Building a better body for THE PENGUIN!!!

[darklord1967]

I’ve been quietly hard at work, re-visiting the custom MEGO bat-character action figures that I made several years ago.

I decided to give them all improved bodies with better anatomy and greatly improved articulation (ball-jointed shoulders, mid-bicep swivel, etc.)

Here is my second approach to the body of Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot aka The Batman’s dastardly nemesis… THE PENGUIN !



HEAD SCULPT

I wanted my custom action figure to feature a removable top hat accessory and a separate monocle accessory (with lens), both of which MEGO only represented as a molded/painted parts of the original Penguin head sculpt. They also never bothered to include the signature cigarette and holder that the character was always seen puffing on, so I would have to fabricate that as well.

I wanted the head sculpt for my custom figure to resemble the character as he appeared in the comic books, and I had an idea for the perfect starting point:

While growing up in the 1980’s, I watched The Dukes of Hazzard television series, and I always thought that Sorrel Brooke , (the actor who portrayed Boss Hogg) was a PERFECT choice to portray The Penguin… if they had ever decided to make a Batman film that was faithful to the comic book. He had the perfect face and stature for the role.




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/DukesofHazzPhoto.jpg




It is only fitting, then, that when “casting” a likeness for my custom MEGO Penguin action figure, my natural choice for the starting point was MEGO’s excellent Boss Hogg head sculpt.



I carefully added arched “evil” eyebrows taken from a Star Trek MEGO Klingon sculpt, and then made a wax casting of my altered MEGO vinyl head.

Next, I added a longer “ski nose” and a widow’s peak hairstyle to the wax casting, and then re-cast the whole thing into a (slightly flexible) polyurethane head.

Here is a comparison photo showing MEGO’s original Boss Hogg head versus my final painted custom head sculpt.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/BossHoggHead.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/PENGUINHEAD.jpg




TAKIN’ IT TO THE BODY

Alright… can someone please explain to me how is it that MEGO could design an articulated thin male, heroic male, and even male child bodies (all of which looked reasonably anatomically correct) and yet they still came up with this… this bizzare TROLL to represent the body of an over-weight man?



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Nudemegopenguin.jpg


My question is obviously a rhetorical one, but… HONESTLY! Just what were they thinking? Absolutely no pelvis or waist articulation to speak of… and (inappropriate) slender arms and legs (re-cycled from the thin or heroic bodies)!! Sheesh!!

The MEGO fat man body was specifically developed for The Penguin back in 1974. In the comics, this villain was typically portrayed to be an obese character… relatively short and squat in stature (just over 5 feet tall in height)

Instead, MEGO designed this character to stand nearly as tall as his adversary The Batman. His pysique is downright lanky , and he resembles something that is not quite human!

In fact, he kinda looks like a cross between Planter’s Mr. Peanut character and that mid-1970’s PSA character “Timer” (as in “Time for Timer!” “I hanker for a hunk o’ cheese!!”)…


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/MrPeanut.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/timer.jpg



I don’t know, but to me, this is WORLD’S away from the vicious fat little Gotham City gangster that The Penguin is supposed to be. Not good. Not good at all !

In order for me to create an updated, nicely articulated, anatomically correct action figure of The Penguin, I saw that I was going to have to completely re-invent his body and push my modeling / customizing skills to the max.

Well, after a LOT of kit-bashing, re-sculpting, sanding, and glueing. This is the new super-articulated MEGO-scaled fat-man body I’ve created for my custom Penguin.

All he awaits is final paint.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Finishedbodyfront.jpg




This new MEGO-scaled Penguin body features:

Standard swivel head
Ball-jointed shoulders
Mid-bicep swivel
Waist / Pelvis articulation
MEGO-styled ball-hips (with MEGO elastic band)

He stands 6.75 inches tall (head to toe measurement). Only slightly taller than a MEGO “Our Gang” character. At 1:9 scale that’s a man who stands 5 feet 1 inch tall. PERFECT for The Penguin!

