New work is on the way...

Just wanted to make a quick post to say that I have a couple new projects on the way. Both are on the MiniMunny, and should be really nice pieces. One is about half way finished, and is a Disney inspired piece for my pal TIBONG. The other is a piece that I'm hoping might turn into a short series. It's still in the planning phases, but should come together rather quickly. My goal is to have an 8 piece series that I can sell to help purchase my plane ticket for SDCC. If you think you might be interested, feel free to contact me. I should have both finished before the end of the month, and pics will come at the same time. Thanks for stopping by.

Mini Munny Contest - Honorable Mention

Well, the results have been posted, and my Tin Man was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Mini Munny Custom Competition at KidRobot:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kidrobotrules/sets/72157603875781823/

I have to say that I am pretty honored to have been awarded a prize amongst the 200+ entrants, and will use the 20$ Gift Certificate for a couple more Mini Munnys. I can't say that I totally agree with all of the winners, but that's the beauty of a subjectively judged contest. I think they got 3 of 6 big winners right, then missed on the rest. Either way, I'm glad that the contest inspired me to get something done for a change, and happy with the result. I hope Wolfie displays the Tin Man proudly.

Tin Man- Day 11 - COMPLETE!

I wasn't sure if I could pull it off in time, but I am officially done with the Tin Man. This one is based of Jack Haley's classic portrayal from the motion picture Wizard of Oz. I have to admit that I am very happy with the results, I wasn't sure if I could pull off the face, but I think it's worked out fine. This is probably my best work yet, and will be entered into the MiniMunny Contest at KidRobot. Wish me Luck, and I'd love to hear your comments.

Tin Man - Day Ten

Well, I've got less than 27 hours to finish this custom for the Mini Munny contest, and I have to admit that I'm more than a bit nervous. After a good coat of Automobile Primer, I've laid down an even coat of Aluminum paint, all the way around. The final step is in the details. Stay tuned. I just hope that I don't mess it up. Matter of fact, I think I'll take final shots of this piece, since it doesn't look too bad like this. Wish me luck.

Tin Man - Day 8 - New WIP

It's been a week since I got started on this project, and things have come along fairly nicely. Unfortunately, the deadline for the Mini Munny Contest is coming up on Wednesday, and I'm starting to worry about timing. The sculpting is done, and I'll be laying down primer tonight. If you see anything that might be improved on before final paint, I'm all ears. Please leave a comment here.

New Project - Tin Man - Day One

I've been cruising the KR boards a lot lately, taking in the work of all the great artists. There have been a couple lately that have really inspired me, and that's where I begin with my next Vinyl Custom. As soon as I got my hands on the Mini Munny, I just knew that he was going to be the Tin Man from Oz. I really liked some of the metal paint apps I've seen, and that was in the inspiration for this guy. I had the time to get started today, and was actually able to make some nice progress. First step was a gather a few reference shots, and then rough sketching the fig out on the blank Munny.


After getting a feel for where everything should go, I dug in on the sculpting. I have to admit that I have always been intimidated by the baking concept of using Super Sculpey. With Stikfas, I would use the boil method to avoid the oven. After finally taking the leap, I have to admit that I was scared of nothing. The Super Sculpey is a fantastic clay, and baking was a lot easier, and less messy(stinky) than I had imagined. The first part of the sculpt was bulking out the body so that the tin man would have his signature round torso.


After a good sanding, I moved on to the head to work on the jaw line of the Tin Man. The "chin" of the Munny fig made placement a bit of a puzzle, but I think I worked it out okay. Again, more sanding, and I started in adding some "rivets". My rivets are actually just pin heads clipped off, and a guide hole drilled with the Dremel. I think it's working out pretty well. I'll probably try to get some of the nose started tonight as well.



The one big question I have on this guy will be the hat. I hate to sculpt one, but I don't know if I'll be able to find a small funnel that's the right fit. I found a couple online, but I hate to order a $1.00 item and pay $5 shipping. I've going shopping tomorrow to see if I can find anything. That's it for today, feedback and suggestions are always appreciated. Thanks for looking.

