Happy Halloween!

I have now been retired for 7 weeks. While on the whole it has been everything I had anticipated, it has also been somewhat challenging. The ‘transitioning out’ process held some unexpected surprises, and it is just now that I am settling into my “new” routine. . .

And with Samhain upon us, it is time to share my latest projects with you. . . First, a modified Se- wart Seacraft 50-ft crewboat used in the Congo during the Simba Rebellion, a conversion from a 1967 Monogram 1/48th scale Viet Nam Swift Patrol Boat. I have been working on this since a fortnight before my retirement, and while slow-going, it has been very gratifying and enjoyable – though refer- ences are a bit hard to come by. . .

This obviously has nothing to do with All Hallows’ Eve. But with the October marathon of horror movies—and the streaming co-release of Halloween Kills (2021), it was time for my annual revisiting of the Halloween franchise. And that, in turn, led to my reconsideration of the Moebius 1/8^th scale, 2016 re-issue of the Polar Lights 1/10^th(?) scale Michael Myers – Halloween kit released in 2000 [nb: I have never seen the original release.].

The Moebius kit is comprised of 39 pieces + the lighting kit for the pumpkin, a very nice bit of lagniappe provided by Moebius. Overall, the casting quality is better than average, but the detail could be a bit sharper/better defined. Ah well, part and parcel of a large-scale injection-molded figure kit! The figure components have all been assembled, and I am now tweaking the drapery, etc. to my specs, as well as accurizing the kit to movie canon standards. . .

Stay tuned!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Knightmare Batman (Bust)

I have lost a significant amount of my enthusiasm for superhero movies of late. Disney’s over- sight of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been a fiasco; and DC continues its stuttering and waffling, driven by critics and fanboys, ever looking over its shoulder at/for Disney. That being said, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League offerings—Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League—are the cream of the cinematic crop!

Some of the most compelling scenes in Snyder’s JL movies are those that revolve around the post-apocalyptic Knightmare. These are events in the near future, where Darkseid and his Apokoliptian forces attempt to conquer the Earth, and are resisted by Batman and his allies, the Insurgency. Earth has become an arid, desolate wasteland; and the members of the Insurgency have adopted a Road Warrior-like look, reflecting the landscape. 

Knightmare Batman would make an awesome figure; and if I were a few years younger, it would definitely be on the Projects List! But Knight Models has ably addressed the need with an exceptional bust of the character! 

 

 

The 1/10th scale offering, CAD-designed by the most-capable Jorge Velázquez, is beautifully-cast in PUR in two pieces.

It can certainly be addressed straight OOB. But. . . there are some canon points-of-detail that I wish to incorporate in my rendition. . . 

 

The work has already begun, with an integral plinth sculpted, and the figure transferred to its work- base. The real work on the left side of the collar/lapel is underway, and I will elaborate in the posts to come.

 

Until then. . .

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

The Foreseeable Future. . .

It has been a rather hectic Summer--if not the COVID roller-coaster, then strugging to accurately interpret the flip-flopping directives from upper management. Whatever. . . I am now a short-timer more-than-ready to take the last "freedom walk" out the doors and into the rest of my life.

I have been preparing for that day for the last 3-4 months--cleaning up my studio areas, acquiring my last splurge of figures, and prepping and/or revitalizing a slew of projects to see which one--ones--make their way to the 'front burner'. 

The subject/theme of choice is now HBO's Game of Thrones. I have been acquiring Eaglemoss's 1/21st scale pre-painted collectibles at excellent prices. This series of 60 figures was not particularly well-received--and with good reason!--and is OOP; however, the sculpture--many of them CAD designed--was on the whole very good. Where Eaglemoss dropped the ball was in the painting: "appalling" would be a kindness.

 

The Eaglemoss figures will be multi-figure vignettes of some of my favourite scenes, along with two stand alone figures: Yara Greyjoy (#49) and The Mountain (#52). All the pieces have been stripped, and are at various stages of upgrading and clean-up. I also plan to resurrect my bust of Jeor Mormont, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, though I will replace the base figure with Fan Art Models' bust of "The Lord Commander" (FAM-B014, 1/9th scale).

So much for the introductory prologue. I should be back at it in earnest in three or so weeks. . .

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003