellow based on the select screen/vs pics, but actually that's more of a flesh color.

Yellow eyes are cooler, though. ;)

Oh, Ninjister, in drybrushing you have to use the brush (with paint on it) on a piece of paper cloth so that the brush loses some of the paint and end somewhat dry, and it's after that that you paint the figure, softly.
When I drybrush, I start by vigorously brushing the brush onto a piece of paper -- rubbing it hard back and forth, sometimes even twirling it to get everything -- until I can't see any more paint coming from the brush when I swipe it. Then I take it to the figure and start "dusting" it in back-and-forth strokes with the brush -- again, pretty vigorously, though I don't mash the brush down into the crevices. I mostly use a larger brush for the task, though a smaller brush is necessary to get into certain places (like between and below the blades of Shredder's armor).

Also, this ruins brushes pretty quickly -- but works even better with a "ruined" brush -- so I'd use a brush that's already damaged rather than one with straight and neat bristles.

[Topsu]

Hmm, I've been thinking about doing a Shredder custom for a while, but in Archie-comics style. I think I have extra Super Shredder, and I would get spikes from there, but what did you use for those claws?

I made Slash's claws from a scratch, but I wanted those to be less "clean" than Shredders. I'd also need to get me figures before I start, but I thought I'd ask beforehand.

[Wes]

Topsu: An Archie-style Shredder sounds cool! I actually have the parts to make one of those as well -- back when I wasn't sure I would be satisfied with this one, I started acquiring the necessary pieces to put together another Shredder if the need arose.

Anyway, I used curved plastic toothpicks for the claws. I'm not sure how well they'd work for an Archie Shredder (depending upon how accurate you want the claws to look), but I thought they were perfect for Cyber Shredder!

[Topsu]

I'm not sure how well they'd work for an Archie Shredder (depending upon how accurate you want the claws to look), but I thought they were perfect for Cyber Shredder!

Well, all my customs have been semi-accurate, I want to make some artistic changes, since appearance of those characters depends much on drawer, especielly in Archie comics. So (if) I do Shredder, he'll be wearing purple/blue outfit with cape. Not too much more specifics, since sometimes he has tight clothes, while in others he his clothes just hang on him, even in same story they change it (Future Shark story for example).

[shuriken]

That was awesome. Totally worth those months of preperation and such.

[Wes]

Thanks, shuriken. :)

I finished those minor touch-ups from before and gave Shredder a good posing session, so here are some more pics. :D

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder4.jpeg

With the Sword of Tengu!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder5.jpeg

This time, the outcome will be different.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder6.jpeg

NECA? Who needs NECA? :lol:

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder7.jpeg

"Tonight I dine on turtle soup."

Thanks again for viewing and commenting, guys! :)

[TheCanadiandrome]

nice man. that's awesome

[psychoandy]

This may just be the coolest custom Shredder of all time.

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

This may just be the coolest custom Shredder of all time.

Well, it did take him two years to finish it :tlol:

[Samhain]

Best Shredder ever. Hands down.

[Candy Kappa]

playmates have something to learn from this thread

[Timmetry]

I'd like to see a picture of him with the Neca turtles. It would be ten times cooler if it was in some scale with them.

[Granitor]

That is very cool and very well made. Awesome work! :)

[Raph]

Truly amazing man! Indeed best custom Mirage Shredder I've ever seen!!

[Wes]

Well, it did take him two years to finish it :tlol:
Wisecrack! Shouldn't you be working out the results of the contest instead of poking fun at me? :trazz:

But in fairness, it was just over one year, and it's not as if I spent all of that time working on the thing! Much of that time was spent figuring out precisely what parts I wanted to use, waiting on eBay auctions and working out forum trades to acquire the pieces at reasonable prices, deciding what colors I wanted to paint the thing, figuring out how I wanted to do parts like the claws... and then of course there were the inevitable repaints and redoing of certain things (like the wrapping on the right arm) because I can be incredibly anal about these sorts of things. If I were to try to replicate this recipe and stayed on task (and had the necessary parts on hand), it'd probably take me less than two weeks to finish. :P

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredturtles.jpeg

Anyway, thanks for the comments and renewed interest, folks! I don't have the NECA Turtles, Timmetry, but I imagine whether my Shredder is in scale with them depends upon how tall you think Saki should be in relation to them. I think he looks great alongside the 2K3 Turtles, though!

