BEST DECKARD FIGURE EVER thanx to kind eBayers!

[Mark Hazard]

Not to speak for the man, but my understanding he's not a sculptor - his heads are recasts* of other heads in a new, skin-like material he's developed. His level of detail is extraordinary.

*For his own personal collection, I believe.

 

[mindbook]

Hi,
Yes, Phil is partially right.All the heads shown,except one, that I sculpted(man with eyes closed) I bought or got from sculptor friends.I recast them in a translucent material I created myself, to give it more of a realistic SKIN-like texture & appearance. I hesitated to explain this about my work, because some people are offended by the word "recast"(understandably I agree)But understand this; I have always said, I DO NOT recast to sell copies, I recast because this is the ONLY way I can get the effect I want, I DO NOT make multiple copies of these to sell. My only crime is that I have a very strange process of painting,unfortunately this is how I paint, and recasting is part of my process. Believe me, the whole procedure is a pain in the ass, if there was any way I could get the same look by simply painting, I would gladly do it....I'm terribly sorry for the confusion, or if I offended anyone.....OK, having said that, I do sculpt, but I have not sculpted in a while, I simply do not have the time anymore to sculpt & paint(making the mold, casting etc...)for me, it's just easier to buy a head or have sculptor friends make one for me, because it's just too time consuming to do the whole thing myself. I don't have a lot of time as it is,I'm a working artist/animator,besides I always found it more rewarding & challenging to bring a sculpture to life by painting it, than it was to actually sculpt it(in my humble opinion)A head sculpt is only as good as it's paint job.A good example of that is Phil's "Android Hunter" head(my inspiration for this Deckard head)Who the HELL knew Harrison Ford was underneath that!!! I had that same Android Hunter figure sitting on my shelf for the longest time, I had NO idea...........Have a SAFE & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

[Mark Hazard]

Thank you for explaining - yes, I know "recast" makes people bristle, so I wanted to make sure it was clear you just do this for your own collection, which I see nothing wrong with. Additionally, as that CRM head is out of production, I don't think ofering copies of that would be in poor form, myself.

It's a startling effect, very cool looking. (and thanks for the compliment!)

 

[mindbook]

Yes, thank you Phil.....I forgot to mention that, these heads/ figures are one of a kind pieces that I make for my own collection, occasionally I sell them, when I have to make room for NEW pieces, but more importantly there are NO copies.Anyhow, even if I wanted to, it's too time consuming to produce these things; To make multiple copies(at that same level)is out of the question. I have only the weekends(when I have a FREE weekend) to work on these projects. I wish I could do this full time like Arnie Kim, but sculpting & painting is too much for a weekend, so for now, painting is my only realistic alternative. As for the CRM head.....I don't have a problem with that, if nobody else objects??? But as for the other stuff, I cannot(my agreement with the sculptors)

 

[icruise]

Would you care to explain a bit about the process you use?

 

[sladesuperagent]

I just realized you're the guy that casts your heads in the clear-ish material so it makes the skin tones kinda translucent and much more realistic...man, I love your work!!! Kudos. Welcome!!! And now I hafta buy a CRM Deckard!

 

[JediMike71]

I'd love to have a custom Rick Deckard head done by you "mindbook"! Any plans on making some for commission sales? Please let me know. I love that process you use from seeing your astounding work online! Your heads truly look real! Great work!

 

[mindbook]

Would you care to explain a bit about the process you use?

Hi icruise,
I've been asked this question more times than I can count; NO OFFENSE, but I'd rather not explain, it's a formula and process that I developed on my own, starting all the way back when I was working at my Father's factory(he was a chemical engineer)through art school until now(I played around with it off & on)and I feel like this look is my signature, part of my artwork, and to give it away is like cheating myself.....It took me a long time to finally be able to control & master the look of miniature realistic looking skin, and I'm still expanding on it. Trial & error is hard work......I'm currently trying to replicate hispanic and black skin types, and even acne.

 

[Batty]

Hi icruise,
I've been asked this question more times than I can count; NO OFFENSE, but I'd rather not explain, it's a formula and process that I developed on my own, starting all the way back when I was working at my Father's factory(he was a chemical engineer)through art school until now(I played around with it off & on)and I feel like this look is my signature, part of my artwork, and to give it away is like cheating myself.....It took me a long time to finally be able to control & master the look of miniature realistic looking skin, and I'm still expanding on it. Trial & error is hard work......I'm currently trying to replicate hispanic and black skin types, and even acne.

That's completely understandable. I, for one, just want to see more photos. I also really like the fact that these are one-of-a-kind pieces.

