Gandalf 12" up for order!

[galactiboy]

Lets just call them Notzis, that way you have the impact of the word but w/o the emotional baggage of the holocaust

 

[The Josh]

Lets just call them Notzis, that way you have the impact of the word but w/o the emotional baggage of the holocaust

Works 4 me.

 

[Kevin Ellis]

Nicely done! And no need to apologize, it's fairly obvious those are WIP shots. There are more layers to his costume than I had imagined. In the movie his robes look old and threadbare, at least in close ups. I'm wondering if this same fabric (on prototype) will be used on the final version, and whether his costume will be weathered or not. Assuming it is, will his clothing be made to look old and worn, in addition to soiled and weathered?

Thanks Mudshark. As far as weathering is concerned, that portion of work is usually handed over to our painters so I don't know the answer to that question. In regards to fabric choices, we do the best we can to make sure the materials on the prototype and production materials are as similar as possible. Obviously the materials available here aren't always available overseas, so we do our best to compromise. Hope that answers at least part of your question.

 

[Entropy]

Hey Kevin,

In selecting fabric I figure that color is most important followed by texture/material followed by drape followed by cost and availability. Is this about right?

Could you mention any specific difficulties of working in such a small scale such as difficulties or compromises in stitch work or the size of stitches and what not. I'm just trying to understand better the magic that you guys do. Thanks!

 

[Kevin Ellis]

Hey Kevin,

In selecting fabric I figure that color is most important followed by texture/material followed by drape followed by cost and availability. Is this about right?

Could you mention any specific difficulties of working in such a small scale such as difficulties or compromises in stitch work or the size of stitches and what not. I'm just trying to understand better the magic that you guys do. Thanks!

Happy to! Each project kind of dictates a specific approach to it. Whether I know right away to use a certain fabric to simulate another, or if it will be a wild goose chase looking for stuff. Gandalf was nice, because as stated in podcast, we actually had swatches of the material used in the films ( ).

For most projects, I find drape is actually the first thing I look for. Because if it doesn't hang right, it doesn't matter what color it is or what the texture is. It will just never look right. Then from there texture is the next big deal, followed by color last because we can usually dye fabrics to the color we need. Price and availability don't really come into play as much during the prototyping stage since we're only buying a yard of fabric, two at most and Los Angeles' Fabric District has great deals. That will usually come into play when we start seeing fabric samples from overseas.

As far as difficulties, it can vary from figure to figure. 1/6th scale can be incredibly tedious work...sometimes you'll be staring at something so long your eyes won't focus anymore and you need to take a break. A lot of variables come into play...whether you're dealing with a difficult pattern, an atypical outfit, or even just an unflattering base body (Hooray for the Prometheus!). Hopefully we can do some more production blogs or podcasts on the Cut & Sew of certain figures. Its always great to know there is interest in what we do. Anyway..I can't wait to see how Gandalf turns out in production! Hope most people are looking forward to it too. !!!!!!

 

[galactiboy]

Thanks for the info Kevin, always great to know more about the behind the scenes. Especially on a figure as cool as Gandalf, you guys really outdid yourselves

 

[The Craw]

yes thanks a lot for the insights on what goes on behind the scenes. too bad i gotta sift through some people's mind games to read about it.

 

[Entropy]

Hopefully we can do some more production blogs or podcasts on the Cut & Sew of certain figures. Its always great to know there is interest in what we do. Anyway..I can't wait to see how Gandalf turns out in production! Hope most people are looking forward to it too. !!!!!!

Thank you so much for answering my questions Kevin.

The cut and sew crew don't reap as much of the glory as they should much of the time. The sculpt and paint guys seem to get the most attention - both good and bad.

You say "1/6th scale can be incredibly tedious work...sometimes you'll be staring at something so long your eyes won't focus anymore" but what exactly is the tedious reworking? I know there's a bit more to it than simply looking at 1:1 clothing and costume construction and just reducing the size and cutting and sewing the same way. How is tailoring different in the 1/6th world??

