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Re-Visiting Custom BATMAN!!

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  • darklord1967
    Persistent Member
    • Mar 27, 2008
    • 1550

    #16
    PEZ AND MEGO GO GREAT TOGETHER!

    Most customizers are aware of the relatively frequent compatibility of the heads of Pez Candy dispensers, and MEGO 8 inch scale action figures. This compatibility came to my rescue when trying to devise a mask cowl for my custom Batman action figure.

    In 1998, Pez created a candy dispenser head sculpt to represent The Batman. I immediately recognized it as a decent sculpt for creating a nice removable mask cowl for a MEGO Batman.

    There were sizing issues and detail issues that were going to have to be addressed, but for better or for worse, THIS was going to be my starting point.


    I began by cutting away the sculpted details of this mask that were inappropriate for my needs (rounded rabbit-like cowl ears, overly exaggerated brow ridge, exposed chin portion, etc). Then I extended the front to back cranial measurement of the cowl by cutting out the back of the head and attaching a larger portion of a second Batman Pez dispenser head sculpt.





















    After sculpting on all-new bat ears and a new brow ridge, I used my Dremel Rotary tool and hollowed out the cowl. I tested its fit on my “Bruce Wayne” MEGO head.


    Last edited by darklord1967; Mar 28, '10, 11:50 PM.
    I... am an action figure customizer

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    • supes
      For the love of Mego's!
      • Jan 19, 2004
      • 2070

      #17
      Dude that looks AWESOME!!! Can't wait to see more.

      For the love of Mego's

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      • captact
        King of Super Queens!
        • Aug 19, 2007
        • 1997

        #18
        More,..more>>>>>>!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        Comment

        • darklord1967
          Persistent Member
          • Mar 27, 2008
          • 1550

          #19
          Using tiny paper cut-outs, I began preliminary lay-outs for the blank eye slits in the cowl.

          But in this first attempt, I determined the eyes to be too large... almost Animated Series in their style. They would have to be reduced a bit.

          I... am an action figure customizer

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          • darklord1967
            Persistent Member
            • Mar 27, 2008
            • 1550

            #20
            I needed to begin final smoothing of the sculpt work on the cowl. In order to do that, I needed to see the cowl in one uniform color, so I tinted it with a marker.







            In my mind, The Batman's costume should be VERY organic in its appearance with dominant natural textures (mostly leather). The idea here is that The Batman's garb is a throw-back to primitive, tribal warrior traditions of killing a LARGE BEAST, and then wearing its preserved skin as a garment. The vanquished creature's face (up to the upper jaw) becomes a feral mask with the warrior's own lower face (mouth and chin) exposed below.

            This caused me a slight aesthetic dilema since I really wanted the final cowl to have an almost leathery texture (with tiny wrinkles and whatnot). That meant I would have to avoid smoothing out my sculpt work too perfectly... leaving in some organic imperfections.
            I... am an action figure customizer

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            • MEGOMAN
              Defender of the Megoverse
              • Dec 30, 2008
              • 1103

              #21
              Wow! It is really coming along.

              Comment

              • Captain
                Fighting the good fight!
                • Jun 17, 2001
                • 6031

                #22
                Looks fantastic so far sir! Cant wait to see the finished product!!!

                Looking forward to seeing what you do with Robin as well!!!
                "Crayons taste like purple!"

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                • Meule
                  Verbose Member
                  • Nov 14, 2004
                  • 28720

                  #23
                  That custom body looks great, but that removable cowl is da bomb
                  "...The agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair..." - Edgar Allan Poe

                  Comment

                  • JediJaida
                    Talkative Member
                    • Jun 14, 2008
                    • 5671

                    #24
                    I'm DROOLING over this sculpt! It is a fantastic looking cowl! Way better than the Mego one, which was too cartoonish for my taste.

                    Although, the same thing could be said of the Batgirl figure as well.

                    Using a Mr. Fantastic head never occurred to me, I was never that much into the Fantastic Four as a kid, but for a minute, you had me thinking that this was a new vinyl BW head!

                    You rock, dude.

                    I can't wait to see what you have in store for everyone else! Batgirl, Robin, Joker, Nightwing, etc.
                    JediJaida

                    Comment

                    • darklord1967
                      Persistent Member
                      • Mar 27, 2008
                      • 1550

                      #25
                      Originally posted by JediJaida
                      I'm DROOLING over this sculpt! It is a fantastic looking cowl! Way better than the Mego one, which was too cartoonish for my taste.

                      Although, the same thing could be said of the Batgirl figure as well.

                      Using a Mr. Fantastic head never occurred to me, I was never that much into the Fantastic Four as a kid, but for a minute, you had me thinking that this was a new vinyl BW head!

                      You rock, dude.

                      I can't wait to see what you have in store for everyone else! Batgirl, Robin, Joker, Nightwing, etc.

                      Oh, I think MEGO went to all new heights of cartoonishness when they produced Batgirl! Between her collossal noggin, and her big hair, they probably felt that they had no choice but to produce her disguise as a blue domino mask stencil-painted on her face, and a big, rounded football helmet, with an open face and stubby little bumps as "ears".

                      The whole thing was always rather strange to me. I always felt that a more aesthetically pleasing approach might have been to just sculpt Batgirl wearing her cowl mask (non-removable), and then root some hair to the back of her head (where it emerges from the rear of the cowl).

                      You know it occurs to me that MEGO's approach to Batgirl's face disguise might have been on someone's mind when Alicia Silverstone's Batgirl costume was designed for the film "Batman & Robin".

                      As I recall, at one point in the film, she chucks away the cowl portion of her head gear (almost with irritation) and leaves only the face mask.
                      I... am an action figure customizer

                      Comment

                      • JMC
                        Persistent Member
                        • Feb 3, 2004
                        • 1940

                        #26
                        Can't wait to see the final product! Looks amazing

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                        • kingdom warrior
                          OH JES!!
                          • Jul 21, 2005
                          • 12478

                          #27
                          WOW!!!! That's Totally Amazing!!!!

                          Comment

                          • Megospidey
                            Museum Webslinger
                            • Jul 26, 2006
                            • 5305

                            #28
                            There is no doubting your passion for Batman - I love watching how your custom figures and accessories progress through each stage. Thanks for giving us a front row seat through your photography.

                            Comment

                            • Orlock
                              Megohead Superdad
                              • Feb 15, 2010
                              • 299

                              #29
                              Thanks for pointing me to this thread again, last I saw you hadn't revealed the Pez dispenser part yet and only had the first part of it up, so I'll be following this to see how it comes out. I'm thinking of casting my Pez head after modifying it a bit and trying to make a Zubber cowl of the finished product. I knew I loved the looks of it but didn't know we were headed in the same direction with Bats.
                              My Art/Photography Page For Commissions
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                              • darklord1967
                                Persistent Member
                                • Mar 27, 2008
                                • 1550

                                #30
                                At this stage, I put together a basic MEGO Type 2 body with a cobbled together bat-suit and test-fit the cowl until I was satisfied that it had a proper fit. I wanted to be sure that this new cowl did not give the overall figure a “big-head / football helmet syndrome”.

                                I... am an action figure customizer

                                Comment

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