Asmus Bilbo reveal!

[asgardianboy]

Michael Crawford (https://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW-011419a.htm):

"Sculpting - **
[...]
But that's where big nit number one comes in - that hair. There's a lot of it, particularly across the forehead, and it's thick plastic. It sits quite far from the sides of the face and the forehead, making it look like a big cap. I know Asmus is capable of better hair, and we've seen them do some amazing stuff with rooted hair, like on Gimli. This thick, heavy hunk of plastic on his head does the likeness no favors.

Which brings me to my second nit - it's too big. Part of the bobblehead effect is the hair, but part is simply due to the head itself being too large. While some of the hobbits had pretty big noggins, they were never this far out of proportion with the body."


...just as I always said (down to the insinuation that Asmus should have done rooted hair on the hobbits).
You really have to beef up this guy to compensate for those gigantic face and hair.

Mr. Asmus: please do a new batch of Frodo and Sam, this time with proper head proportions, proper paint apps AND rooted hair!! You can do it and you'll never regret it!! We'll buy them all!! Frodo and Sam deserve it, after all they went through to get that ring undone!! We fans deserve it too!!
Then you can make replacement heads for Pipp and Merry, as well as young Bilbo!!
m.

 

[asgardianboy]

I'm wondering: how many of you guys would pay more for hobbits with rubberized lower legs and bendable ankles, à la TBleague/Phicen? Only the lower legs.
Wouldn't it be great being able to pose this little fellows in highly dynamic stances?
Mr. Asmus? Mr. Asmus? :----)
m.

 

[Dixmois]

Got Bilbo today. In person the head doesn't look as large as it does in pictures. And I'm surprised with the quality. He's my first Asmus figure.

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[Dixmois]

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[Sassafras]

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Congrats he looks great! We just gotta get Asmus to do a hobbit door diorama (which could be used for Gandalf and Thorin too)

 

[BagginsOfBagEnd]

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Great pic! Congrats on getting him. I really, really must get a stick for my Bilbo.

 

[Dixmois]

I was worried about whether or not he'd suck in person and I'd feel like I wasted my money, but he looks great next to my Hot Toys. He's temporarily on a shelf with my QS Batman Begins, SSC Maul statue, and Infinity War Thor. Totally holds his own.

 

[ImABarRoomHero]

Yay just got my shipping soon notice from SSC!

 

[Cman]

WIP. Still got some refining to do. Once the hair dries I’ll style it a little better and post pics of some poses.


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[Neko]

Wow ! Awesome !!!

 

[Cman]

Wow ! Awesome !!!

Thanks! Here’s a few more in better lighting. Excuse crappy camera pics

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[Bilbo Skywalker]

That looks perfect.

 

[Cman]

That looks perfect.

Thanks!


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[Neko]

It really improves the likeness, it's stunning ! Could you show us how you did that ? (Yak hair ?...)
Congrats, it makes the sculpt looks stellar !

 

[Kalkylen]

That's awesome! Really does bring the sculpt to life. Hope you are taking notes here Asmus for future versions of your Hobbits...

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[asgardianboy]

WIP. Still got some refining to do. Once the hair dries I’ll style it a little better and post pics of some poses.


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Thanks! Here’s a few more in better lighting. Excuse crappy camera pics

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Now, this is absolutely awesome. It hugely reduces the head-body disproportion.
A pity that the huge face can't be reduced by any means...
I'd like to ask about the secrets of this magic of yours, but I'd understand you might want to keep the wraps on it. Anyway, I'd like to inquire as to the amount of time and pain that this job took, and your opinion on whether this could have been done by Asmus in the first place, with same quality, for some reasonable price increase.

Thanks,
m.

 

[BagginsOfBagEnd]

WIP. Still got some refining to do. Once the hair dries I’ll style it a little better and post pics of some poses.

Now I absolutely love this figure as it is, but that rooted hair just takes it to a whole new level! Looks awesome! Fantastic work Cman!

