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Re-Visiting Custom BATMAN!!

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  • darklord1967
    Persistent Member
    • Mar 27, 2008
    • 1550

    #91
    Originally posted by dr_cyclops
    Don't lie, you know you gonna steal that Batman too.
    nooooooo... (**said in a meek, quiet voice**).
    I... am an action figure customizer

    Comment

    • darklord1967
      Persistent Member
      • Mar 27, 2008
      • 1550

      #92
      Originally posted by dr_cyclops
      Don't lie, you know you gonna steal that Batman too.
      Criminals. No cake for either of you.
      I... am an action figure customizer

      Comment

      • greensavage2000
        Veteran Member
        • Aug 9, 2013
        • 415

        #93
        And we know what Batman thinks of criminals.

        Comment

        • greensavage2000
          Veteran Member
          • Aug 9, 2013
          • 415

          #94
          Are we could send this guy.

          Comment

          • EMCE Hammer
            Moderation Engineer
            • Aug 14, 2003
            • 25679

            #95
            Originally posted by greensavage2000
            Are we could send this guy.

            I gotta try that.

            Comment

            • greensavage2000
              Veteran Member
              • Aug 9, 2013
              • 415

              #96
              It is the coveted RC version. Removable Cat.

              Comment

              • darklord1967
                Persistent Member
                • Mar 27, 2008
                • 1550

                #97
                LEATHERY BAT-GAUNTLETS

                When putting together The Batman’s stylized, angular and finned Bat Gauntlets for this custom figure, I had considerations and requirements that necessitated me fashioning them as custom appliances. Unfortunately, no existing action figure bat-gauntlets (un-altered) would serve my purposes

                For DECADES, going all the way back to the earliest MEGO days, there have been glove accessories that have been shaped in the form of closed hands or fists. These gloves typically have been fabricated out of a rigid plastic (as in the case of MEGO’s Mr. Fantastic)…



                … and / or (later on) as a rubbery plastic.





                While I don’t think anyone would deny that both of these gauntlet approaches were VAST improvements over the earliest MEGO vinyl oven mitts, they both nevertheless completely hampered the figure’s wrist articulations… and to a lesser degree, the figure’s aesthetic looks.
                The old style MEGO sculpted rigid plastic gloves featured strange stubby fingers that were unnaturally pressed together. The rigid plastic also made wrist articulation (except swivel) impossible.




                The later rubbery Castaway Toys fist gauntlets were a marked improvement over the rigid MEGO stubby fingered gauntlets… really beautifully sculpted… but they were thick-walled and appeared somewhat oversized. They gave the figures “swollen hands syndrome”. They too were so rigid that wrist articulation (except swivel) was hampered.

                To the credit of the fine friends at Castaway Toys, they made a stellar effort to resolve the gauntlet wrist articulation issue by creating rubbery cuff appliances (cut off at the wrist) that could be used in conjunction with colored hands.



                It was an elegant solution to a common customizer’s problem.




                A few years back when Figures Toys Company came on the scene, I had high hopes that the resolution to these gauntlet issues would evolve favorably yet again. And when I saw the prototype photos of the excellent sculpts for their hero gauntlets, I became VERY excited for the possibilities for my custom creations.



                Unfortunately, my high hopes where dashed when I discovered that the new FTC gauntlet sculpts (like the boots) were created as rubber appliances that popped onto a wrist ball joint on the figure. What little articulation there was in the wrist ended up being hampered by the stiff rubber gauntlet sleeve cuff. I do think that FTC was on the right track with the beautiful sculpt of their new gauntlet, but it was just that pesky wrist articulation obstruction issue was a real deal-breaker for me.

                Now, my natural mode of thinking was to try and figure out a way to have nice looking gauntlets for my custom figures WITHOUT limiting their (classic MEGO-styled) 2-point wrist articulation. I decided for aesthetic reasons that I did NOT need gauntlets that could be slipped on over an action figure’s bare hands and forearms (like the early MEGO vinyl oven mitts).





                It made sense to me that the figure’s hands should be sculpted AS gloves. But when those gloves were also meant to be long gauntlets, then the sleeve cuff extension would need to be made of fabric for the sake of full unobstructed articulation of the wrist. This is the same approach I applied to my style of custom boots fabrication.

                Now, this idea of creating a “gauntlet” by combining a fabric cuff with painted hands is nothing new. Customizers have been doing this for years. And it is a design approach that has also found its way into production toys as well.






                But this approach has never really looked convincing to me as a “gauntlet”. I have found that not much thought or effort has typically gone into establishing a clean marriage between the fabric sleeve cuff and the figure’s hand / wrist. To my eyes, this approach has always looked more like over-sized fabric wrist bands being worn over colored / painted hands. And since action figure’s hands have typically been sculpted as bare hands, they usually ended up looking too small to represent gloved hands.

                When developing a way to address this issue, it occurred to me that carefully blending the edge of the fabric cuff sleeve into the sculpted wrist folds of a gloved hand sculpt might be a really good way of avoiding “fabric bracelet syndrome”.

                Armed with this strategy, I felt like HALF my battle was already won with the advent of FTC’s excellent gauntlet sculpts. At the very least, these gauntlets provided me with hands that were appropriately-sized to represent GLOVED HANDS!