Now, I should point out that a LOT of brave and generous action figure characters donated body parts to give custom Penguin his impressive new physique. They should be acknowledged:

MEGO Boss Hogg -Head (extensively re-sculpted)
MEGO Fat Man Body- top shoulder neck hole, shoulder arm sockets
Jakks Pacific Umaga- Torso
Jakks Pacific Colin Delaney- Arms (extensively re-sculpted)
MEGO “Our Gang” Spanky- Hands
MEGO Fat Man body- Used to fabricate articulated pelvis section.
MEGO HULK- Ball- Hip joints
Jakks Pacific Tony Atlas- Upper Legs
Fred Goodspeed- “Heroic Man” custom lower legs (cut down shorter)
MEGO type II- Feet



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Finishedbodysideview.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Finishedbodyrearview.jpg



When I finished The Penguin's new body, he was SO happy with his anatomy and greater range of motion that he actually started to dance. It was quite embarassing, really, because he insisted that I sing him a waltz as accompaniment. And then my wife walked in and caught us...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Finishedbodyposed.jpg

[Cosmicman]

Impressed.

[The Toyroom]

That's looking great so far!

[JediJaida]

That is a neat take on the character! I love the monocle!

I can't wait to see how this develops further.

[Jerry68]

Very well thought out and executed!:clap:

[Megospidey]

Very nice Roberto - I am very much looking forward to the completion of this figure.

[stuart]

That is fantastic!

[supes]

Nice!! Can't wait to see him complete standing next to Batman!

[60'schild]

WOW! Great work so far !

[StrangeVisitor]

Wow, a well-explained & reasoned thought process and procedure in your re-design of the fat body. Can't wait to see your Penguin finished.

[Captain]

WOW!

Cant wait to see him finished Darklord. he looks great. The face sculpt especially, which has a touch of Bob Hope to it,an actor I felt had the facial attributes for the Penquin..if not the physical build.

Hope the Mego/EMCE/Mattel crew are watching...this is the way a new Penquin should be done.

[yokaijohn]

Awsome!!! That Looks Fantastic So FAR!!!:cool_y:

[pmwasson]

I love this behind-the-scene look! Thanks for sharing. And the Penguin body look awesome! Can't wait to see the final result.

[saucerful]

Oh my goodness! That is so amazing!
I could never do that. I am most impressed. I really enjoyed the play-by-play, too. :-)
Bryan

[Next2lastmohican]

FANTASTIC!!! I love the headsculpt...and the body is awsome... You're like MacGyver! ...You took a bunch of parts that have nothing to do with each other and skillfully assembled them in order to create something highly explosive!!!

[jessica]

Beautifully executed. Can't wait to see how he looks clothed. Wayyyy better than what Mego did.

[bobws]

Wonderful work and a nice tutorial to boot!

[BlackKnight]

Nice stuff Roberto.
I love the Boss Hog as Penguin... Good eye Bud. :grin:

[thunderbolt]

Excellent work on the body and head. I've been thinking the same thing looking at the fat Jakks body.

[Meule]

Oh wow, I'm very impressed. The sculpt and body look excellent

[ctc]

HAW!

THAT is a BEAUTIFUL piece of engineering! Brilliant reworking of the fat guy body! And the head is surprisingly iconic for the character, considering who you used for the base!

Don C.

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

What an entertaining thread...thank you. He looks awesome...well done!

[The Bat]

Lookin' good Roberto!!:wink_y:

[SUP-Ronin]

Thats a great improvement. Lots of detail. Nice.

[darklord1967]

Thanks for the very nice words of encouragement guys!

Evidently, I was not the only one who was really pining for a better MEGO-scaled “fat-man” body.

A few of you have sent Private messages asking about specific details about the construction of this custom Fat-Man body.

Well, like the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Fortunately, I documented most of this project in photos. And I believe they will go a long way in illustrating the answers to some of the questions I have been asked.


THANK GOD FOR JAKKS PACIFIC!

For the last few years now, I’ve seen some really BEAUTFUL custom MEGO action figures made with Jakk’s Pacific wrestling characters’ body parts. I mean some of these figures are GORGEOUS!!! They feature more accurate anatomy, greater poseability, and overall better function and looks.

So as a customizer myself, you’d think that it might actually have occurred to me to search among this rich source of body parts to improve my own custom MEGO characters, right?. Duhhhh!!!! Nope!

