Lou Ferrigno Television's Incredible Hulk Final Version

As a kid, I would run home if I was out so I could watch Marvel's classic series, The Incredible Hulk. Playing the title role was the legendary body builder, Lou Ferrigno. In honour of this man-monster, I really wanted to make this figure. I know people have used similar recipes to make this guy, but I hope mine is different enough to stand on its own merit.

Recipe:
jakks pacific wwe wrestler body(unknown)
jakks pacific HHH head
jakks pacific ufc figure legs (from knees down)




I used this other figure from the Jakks line of wrestlers, I don't know who he is, but his frame is different from the HHH and Batista body type, his chest is bigger and I think it matches that of Ferrigno really well!
I carved and cleaned off the HHH head's beard and hair, sculpted bigger brow ridges, and eyebrows, and the mop of hair on his head. I didn't know exactly which era or style to model it after (as it did tend to change from time to time, between the show to the t.v. movies, and in different promotional materials), so I went a little shorter to honour the mego Hulk that honestly inspired me a bit to make this figure (yeah I totally had one, and still do!). I thinks that's why I REALLY wanted this figure to have material pants too!

However, I really wasn't happy with the sculpted hair. It just didn't make me think of the mop that Ferrigno wore...I wished I had a wig for him, then I thought, WHY DON'T I MAKE ONE?!!!
I took some fun fur and sized it up, sewed it to fit, gave it a dye job and a trim, and then attached it to the head.
Now I have a mop on my Ferrigno Hulk's head just like in the show!

I also gave it a new series of dry brushed layers, to wash out the colour like Ferrigno's paint. I think it was too bright and vibrant a green before in comparison to the show. I also noticed something in several photos. On Ferrigno's feet, when he wasn't wearing green coloured sock booties (yeah weird eh?), the paint had wiped off. So I give it some skin tones on the bottom to simulate where the costume paint had worn off, and gave him a bit of dirtiness on the balls of his feet. I mean the guy is walking around set with his bare feet. They get dirty.

I wish I could have got my hands on 2 fists, but I only had one to swap out with the original figure's open hand. The wrestler had wristbands on so I got rid of that and sculpted in the veins that should have led from the arm, through where the wrist band was to the hand. I was hoping to easily swap out the UFC figures
legs for the wrestler's, but this wasn't a simple swap. The peg holes between the knees and legs don't align, so I had to make that work using some persuasion! I also sculpted up the bottom of the legs from the UFC figure. They were okay for size scale wise, but they needed to be waaaaay beefier to portray Ferrigno's. I painted it with initial dark green primer layers, then dry brushed the lighter green up in several layers. The pants were from another old wrestling figure, and I tore them up a bit.

And as always thanks for the views!























Okay some side notes and commentaries...

I absolutely loved this guy! Having him on my shelf was a nostalgic wet dream! This was a custom I wanted to get to for some time, and had a clear idea of the steps to get to it. I had it all planned out in my head, and it was just a matter of getting the parts. This was going to be one of those customs I was burning to have on my shelf, but fate had a different plan...
So here's the thing, this past christmas I got an email requesting a commission for this custom. Unfortunately, I had a couple things on my workbench that were commissions, and it was really too close for comfort to get another custom done. So I did the unthinkable, for the first time I sold something out of my own collection. Usually I just remake whatever the client wants if it was something from my shelf, but being so time sensitive, it just had to be done. Kind of like handing your child over to a stranger for keeps, it was tough. However, it was for a HUGE fan of the classic show, and it was their christmas present from their family. They had always wanted a Lou Ferrigno Hulk figure, and I was told in a very nice thank you email, this figure is now treasured. I can only say thanks for the commission, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...
I guess I'm just going to have to wait again to get the parts and start again... Then again after the hassle of trying to get them the first time, we'll see.

Machete! Pulpy fiction Styles!

Who doesn't love a little good cheese! Machete is full of it! I loved the movie and this was a must to customize!
So here is my tribute to Danny Trejo in his breakout role!




Machete!
After being betrayed by the organization who hired him, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge!

If you haven't seen this deliberate campy craft-work of director Robert Rodriguez, DO IT! It's an expansion of a fake trailer that was released together with Rodriguez's and Quentin Tarantino's 2007 Grindhouse. Machete continues in the B movie and exploitation style of Grindhouse. It's a hilariously action packed awesome film!
Obviously it's clear why I was inspired to make this figure!

Recipe:
Head original sculpt
TNA Wrestler Torso and hands
Hasbro M.L. Wolverine arms
A.O.A. Wolverine CROTCH
Spider-Man 2 Doc Ock legs
A.O.A. Sabretooth Feet
The vest is from another tna wrester's long jacket-cut and repainted
Machetes scratch built
The tattoos are all as accurate as I could get, and the one on the chest is done in it's entirety, for those of you who haven't seen it, it's a woman with a sombrero on.

