Anybody ever think to sculpt character figures?

[VF-1James]

I was wondering if any one on these boards had ever, or is planning on, sculpting character figures of the characters from Macross? I got to thinking about it, since I just bought some trading figures, but I realized I really want posable figures of my favorite Macross characters on my shelves, next to my other anime and video game figures/models (Valks included!).

12" seems like the best scale, since then people could customize the clothes themselves to be from the movie or the TV show (not to mention that sculpting whole figures would be really, really difficult to do). I think just the heads, and then people could attach them to 12" bodies. Personally, I reccomend the Volks Neo Guy body for Roy (it's a really nice, highly detailed, muscular resin 12" figure body).

Maybe if there are more people like me out there, we could get some somebody interested enough to sculpt the characters we love. Any thoughts?

[Mechamaniac]

Someone here should have pictures of XSTOYS fantastic scratch built custom Isamu and Guld figures from Macross Plus, complete with custom boxes.

I can't find them though, but that seems to be the extent of custom 12" figs around here.

[Kamineko]

I believe someone here made a custom Isamu Dyson doll though I cannot remember who. It was once posted on the long lost old Macrossworld Forums . . .

Hah! Quick-draw Mechamaniac beat be by milliseconds . . .

Here's a really cool website with pics of the customs!

Edited March 28, 2005 by Kamineko

[VF-1James]

I hate to be biased, but all I really want is a sweet Roy figure!

-Oh, those Macross Plus figures are just what I'm talking about!!! Now somebody make me my Roy! (Maybe if we bitch enough, somebody with sculpting talent will make our favorite characters available to us.) Well, it's a thought....

Edited March 28, 2005 by VF-1James

[xstoys]

Someone here should have pictures of XSTOYS fantastic scratch built custom Isamu and Guld figures from Macross Plus, complete with custom boxes.

I can't find them though, but that seems to be the extent of custom 12" figs around here.

This is what you seek.

There are some more detailed pics of 12" Isamu Dyson here:

http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/mwat/t...o/_tony_yao.htm

[promethuem5]

Those are killer. Dam, AND you've got a plush Hikkie.... you stink man. Isamu's soooo goin for the skirt lol.

[VF-1James]

So, do you plan to do any other characters xsoys? I do want a Roy, but I'm trying my hand at sculpting him myself for now. He's..... well, I'm modifying an existing head for the Neo Guy body, so I don't have to sculpt it from scratch. I really can't sculpt that well, but good for me, Roy's hair is pretty easy. If you're not planning on making any more head sculpts (to be produced for members of Macross World), I was wondering if somebody would cast my head when I'm done with it? Not really to offer it to anyone (it's not that amazing, but it's still Roy), but just so it can be stronger than sculpey. Anyone I should ask?

Edited March 29, 2005 by VF-1James

[xstoys]

So, do you plan to do any other characters XToys? I do want a Roy, but I'm trying my hand at sculpting him myself for now. He's..... well, I'm modifying an existing head for the Neo Guy body, so I don't have to sculpt it from scratch. I really can't sculpt that well, but good for me, Roy's hair is pretty easy. If you're not planning on making any more head sculpts (to be produced for members of Macross World), I was wondering if somebody would cast my head when I'm done with it? Not really to offer it to anyone (it's not that amazing, but it's still Roy), but just so it can be stronger than sculpey. Anyone I should ask?

First of all, can we please get the name right? It's "xstoys"!

To answer your question, yes, I do plan on a few other Macross 1/6 scale figures; as for a Roy we'll have to wait & see.

If you are looking to recast your custom head, there are a few options available here on at MW. You can contact a few of our local recasters; such as Rohby, Meyersjessee, Valkyrie, mslz22, etc, just to name a few. They may be able to help you recast your head.

Another option is to check out this thread Fulcy put up about how to do your own casting.

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=41

Good luck & keep us updated on your progress.

[glane21]

My 12" full action Hikaru is put together from existing toys and not too hard to do:

[EXO]

I've thought a lot about sculpting heads for 1/6 scale figures but the problem I see with the pre existing body types for that scale is most male figures are 12" tall. When it comes to Macross the characters vary so much in height it would look wrong if they were all 12". Roy and kakizake would have to be 14" or you'd have to make Hikaru and Max at 10" If I ever sculpted Macross figures the bodies would probably have to be scratchbuilt also, not just the heads. Then I'd feel bad for the recaster that would recast the hair on most characters.

ADD: i just love Glane's Hikaru kitbash. I almost bought it off him...

Edited March 29, 2005 by >EXO<

[Myersjessee]

First of all, can we please get the name right? It's "xstoys"!

To answer your question, yes, I do plan on a few other Macross 1/6 scale figures; as for a Roy we'll have to wait & see.

If you are looking to recast your custom head, there are a few options available here on at MW. You can contact a few of our local recasters; such as Rohby, Meyersjessee, Valkyrie, mslz22, etc, just to name a few. They may be able to help you recast your head.