For some odd reason, I had a bit of a mental block when it came to Jakks Pacific Wrestling figures, and I pretty much only looked to vintage MEGO body parts to create my customs. I wasn’t intentionally being a MEGO “purist” or anything, you understand. It was just the way I approached customizing. This, of course, was a VERY limiting way to work... especially when you consider that vintage MEGO body parts can’t even really be kit-bashed successfully since the plastic used to make them doesn’t accept glue too well.

Fortunately, I had a major psychological MEGO breakthrough, one day, while browsing through the aisles of my local Toys R Us.

The action figure of the obese Samoan wrestler “Umaga” was of particular interest when I realized the possibilities for creating a much more anatomically correct and poseable fat-man body for the upgrade of my custom MEGO Penguin!

Of course, this operation would not be without some… MAJOR adjustments:




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/UmagaFigure.jpg

[darklord1967]

Edward Fatu (better known as the professional wrestler “Umaga”) stands 6’ 4” tall. The Jakks Pacific figure bearing his likeness is created with his anatomical (tall man) proportions (long arms and legs)

The Penguin’s height, depending on the source, is listed between 5’ 1” and 5’ 3”, with arms and legs appropriately proportioned for someone of his squat stature.

The Umaga figure (like all JP wrestler characters), featured ball-jointed shoulders that allowed for a much greater range of posing than a standard vintage MEGO. This was something that I really wanted to take advantage of. Unfortunately, he was also sculpted with HUGE, bulging, steroid-pumped arms that were not at all appropriate for the rotund, elf-like villain of Gotham City. I simply could not imagine The Penguin’s biceps bulging through his tuxedo jacket as if he were transforming into the Incredible Hulk or something. :terror:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/UmagaArm.jpg



Umaga’s enormous legs and feet were a problem too. They would have to be eliminated and replaced altogether if my custom Penguin were to fit into his new pants, and if he were to wear shoes that were sized in the MEGO scale.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/UmagaLegs.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Umagafeet.jpg


The logical choice for smaller replacement limbs for this figure would likely come from the world of MEGO (or a scale-compatible toy line). This meant that Umaga’s big shoulder sockets would have to be tailored to fit smaller arms, and his swivel pelvis would have to replaced altogether with a new pelvis that could accept custom-sized legs closer to the MEGO scale.

It quickly looked as if Jakks Paciffic Umaga was going to donate his (beautifully sculpted) fat-man torso, and not much else.

Time to get to work.

[darklord1967]

“DR. ROBERTO, PLEASE REPORT TO SURGERY”

I’ll spare everyone, the gruesome details of the arms, legs, and pelvis amputation of the Jakks Paciffic figure. Being the “tough guy” Samoan that he was, Umaga insisted on no anesthesia or knockout gas during the operation. There was a LOT of screaming and thrashing. He finally stopped all the shrieking and cursing when I unceremoniously removed his head. Not for the faint of heart.

Let’s move on.

I knew I wanted smaller non-muscular arms for my custom figure. And they had to be configured for ball-jointed shoulder articulation so that I could have the range of motion I hoped for.

Vintage MEGO arms are NOT ball-jointed. No help there.
Jakks Paciffic Wrestler arms are ALL ball-jointed, and they ALL have a mid-bicep swivel, but they are also ALL steroid-pumped and overly muscular… ALL, that is, except for one wrestler: His name is Colin Delaney.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/ColinDelaneyFigure.jpg


Even with these reasonably slender ball-jointed arms, there was still too much musculature to work well with a flabby character like The Penguin. But, I quickly recognized that with some re-sculpt finessing, these arms could still be salvaged.
In addition, the character’s wrist bands were actually sculpted as part of his hands. This was a good thing since it meant that once I popped out the hands, the forearm sections would be slightly shorter than usual. This would be perfect for The Penguin’s stubby proportions.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/ColinDelaneyArm.jpg

[darklord1967]

I mated some Colin Delaney arms (complete with inner ball-joint shoulder assembly) to the shoulder sockets of a MEGO fat man torso (resin casting provided by my very good friend Fred Goodspeed). I used a resin casting of a MEGO torso and NOT an original one because I knew there would be a LOT of glue work involved in this operation. And (as I said before) with very few exceptions, original vintage MEGO parts simply do not accept glue, nor bond to other plastics.

