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Re-Visiting Custom BATMAN!!

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  • darklord1967
    Persistent Member
    • Mar 27, 2008
    • 1550

    #61
    Blushing.... so, so blushing...
    Last edited by darklord1967; Jun 8, '15, 2:42 PM.
    I... am an action figure customizer

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    • darklord1967
      Persistent Member
      • Mar 27, 2008
      • 1550

      #62
      You gentlemen are the salt of the Earth!! Meeting you all and having the opportunity to chat with you at length were a real inspiration to me! You put a real pep in my step and and real fire in my belly just as I've re-entered this hobby with the zest of a mad scientist!

      You made this ol' boy from Brooklyn feel so warm and welcome, and I don't believe I have the words to properly express my gratitude for that.

      I'd like to offer special thanks to YOU Dave, for your assistance in directing me to a sculpting/molding/casting service that will be invaluable to me as I complete my long journey with The Batman's classic ride.

      If all goes as planned, the (classic comic book version) Batman and his Boy Wonder Robin (as created in 1:9 scale by yours truly) should be on hand to unveil their famous 1966 TV ride (as a 25 inch-long electronic toy) just in time for MEGO MEET 2016!
      Last edited by darklord1967; Jun 8, '15, 2:44 PM.
      I... am an action figure customizer

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      • darklord1967
        Persistent Member
        • Mar 27, 2008
        • 1550

        #63
        FROM REED RICHARDS TO BRUCE WAYNE


        In this series of photos, you can see that i've managed to successfully re-sculpt a stretchy scientist from Marvel into a brooding billionaire playboy from DC!














        Last edited by darklord1967; Jan 23, '18, 10:06 PM.
        I... am an action figure customizer

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        • darklord1967
          Persistent Member
          • Mar 27, 2008
          • 1550

          #64
          And the bat cowl which I created as a rigid, hard plastic sculpt, has now been molded and cast...




          ... into a soft, flexy, and wearable cowl!! No more hard cowl cracking apart as I try to place it over the figure's head! Yayyyyyyy!!!

          Last edited by darklord1967; Feb 24, '16, 6:59 PM.
          I... am an action figure customizer

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          • darklord1967
            Persistent Member
            • Mar 27, 2008
            • 1550

            #65
            The castings required considerable clean-up to make them look smooth and clean...

            But once I completed the finish clean-up work, and hollowed out the sculpt into a wearable cowl, I was reasonably pleased with the result.










            Last edited by darklord1967; Feb 25, '16, 2:00 AM.
            I... am an action figure customizer

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            • JediJaida
              Talkative Member
              • Jun 14, 2008
              • 5671

              #66
              OH. MY. GAWD!!! I am utterly speechless and in awe of your talent!
              JediJaida

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              • daz71
                Persistent Member
                • Jul 19, 2014
                • 2040

                #67
                wonderful work.

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                • darklord1967
                  Persistent Member
                  • Mar 27, 2008
                  • 1550

                  #68
                  For me, another critical part of The Batman's overall look is his UTILITY BELT

                  I believe this is a detail that is often not given sufficient consideration in mass produced or custom Batman action figures.

                  The right utility belt worn by The Batman makes all the difference in the character seeming functional instead of funny... ornerny instead of ordinary... effective and elegant instead of chintzy and cheap.



                  Back in 1972, our friends at MEGO mass produced The Batman's belt as a simplistic design the reflected the character's vial belt as seen in the comics of the time.




                  Since I am an afficionado of the classic, dark "Bronze Age" comic book Batman of the 1980's...

                  ...and since this custom action figure will closely duplicate the full sized Bat costume I built for the stage play I produced 2 years ago (which also featured this style belt)...

                  ... it became a no-brainter that this would be the kind of belt I would work to create for my custom Batman.

                  There would be major differences when compared to MEGO's original utility belt, be sure:

                  I wanted a belt that was wider and felt more functionally military
                  I also wanted a belt that felt intricately detailed and not just molded as a single solid piece.
                  Even though I would be creating the belt as the vial design from the comics, the vials would be the later "test tube" design from the 1980's rather than the oblong pointed-tipped vials (as MEGO created).
                  Last edited by darklord1967; Apr 3, '17, 9:53 AM.
                  I... am an action figure customizer

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                  • darklord1967
                    Persistent Member
                    • Mar 27, 2008
                    • 1550

                    #69
                    Using hobby Styrene Rods...



