Mate-iac

My next one is Black Bolt. I've always wanted me a Black Bolt minimate. He's almost done, so I'll post him here as soon as I can. Moon Knight will probably be after him. I can't resist using that DC Spectre cowl piece. It screams Moon Knight!

At last, Mar-Vell has arrived! All in all, I'm pleased the way he came out, especially for my first custom. I'm no sculptor though, unlike some of you pros out there, so I'm only using existing parts. However, thanks to the DC Aquaman/Ocean Master set, I got the hair and "nega-bands" I wanted. The body is made from a repainted Spider-Woman, using tac paper for the straight lines, an airbrush, and Citadel acrylic paints. The chest lines, back lines, and mask are made from transparent waterslide decal paper, and some photoshop work. Aquaman's face was perfect, so I kept that headpiece, colored in his eyes with white paint, and placed the decal of the mask over that (It was the only way to get the color white. I had trouble with the white decal paper. It cracks and bleeds, so I don't recommend using it.). Finally, Marv's logo is made from plain old white label paper, a printer, and some careful cutting and some retouches with yellow paint. I sealed him up, and Viola! Thanks to everyone on this site who posted their tips. I couldn't have done this without you. I hope some of you will leave me some feedback. I can't wait to hear from you!

Where are you guys getting your mates from?! I've never had knee breakage before. The only actual broken one I've come across is my Sentry variant. He came with the ball joints on the crotch piece snapped off. On a variant no less! A little blue paint, an airbrush, and an extra crotch piece took care of that, though. Phew!

Really?! Huh, and here I was thinking that DC mates were practically invincible.

As much as I would love a 616 Sabretooth, my top pick is Doom. The current Doom mate is practically inarticulate! He is probably my favorite Marvel villain, but I can't place him in a dynamic pose on my shelf....he just stands there. A DC Spectre cowl, separate from the cape, and a shorter, more detailed "skirt" piece would be awesome. Or forget the skirt altogether and put out a version of that kick-ass mystical armor from Mark Waid's run a couple of years ago! Can't say how disappointed I am to see that horrible cape piece being used again on the Taskmaster mate. Ughh!

Has anyone else noticed that upcoming series in the Marvel line seem to be catching up with the superior DC line? The first set available that shows clues of this is the Zombies 2-pack of Giant-Man and Daredevil. They're fully painted, like the DC mates, allowing for much brighter color, and the ball joints on the legs have more articulation, like DC. The Daredevil mate also has a large amount of detail, like painted on hair. He also has a peg to hold his mask in place (like all the DC mates have), and Giant-Man has the painted on "underwear" lines like DC's. Future releases show this trend continuing, like Valkyrie's cape being a repainted Superman's, Ultron's accessories, and the vast array of entirely new pieces. At last! The great Marvel line refuses to be inferior any longer! :biggrin:

Midtowncomics.com has both the Zombies and the Avengers sets set to be released this Wednesday!!! Ahhh, all is well.