I cut a square-shaped section out of the Umaga torso’s shoulder, and then glue attached my specially-prepared MEGO resin-cast shoulder / Colin Delaney arms assemblies.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/CutFatTorso.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Shouldergraft2.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Shouldergraft1.jpg


A bit weird-looking , I know, but I was confident that I could finesse it all into something that looked seamless and correct.


After a LOT of grinding, filing, putty-work and sanding, I finally came up with a pretty decent UMAGA torso that was seamlessly converted for MEGO-scaled compatibility. I spent the next several days shaving down the Colin Delaney arms to an appropriate contour for this body, and then sanded them perfectly smooth.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/PuttyWork.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/TorsoProfile.jpg


I purposely wanted The Penguin’s arms to seem a bit stubby so that his enormous tummy would be emphasized. These proportions would make him seem comical and un-threatening… and easily underestimated.

In the end, I adapted MEGO Our Gang hands as a finishing touch to imply the character’s borderline child-like physical proportions.

[saucerful]

Man, you're some kind of wild genius!!!!!!

[darklord1967]

As I completed the “arm transplant” operations on this torso, I simultaneously worked to fabricate an acceptable working pelvis for this big boy.

I began (once again) with a resin casting of a MEGO fat-man body, and I cut the bottom half off into a separate pelvis piece.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/makingapelvis.jpg



Of course (as MY luck would have it) the makeshift MEGO pelvis turned out to be too small (not wide enough AND not deep enough) to adequately mate with the Jakks Pacific Umaga torso.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Pelvisbadfit.jpg


This meant only one thing: More surgery.

I cut the resin MEGO pelvis piece in half (up the middle), and then used thick sheets of styrene as a spacer / separator to give the part an appropriate width.
Modeling filler putty was employed to smooth out the resulting crotch seam.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/MakingAPelvis5.jpg


Now that the pelvis was wide enough, I next had to make it deep enough for the correct anatomical proportion.

Using a second MEGO fat-body resin casting, I cut out the buttocks and grafted them directly onto the modified pelvis assembly.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/MakingaPelvis2.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/MakingaPelvis3.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/MakingaPelvis4.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/MakingAPelvis6.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/MakingaPelvis7.jpg


Some more modeling putty between the seams, and this pelvis was now properly sized.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/Pelvisadjustedfit2.jpg

[boss]

very cool. I like it a lot.

[JediJaida]

Very nice. You should send pictures of this to Doc, so that his Penguin (and you know he's gonna make one!) will come out more like yours!

[darklord1967]

I was thinking the same thing.

Although, I often get the sense when chatting with our good friend Paul Clarke that he is very much of a MEGO purist, and does NOT really care for these overly radical custom departures from the vintage MEGO body style.:grin:

[JediJaida]

And yet, his new and improved male bodies are only the buff, manly types; not the portly types.

[Meule]

Thanks for those surgery pics, that was friggin brilliant stuff

[D!n0-M@n]

OMG dude! That is frickin' SWEET! I really dig how he's coming together.
Now he just needs to hang with his chum the Joker. I can't wait to see what you may have up your sleeve by way of a body for that guy too. :wink_y:
By the way... my Joker head is almost done! A couple more days and the sculpt will be finished! :baby02:
Let me know if you still want one of the heads.

[darklord1967]

OMG dude! That is frickin' SWEET! I really dig how he's coming together.
Now he just needs to hang with his chum the Joker. I can't wait to see what you may have up your sleeve by way of a body for that guy too. :wink_y:
By the way... my Joker head is almost done! A couple more days and the sculpt will be finished! :baby02:
Let me know if you still want one of the heads.


Ummm... Do I still want one????

Does a bird fly?
Does a bear poop in the woods?
Does a starving man want a six-course dinner???

HECK YEAH MAN!!! Can't wait to see him Dino!!!

And you're right... A more articulated MEGO-scaled "Thin man" body is on tap next for certain butlers, and Police commissioners, and villainous Gotham maniacs!:grin: :rolleyes:

[D!n0-M@n]

:rotfl: Awesome my friend! PM me your mailing address and I'll be letting you know as soon as the head is finished... you'll see it before anyone else. :firedevil: MWAAAA HAAAA HAAAA HAAAA HAAAA HAAAA! :grin:

[PNGwynne]

I'm late to this thread but...