                    ... I cut twelve equal lengths to serve as the Utility Belt's vials...




                    I rounded the ends of each vial by hand with sandpaper and then primered and spray painted them all with golden yellow paint.
                    Last edited by darklord1967; Feb 25, '16, 6:07 AM.
                    I... am an action figure customizer

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                    • darklord1967
                      Persistent Member
                      • Mar 27, 2008
                      • 1550

                      #70
                      I next turned my attention to the utility belt's BAND being sure to fashion it to be slightly wider than MEGO's belt (which I always considered to be too narrow for The Batman).

                      I began with a flexible styrene strip in the appropriate width cut to an appropriate length...






                      I very carefully mapped out and masked off the ends of the belt band to create a clean hold-out area for the belt buckle and its fastening point.




                      I sprayed the band with 3M adhesive and let it set tacky...




                      ... and then I carefully draped the golden yellow silk fabric over the very sticky band.




                      I pressed the fabric onto the band firmly through a clean plastic sheet (minimal contact of the fabric with human fingers is highly recommended to keep it looking cleanly pristine.




                      I flipped the band over to its backside, and mapped out the trim areas for fold-over on the fabric...




                      ... and carefully cut them.




                      With the back of the band carefully sprayed with more adhesive, the fold-over flaps were tacked down.







                      I cleanly trimmed the ends...





                      ...and then used an X-Acto blade to cut the fabric from the buckle and fastening hold-out areas.






                      I laid golden yellow satin ribbon the the backside of the band to finish off the fabric work.



                      Last edited by darklord1967; Feb 25, '16, 6:08 AM.
                      I... am an action figure customizer

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                      • darklord1967
                        Persistent Member
                        • Mar 27, 2008
                        • 1550

                        #71
                        Next came the selection of the all-important belt buckle.

                        Again, my preference was for The Batman's "Bronze Age" rectangular buckle with raised borders and large side latch.

                        Hasbro's 9 inch Batman action figure (released in the early 2000's, I believe), provided me with what I wanted in terms of this buckle.




                        Of course, in order to make the buckle compatible with the custom Bat Utility Belt I was fabricating, I would need to paint it in the same deep golden yellow as the rest of the belt.

                        After carefully cutting the buckle off the Hasbro belt, I built up several layers of air brushed white primer...





                        ... and several layers of golden yellow gloss...







                        With the buckle secured firmly to the band's hold out area with super glue, I next began to carefully map out the positioning of the utility vials by mathematically dividing the length of the band by the 12 vials I planned to attach. That gave me the exact spacing between them. Using my handy digital caliper measuring tool (no customizer should be without one!), I lightly penciled out where the vials should be attached on the belt.





                        Finally, one by one, I permanently attached my pre-painted vials to the band.







                        I... am an action figure customizer

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                        • Mego Milk
                          Custom Mego Maker
                          • Jun 3, 2007
                          • 2842

                          #72
                          wow.
                          wow.
                          yowee.

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                          • darklord1967
                            Persistent Member
                            • Mar 27, 2008
                            • 1550

                            #73
                            He has gone through many incarnations... many different experimental body part combinations. But here now is the final Bruce Wayne "heroic male" base body that I have developed for my 9Art custom action figures:


                            STATS:

                            Height:. 8.25" tall (nude) translates to a real life man of 6'2" in height in true 1:9 scale.

                            Construction: Tight, solid, All ball-joint construction (no outdated bungee circuit tension assembly) makes for superior posing integrity and standng stability. 29 points of articulation provide endless options for posing.

                            Torso and all limbs on this figure are solid (not hollow) resulting in a hefty, weighted figure of increased density. Careful attention to proper body proportions makes for a figure of remarkable anatomical accuracy.


                            Last edited by darklord1967; Apr 25, '16, 9:02 AM.
                            I... am an action figure customizer

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                            • RCB Mego
                              Member
                              • Mar 28, 2010
                              • 56

                              #74
                              Outstanding work! I really appreciate your details and sharing.

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                              • JediJaida
                                Talkative Member
                                • Jun 14, 2008
                                • 5671

                                #75
                                WHOA! That is fantastic! I love it!
                                JediJaida

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