Michael Zulli style custom Leonardo action figure

[Plasticplayhouse]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/001-7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/004-8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/011.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/007-7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/008-5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/018-3.jpg

Ref
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/zulli7.jpg



ok so really it could be anyone of the brothers. each of the brothers do have a unique shape pattern painted on their shells (as seen in the reference) but i'm not sure which one belongs to who.

what can i say about Zulli...he illustrated and wrote the fantastic "Soul's Winter" series in volume one. it is easily the most unique story and art that have graced the pages of TMNT to date and probably one of the greatests. when i first read the story, i was blown away by the spin he put on splinter and shredder. his rendering of the turtles transported my imagination to another planet, never to return the same. he is a true master of his craft.

[Shreddhead]

this is really great! very cool :tthumbsu:

[TurtleTitan97]

That is totally awesome! :)

[Lordmylar06]

Accuracy is your forte. It's gotta take some time to get any base figure to look exactly the way you want, and that's a skill I can appreciate. Good work!

[Mr.Turtle]

that's not leo. that's just something else.

[Machias Banshee]

Wow... :teek: That is incredible. It is so different from any other figures out there...

[Powder]

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude. No way. This is godly. Some of if not your best work.

[pl212]

Wow, this is incredible!! totally badass!

[Master Splinter]

This is absolutely amazing.

-ms

[KirkyMonster]

I never thought I would see anyone attempt this, and you nailed it. Truly a masterpiece. :teek::teek::teek::teek:

[WallCrawlingHero]

I first found this forum while searching for Nick TMNT customs to get an idea of what I might do with mine. I came across some of your customs and was just amazed. Your custom work just blows my mind! I'm not familiar with this story or artist, but the figure is amazing! I'm not sure which I like better, this one or the Ross Campbell Leo, but seriously, just wow!

[Derrico13]

You're work is amazing.....but this piece is unbelievable. That truly is spectacular. My first experience with the Mirage stuff was reading this arc, so cool seeing that artwork brought to life!

[Andrew NDB]

You're on a whole other level of figure customizing. Amazing.

[Slade]

You really need to be getting paid to make this stuff. Excellent as always my friend.

[Leonardo87]

:teek: Whoa. Your customs amaze me wickedly.

[Ninjinister]

(Slams dictionary shut)
Nope! There are no words that describe how I feel about this! It's too good for the English language!

(Picks up the Spanish dictionary next)
Heh heh... olé!

[Doomsdayninja]

Simply amazing!!! I am totally jealous that you made/own this...I'd love to own a figure like this. Neca missed the boat.

[Plasticplayhouse]

Shreddhead, TurtleTitan97, pl212, master splinter, leonardo87, -thanks!

Lordmylar-thanks man. I like to think that I have a good eye for details which helps me to make things as accurate as I can.

Mr. turtle- huh??

Machias banshee-yes, zulli's turtles are like nothing else. He had an amazing vision. Thanks.

Powder-wow, thanks man! I'm not sure which of the "rendition turtles" is my best, but they ALL are the best work I've done to date. It's the passion that I have for TMNT that comes through. It makes me put a little extra love into my work.

Kirkymonster-thank you. After reading TMNT #31 when I was a kid, I've always wanted a zulli turtle. It only took me 22 years, lol

Wallcrawlinghero-thanks man. You need to pick up TMNT #31, 35, & 36! Zulli's work is masterful. It may take a little bit to get use to, but you will definitely enjoy the Soul's Winter arch.

Slythe-thank you :) I'm glad my custom was able to bring you back to your early Mirage days.

Andrew ndb-wow, that’s a big compliment. Thanks!

Raph tha dude- money would be nice, but when you create something out of passion, it makes it all the more better :)

Ninjinister-lol, thanks!

Doomsdayninja-thank you! Yes, neca sooooo missed a HUGE opportunity with the TMNT line. Though, I don’t believe that it was completely their fault. I get the feeling some other TMNT/contractual elements came into play :(

[Cowabunga Carl]

This looks amazing. I would so purchase four of these guys hands down. You are a master of customizing.

[Wes]

What everyone else has said -- that's an incredible custom. :D What's the base figure under all of that awesome sculpting?

(I want to guess one of the 4H elephants... or maybe Abomination. Hm.)

[Plasticplayhouse]

What everyone else has said -- that's an incredible custom. :D What's the base figure under all of that awesome sculpting?

(I want to guess one of the 4H elephants... or maybe Abomination. Hm.)

Close, its an ML rhino...but im pretty sure it was one of the few ml's done by 4h. Thanks wes!

[jaybeane]

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.

WHOA. That is amazing.

Do you have any WIP pics? Because WHOA.

[twopinacoladas]

Awesome work man :)

[Danakin]

Outstanding. The sculpting, the paint job, the accuracy to source material - just top notch all around.

[Marksenad]

Off the chain with this one, fantastic work!

[JonesyKitty]

thats amazing dude. Michael Zulli's versions of the TMNT are one of my top favs, i would love to own one of those lol great job and keep up the awesome work :twink:

[The Fifth Turtle]

Wicked cool. I love the pure massiveness of it:)

[Sophie Campbell]

incredible work!!!! dang. really amazing.