Thanks a lot for the views!





























































Okay some side notes and commentaries...

First off, a secret. I had taken the pictures of with the bike, and him standing separate. You might not notice it, but I had done the standing ones first, and had forgotten to add his leather wrist bands. By the time I got the bike (borrowed from a friend and fellow customizer Jack Warp - thanks dude!) I had added them, because unless I did it was going to bother me.

Sculpting the head took awhile and I had to do part of the sculpt work and then wait for it to dry to work on something else. This is one of those hitches of how I usually work, and causes me to multitask. I usually have several things on the workbench at a time because of this, so while I'm waiting for paint or sculpt work to dry, I can be using my time to get to something else. In a lot of cases it keeps my work flow steady, but in some it causes half or partially finished pieces to float around the workbench until I get back to them... If I get back to them! :(

This is another one of those customs that was a complete labour of love. I was extremely happy with the results, even though the legs I used weren't my first choice, and the vest was made from a cut up trench coat I wanted to keep whole, but sacrificed it to the cause. I love this guy and I hope you folks do too.

I'm also really proud to say he was the featured custom of the week on the fwoosh November 2nd, 2010. You can check that out here: http://www.thefwoosh.com/2010/11/new-custom-tuesday-1122010
Thanks to the folks at the fwoosh, specifically Matthew K , that was a REAL Honour!

Movie Masters Ledger Joker - REDO!

So I finally got my hands on a Movie Masters Joker. I saw what a lot of people had done with this figure to help sell it more as Ledger, and I really wanted to try.
After opening the package and getting a good look at it, I suddenly realized how good people like idiotist, timshinn73 and missharleyquinn's customs using this base really were.

I felt the face needed some work so I built up the upper lip to the nose (corner of the nose toward the corner of the mouth - the smile lines or nasolabial folds) and the scar there, then the rest of the scar had some extra sculpting to add to it. I also reshaped the face, then cut (most importantly I dremiled back the hair at the part), and re-sculpted areas of the hair.
Then the head got a complete repaint. I added skin tones to the wrinkles and perimeter of the makeup as well under the chin and jawline, as well as added to the lip stick areas. I then when over the hair using a brown at the roots them going over with shades of green. Darker green as a base coat, then light ones dry brushed over top to catch a highlight look.
I also gave the shoes several dry brushed coats of different shades of brown and tan, to give them a more dirty look.
The head, as some of you may know either from owning this figure, or by reading reviews, is off kilter. I wanted to take one of the marvel legends style neck wheel joint and make a replacement, but I didn't have any to spare, so I replaced where the ball joint was and the depth to increase posability and give him more than one look.
I hated the hands so I took a pair of Spider-man 2 Doc Ock hands altered them so the pointer finger was separate to serve better as the trigger finger for some gun accessories. Then I gave them some purple paint coats sealing them off with a gloss finish to get the shine of the new gloves he was sporting in the movie.

I can't believe the time I spent on his cranium, mostly because of waiting for something to dry so I could sculpt something else or get to painting something else.

Thanks for the views!

Okay, a couple of side notes and commentaries...

So this is one of my favourite customs. I have to admit I love looking at him on the shelf, posed revealing the bombs in his jacket to a recoiling Movie Masters Batman.

I still really want to get my hands on a Movie Masters jail cell Joker as well. They are still pretty pricey so I'm keeping my eye out for the right deal, and then it will be mine! MUAH HA HA HA!

Uh, right... Anyway I had been waiting for a trade for this figure, and it just wasn't happening. In the meantime, motivated by a discussion I had with fellow customizer Whiskey Tango, I started tried my take on a Ledger style Joker using no Ledger Joker parts with what fodder I had.
Strangely enough just as I finished that up, my wife snagged me the original release of the Movie Masters Ledger. then I was off to the races!

I've had a couple of these heads sent to me as commission pieces since, and every time I really enjoy working on them, just as much as I did when I first got my hands on it.

In the beginning...

For the most part if you are here you know my work, but some folks may be looking for my artwork blog. I had been previously using this site to post on my graphic design and illustration projects, but I figure I have my portfolio site for that. So this is where I'm going to start ranting about what I'm doing with my customs, post some older customs I want to highlight, I might review a figure or two, and just plain spout off. I had been taking some time away from the whole custom figures scene, especially with my online presence due to work and general life busyness. I have a ton of stuff on the workbench, and I hope to be posting new stuff soon. Yeah some of my work is finished and just needs photos, and the old photoshop treatment. Unfortunately, I have some issues with my crap-happy camera. Long story short I should have new stuff up soon.
Anywho... In the meantime, I'm going take a look at some of my favourite customs and wax philosophic about them a bit.

Type to you folks soon!

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