[Slap-Happy]

NECA turtles are about 5 3/4 inches, so he might be in scale.

[Candy Kappa]

he looks like he's in scale having a marvel legends body

[Granitor]

In any case it is very cool and i love that picture of shredder with the turtles. Very cool id like that on a t-shirt :)

[Topsu]

Sorry Wes, I'm gonna borrow your recipe for a bit... Wonderman body and Super Shredder blades, not other stuff tho...

[Damien Kash]

Coolest.Shredder.Toy.Ever!

Wish it was buy-able.
maybe I should steal the recipe....... :D

[Ninjinister]

Coolest.Shredder.Toy.Ever!

Wish it was buy-able.
maybe I should steal the recipe....... :D

Recipe? It's not a freakin' cake.... o.O

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

Recipe? It's not a freakin' cake.... o.O

Yeah, but that's a convenient word to use for it.

[Ninjinister]

I have a really good word that I use, but it escapes me at this point.

But yeah... recipe always makes one think of food.

[Damien Kash]

How'bout blueprints?

Nah,I'll go with recipe.That Shredder looks so delicious! :P

[Lordmylar06]

OH MY GAWD. You've blown my mind with this one. I take a month or two off the forums and come back to see this amazing custom. I was working on a Shredder custom too, but I put it off. It looks like I need to get back on it now!

[Wes]

Someone on another forum asked for a pic of my Shredder next to a NECA Turtle and April -- and since I've actually acquired some of those since making the figure, I was able to oblige! So here are some extra pics.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshrednecacomp1.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshrednecacomp2.jpeg

I still think a Shredder intended to fit with the NECA TMNTs should be larger (this guy's hanging with my 2k3 crowd), but I think he works fine with April.

[shuriken]

I think he fits in pretty well with them. Are the TMNT supposed be 5'4 or something while Shredder is 6'?

[Andrew NDB]

I think he fits in pretty well with them. Are the TMNT supposed be 5'4 or something while Shredder is 6'?

He's 5'10" by the Palladium book. Though even that seems a little tall for your average Japanese man.

[Wes]

He's the SHREDDER -- he's supposed to be tall!

Cyber Shredder is 6'6" according to the TMNT Tournament Fighters game stats, but the game also puts the Turtles at 5'8" -- so yeah, this Shredder's more/less in relative scale with the 2k3 figures. And I guess if "comic" Shredder is 5'10" by the Palladium book, he could be in scale with the NECA figures as well... though I'm finding that that book has the Turtles at 4'6" to 4'9", so maybe not. (But that kinda makes him in scale with the vintage toys!)

I guess it could work if one wanted to mix and match the characters' scales, but their proportions still seem too large to me (and too large compared to the NECA April, for that matter).

[Nelson]

1.- I like the pics.
2.- Shredder seems to be in scale with the NECAs
3.- Wes, I tought you died or sumthin. Where were you? :S

[shuriken]

He's 5'10" by the Palladium book. Though even that seems a little tall for your average Japanese man.

2 inches off isn't much :). But the TMNT do get taller as the series progressed, and in their first outing with the Shredder they were prolly like 4'10" to 5' tall. So I guess it works if the TMNT are 16, not 13.

[RayH]

I see shredder as two sizes...

just regular normal shredder. Then the big and tall super shredder version from the video games.

I think your custom works great for regular shredder size with the neca figs. But i could see you wanting to use the 2ktoon turtles to make shredder seem more super shredder sized, or like he was in the game you based it off of.

[Wes]

1.- I like the pics.
2.- Shredder seems to be in scale with the NECAs
3.- Wes, I tought you died or sumthin. Where were you? :S
1. Thanks!
2. He still looks tiny to me! The NECA scale is LAME. ;)
3. No, I lived. Everyone else died. :cry:

Nah; I just have a tendency to disappear for a while and stuff. I haven't been anywhere or doing anything incredibly interesting other than repainting Shredder's crotch a billion times (though I did attend and report on a couple of comic conventions).

