Back in the Studio…

[Confessional]

While paint and resin dry, drift occurs… easily done with male pattern balding and a spiffy 'stach, but he really needs a gray turtleneck and another key accessory to complete the look.

Oh, does anyone have a Sideshow Frank Black shrink?

[Confessional]

Just a teaser; this is definitely happening…

[SeattleEd]

WOW. WOW! So cool looking already. Looking forward to this one!

[Confessional]

^^ Thanks!

Devilman V9 is also sorta happening. Ended up with a free FTC/CTVT superhero bod so figured I'd piece something together as a test. I do like the glove/boot system and style, but the body is mediocre at best… lightweight and limited posing. Not so well suited for this Mego/Popy inspired series.

Anyway, I do love the paint app… Testors Extreme Lacquer (Revving Red Metallic) covers plastic/resin so nicely and with subtle light effects. Cape is the fantastic silicone elastomer I've been playing with for several years. Undecided on what I want to do/not do on the collar, and he needs a belt.

[apes3978]

^^^ Those clubs look great ^^^

[Confessional]

It only took a year to talk myself into making a set of these… small ***** always a pain!

If Matt Sotis didn't do it first, I probably wouldn't have either… the pioneers of customizing continue to inspire. Mutant power!

[Boywonder0]

William is the true Ape Man! Sorry Tarzan!

[apes3978]

Lotta cool stuff going on...

I never would have thought I'd like Cornelius in blue, but that blue really pops.

Nova looks great.

[Confessional]

^^ No, that's the power of the dye!… it surprised me too! I did four outfits (stupid me, I should have done a pair of gloves too!), two in bright violet and two in dark purple.

After experimenting so much, I think the detergent acts as stripper and actually distresses the fabric a little.

[EMCE Hammer]

Did you remove any brown from the soldier outfit prior to the violet bath? I'm impressed with the brightness and depth of the color you achieved.

[Confessional]

^^ From when I first made her on a Yvonne 1.0 which were a pale skin tone; you can see in the newer pic I switched her over to a 2.0 body as they were more tan and fitting for Nova:

[NastyNoah]

That statue is off the chart! Can we see more pics of Nova?

[Confessional]

Thanks!

There is some deception (non-intuitive choices) at play; I'll try to give some insight into things here…

Dyes used: Traditional powdered dyes of various brands including Rit, as well as several others sold for higher end crafts and leathers. The nice thing about these is you can mix and blend with more predictable results. While liquid dyes (yes, Rit Dye More Synthetic rocks!) are very concentrated but not available in as many colors. I also mix powdered and liquids together, which can carry the color of a traditional dye into synthetic materials. As you know most dyes don't actually appear as the color on the packaging unless you are dyeing pale absorbent fabrics. Otherwise your results will produce a wide range of colors with many failures and interesting surprises.

The green "Cornelii" (love that term!) are not dyed green, rather that rich color you see is achieved by using Tropical Teal dye.

The blue Corny color comes from using a blend of Denim and Midnight Blue dyes. The blue dyes can almost go black if you want them to.

The Soldier is done in Royal Purple with a dash of Racing Red. Yes the vinyl used on these tunics, unlike the material used on the Chimps, takes the dye well too. So you get this really cool two-tone violet across the uniform. Blue dyes will move these towards green and even black, while red can have little impact on its own but works well as a warming/brightening color.

I posted these because they are the more difficult Apes to re-color… Astronaut, Zira and Zaius garb, and the General's yellow tunics (the results have a more aged/detailed look as the pigment will settle in the debossing and wrinkles) can be dyed much easier.

I've also been dying white boots… surprising to me, the contemporary products take pigment much easier than their vintage counterparts.

Also, I'm sure you already know as customizers, but for those just starting to mess around… using very hot (just prior to boiling point) water and drop of dish soap or clothing detergent, as well as pigment concentration, time, and motion (stir & shake… be careful shaking hot mixtures as they expand rapidly!) can all affect outcomes radically. You can use a single color and alter the formula with any one of these variables and get different results. Distressing (removing color and/or pre-dyeing) can also be a useful step.

I use glass jars with lids instead of pots on the stove. I find you use/waste less dye, can control the temperature and motion easier, can see the reaction(s) better, and they make for a less messy clean-up. It really is tedious and you have to want to do it or else it's huge hassle… spattering dye across your sink, counter tops (bright white quartz no less), and flooring isn't fun! I could go on and on… stirs, gloves, rinsing, etc.

I think my success rate (actually achieving a pre-determined result) is about 40%… lots of other pieces just end up back in the fodder pile or I try to dye them again, or just trash them. I really should write recipes down in order to re-create, but truth be told I like the laboratory adventure of it all and a one-of-a-kind monkey

[TrekStar]

Really like how synthetic dye is able to recondition old dodgy outfits… the violet dye even penetrates the Soldier's vinyl for a cool effect.

Those really look amazing, love Cornelius and the moccasins really stand out.

[Riderfan]

I assume you're using Rit dye?