                I figured that all I had to do was lop off the cuff sleeve portion of these FTC gauntlets, leaving only the wrist and hand. I would use my Dremel rotary tool to create a slight channel grove around the cut wrist stump. Then I would super-glue a traditional wrist / articulation pin combo onto the wrist stump of the severed FTC gauntlet hand. Lastly, I would create a pattern for the gauntlet’s fabric sleeve cuff, cut the fabric, and attach it to the channel grove around the FTC hand severed wrist stump.






                By my calculations, the result of these efforts would be seamless-looking “gauntlets” that would appear reasonably convincing (in terms of size and aesthetics), while not hampering wrist articulation.
                Last edited by darklord1967; Sep 17, '19, 6:59 PM.
                I... am an action figure customizer

                Comment

                • comicmike
                  Persistent Member
                  • Sep 22, 2009
                  • 1824

                  #98
                  Highly detailed and imaginative; as always, I am inspired and in awe....

                  Comment

                  • darklord1967
                    Persistent Member
                    • Mar 27, 2008
                    • 1550

                    #99
                    Thanks a TON, Mike. Very kind! BTW, that head is on its way to you for shrinking. It's been in transit since Tuesday. You should get it any time now.
                    I... am an action figure customizer

                    Comment

                    • The Re-Rooter
                      Veteran Member
                      • Jul 13, 2016
                      • 297

                      I never tire of seeing your work <3

                      -Diana

                      Comment

                      • darklord1967
                        Persistent Member
                        • Mar 27, 2008
                        • 1550

                        Of course for my custom BATMAN: Masked Manhunter Of Gotham City, his gauntlets would NOT be complete without the signature three Bat fins sprouting from the rear seam. It was important to me that these fins look neat, clean, razor sharp and straight to give the gauntlets the elegance they required. I see so many BATMAN action figures that neglect the importance of this detail. The layout of the gauntlet fins on these figures tends to end up crooked, non –uniform, badly spaced, and very randomly shaped. In some cases (for the sake of production simplicity), the fins are just cut as part of the pattern for the wrist sleeve cuff. Completely understandable.





                        To avoid these common bat-fin pitfalls, I created a pattern for the size, shape and layout (angle and spacing) of the three fins.



                        I used this pattern to cut PRECISE fins, and I inserted them one by one into the final gauntlet seam as I assembled it together.

                        NOTE: It was very important to me that the fins looked very pointed and sharp. The Batman (as I imagine him) would have even simple design elements of his costume appear dangerous. The gauntlet fins on most 8-inch Batman figures that I've seen tend to be somewhat undersized for my tastes and feature rounded blunted tips. They do not look particularly dangerous.



                        The finished work was a reasonably clean representation of The Batman’s leathery gauntlets, with his hands formed as fists, and with traditional, MEGOesque, sturdy, 2-point wrist articulation preserved.





                        Here is the gauntlet holding on to the final (un-painted) Bat-A-Rang accessory that I have prepared for this custom figure. The Bat-A Rang accessory pictured here was a parts-bin acquisition that originated as a model kit part, I believe. Using my Dremel Rotary tool, I sharpened up the contours of the Bat-A-Rang to make it appear a bit more dangerous.
                        Last edited by darklord1967; Sep 17, '19, 6:59 PM.
                        I... am an action figure customizer

                        Comment

                        • TrekStar
                          Trek or Treat
                          • Jan 20, 2011
                          • 8354

                          That's a Batastic custom, the dark knight detective, just an amazing job, very well done.

                          Comment

                          • mikeoz
                            Mego Maker
                            • Mar 9, 2007
                            • 1435

                            Superb! The fitting of the costume is truly impressive.
                            Looking for:
                            Lincoln Phantom of the Opera

                            Comment

                            • Grimjohn
                              Persistent Member
                              • Feb 28, 2011
                              • 2266

                              grammar fix

                              Whether live/up close or in the photos of this thread your Dark Knight is a masterpiece of articulated artistry. I admire your dedication and attention to the meticulous details. And, I love your approach to making the boots, it has inspired me to try that technique on my future customs, I will probably be PM-ing you with questions
                              My Finished Custom Figures

                              Comment

                              • darklord1967
                                Persistent Member
                                • Mar 27, 2008
                                • 1550

                                Originally posted by Grimjohn
                                Whether live/up close or in the photos of this thread your Dark Knight is a masterpiece of articulated artistry. I admire your dedication and attention to the meticulous details. And, I love your approach to making the boots, it has inspired me to try that technique on my future customs, I will probably be PM-ing you with questions
                                Thanks a ton, brother, for those very kind words! Spending MEGO MEET in such close proximity to you and your charming wife was one of the nicest highlights of my weekend! And your custom figures and dioramas were a real pleasure to behold up close! In fact (as I mentioned to you during the show), I was somewhat apprehensive to unveil my dioramas in front of you after having seen your dioramas and realizing that you are SO scale precise down to correctly sized bricks!!

                                Please feel free to PM me to ask any customizing questions you wish. I'll be happy to help!!
                                I... am an action figure customizer

                                Comment

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