Another option is to check out this thread Fulcy put up about how to do your own casting.

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=41

Good luck & keep us updated on your progress.

Dude! Its MyersJessee...not Meyers... (and just plain old Jesse is fine too! )

Thanks for the recommendation...and may I add how much I love your Isamu figure...it still floors me (love the box too! )

[xstoys]

Dude!  Its MyersJessee...not Meyers...    (and just plain old Jesse is fine too! )

Oops, sorry for the typo...

Edited March 29, 2005 by xstoys

[Mechamaniac]

OK, so enough of the pleasantries...

Is anyone going to make at least some heads or what???

[VF-1James]

Here is my progress on Roy. It's really just for me, since I can't sculpt very well at all, but I hope it will generate some interest in character figures. Please, pay no attention to the colors or some of the paint (It was a head that I wrecked, so I decided to fix it into a Roy- the sculpey is just all I have left around the house, and I didn't feel like getting more). Also, he may look a bit messy, but it's just some of the residue still on his hair from the sanding process that I'm doing right now. I just picked him up and took a photo so people could see him, since I've had at least two people ask for me to show him as of yet. There's still a long way to go before he's ready for me to paint, or possibly get someone to cast him. Anyway, don't be too upset- after all, it is ME sculpting him, not a pro.

Edited March 30, 2005 by VF-1James

[jipe]

Hey, not so bad! Very good job in fact. I would like to see it finished.

Anyway it's a good idea.

[Zentrandude]

my god. that first picture is some kind of lessy porn. Never knew rei (that her right? the one showing her breast) likes the ladies and favors the backdoor action.

edit: don't like the pose guld is doing too. guess he likes to watch a little too much

Edited March 30, 2005 by Zentrandude

[bigkid24]

Roy's hair is pretty good. The face needs some work though. He looks too girlie.

[VF-1James]

The face is a bit.... It's a bit pretty I guess, but I'm trying to sand the top lip a bit, so it will be less pursed. I have to be really careful here though, since I don't think I could fix that if I messed it up. In any case, sanding the lip should take care of his "girly" pout, but the rest of what may look girly is the choice of paint I used on the head before (remember, it was originally going to be used for something else). I'm going to try and fix the eyes to be more anime styled too, so it will make them easier to paint. Thanks to everyone who has shown interest in him, I appreciate it a lot! When I finish him, I want to get him recast to make him sturdy, and hopefully, he will be available to anyone who wants him. Just let me know if you're interested or not, since maybe it will help inspire me to actually get it done.

[Mechamaniac]

Better than I could do by a long freaking shot.

Keep it up man!, that is looking pretty cast-worthy!.

BUT - You probably want to cast it BEFORE you paint it.

[Rick_Randy]

yo xstoys who is the chick in the eva 01 costume with a slash mark in her breast?

as with roy me want a TV version roy for my 1/48 yammie

roy without helmet lounging basically "wasted" in the cockpit

holding a beer can witha few of em scattered around

the cockpit with perhaps a apcket of cigarettes and pork rinds..

I want an ALL female collection of the macross series..er ful poseable

complete with Global the SDF PIMP:)

[xstoys]

yo xstoys who is the chick in the eva 01 costume with a slash mark in her breast?

That would be "Rei Ayanami." She's showin' some skin with one hand & holding a Eva 01 helmet with the other.

[VF-1James]

More news about Roy; I am in talks with a company in Hong Kong to custom make his uniform. I found them through Ebay, and they make really detailed costumes for 12" figures. When I asked if they knew the character, the person responded, "Major Focker, of course we know him!".

I'm feeling this custom coming together now. I'm going for the TV uniform, as my head is based on the TV design, not the movie. However, I'm thinking of doing a movie one too once I get this sculpt finished and cast, since I would just have to change the hair a bit. Not sure about that though.... Anyway, yay for Hong Kong!

[glane21]

I would go with the DYRL suit, especially if hey're able to do the helmet and other attachments.

[Mechamaniac]

Perhaps the suit could be cheaper for you (and for all) if they made a quantity of them?

I would be interested in one, provided you recast your head sculpt!

[xstoys]

More news about Roy; I am in talks with a company in Hong Kong to custom make his uniform. I found them through Ebay, and they make really detailed costumes for 12" figures. When I asked if they knew the character, the person responded, "Major Focker, of course we know him!".

I'm feeling this custom coming together now. I'm going for the TV uniform, as my head is based on the TV design, not the movie. However, I'm thinking of doing a movie one too once I get this sculpt finished and cast, since I would just have to change the hair a bit. Not sure about that though.... Anyway, yay for Hong Kong!

Are there any sapmle pics of the HK company's previous custom outfits? Do they have a website?

[VF-1James]

Perhaps the suit could be cheaper for you (and for all) if they made a quantity of them?

