"Artist Rendition" custom TMNT action figures

[plasticplayhouse]

ok, i'm new to the dojoboard, but i have been a long time fan of the TMNT and Usagi Yojimbo. I was first introduced to Usagi via the Ninja Turtles back in the day, whether it was by a comic add or Usagi #10...i dont recall. well a few months back i commissioned Jim Lawson to draw me a nice little piece with all four turtles and what he sent to me blew me out of the water. i was so inspired by the art that i decided to customize a Jim Lawson styled ninja turtle action figure (a little hobby of mine). once i was done, i emailed Jim a few pics and he loved it! that made me feel great! still motivated, i decided to do some other of my favorite rendtions of the shelled warriors. i followed up with an A. C. Farley Donatello and most recently an Eric Talbot Raphael. My Leo is in the works...just about done actually. Once that Leo is done, i plan on attempting another Leo but in Stan Sakai's style.

i hope you guys enjoy the pics!

Jim Lawson's Michelangelo


wip


A. C. Farley's Donatello


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Eric Talbot's Raphael (2 dif head sculpts)




Kevin liked it!

[Mayhem]

Welcome

Now, I've seen these of course because I'm also on the Technodrome, but I'm sure they're gonna be new for most folks here heh.

[Usagi]

That looks reallllly cool!

[go]

Cowabunga Dude!

[plasticplayhouse]

thanks guys


well Leo is the final of the four brothers. i had originally intended to do Ross Campbell's old school Mirage rendition. both because i love that particular rendition and his mask is red so it would fit in perfectly with the other three Mirage turtles i did. but with Ross' new Leo issue coming out recently, i thought it only fitting to go with the new version. it kinda is an old meets new combination. Ross has ties to the Mirage turtles and now he has ties to the new IDW turtles. both versions are awesome, and i love how Leo turned out. when i painted Leo, i went with the actual colors that Ross uses vice how the comic was colored since it was someone else who colored it. its not perfect but i feel its a pretty close representation of the character. please let me know what you think

Ross Campbell's Leonardo (IDW)








ref pic

[Maka]

Awesome! You have some skills! Thanks for sharing. Peace, maka

[maichan]

Yes, truly awesome! This is what action figures should look like! Turtle thumbs up, all the way dude!

[plasticplayhouse]

I’ve been a fan of Usagi Yojimbo and Stan’s rendition of the TMNT ever since their first crossover. That crossover was also my introduction to the Usagi character and I grew to really like him. By no means was I diehard fan like I was with the TMNT. In all honesty the availability of the Usagi Yojimbo comics at my local comic shops was random at best and I didn’t go out of my way to get them. But when I saw a copy on the comic rack I would buy it and it always proved to be an enjoyable read.

Over the years my appreciation for the character and Stan’s story telling has grown tremendously. TMNT, UY, and a few choice issues of Cerebus are the ONLY comics that I keep in my small but prized collection. Lol, I guess I have a thing for talking animals… I’m hoping that Stan will do an alternate cover for the new IDW TMNT series. That would be too cool. I can’t say that’s very likely but it’s always possible. At any rate, here is a custom figure that I was inspired to do to show my love and appreciation for Stan’s contribution to the TMNT world and all of his amazing art

Initially I went with a standard aggressive kind of facial expression, but while I liked it, I wasn’t getting the full fledged Stan Sakai vibe, so I came up with head sculpt #2 which is much more reflective of Stan’s personalized style. Art is like water; ever changing and adapting. Stan’s rendition of his characters has changed over the years. Most of the differences have been minor, such as the shell pattern, the plastron design, and the heel of the foot. It was tuff to chose, but I went with his Mirage rendition. I know he didn’t color the issue (that was done by Tom Luth if I remember correctly) but I liked how clean and vivid the colors were and it just seemed to fit well.










Here are some reference and work in progress pics

[MikeM]

wow. amazing.
you are truly talented!

[plasticplayhouse]

wow. amazing.
you are truly talented!

thank you!

[Maka]

Very cool!

When are you going to make an Usagi? Peace, maka

[locustofdeath]

Oooooh! These are amazing! Now those are toys I'd love to have on my bookshelf.

Love to see a Usage figure to go with them (and a Groo, even though there was never a crossover - but perhaps a Cerebus).

[plasticplayhouse]

Michael Zulli style tmnt.








Ref




ok so really it could be anyone of the brothers. each of the brothers do have a unique shape pattern painted on their shells (as seen in the reference) but i'm not sure which one belongs to who.

what can i say about Zulli...he illustrated and wrote the fantastic "Soul's Winter" series in volume one. it is easily the most unique story and art that have graced the pages of TMNT to date and probably one of the greatests. when i first read the story, i was blown away by the spin he put on splinter and shredder. his rendering of the turtles transported my imagination to another planet, never to return the same. he is a true master of his craft.

[MikeM]

I remember when I picked up those issues. They were so different and beautifully drawn.

[plasticplayhouse]

I float around the dojo pretty regularly, but I don’t often post. Probably due to the fact that I can only seem to make one post per day. I'll post a comment in one of the threads but if I try to post another comment (regardless of thread) it says I have to wait before posting again

At any rate...I have made a bunch more of these "artist rendition" custom action figures since my last post in this thread and here they are! One day when I run out of TMNT styles to make, I'll most likely move on to my other favorite comic and make some UY characters

i've done at least 8, but since i can only post 5 links at a time, i may have to update it over a few days span.

Laird style Dr. Dome



Mark Bode style Mikey