King Cobra - UPDATE

At the risk of jinxing things, this piece is coming along quite nicely!

The hood is now all but done. Aside from some minor tweaking of the shape, all that remains to be done is the interior detail and the cobra "crest" front and center. I've never been particularly enamored of this embellishment: about the best that can be said is, "overkill". But it is iconic to the character, so. .

The hood-shaped mantle is next. If all goes as planned, the hood will be permanently attached to the mantle, and the unit will be removable for painting. Worst case scenario, the hood and mantle will be separate pieces that will be permanently attached once their respective ventral surfaces have been painted.

More to follow. . .

FOLLOW-UP - 30.05.2012. . . The sub-mantle has been roughed-in with SSFine and the contouring of this "negative" surface has begun. If all goes as planned and time permits, I hope to have the epoxy putty "positive" done by the end of the weekend.

UPDATE - 02.06.2012. . . The mantle is done! Done--but not yet 'finished'. All in good time. . .

News from Wonderfest 2012

No definite release dates, but definitely something for us to look forward to. . .

From Moebius. . .

• The Munsters Lab vignette (featuring Grandpa and Herman, 1/8th scale, sculpted by Jeff Yagher)
• 1/18th scale (100mm) Catwoman on Batpod (This posting mentions that Catwoman is resin(?))

From Round 2. . .

• Wizard of Oz vignette of the Wicked Witch and Flying Monkey (no details)
• Wolverine (1/8th scale)

Notable Acquisitions May 2012

FIGURES
This month has been essentially focused on assembling the base figures for my Marvel Serpents and my select DC Lantern Corps collection (all Eaglemoss, ~85mm +/-):

Classic Marvel #136 Snowbird
Classic Marvel #143 Radioactive Man  

and. . . 

DC Super Hero -- Blackest Night, Brightest Day Special #1 Black Hand
DC Super Hero -- Blackest Night, Brightest Day Special #10 Bleez

King Cobra

The long holiday weekend has gotten off to a productive, if not great--long story, start. . .

While I still hope to have at least one figure ready for priming by Monday, I'm not pushing myself. I'm going to follow my Muses, adopt a 60s zeitgeist, and just do what feels right.

First up. . . Klaus Voorhees, bka (the original) [King] Cobra. The project is inspired by this panel (Captain America #367):


As I indicated in my introductory post, this figure would use the Hobgoblin (CMFC #102) as its base...


You might recall from my review of the Hobgoblin that it is comprised of 6 pieces, all white-metal: I have retained 4 -- the head, body, and 2 gauntlets. To date, I have begun rough modelling, reconforming (read: grinding); and pegging. The lower legs/boots are being resculpted (more at reshaped), and the upper third of the pectoral girdle, formerly incorporated into the mantle, is being resculpted. I will hopefully have the figure pegged and mounted on its workbase by the end of the long weekend.

More to follow. . .

UPDATE - 27.05.2012. . . I have repositioned and permanently attached the head; and I have pegged and repositioned the right gauntlet. Last but not least, the figure is now pegged and mounted on its workbase.

FOLLOW-UP - 28.05.2012. . . I have roughed-in the cowl, and begun working on the face. I've also roughed in the ventral half of the anime-like "armour". ADDENDUM - I have just finished roughing-in the cobra hood.

Serpent Squad & Society- A Sampling

I love reptiles, especially snakes. With that as a given, it is hardly surprising that I am a huge fan of two Marvel Super-villain teams, the Serpent Squad (SSq) and the Serpent Society (SSo).

Being a fan is not easy, as their histories are somewhat patchy, if not outright convoluted. To make matters worse, some of the characters are barely fleshed out, as if it wasn't worth the bother. Thus, selectivity becomes key.

To the matter at hand. I've been reacquainting myself with the SSq/ So, and since it does not look like any of the them will make/made the final Eaglemoss CMFC cut, I thought it was time to indulge in some customization.

My line-up of female associates to date is as follows (subject - base figure):

• Anaconda [Ultimate] - Mystique
• Asp - tbd
• Princess Python [Ultimate] - Gamora (tbr)
• Coachwhip - Moonstone (tbr)

I have special plans for Death Adder [Ultimate]. The remaining femmes fatales are of no interest as of this writing; however. . . I do have plans to create my own character -- Nāginī the Cobra Queen -- using the Eaglemoss Snowbird as a base.