 

[Cman]

Now, this is absolutely awesome. It hugely reduces the head-body disproportion.
A pity that the huge face can't be reduced by any means...
I'd like to ask about the secrets of this magic of yours, but I'd understand you might want to keep the wraps on it. Anyway, I'd like to inquire as to the amount of time and pain that this job took, and your opinion on whether this could have been done by Asmus in the first place, with same quality, for some reasonable price increase.

Thanks,
m.

Thank you everyone! I hear you about the face the more I think about it and look at every statue sideshow and weta have made and the movies themselves of course the heads are adult proportion to the bodies not kid proportion or “little people” proportion. I put the head on my hot toys Marty and the proportion actually looks better. However shaving that plastic helmet does make a difference. Ask away. I don’t keep secrets. It took me a couple years to figure out my method with no help from others (amazing how these hair artists keep their secrets to themselves. I won’t name names. lol) Unlike most guys who hair I do a more expedient route which saves me time so it’s not as daunting and I can do more. I may sacrifice some detail (I’m by no means as good as these Asian artists or Rhamier) but hey This isn’t my full time job lol. It usually takes me about two hours to do the hair. Basically dremmel the plastic off. I use basic super sculpy to shape a bald head. Paint bald head dark brown. This will effectively hide any bald spots during the hairing process. Materials- Tibetan lamb doll hair from morezemore eBay seller. Finding right color is key. I don’t dye. Scissors. Fabritac glue small bottle. Here’s where I’m different than most. Most guys glue one strand at a time which takes a LONG time. I apply some glue on the head a little at a time and apply clumps of hair to it. I do this in layers trimming and styling the hair as I go. The distance between the layers is key- too close the hair will look too thick, too far- the hair will look too thin. Both look ridiculous. Working from bottom to top. Creating a seamless hairline where glue doesn’t show is the hardest. I make an indent in the sculpy to do this. I’m gonna do Frodo next so I’ll post some progress pics of how I do him.

Could Asmus do it this way? No way. And I do the expedient route. Here’s the thing. For figures with curly hair synthetic hair would look ridiculous cause it’s so straight. The hobbits would look like the Beatles. The only synthetic hair I’ve seen with some curls is the black toys joker. MAYBE if they found some curly synthetic hair it can be achieved but you still have the challenge of layering and styling. Hobbit hair has different layers- sideburns, mullet back hair, etc. and it would only look right if these layers were achieved. TOTALLY different challenge then the long one length hair Aragorn or gandalf. Basically the shorter the hair the bigger the challenge for it to look right


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[Sassafras]

Could Asmus do it this way? No way. And I do the expedient route. Here’s the thing. For figures with curly hair synthetic hair would look ridiculous cause it’s so straight. The hobbits would look like the Beatles. The only synthetic hair I’ve seen with some curls is the black toys joker. MAYBE if they found some curly synthetic hair it can be achieved but you still have the challenge of layering and styling. Hobbit hair has different layers- sideburns, mullet back hair, etc. and it would only look right if these layers were achieved. TOTALLY different challenge then the long one length hair Aragorn or gandalf. Basically the shorter the hair the bigger the challenge for it to look right


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Very nice of you to share your techniques - I don't keep secrets either. I don't blame people who DO who work enough to possibly make a profit, but for me can't imagine. Don't know if I'd ever have the guts to do it but I'd love to re-hair my Legolas. Took me forever to decide to buy him 'coz of the "cake batter" look to the hair.
If I did I'd like to try human hair wefts glued on.

On a side note, Sideshow hasn't shipped Bilbo #2 or Thorin #2 yet, but they were paid off except shipping. Now there is a final ship cost listed. I hope that means that boat in California brought in an ASMUS shipment for Sideshow - I wanna work on my displays. I have little LOTR/Hobbit displays in 2 separate areas - one where the TV and blue rays are kept w. some books and collectibles like the Erebor key. Might as well have figs in places I can enjoy!

 

[Neko]

Thank you very much for sharing your technique, again, it's stunning !