[Jester]

That is epic. Nicely done. I was wondering about the base, since it looked so familiar. Funny that a Turtle figure was made using a Rhino. :P

[joe-eyeball]

you are the finest TMNT customizer I have ever seen. AMAZING STUFF!!!

[Newton Gimmick]

Yeah this is quite nice. Nice to see again.

[Jester]

Got any work in progress pics of this one?

[Plasticplayhouse]

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.

WHOA. That is amazing.

Do you have any WIP pics? Because WHOA.

Got any work in progress pics of this one?

ask an ye shall receive...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/wiip3.jpg

[Jester]

ask an ye shall receive...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/FUGAYZIE/wiip3.jpg
Thanks PPH. Now I'm curious what the base head was... :P

[AquaParade]

I love your work!

[Plasticplayhouse]

Thanks PPH. Now I'm curious what the base head was... :P

it doesnt matter. i just needed something with eyes. i could've used any head really. i just picked out a medium sized one from my fodder box at random. i shaved it down to a ball with eyes and sculpted the rest. i know that doesnt give you the answer you were looking for, but at least its something :P


I love your work!

thanks!

[KirkyMonster]

Did you lose the articulation in the upper arms from the shoulder shells? "I don't know what else to call them" And again your work is amazing!

[Plasticplayhouse]

Did you lose the articulation in the upper arms from the shoulder shells? "I don't know what else to call them" And again your work is amazing!

Nope. I attached them to the biceps in a way that it would retain full range of motion.

[TMNT-Collector]

this is amazing, i always loved this portrayal of the turtles, and to see a figure of them with this amount of detail, its just an outstanding job

[HotJuicyBurgers]

God. You literally amaze me, and everyone else on this forum every single time.

On an unrelated note, does anyone EVER know what mr. turtle is saying...

[TurtleManiac]

Great job on this one, not familiar with this particular universe of TMNT, but just by looking at the reference image I can tell you really captured the character's appearance, good sculpting work.

[psychoandy]

Man. Cut it out. Stop making customs so great that none of us have the chance to make anything as cool.

[TheCanadiandrome]

Very cool lookin

[Plasticplayhouse]

Man. Cut it out. Stop making customs so great that none of us have the chance to make anything as cool.

lol, you guys give me too much credit, but that's a kind thing to say andy. there are a lot of great customs posted here every day by our fellow dromers (you included!). some of the best ones and my favorites are the "simple" (nothings ever simple) repaints. its all about the little details. inspiration and great ideas come from ALL customizers/artists, from the seasoned vets all the way down to the newbs making their first custom. heck i've seen some brilliant concepts come from people who couldnt paint to save their life.

i just keep plugging away at stuff that i enjoy making. the passion really helps the progression of skill. it makes you work harder. never be afraid to redo something. there have been tons of times that i've just completed the sculpting or painting phase on a project and there's just one little thing (off centered mouth, mask too narrow, top of head too large, etc) that catches my eye and irks the crap out of me. most of the time i just want to be lazy and try to ignore it. but since i'm making these out of my passion for TMNT, i fight myself into correcting it. it sucks and can be a grooling process, but in the end its totally worth it because i'm satisfied :)

looking back when i first started customizing, my stuff was pretty attrocious! my sculpting looked like something a five year old did and my paints were extrememly sloppy. eventually though (all through trial and error) i improved, learning better ways to do things. the main reason my sculpting improved is because i'm too cheap. most customizers kitbash their figures. for those who dont know, kitbashing is when you interchange verioius parts of one/multiple figures with another to achive the propper look. to do a propper kitbash you will sometimes need to use various parts from 3-4 figures. at $10-15 a figure, that adds up. spending $45-50 on parts to make one figure and have a bunch of leftover parts that i may or maynot use later on, always seemed like such a waste, so i began to sculpt the parts i needed.

on another note, i have another little custom project that i'm currently wrapping up. no major overhaul like my usual stuff, but it should be an enjoyable one. it's my first customization of a whole team in one artist's style. i had a theory that i wanted to prove true and i think it was pretty successful. stay tuned ;)

[JPP]

That custom is just amazing. I love the head sculpt and the paint job on it. When you compare it to the reference pic, you could easily assume this is a promo shot for a production figure (high quality production figure that is).

[Nickokapo]

Hooooly :o that's incredibly impressive...the likelihood and the level of quality and detail in the sculpting and painting...just...wow
Mind = blown :tlol: i'd love to see other works by you.

[savagejon123]

Mind blown. Incredible

[gunstarheroblue]

man these are incredible. in a class of their own , always love seeing custom work, especially ones where there is a ton of articulation involved, Inspiring work friend!

[strawberryfields]

Looks like a 150 dollar statue, good job

[d_osborn]

Time for a little necro-post action. I'm not sure how I missed this. Amazing work, man!

[ctt4lfecw]

Man, I wish I had your talent for figure customizing. Great stuff!