Jeff

DST needs to do this.

Thanks for kinds words everyone! This has been a line I wanted to tackle for a long time- something to fill the void where great Roger Rabbit action figures need to be. I'd still love to get some 5" figures similar to the Playmates TMNT Classic figs. I'd buy the whole set. Mirymate & emperorshotz- The boobs/chest decision was a difficult one. I knew if I did a regular decal it wouldn't be as impressive and I really want to get better at sculpting apoxie- I thought it was a great challenge and happy with the results. I think part of the reason it seems 'off' is that we're all used to flat chest minimate women and the animated style of Roger Rabbit with various curves just doesn't translate all that well into a blocky figure. I had the same issue with Roger- as mentioned earlier, I had to redo the decal to get it to fit the head right along with the headpiece. Roger's head in the movies is tall and thin- the minimates head is short and squat. So I had to ask myself if I wanted to remain as true as I could to the minimate base figure or just completely sculpt a new head on top of the existing one. I've tried the 'new head' technique with other figures (my yet to be revealed nick TMNT) and ran into another issue: the sculpted heads were just too big (even after scaling them down and starting fresh). So you really have to pick your poison when it comes to sculpting cartoon characters- I think that's why so little customs from that genre featured on this site- as simple as they are, they are probably the most difficult to capture. (Side note- I think that'd make for a great custom contest, and limit it to non-superhero minimates, Sam & Max was a great example- so envious of that one) For me, I can do a minimate custom one of three ways: 1. a straight up decal with little to no paint or accesories (again it depends on how complex the costume is) 2. parts heavy with little to no decals (a lot of my AOA customs were this) 3. apoxie sculpt heavy (Jessica Rabbit) I'm happy with how Jessica turned out. I suppose I could give Roger another stab. I made sure his head was still removable and not connected to the bow tie in case of an oops. But right now I want to finish up my TMNT.

Just need Rick and Carl in the loft. (:

I've seen those as well- really amazing figures- but yeah, little to no articulation other than a moveable jaw on some. Papo also makes a really nice (fairly accurate minimate scale) T-rex that rivals that of Jurassic Park. There's two color versions I've seen at Hobby Lobby- a two tone green and two tone brown. They've also made a great Spinosaurus (JP3) that's the correct scale to the T-rex but the other dinos in the line aren't scaled correctly. The raptors were great too- but only for a short while- a repaint using a diamond pattern ruined the figure and unfortuately that's all they offer now. That, and it's not to scale to mates.

Finish Eddie & Roger late this morning as well. Still may paint Eddie's tie and make a non-trench coat version.

Funny you should mention that. I was thinking about it at first but then I didn't want to have the added whisps of hair and have to sand them off. i dont actually own the figure either (thanks to ivan's database for ref) so I decided to sculpt it instead. I used her face as a template for her eyes.

Looking forward to Gangster Squad although whenever I see Emma Stone's character in that dress, I can't help but think of Roger Rabbit. I've had rabbits on the brain lately.

Wait-wait-wait. Let's do this right.

Although I didn't sculpt him out of apoxie, I was able to track down a minimate scale Benny the Cab.......from the original toy line back in 1987. He needed the same treatment: Here's the original packaging:

Finished two of my Who Framed Roger Rabbit customs: Judge Doom and Jessica Rabbit. Judge Doom was the easiest custom of the set. Van Helsing topped off with Mad Dog Tannen's hat painted black. A brown wash over the glasses. Jessica on the other hand was a challenge. I started with The Spirit's Formal Wear Sand Seref and cut a slit in the dress to match the movie look. Can't believe I'm typing this BUT...I knew I had to sculpt the breasts. What would Jessica be without her trademark chest? I decided too that her hair also needed to be sculpted out of apoxie. Using the new technique of mod podge, I applied a inkjet printed decal of the face- but first had to cut it to fit the curl of the hair. That's something I'm going to do differently in the future- it was a mess trying to sculpt the hair, applying water to smooth it out and then have the water ruin the decal. I should have applied with mod podge first, then sculpt the hair...now I know better. Oh well. Jessica's dress was originally just maroon- until a friend of mine mentioned glittery nail polish. Luckily, my wife had just the right color: Disco Lights. I kid you not. So I applied the nail polish on top of the dress and WOW, does it ever make the figure pop. So happy with how these turned out. Roger, Eddie and Benny the Cab are up next. Thanks for looking! Here's more pics of Jessica:

Yes and no.... Toysrus has them- but no one else. I don't think they are officially released until January. I'd prefer to buy them at Target anyway- it'd be a lot cheaper.

Wow, you've been busy! Great job. What are you using to sculpt with?

Spinning hammer A+. Any thought to doing a non-translucent fight club? I think you've mastered this art- and at this point, you have to be running low on clear figures to fight. Right? I think with all the different facial expression available (james howlett and transformation venom) you could make some neat battles. Entirely up to you.

