The Dark Knight Dynamic Duo - Batman & Carrie Kelley Robin

The Dark Knight Dynamic Duo - Batman & Carrie Kelley Robin

Custom Type: Action Figure
Toy Series:  Batman
Base Figure:  DCD TDKR Batman/Piledriver -DCD TDKR Robin/X23
Height:  6.5 inches - 5 inches
Articulation:  25 points/23 points

One of the most quintessential Batman Books of all time, Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns is perhaps my personal favourite. I liked the DCD versions, they look great, but I needed better articulation. So this is what I came up with.

Batman- I took the DCD torso and fit the ML Piledriver arms and fit them in, and put the batman gloves on piledriver's forearms. Then I fit the crotch and legs into the Batman torso. I also added the tops of the batman boots to the piledriver boots and sculpted them to flush them together. I also added a balljoint to the neck for extra range of movement. Then I tied it together with a repaint.

Robin- Almost the same process as batman. I added a balljoint to the neck. Popped in the arms from x23 to the robin torso. However I added the robin sleves dremeled out over the x23 biceps. Then I added put the x23 crotch and legs to the Robin torso. I used DCU cheetah lower legs, and used DCU deadman feet for the elvan/pixie type shoes. Then I gave her a repaint.

Thanks for checking these guys out! 

The Dark Knight Returns Joker

The Dark Knight Returns Joker

Custom Type: Action Figure

Toy Series:  Batman
Base Figure:  DCD TDKR Joker - jakks wrestler
Height:  6.5 inches
Articulation:  25 points  

"They'll kill you for this... and they'll never know... That you didn't have the nerve... I'll see you in hell... HA ha Ha hA ha HA hA Ha ha!
I love this vision of the Joker. Lying dormant until his nemesis' return, and then he lets all hell break loose, in an all or nothing final final fight with Batman he goes out on his own terms, and sets Batman up for his murder. Even in death he screws over Batman!

So I took the DCD Joker apart. Fit the wrestler's lower body to the torso. Then I dremil fit the arms to the torso and added a ball join to the neck. I used the DCD Kubert Joker feet and dremiled them to fit a set of ball joint connected to swivels and fit them into the wrestler legs. Then finished him off with a total repaint.

Thanks for the view!

Arkham Origins Batman

Arkham Origins Batman

Custom Type: Action Figure
Toy Series:  Batman A. O.
Base Figure:  DCD A.O. Batman
Height:  6.5 inches
Articulation:  28 points 

 I like this concept for Batman a lot! The suit looks great, functional, and believable for a guy to be out busting crime in. I like the sculpt of this figure, he looks great, but I wasn't the biggest fan of his articulation.

He has x3 beast's hips and upper legs. I dremeled out the original leg arm and shoulder armour and he's literally wearing it over top. The shoulders of a tkd movie bats shoulders, batman begins biceps, 1st ml punisher arms, with the A.O. bats forearms grafted to them (with swivel) and added DCU Arkham City Bats hands (people think the arms look shirt, so these big hands really help with the proportion). Then I sculpted the extra gauntlet armour. Finally tied it together with new paints, and gave the armour that scraped warn/damaged look.

Thanks for checking him out!

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.