Masters of the Marvel Universe Spider-Gwen

[Andy]

Now when I said something about maybe sparking up some conversation about having my dream figures created all in scale with each other. I love the scale and aesthetics of MotU Classics, plus the Thundercats absolutely look incredible in the same format. They've even done a Batman, Superman, and few other DC characters using the MotU Classics buck.

In my personal opinion, this style could become the standard or at least accepted as much as the Marvel Legends style. Of course having different properties all compatible to each other has an appeal but there's another appeal I wanted to talk about.

The interchangeability. They actually postponed the release of Beastman and He-man to make the heads removable. They made most of the armors removable and even a few other things like Fisto's belt and Vykron's shinguards that could be switched up. King Hiss came along with an interchangeable torso and even a few characters like Spikor that could swap hands. Then there's also Megabeast who is totally overlooked but has the most playability.

Did I mention all the conversion kits that are out there? Customizers are making unofficial pieces that look like the real deal to make Black star, Dungeons & Dragons, mythical creatures, all the way down to Frazetta inspired characters.

Now what if we could incorporate all those things together? Maybe even add some things. Sorta like Hasbro's superhero mash-ups and Mattel's WWE create a characters. Possibly add in a little bit of inspiration of the Square Enix Play Arts Kai figures and some flavor of the Loyal Subjects figures...Or even make them a little more constructable like the Marvel Legends BAFs.











You could put Superman's head on a Horde Trooper or make Stratos have flying hands one minute then have him holding a staff the next. Imagine how you could change a He-man from barefoot to boots and then could even throw on 200x garb with an actual pouch on the loincloth. How about Roboto with gigantic boots and major artillery that could be easily downgraded and switched back to classic form.

How about something of an Ultimate Skeletor that could have Whiplash's forearms or Ninjors or the Palace Guards depending on your style? What about converting him to Keldor with a quick shin change? Do you want duck feet, human feet, or boots? Furry loincloth or tasseled?

How about accessory packs galore for upgrading and creating variants, instead of buying 30 He-men, each with different armors and weapons?!

Well, I'm very curious to know others opinions. Am I dreaming too big? Am I thinking rediculous? Would anyone even be interested?

[Andy]

Day 6


Painted the pink with a stencil using brushed on spray paint. Also brushed on the black spray paint. (20 mins)





Let dry for 1 hour, brushed on white spray paint. Painted drawn hood. Detailed metallic blue, white triangle on hip, and started pink around eyes.
(40 mins)

Day 7


Dremmel the neck part of the hood to allow it to sit better. Detailed the metallic blue and white triangle thingy on the opposite side then drybrushed the inside of her hair. (20 mins)



Wasn't exactly happy with the current hood so I sculpted a more asymmetrical, droopy, McFarlane version that I feel looks way cooler. I used the GITD window paint instead of foil or masking tape because it will peel off unless superglued. (10 mins)



Day 8


Cut the bodice. Painted Gwen's face and hair bow. (15 mins)



Detailed the masked head. Sanded the McFarlane hood with 120 grade and 600 grade. Spray painted white and let dry for 2 hrs, then brush painted pink and metallic blue.

Day 9


Your friendly neighborhood stencil maker. (5 mins)



Sculpted the back inside the stencil with epoxy. (10 mins)



Sanded deformation on chin with 120 grade and 600 grade. (5 mins)

Day 10


I let her dry overnight then I sanded the body with 120 grade only. The face I sanded with 600 grade. Applied epoxy as needed for touch-ups on the bodice and head. (10 mins)



I then decided to outline the triangles and detail her costume with epoxy a bit more. (30-40 mins)

Day 11


Let it set overnight and then sanded with 120 grade and 600 grade. I painted the touch-ups and details then sealed with testor's dull coat. (notice she's not as shiny)

After that I made another stencil and painted the pink under her arms.

Day 12


Added the metallic blue webbing with a toothpick, after that I did some last minute sanding with 600 grade sand paper, then finally finished details and final touch-ups. Then I coated again with testor's dull coat and let dry for several hours.

I'll have finished pics and maybe a bio when I get home from work today.

[Andy]

So.. I've been customizing for a while now and I still don't consider myself an expert because with each project I'm consistently gaining experience.

Well, over these years I've had lots of questions asked to me and I thought I'd start a project to help answer those questions by hopefully explaining certain techniques and taking you through the day by day of the processes.

I purposely did things in a certain order because I wanted to show all the flaws and work on presenting the ways that you can fix them. Anytime I made an oopsy, I wanted to show it so that any newbie could see that there's no need to panic and most projects can be salvageable.

Anyways, I have finally been able to put all these pictures and wording together to present to you with a custom I did for my own Christmas present. I've done quite a few DC characters on a MotU buck, but the Marvel Universe has a lot too offer to. Maybe someday I'll have my dream figures created all in scale with each other.

Hopefully until then, these customs will do some justice. I wish...maybe if nothing else, I spring forth the potential and stir up some conversations.