And the men:

• King Cobra - Hobgoblin
• Puff Adder - Radioactive Man

I have special plans for Cottonmouth. As for the rest, the only one that remotely piques my interest is Bushmaster.

And that's it for now. Anaconda is on the bench, ready for the putty work to begin. More to
follow. . .

Dragon/Shizuoka update

While I might very well be jumping the gun, I would have to conclude the the 1/9th scale Action Hero Vignette series is a ready-to-display (i.e., pre-painted) series aimed primarily at collectors, not modellers.

This is a real shame. But in today's economy and given the hobby's demographics, completely understandable. Let us not lose sight of the fact that, provided the prices are reasonable, if one really had to have one to paint, a couple of hours in the "purple bath" will have you well on your way to a unique and personalized piece.

More news as it becomes available. . .

Dragon DKR

And on this the first day of the Shizuoka Hobby Show, it is now safe to say that Dragon has cornered the market on this Summer's two comic-book cinematic blockbusters. . .

http://www.dragon-models.com/51stShizuokaHobbyShow2012/photos/9.jpg

Dragon Assembles 200mm Avengers!

This one comes as a real surprise!. . . 

http://www.onesixthwarriors.com/forum/non-1-6-figures-toys-related-products/633833-dml-official-avengers-license.html

Apparently, the whole team is slated for production. Is it too much to hope that they include Loki as well? UPDATE: Based on the promo poster at the Show, it looks like Loki did not make the cut. . . UPDATE (2): And it looks like it will be an ALL-Male cast. . .


I don't believe we'll have additional news of any significance until after the Shizuoka Hobby Show next weekend.

Kilowog -- UPDATE

The finishing of the head/arms unit is all-but-done, and the gloves have been fitted and rough-finished. With that being done, I was able to permanently reunite the two-piece body.

That now leaves me with a four-piece kit: the body, the gloves, and maxilla and mandible. I will probably permanently attach the mandible before priming. The maxillae will be painted (interior) and attached post-priming, but before painting the head.

 More to follow. . .

FOLLOW-UP. . . Main join seam filled, and the mandible has been fitted. This poozer might be on the finishing home stretch by early next week. . .

2012 Status Report

It's time for the mid-year/pre-Summer update. . .

The post-Show revised slate can be found here. This is the pre-Summer lineup. . .

1) Daredevil (Knight Models, 70mm)
2) Divio "Mad Dog" Juckal [SP vârcolac] (Smart Max 'Smog 1888')
3) King Cobra (Eaglemoss conversion, ~1/20th(???) scale)
4) Kilowog (Eaglemoss, ~1/20th scale)
5) "Moondirge" (Maelstrom Games: BaneBeasts, ???)

As always, subject--and still quite likely--to change.

And as always, I hope you will find something of interest in the above--I look forward to your comments and observations.

Back to the bench!!

A~

Black - & Gold - Magik Woman

I received a superb MB of New Mutant (X-Men) Magik earlier this week, and I couldn't be happier! This has been something of a "grail kit" for me--it's not that it's that difficult to acquire, it just took me a while to track down its source.

Illyana Rasputin, Magik, is the younger sister of X-Man Colossus. Her rather convoluted backstory can be perused at the above link, but suffice it to say that she is a sorceress who not only wields the Soulsword and can generate power-enhancing Eldritch armour, she also has a demonic alter-ego, the Darkchilde.

The kit is done to approximately 1/8th(?) scale in 9 exquisitely-cast pieces + base. The Soulsword alone is comprised of 4 pieces: left hand/grip; quillons/blade; and a 2-piece eldritch flame cast in clear resin! The normal base for this kit is a tapering, four-sided "X" pedestal; I received a weathered column that is the stock base for Wolfsbane. I don't know if the provider was out of X pedestals, but I much prefer the column as it provides greater support and a more esthetic balance to the piece. Clean-up could-be accomplished in little more than a couple of hours.

In my next installment, pending receipt of some reference material, I will outline what I have in mind for this piece. No major alterations, per se; rather a few targeted enhancements. Think Witchblade. . .