Stunning, inventive, beautiful!!!!

A perfect rendition of my favorite character & I know Jack Burnley & Buzz Meredith are smiling down at you, sir.

This MUST serve as a new WGSH prototype.


I just don't know what else to say, except thanks for sharing this awesome custom in such detail.

[JDeRouen]

That was actually fascinating. Can't wait to see him dressed and completely finished!

[darklord1967]

A perfect rendition of my favorite character & I know Jack Burnley & Buzz Meredith are smiling down at you, sir.

Wow! That's the nicest compliment anyone has ever paid me regarding my custom Penguin!

Thank you so much!

This character has definitely NOT gotten enough respect and / or action figure love throughout the years. The various-scaled Penguin figures that have been produced are, at best, "hit and miss"... mostly miss. And certainly nothing good has been offered in the 8 inch scale for this character that I can think of.

Despite this character's "classic" status as a Bat-villain, he is widely considered to be a buffoon, and not nearly as dangerous or interesting as some of the other baddies in The Batman's rouges gallery.

I, on the other hand, see the character differently: I see him as comical and un-threatening in his stature and appearance. But he is a vicious, ruthless, and ill-tempered killer... easily provoked, and very brutal.

It's too bad that Joe Pesci has largely retired from acting, because it is HIS manic portrayal of "Mr Big" in Michael Jackson's (RIP) Moonwalker video, or his take on gangsters Tommy DeVito (in "Goodfellas") or Nicky Santoro (in "Casino") that I see when I imagine what Cobblepot would really be like done effectively in a live-action film.

[QDOGG]

That is truly awesome! I actually like the Mego-style fatbody, but yours takes the cake. Any chance you will cast some up? With all the new heroic style bodies popping up, a new fatbody would be great for really unique style figures.

[palitoy]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/PENGUINHEAD.jpg

It's the angle i am sure but this pic has a Bob Hope vibe going on.

Anyway, great choice for a head, looks like you're right about Sorrell Brooke.

[MegoScott]

Hey, that's Robert Levy with a shave and shower.

[The Sentry]

Man, you should SO cast that body and sell it. You put enough effort into it man! Wow, just wow.

[jessica]

I have totally forgotten about the extensive work that happened to this body.

[LonnieFisher]

Did it ever get finished? I'd like to see an update.

[darklord1967]

This is actually a pretty old custom figure (created back in 2003).

What this thread covers is the RE-VISIT of this custom action figure (late last year) when I decided to build him this more poseable body.

When he's dressed he looks exactly like this:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/MEGO%20Bat-Toys/ThePenguin.jpg

[megocrazy]

Body looks great so far. Look forward to more pics as it progresses.

[Sandman9580]

Really beautiful work! Thank you for documenting this and giving us an inside look!

[darklord1967]

Really beautiful work! Thank you for documenting this and giving us an inside look!

You're most welcome. It was my pleasure!:grin:

Now... let's all get back to the business at hand: DROOLING over Jessica's awesome work in the other thread... chronicling her amazing work on the Burgess Meredith Penguin!

[Orlock]

This is awesome and the progress photos were simply wonderful. There should be Mego Customization for Dummies books or something. Lots of pictures..lol...I kid you not. It makes me feel like I could never in a million years do anything that cool, but would love to try it! My hats off to you kind sir!

[darklord1967]

This is awesome and the progress photos were simply wonderful. There should be Mego Customization for Dummies books or something. Lots of pictures..lol...I kid you not. It makes me feel like I could never in a million years do anything that cool, but would love to try it! My hats off to you kind sir!

Thanks so much!

With all of the amazing in-progress photos of MEGO customizations that have been published on this message board over the years, a picture book is definitely something that should / could happen!

[Captain]

Excellent work sir!!

Hows the female body you were concocting working out??

[darklord1967]

Excellent work sir!!

Hows the female body you were concocting working out??


She worked out really well! Thanks for asking! "She" (http://megomuseum.com/community/showthread.php?t=24006) (Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman) is still sitting around nude since I have been un-able to get her clothing finished yet. But I'm, gettin' there.

Like a lot of folks, I took a MAJOR hit last year in terms of income, and it really slowed down my customizing. But I'm trying to ramp things back up.