2 inches off isn't much :). But the TMNT do get taller as the series progressed...
Do they really, or is that just a result of different artist renditions? I'd like to see some documentation on this! :)

I see shredder as two sizes...

just regular normal shredder. Then the big and tall super shredder version from the video games.
I more/less see him as those sizes too, but I think Shredder should stand considerably taller than the Turtles. IMO, even April would ideally stand a head taller than them. I think that's how they're depicted in most media, right? Seems like I remember her towering over them all sexy like on the cartoon.

[Metalogan]

Schweeeet... i am all about a good articulated shred hed

[KittenBunny]

Best shredder I have ever seen in my life, the purple paint, the detail, the accuracy, you are very talented! its seriously orgasmic lol

[Wes]

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/redshredwip1.jpeg

Not sure if I'll leave his crotch exposed or give him a loincloth thingy, but yeah... the body here is largely finished.

[Topsu]

Not sure if I'll leave his crotch exposed or give him a loincloth thingy, but yeah... the body here is largely finished.
Looks good, I don't know what look are you going for, but I prefer my Shredders with loincloth :P What head are you planning to use, I'd hope to see something completely new, but I guess you don't want to sculpt too much...

[Hero]

I hear that Shredder custom is going to make a special appearance somewhere soon... ;)

===HERO

[Wes]

Looks good, I don't know what look are you going for, but I prefer my Shredders with loincloth :P What head are you planning to use, I'd hope to see something completely new, but I guess you don't want to sculpt too much...
I guess I'm going for a bit more of a Mirage look with this one, but still using the Super Shredder armor. Haven't decided on which head to use! I'd like to use a 2K3 Shredder head -- if only to further distinguish this one from my Cyber Shredder -- but I may just go back to the ol' Slice 'n' Dice head if that doesn't look right to me.

I hear that Shredder custom is going to make a special appearance somewhere soon... ;)
:D

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

If you use the Slice n' Dice Shredder, paint the eyes white this time.

[Candy Kappa]

If you use the Slice n' Dice Shredder, paint the eyes white this time.

I second that:)

[Wes]

No matter which head I use, painting the eyes white is the plan.

[Wes]

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/shredwip/redshredwip2.jpeg

Coming along...

[raphfan84]

Someone on another forum asked for a pic of my Shredder next to a NECA Turtle and April -- and since I've actually acquired some of those since making the figure, I was able to oblige! So here are some extra pics.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshrednecacomp1.jpeg
http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshrednecacomp2.jpeg

I still think a Shredder intended to fit with the NECA TMNTs should be larger (this guy's hanging with my 2k3 crowd), but I think he works fine with April.

Dude that Shredder looks awesome!!!!! And I love that 2nd pic, the way you have them posed. Great work man!:tgrin:

[Wes]

Been kinda MIA for a while, but I have new WIP pics to share...

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/ninjab1.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/ninjac1.jpeg

Probably going to give them black washes and a little drybrushing, paint the eyes (and fully pop the heads back on and reattach the severed limbs on the grey one), and call them finito. Bonus points if you can guess the inspiration of the second one (hint: I'm painting his eyes black).

[TheCanadiandrome]

lookin good dude

[psychoandy]

Are those Spectacular Spider-Man figures?

[jaybeane]

Are those Spectacular Spider-Man figures?

Looks like it.

That Shredder is amazing. I hope to see more from this dude soon!

[Wes]

Yep, they're Spectacular Spider-Man figures -- the grey one's pretty much a redo of my previous Foot Ninja, only this one uses a the v2 Black Spidey with the more articulated body as a base. :)

[Powder]

Regular foot + foot tech?

[psychoandy]

Yep, they're Spectacular Spider-Man figures -- the grey one's pretty much a redo of my previous Foot Ninja, only this one uses a the v2 Black Spidey with the more articulated body as a base. :)

Solid. I dig 'em! Can't wait to see them finished!

[Wes]

Regular foot + foot tech?
No... I was going to say maybe this new WIP pic will help, but the flash makes it look way brighter than it actually is... so maybe not.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/ninjac2.jpeg

Anyway, I'm pretty much done with this sucker -- just need to seal the paint and he'll be ready to join Shredder on the shelf. The other ninja's paint is nearly complete as well, but he'll require a bit more work before he's ready to take on the Turtles.

[Loco]

it's looks cool Wes

[Jester]

So Wes, is this a NES Foot Soldier?