Notable Acquisitions April-May 2012

KITS
Resin Pimps (busts, 1/6th scale[???]): 

• Atrocitus and Dex-Starr
• Arkillo
• Kilowog

Moebius kit of the Green Lantern (Joe Laudati, 1/12th scale)
Magik (1/8th scale[???])
Eaglemoss DC Super Hero Collection Special #13 Kilowog (~1/20th scale)
Halloween Nightmare Mini-Bust #1: The Ghost (Adam Dougherty, 1/8th scale[???])

Kilowog-Green Lantern (Eaglemoss)

And now for my favorite Green Lantern, the GL of Space Sector 674, and primary trainer of recruits to the Green Lantern Corps. . .  Kilowog.

I have two projects on the drawing board involving Kilowog: one is a bust produced by Resin Pimps (principals' names withheld by request); and the other a full-figure by Eaglemoss, the subject of this posting.

Kilowog is Special Issue #13 in the Eaglemoss DC Super Hero Collection. It should come as no surprise that Kilowog was a special issue, as this is an all metal figure measuring ~115mm h.! And the casting in my example is near-perfect!!

While the figure itself is sublime, the design/engineering is even more so! The figure is comprised of 5(!) white metal pieces + the standard resin base. And yes, I have already stripped and dis- assembled the piece; and tapped the legs for the mounting pegs.

This one will be stock. Save for a thorough clean-up and tweaking some fit issues (e.g., you might note the prominent seam across the back where the head/arms unit attaches to the torso), there is little else to be done. I will hopefully have this one on the painting bench in the next 6-8 weeks.

FOLLOW-UP - 06.05.2012. . . The figure is now pegged and mounted on its work base. The head/arms unit is in the final finishing stages and will hopefully be ready to be permanently reunited with the body in the next few days. More to follow. . .

Hal Jordan - Green Lantern of Sector 2814

As most of you know, I’m a self-proclaimed Marvel freak. Not quite a zombie about it, but close. For better or for worse – certainly worse for my wallet! – that has now changed. Hitherto, my interests in DC have been largely limited to Batman & Co., and Hawkman and Hawkgirl. I remember being rather fond of the Justice Society and Justice League, but these were little more than an extension of my aforementioned interests.

Enter the Lantern Corps. I was never much of a fan of the Green Lantern. No particular reason that I can recall, save that it was too sci-fi for my tastes. And it wasn’t a question of not liking it per se, it was worse – I was indifferent about the character!

The first major inroads by DC into my Marvel-ness was the Batman Vampire Trilogy. This was an Elseworlds imprint, which has provided many a memorable story.  Kingdom Come, featuring the magnificent artwork of Alex Ross and also an Elseworlds offering, was the turning point: Kingdom Come is, to me, the [near-]perfect example of a graphic novel. And then there was Blackest Night, my introduction to the full emotional spectrum of Lantern Corps, and a compelling trigger to my reassessment of the Green Lantern. . . .

I am now hooked! The Lantern Corps with their galactic diversity of characters are a one-stop superstore of  inspirational storytelling. Add to this the stellar work being provided by Resin Pimps, and I can honestly say I have not been this excited about comics OR the hobby in a VERY long time!

My first review, however, deals with a Moebius offering. Last year, Moebius released a kit (no. 924) of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan--Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, which includes our Solar System. The kit depicts a scene from Green Lantern v.2, #4 (Jan.- Feb. 1961), where Hal fights Gnaxos, the robot champion of the Weaponers of Qward (future home of the Sinestro Corps).

This is a simple kit: 18 pieces total! It goes together very well, and assembly can be easily managed in a few hours. This would be an ideal first kit!

The “extra bonus” of this kit--and that which elevates it far beyond the status of “average”--are the hand-shaped construct holding Gnaxos down, and the ring flare from Hal’s power ring (parts #17 and 18, respectively): these are cast in green-tinted clear plastic! This begs for lighting effects!!

The provenance of this kit belongs to that era of Lantern history that did little or nothing for me or my imagination; hence, I am going to approach this kit a bit differently. My plan is to depict Green Lantern Hal Jordan at the time of the Blackest Night crisis event. All the elements of the diorama are in hand—all that’s left is to “do it”!