 

[superado]

Hi icruise,
I've been asked this question more times than I can count; NO OFFENSE, but I'd rather not explain, it's a formula and process that I developed on my own, starting all the way back when I was working at my Father's factory(he was a chemical engineer)through art school until now(I played around with it off & on)and I feel like this look is my signature, part of my artwork, and to give it away is like cheating myself.....It took me a long time to finally be able to control & master the look of miniature realistic looking skin, and I'm still expanding on it. Trial & error is hard work......I'm currently trying to replicate hispanic and black skin types, and even acne.

Hi Mindbook, you have absolutely fantastic work! I totally respect your wishes to maintain your trade secrets. However, can you at least give some hints on the facial hair? Is that flocking material or felt? What kind of adhesive do you use (unless you actually embed the material in the final layer of "skin")? Thanks!

 

[amarcord]

Wow, your repainted CRM Deckard is awesome! I have the "Android Hunter" with a better "Frontline" head, but I'm not happy with my painting on it. Where can I find a CRM Deckard? Are they sold anywhere online? I've never seen one before. Let me know. Thanks!

Mike,

There is one for sale on eBay right now! (not mine)
It is an opened one, but it looks perfect to me.

https://cgi.benl.ebay.be/Hot-Harris...ageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m122

 

[Mark Hazard]

In other Deckard/Ebay news, please bombard Ebay with a report to close this auction. He says in the description that the figure isn't included, but the DVD set (listed at twice retail) is listed in the "action figures" category, and has "Android Hunter" in the auction title.

To recap - FIGURE IS NOT INCLUDED. DO NOT BID. Smite it from the earth.

 

[icruise]

Very lame.

 

[galactiboy]

Super lame... and odd since he's got a solid feedback rating.

 

[mindbook]

Hi,
I saw the same auction, and this is what I wrote the seller "Hi,
I'm just curious if this is a misprint or mistake, but you are charging $139 for this DVD set, but the figure is not included, yet your auction title reads "Blade Runner Android Hunter DVD briefcase LTD mint".......This is very misleading, I almost bought this set because of the title and PHOTOS......You might want to alter your Title and photos if your figure is not included, because you are going to have a serious problem with a buyer accusing you of FALSE advertising or bait & switch......I'm only informing you of this because I noticed you had a good feedback rating, so I assumed this must be an honest mistake"

 

[mindbook]

I want to apologize in advance if I don't get to answer all your emails,I've been working(Yes, during the Holidays), and when the holidays are over, I probably will have even less time to answer or post hear, so I apologize in advance.....Have a Happy & SAFE New Year anyhow!

 

[Entropy]

Hmm.. that auction is very misleading and I doubt it's an accident.

Mindbook, I know you don't want to give away any trade secrets of your translucent resin techniques but I was hoping you could maybe hint a bit more at the process you use. Obviously it involves embedding the paint within the resin somehow. Do you paint a tinted casting then cast a translucent second layer over it or do you add paint directly into the wet resin as it cures? I understand not wanting to spell out too directly what you do, but if you could give a rough overview and point your fellow customizers in the right direction it'd be great. Hopefully you get a chance to post more pictures here of your fantastic work in the coming year. Thanks!

 

[mindbook]

Hi,
The color is mixed into the skin.The only REAL painting occurs in the eyes & hair. Like I said, it's a pain in the ass process, but the skin texture and look I get on the sculpture is very rewarding to me, so I put up with it. I experiment with different textures with all my pieces, so you will almost NOT find two that are alike....Different skin types require a different look, and process. Some of my experiments are good, but a lot of them are failures. I get flooded with emails about all my techniques, but I beg you all to please allow me some breathing room, it can be overwhelming sometimes........THANK YOU for understanding.......More pictures in 2008, I promise.

 

[JediMike71]

As nice as the CRM Deckard looks guys, I just cannot afford $300 for it. I already have the "Android Hunter" aka Rick Deckard with the Frontline head I painted. I'll repaint the head. Yeah, I know I didn't do that good of a painting job on the head. That's why I want to repaint it.

 

[Spenser]

The color is mixed into the skin.The only REAL painting occurs in the eyes & hair.

I would say there is a good bit more painting that just the eyes and hair, you use dark blue/green colors around the eyes and mouth and sometimes other places and the nose and cheek areas are painted as well.

it's a formula and process that I developed on my own, starting all the way back when I was working at my Father's factory(he was a chemical engineer)through art school until now(I played around with it off & on)

This I think is misleading because you told others when your recast heads where up on eBay and started to gain notoriety, that the technique was pretty much a happy accident, That a friend at an FX house gave you a semi-clear resin in unmarked containers and you just added alkyd paint to it and the effect came about from that.

If you want to protect a technique (and I total understand that!) just say you don’t want to give it up. If you start coming out with different stories and trying to make out like something is more than it is you’re going to lose credibility.

With that said I don’t want you to think that I’m busting you balls...I like what you can do and I look forward to seeing more of you painted castings in the future.