[Wes]

Give the man a cookie! :D

Of course, I noticed that they're wearing skirts or something when I pulled the screencaps up for a color reference, but I never noticed that when I was a kid! And since they don't have skirts in the PC version of TMNT1 (which is probably why I don't remember them being there), I figured I'd just call this a nostalgic amalgam of sorts. :)

[TheCanadiandrome]

that's an NES Foot Soldier?

[Wes]

More or less, anyway! :)

More pics to come, but this dude is totally finished.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/footwip/ninjac3.jpeg

[Wes]

More pics!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/ninja1.jpeg

Here's the Foot Ninja next to its unpainted spider-powered counterpart.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/ninja2.jpeg

With screencaps of the sprites that inspired it (left NES, right PC). The nakedness is more in line with the PC version (though I only just noticed the robe on the NES one in looking at screencaps); the colors are more inspired by the NES version.

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/ninja3.jpeg

With some fellow enemies from TMNT1! (I've been using that Human Torch to represent the Fire Freak, and I painted that fly a while ago to look like one of the bugs from the PC version. Mousers are Mousers.)

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/ninja4.jpeg

With Shredder and a 2007 movie Foot Ninja. (My other Foot Ninja custom is still being doctored a bit.) The Foot Clan continues to grow!

[TheCanadiandrome]

More pics!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/tmnt1/ninja2.jpeg

With screencaps of the sprites that inspired it (left NES, right PC). The nakedness is more in line with the PC version (though I only just noticed the robe on the NES one in looking at screencaps); the colors are more inspired by the NES version.



ah that's cool

[psychoandy]

Interesting. The tint on my TV always made the foot soldiers look more lavender than.. well.. periwinkle. But it's a well-painted figure, nonetheless!

[Scumbug_Rob]

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/ratkingwip.jpeg

Just a very early WIP, obviously. I need more tiny rats!

I know this post is like a year and a half old, but this is awesome please finish it.

[Loco]

I always thought that the wacky shredder what the best head to customise with, and today I took a snapshot with your tournament fighter pix style, your Shredder still looks so good Wes, congratulations.

[Bauer536]

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder2.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder1.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/cshredder3.jpeg

Dude. Your Shredder looks amazing. Something like this should be sold in stores, online, or (of course) ebay! I like it!:tsmile:

[Wes]

I know this post is like a year and a half old, but this is awesome please finish it.
I'd really love to, but I lack tiny rats! Send me tiny rats so I can finish it? :)

...your Shredder still looks so good Wes, congratulations.
Thanks for the continued Shredder love!

Dude. Your Shredder looks amazing. Something like this should be sold in stores, online, or (of course) ebay! I like it!:tsmile:
Thanks! And I'm actually working on a Shredder or two that I plan to sell... but considering some of the horror stories I'm hearing about selling on eBay, I'm not sure how best to go about it. I should just post a picture here and be like PM ME WITH OFFERS! :mrgreen:

[Wes]

Beeeen forever, but I finally picked up these guys again. WIP shots, hurray!

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/2k3shredderwip.jpeg

http://www.wesoteric.com/toyimg/customs/mshredfootwip.jpeg

Comments will be appreciated! :D

[Jester]

Which DCU figure is the base for Shredder?
Looks good. The head seems a little small.

[Powder]

Lookin' good.

[Wes]

Thanks, Powder!

Which DCU figure is the base for Shredder?
Looks good. The head seems a little small.
It's a DCSH Superman. The head does look a touch small... but then the heads on DC figures tend to be kinda small anyway, so I'm thinking it might work for that style? I do have some larger Shredder heads (I've got tons of Shredder heads), and the figure just looks weird to me with those.

[Hero]

Hey Wes. I might be able to help you with the tiny rats

[raven6859]

I really like the 2003 Shredder. I think the proportions look great

[VaughnMichael]

I really like that 2k3 Shredder! Great job. :)

[TheCanadiandrome]

Awesome man!

[KirkyMonster]

You are going to have a B-A video game styled figure collection when you're done. Every new custom you post I hear a voice in the back of my head say "Gotta get the parts to do that one." Awesome work! Do you have any plans to do the chainsaw wielding Hockey mask wearing bad guys from the first NES Ninja Turtles? I always called those guys Jason Vorhees from the Friday the 13th series. :o

[Jester]

But it was Leatherface who wielded a chainsaw...