Somethings I use that you are probably going to need are the following:

*Paintbrushes, various sizes (a few fine tip)
*Paint, folk-art, Delta ceramacoat, (these are cheaper and will work but usually doesn't hold up well on joints where friction occurs. Usually superglue or a finish is needed plus prior sanding) Vallejo, Tamiya, model masters, (better quality paint but still will flake at the joints, prior sanding will most certainly help)
*Spray paint, krylon cover master (this will help tremendously on preventing joint-rub. You have to practice with it on a spare figure. Always use in light coats and give plenty of drying time and work the joints. Multiple coats may be needed. Also the spray paint can be used to brush on but drying time is quick.)
*Fabric paint/window paint, Plaid (this is for masking because it will peal right off of plastic.)
*Paint containers, pallet trays are cheap and work for brush paint, recycled lids work fine for spray paint, (ie; peanut butter jar lids, icing/frosting lids, baby food jar lids, pickle jar lids, butter container lids, etc..)
*Toothpicks, these can be used to help sculpt, clean away unwanted materials, scratch away paint, throw at the camera like a bad guy
*Q-tips, combine this with the fingernail polish remover and you can remove paint, residue, or even oils
*Aluminum foil, for masking
*Masking tape, for masking and also making patterns symmetrical
*X-acto knife, for sculpting, for cutting patterns, for removing debris (recommended to use separate blades for sculpting, as the epoxy will gunk up and dull the blade)
*Cutting board, no sense in cutting up the kitchen table, unless you're in Dudleyville...save the furniture. (I sometimes use comic book boards or pizza boxes)
*Index card, for making patterns symmetrical, both sides need to be shiny and resistant to the masking tape (ie; phone cards, pricetags, bubble gum cards, business cards)
*Finger nail polish remover (non acetone), for wiping away or removing paint, for cleaning brushes and hands, also can be used to dilute your paint
*2-part epoxy, Aves fix-it sculpt (I used this because it hardens in 3-4hrs and is harder than Kneadatite or green stuff epoxy putty, but either could be used)
*Spray paint lid, to hold water. (You will need to keep your fingers and tools wet during sculpting with the epoxy so it doesn't stick to everything but the figure)
*Vaseline, this can be put on your blade or tool while sculpting to keep from sticking, also can be used as masking (IE. Making a removable armor, belt or mask) (needs to be wiped off afterwards)
*Shop rags, for cleaning your project, removing paint, cleaning your hands and brushes. (ie; old t-shirts, wash rags, or wash towels)
*Sand paper, 80 (this is the roughest), 120 (smoother), and 600 (smoothest)

**The first thing you really want to do before any customizing is to wash the figure if possible, you don't want the oils from the injection molds interfering in your paint or molding applications. You can use soap and water with a toothbrush and you don't have to submerge it either. Just make sure to rinse carefully with running water and give it a good drying. Towel it, lightly hair dry it, or leave it out for a few hours.**

Day 1


Acquired a bare peekablue really cheap on eBay. I already had a spare Teela Goddess head so I sculpted the epoxy onto the face. (5 mins)

Day 2


I let the epoxy harden for the night (4-5 hrs usually does the trick) I sanded with 120 grade for 5 mins, and 600 for 5 or so mins. Applied foil around the body and sculpted the hood. (5-10 mins)



I needed to make the eyes mirrored and symmetrical. An easy cheat I use is to use masking tape. Put it on the edge of a glossy index card, fold it so it's on both sides of the card.



Cut your shape and carefully peel. (Use a sharp blade. If you screw up the reverse stencil or tear any tape trying to remove it, the card is still a double sided stencil that can be reused.)

Day 3


Dremmeled the shins and forearms clean, cut the emblem off the bodice, added epoxy for smoothness. Sanded hood and masked head with 120 grade and 600 grade then painted. Sculpted hair, drawn-down hood, and toes. Painted eyes GITD. Cut fingers apart then superglued to form. (1 1/2hrs.)



I let everything harden for 4 hrs then I sanded with 120 grade and 600 grade. After that, I epoxied the crotch and forearms. **I left a notch as a marker so I could build out later after that layer hardened. This method keeps the material sturdy or solid and less flimsy. You can always sand down if needed to** (20 mins)

Day 4


I painted her the first coat and let it dry for an hour, then sanded every joint with the dremmel and also 80 grade, then finished with 120 grade. (30 mins)
***NOTE***
Normally, you would want to sculpt everything, then sand, then paint but I wanted to show what you would want to aim for.



Painted the toes and heels. Sculpted the crotch with more epoxy to build it out to form. Let it set for four hrs then sanded with 120 grade and 600 grade. (30 mins)

Day 5


Painted hair brown, painted drawn-down hood, patched masked head with epoxy. (20 mins)



Drybrushed hair with yellow. Epoxied the bodice a little more, then let set for 4hrs and sanded with 120 grade and 600 grade. (30 mins)