I forgot to mention the availability thing too. Back when I was collecting Simpsons and Marvel Legends I'd waste so much time cold calling stores asking if they had the latest shipment (and getting so steamed when they didn't know what I was talking about) or character- then getting psyched for the upcoming releases from Toyfare (the mag, not the event) and the process would start all over again. Definitely don't miss that headache now that I can just order minimates online. Saves me the gas money that's for sure. I still enjoy going to TRU once a week don't get me wrong- but it's more of a 'ooo...this is new' and wandering the aisles than the salivating toy collector I used to be.

Finished up my Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey customs this morning: "We're dead, dude!!"

It was cool. I actually found the gold yoda can in a 12 pk of Mountain Dew. Best tasting Dew evar!! I called the 1-800 number and had a special message that played saying how I was one of the lucky ones to win such a prize. I got a $50 check from Pepsi along with a hollow sealed gold yoda replacement can. I had all the other cans stacked in my dorm room in college. Now that's cool.

That's my only gripe about minimates- because they are so small, you can have a ton of them- but then it's almost more of hassle keeping track of them than 6" figures. It's a slippery slope but what other toy line do you know of that has reached 50 waves? The only other line I can think of would be Playmates Simpsons figures. I used to have all of those too- the talking environments, the halloweeen playsets, Lard Lad- you name it. Got rid of all of them and don't regret it. The only line other than minimates I collect is TMNT (NECA- stopped at the four turtles, Classics- heard a 2nd wave is in the works, and Nick TMNT- really looking forward to Baxter Stockman and Leatherhead figures).

Ooooo....I like that idea.

I look at my collection I have on my desk at work added in with the various plastic bins I have of customs finished, in the works, or other and think the same thing. Then I realize how many people are dedicated to this hobby, the knowledge I learned from making customs and the happiness it brings others when I show them off. It really is worth it. I had the same feeling about Marvel Legends- but that I went the opposite direction. Once Hasbro bought the line and it was getting harder to track down figures let alone characters I actually wanted to have, PLUS maintaining the shelf space/dust for them I quit cold turkey. I ended up putting them all on Craiglist and had a guy buy the entire lot. With minimates though, it's different, and the reasons why I still collect them to this day: 1. Size (take up way less space than 6 inch figures) 2. Character selection (a few stragglers, but they've pretty much made everyone at this point and to go beyond just super heroes with movies, video games, and tv was a brilliant move) 3. Consistency (remember trying to collect a whole wave of figures back in the toy biz days only to miss one crucial character?--then finding him in another wave but a completely different scale? I HATED THAT!! 4. Customization (swapping parts was the first thing I did with my FF set, I knew it had potential, I needed/wanted to get more) 5. Luke Porter (yep, without him I wouldn't have gotten into customizing or discovered this awesome forum) 6. DST's Zach Oat (you know you have a great line when they actually care what you have to say and comment on a fan forum- that's dedication) So there you have it.

When I have to remove excess details from a tampo face, I lightly scrape at it with an x-acto blade. I'd try it on a junk figure first though. I made my Morph the same way- I used the Wolverine origins jacket. Not sure on the face- either a happy or terrified look (just before he was done in by the Sentinels).

Inbetween Roger Rabbit also working on my Nick TMNT customs. I'm working on sculpts of the head but stumbled across my old TMNT (2000 series) decals and updated them thanks to the new Lego sets: I plan to do a side by side comparison of the 3-d versus the semi 2-D versions, at least of Leonardo. It's interesting to look back and remember Minimates just used to be tampos- very little sculpted pieces and now seeing lines like Battle Beasts? Yowza! They've certainly evolved over the years haven't they?

Simpsons & futurama Disney If funko pop can do it, why not minimates?

I think I should. I'd also like to ask if we'll ever see a Spider-man figure with the web sling finger pose:

Welcome to the madhouse. Funhouse!

The decal on the left was applied with Mod Podge- first on the figure, then over the top of the decal. It dried a bit darker than the original printout, but not too much. The decal on the right of Lyja is applied without Mod Podge- just rubber cement to the back. Reasons you'd still you both? Rubber Cement works great for a temporary fix- to make sure colors match or positioning/sizing of the decal. One of the challenges I ran into with applying the Jessica Rabbit decal was that the hair I sculpted was permanent- so the standard wraparound head decal wouldn't work. I had to cut and recut- apply and reapply the modified decal to get it just right- now that I have the correct shape- I can move forward with using Mod Podge. Mod Podge will now be my final applicant once the decal(s) are to my liking. Then if need be, a quick touch up with paint to cover the seams or spaces if any. Here's another pic, where you'll notice a bit of the sheen: Here's what I used, available at any craft store (I prefer Hobby Lobby with their 40% off coupons), originally 4.99 for 8 fl oz. Hope this helps- a great alternative to sticker paper or water slide decals.