Vinyl Review - Zoomies

Released earlier this month, the Zoomies line has been a nice new product for KidRobot. Another addition to their Blind Box assortment, this line is more character driven than some of their previous entries. I picked a couple up this past week, and have to say that I was both impressed, and let down at the same time. It might have been from a lack of research, but I thought these guys would come with both a figure and a car of some sort. That's where I was wrong. It's either or, which is okay, but a bit of a let down. I picked up the coffee cup, and the snail, neither of which were really on my wish list, but that's the beauty of blind box. I did check out a couple of the other figs that were pulled while I was at Elite, so I had the chance to really get a feel for the line. First off, I really like the character design on these guys. Nice and simple, but with a definite uniqueness. The sclupts are really sharp, and I have to say that I was pleasantly suprised to see that the hats, and goggles, and what not, were accessories, and not part of the sculpt. That was an added plus. Most of the figs look to come with an accessory of some sort, but nothing really sexy. I think my fave of the line is the Rhino - Edward, and I've already got a trade lined up for him. Overall, this was a neat little set, but probably not something I'm going to gather gobs of. I'll give them a 3.5/5. To learn more, check out http://www.kidrobot.com/products2.cfm?ID=5155.

Past Customs - Billy Binderup

This was my third custom Munny. William at Elite Comics has become a good friend, and is Johnson County's only outlet for vinyl toys. He always gives me the hook up, so I decided to return the favor by fashioning this custom after him. I don't like to gloat, but it's a pretty darn good likeness, and gets a huge laugh out of all the regulars at the comic shop. Obviously, William was thrilled with this guy, and he welcomes all visitors as they walk in the door. This one also got entered into a contest, and won. The voting may have been a bit biased, since William hosted the contest. Who am I to turn away the trophy though. The prize for that one is a custom Munny from some comic artist I don't know, but is supposedly a pretty big deal. I hope to have that soon to show off here. Nothing too fancy about production on this guy. The hair and goatee are paper clay. If you haven't used this stuff, you should give it a try. It's an air-drying clay that responds very well to sanding and carving once cured. The watch band was epoxy, and the glasses are hand made from scratch. Once again, the front of the shirt is a water slide decal, another product I highly recommend. This is my fave piece because of it's personal nature.

Past Customs - Lion-O

This was my first custom Munny, and really proved to me how much fun this body was to work with. I was a huge Thundercats fan as a kid, and Lion-O was the first thing I thought of when I looked at the blank fig. Here are a couple work notes: The hair is Paper Clay over a aluminum foil base. Sculpey was going to was too heavy. The eyes are water slide decals that I drew in Illustrator, same with the belt buckle. The piping on the costume is 3-d using some plastic wire material. Really made the top pop. I really like how this guy turned out, and he was entered in the first KidRobot Munny Makin' Contest. I may not have won, but I did warrant first page billing. He was also entered in the Munny Contest as Elite Comics in Overland Park, KS, and blew away the competition there. I used the $50 to buy another couple Munnys. Enjoy.

Mini Munny

If you didn't know, KidRobot released a 4" version of their popular Munny DIY kit. These were available for purchase on January 23rd, and I picked up 2 at Elite Comics. I picked up the Blue and White kits, and got the pinwheel and glasses for accessories. I must say, these guys are fantastic, and at $10 a pop they might just become my new favorite medium. I've already got plans for the first custom, and should start working on it tonight. KidRobot is hosting a MiniMunny contest, and I might try entering. It ends on Feb 6th, so I better get me ass in gear.

Here's a pic of the kits:



You can learn more about them at www.kidrobot.com, and to learn about the contest, check out http://www.kidrobot.com/html/munny3/mini_munny_contests.html.

I think you all should go out and give these a try. I think you'll be impressed. Now I'm off to Hobby Lobby to scout some supplies.