Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Sensational Spidey Statue! A Superhero Gets Small! Custom Cosplay Hi-jinks!

After a few years of cosplaying as "classic comics Spider-Man" (see that here), I decided to have the character and cosplay professionally scanned and converted into a 3D statue! Click below to enlarge images and learn more!

The 3D statue, scanned and created by the folks at Shrunk 3D!




The scanning process took literally 3 seconds, as the Shrunk 3D folks
use a large array of cameras to scan you, and use that "mapping"
to later sculpt the final statue! No problem keeping a pose for that 
short amount of time!



It's a very odd sensation to look at yourself (and the  cosplay
you put so much work into) in this form. 



The final statue stands around 9 inches tall, and is very detailed!
It has the feel and look of a classic Aurora superhero model kit!






Above three images: The Spidey sculpt joins my collection!







Wednesday, July 21, 2021

"Classic Daredevil" 2022 Action Figure! The Making of a Custom Card and Figure! Marvel!

Another customized figure/card set, this time using my new DAREDEVIL cosplay (see that here)! Click below to enlarge images, as you follow along!

Above: Like with my Ant-Man custom card (seen here), a dramatic
pose (for the card front)  is cobbled together in Photoshop, using various pics
of me as DD! I tried to get that sense of exaggerated comics perspective and
foreshortening! Some "posterization" effects were added, along
with other adjustments and alterations...


Above: The finished card, with all the graphic elements in place!



Above images: Daredevil prepares to be scanned for his own
little mini-me statue! The fine folks at Shrunk3D used their Kirby-esque
equipment to create an accurate action figure of me as DD!


Above: The final printed sculpt! All this mini-figure needed
was some paint applications from me!



Above: The finished figure, with paint and
minor customizations added!
















Above images: The DD figure on his custom card! Works great!



Above: Sharp-eyed comics fans will recognize my pose as
an homage to this famed 60s plastic Marx DD figure!

Monday, July 12, 2021

"Classic Ant-Man" 2021 Action Figure! The Making of a Custom Card and Figure! Marvel!

 Continuing my line of custom-made action figure cards that make use of my own cosplay images (see others here and here), below is my new Ant-Man customized figure and card! Click all images to enlarge, as you follow along!

Above: Using a ton of different pics of me in the cosplay costume
(see it here), I cut-and-pasted limbs, heads, hands, and legs, all in an 
attempt to achieve a very foreshortened action pose! Once done, I used
a few Photoshop filters (to create a line-oriented "comic art
look"), and some further effects, all to get the figure I
envisioned for the card front!


Above: The original card (left), and my revised card (right)! 
I used Photoshop to add, move, reconstruct, or replace elements
for better composition.




Above: My finished card, printed on heavy card stock,
and ready for adding the figure!



Above: Now to revise the figure itself, to look like me!
To create his belt, I simply used Photoshop and
photos of the costume, to reconstruct the unique belt
for printing (at a very tiny size), to then place upon the
figure!


Above: The original figure (left), and my finished, customized figure (right)!
Ant-Man's blue accessories were painted black, matching costume details were added,
and belt affixed! 


Above: The finished custom card and figure, ready for display!








A great way to celebrate the amazing costume design
work of 60s comic artists Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber! 








Wednesday, June 23, 2021

"Classic Daredevil!" The Step-By-Step Making of a Sensational Silver/Bronze-Age Cosplay!

 Here is my latest addition to the roster of Silver and Bronze-Age comic cosplays (another can be seen here)! This time I tackled the classic comics look of the blind superhero swashbuckler, Daredevil! Click below to enlarge images, as you follow along on the creation of this crazy cosplay!

Above: I wanted to recreate a live version of the famous 60s
Silver Age version of Daredevil, as seen in the amazing artwork of 
Wally Wood and John Romita, Sr.! 



Above: The initial Daredevil helmet, as offered
by the very talented Comic World
Cosplay folks!



Above: Fresh from the box, the helmet looks
and works great, but I wanted to tighten
up that chin strap (with some careful
cutting and re-attaching), and add
my own lenses!


Above: The original helmet again, with its fine
cloth eye mesh. Looks great, but a wee bit hard
to see through effectively, so...


Above: Time to remove the original cloth lenses...



Above: Using red-tint auto films, I created
my own lenses and brackets...



Above: The new lenses added to the
helmet interior!




Above two images: With the tightened chin strap and
new lenses, the helmet is almost ready!




Above: I designed the bodysuit, going for a "deep scarlet with
highlights" feel, and had it printed overseas
by the ZentaiZone people...



Above: The printed bodysuit, coming out a bit light.
I submitted a 2nd version, with deeper contrast all
around, trying to achieve a dark red velvet feel...



Above: The 2nd bodysuit, with the deeper red/higher contrast feel!




Above: To help with the "dark red catching highlights" feel,
I depended on the usual slight bodysuit sheen to also
contribute to that look!




Above: The semi-gloss boots and gloves were
easily found online, and I deliberately
shortened both, to match the comics look!




Above two images: The belt was made using foam sheets! To 
better match (and contrast a bit against) the suit motif, I used 
two different shades of red to continue the feel of the rest
of the costume!



Above: One of the most difficult aspects of making this cosplay
was matching the color and tint of certain accessories!
I wanted the gloves, boots, and portions of the belt/holster
to all have a similar solid shade of red, as opposed to the
varied "light-to-dark" areas of the bodysuit.



Above: I used a plastic holder for
the billy-club holster, with attached
cut pieces of foam for the belt loop!


Above: Found online, here is a simple
club/pointer, used here for the famous 
Daredevil billy club! I removed the outer
soft foam grip...



Above: The newly-naked club gets a paint
coating of gloss red...


Above: The club came with an internal telescoping
arm, and I added a stopper device (made from a modified
saline solution bottle cap), so all it takes is
popping open that stopper, then snapping the club,
to make the arm quickly telescope out!



Above: The club, holster and leg secure!



Above: A test of the entire ensemble!
It's fine, but the helmet and belt need a bit
more contrast, in order to "pop!"



Above: Adding a bit more bright red highlight
areas to the cowl, to further tie the helmet into the
color theme of the rest of the costume!



Above:  This is more like it! After adding a bit more 
bright red to the mask, and modifying
 the belt just a bit,
I'm pleased 
with the entire effect!










Above: The balaclava worn beneath the cowl
was made by a local seamstress, as were
the trunks!






Above: Of course, I was going for the look of the character
as depicted by comics artists like Wally Wood and Gene Colan!





Above: The telescoping billy club in action!
Pic by The Variant.





























Pic by Clarence Adams.



Pic by Brandon Hunter Photography.







I love creating live versions of iconic, classic comics superheroes!
Characters such as Daredevil, Black Bolt, or Spider-Man (seen here)
were depicted in such big, bold colorful stokes, and I want to capture 
that chunky graphic boldness in my cosplay builds!









Pics by Brandon Hunter Photography.




Pic by Brandon Hunter Photography.




Pics by Spidey Hits/Marvel Cards & Collectibles. 





Above: Using my own DD cosplay, I created my own custom card
and action figure! See more here!










Above two pics by Denton Zeus Smitty.






Pics by Brandon Hunter Photography.












Pic by Brandon Hunter Photography.





Pic by Ranajay Ghosh.










Pic by Clarence Adams.
















BONUS! Here is a fun-packed video detailing the making of this very cosplay! Click below to view!