I would be interested in one, provided you recast your head sculpt!

How many do you think we'd be talking? I still don't have a price from them yet, but I'll ask if they made a few of them. I was thinking.... 10 maybe? How many people actually want a Roy?

Edit- here is the site: http://actionfigure2002.com/

Edit #2- I decided to try and sculpt the lips on the head, so they wouldn't be as girly, and I'm giving him a smirk to his left side (opposite side of his hair in the front). It's going pretty well, and I hope to have some more pictures soon (I'm going to try and refine him a bit more, and finish sculpting the back of his hair, since it was giving me a bit of trouble before). Now, as for the DYRL flight suit, you guys do understand that would cost like $200 or so just for the suit, right? I mean, that is one complex uniform to make! For now, let's just worry about finishing the TV version in his regular uniform. I also have the head from the 1/6 Hikaru model that I cut up so that it's just a helment. I will see if I can get that recast for everyone too hopefully.

Edited April 1, 2005 by VF-1James

[VF-1James]

Edit- Due to some common sense, provided by fellow 1/6 scale fan, xstoys, I have decided to ask the guy in Hong Kong to make my Roy costume first, so everyone can see the quality of the finished product. Really, it is probably a bit much for me to ask everyone to rush into something, so this way people will have an idea of what they're ordering. I have no real idea of the price, but I'll let you know what he quotes me later this week.

Also, I'll post some new pictures of the Roy head-sculpt later this week too (complete with action poses, woo-hoo!!!). And please note the new mouth on him, since it's a bitch to sculpt. It does, however, look much better now, and a lot more like Roy. I'll keep everyone updated, and thanks for your support.

Edited April 3, 2005 by VF-1James

[hirohawa]

I am interested as well.

[EXO]

I've been testing out how I would sculpt Hikarus head... here's some preliminary work, this won't be the final piece though, I plan to tear it apart to smooth out the face and add detail.

[EXO]

more:

[valkyrie312]

WOW EXO! I'm impressed! Keep up the great work and keep us updated.

[Global]

EXO,

That looks great! Hikaru's hair is really tough to make in 3D, but I think you got it.

I got the three Robotech busts from Tam last week. I actually like them a lot more than I thought. But Hikaru's hair is not right. I wish the Toynami bust's hair looked like yours.

[xstoys]

Looks like 1/6 scale is finally getting some respect around here...

Nice work Exo!

[VF-1James]

Hey, very nice Hikaru! I was planning on making a movie Roy head, then a Max, then a Hikaru (based on the order I like the characters). Can't wait to see that Hikaru finished! Maybe we should all work together on these 1/6 scale figures? Such as:

First, let's do Roy as a starter, since I'm already talking to a guy to do his suit. If this guy is trustworthy, and makes good stuff, maybe we could have him make the suits of Hikaru and Max as well? It's a thought... Anyway, great Hikaru head!

By the way, EXO, what body do you have planned for him? Are you going to recast it as well? I have a good idea for a body, since you were concerned about his height in relation to the other characters. For Roy, I'm using a Volks Neo Guy with legs I took from another figure to make him even taller (so now, he will be the correct size next to Hikaru and Max). High quality is kind of a big deal to me, so I only use the best bodies made out of resin for my custom stuff, and I do think it adds a lot to the finished piece.

EDIT- YOWSER!!! I just got the e-mail from the guy in Hong Kong, and he was a bit pissed at me since he went to a lot of trouble to try and get a bulk order going with this suit- he did however agree to do one so everyone could see it, and in hopes that more people will order one as well. So, I guess I get the prototype... I just PayPaled him the money, and I will send him the figure body soon so he can size the costume to it. Now, the price.... Crap, it's way more than I thought it would be. I was worried about this, but he said it's going to be the nicest quality possible. He asked for $135 for mine (that's $120 to do it, and $15 to ship it to me). So this thing better impress the hell out of me!

Edited April 3, 2005 by VF-1James

[EXO]

I'll take it to the recaster and see how we can go about rebuilding it to make it recast friendly. I'm gonna rescuplt the hair with milliput instead to make it tougher and more workable. The mold making process might break off some tips of the hair if I do it in Sculpey. And we might have to make more than one mold.

Take a picture of the refitted body you're going to use in relation to the regular body... I want to see what your talking about. I still plan to sculpt the bodies myself since I'm planning DYRL figures. I want to make the arms and leg armors non removable but I also want the uniform to be tucked into them. I already have someone making the fabric part uniform for me. I just have to sculpt the shoulder/backpack portion of it. Not to mention the helmet. I'm most likely to do removable heads to switch from helmet and non helmet. The helmet will be removable though so the pilots can hold it.

It's going to be a while, probably won't be done with one figure by the end of this year. But if you guys want I'll finish the Hikaru head sooner. I'm going to use the same head for max since they have the same shape.