I would absolutely love some more info on costuming in the production blogs and podcasts so we can better understand everything you guys do and how much work goes into a given figure. For instance I see the awesome complex Gandalf patterns but don't really understand how those are eventually put together into a finished product. Sculpting, casting, and painting I have a good idea about but would love a detailed soup to nuts break down of the cut & sew process. Thanks again Kevin, hope to hear more about your art in the future.

 

[Mudshark]

Thanks Mudshark. As far as weathering is concerned, that portion of work is usually handed over to our painters so I don't know the answer to that question. In regards to fabric choices, we do the best we can to make sure the materials on the prototype and production materials are as similar as possible. Obviously the materials available here aren't always available overseas, so we do our best to compromise. Hope that answers at least part of your question.

Thanks, Kevin, it did. I was going to ask you nearly the same thing Entropy Chicken did, so you've already answered that question as well. I'd also be very interested in learning more about the 1/6 scale costuming process. It's quite a fascinating subject and one that I imagine most collectors and customizers here would be interested in. Thanks again for sharing that with us.

 

[Mesa]

Happy to! Each project kind of dictates a specific approach to it. Whether I know right away to use a certain fabric to simulate another, or if it will be a wild goose chase looking for stuff. Gandalf was nice, because as stated in podcast, we actually had swatches of the material used in the films ( ).

For most projects, I find drape is actually the first thing I look for. Because if it doesn't hang right, it doesn't matter what color it is or what the texture is. It will just never look right. Then from there texture is the next big deal, followed by color last because we can usually dye fabrics to the color we need. Price and availability don't really come into play as much during the prototyping stage since we're only buying a yard of fabric, two at most and Los Angeles' Fabric District has great deals. That will usually come into play when we start seeing fabric samples from overseas.

As far as difficulties, it can vary from figure to figure. 1/6th scale can be incredibly tedious work...sometimes you'll be staring at something so long your eyes won't focus anymore and you need to take a break. A lot of variables come into play...whether you're dealing with a difficult pattern, an atypical outfit, or even just an unflattering base body (Hooray for the Prometheus!). Hopefully we can do some more production blogs or podcasts on the Cut & Sew of certain figures. Its always great to know there is interest in what we do. Anyway..I can't wait to see how Gandalf turns out in production! Hope most people are looking forward to it too. !!!!!!

Personally, it means a lot to me to get the people involved in designing/making/selling the product participating in these boards (Andy, Dusty, Kevin, and whomever else I'm not aware of).

It tells me, at least you (or at least the collective sideshow "you") know when we're happy, and when we're not. Don't be afraid to pass our thoughts along, although I imagine this board is probably already monitored by SS marketing closely.

I have to think all of our gripes make it back to the people who run the bizness and SS does their best to keep cutomers satisfied and loyal.

 

[The Josh]

ummm... what are these "mists" you are referring to?

I see we have some sensitive collectors in our midst.

Beren

P.S. Nah, I ain't perfect but thanks for the hope.

Man, I make 3 spelling errors and people have a field day with it. Good gravy and I thought I had too much time on my hands.

 

[Beren]

Beware the Knotzee Mists!

 

[inuka]

Its nice to know that the SS guys are participating in the discussions on this board.

At least, we can be sure that our feedback and discussions are taken note of by the guys at SS who are designing these cool items that we ultimately buy, collect and treasure.

 

[pixletwin]

Beware the Knotzee Mists!

That is a great caption for someone's avatar.

 

[Karma]

Man, I make 3 spelling errors and people have a field day with it. Good gravy and I thought I had too much time on my hands.

 

[MaulFan]

Thanks Mudshark. As far as weathering is concerned, that portion of work is usually handed over to our painters so I don't know the answer to that question. In regards to fabric choices, we do the best we can to make sure the materials on the prototype and production materials are as similar as possible. Obviously the materials available here aren't always available overseas, so we do our best to compromise. Hope that answers at least part of your question.

Kevin, I'm a little confused by your last statement here. How come availability of materials overseas is a factor. If Sideshow finds a perfect material over here, couldn't they just ship it to the factory?

 

[The Josh]

Kevin, I'm a little confused by your last statement here. How come availability of materials overseas is a factor. If Sideshow finds a perfect material over here, couldn't they just ship it to the factory?

My guess is that they may not be able to match it there. As far as shipping well that would slow down the process even more getting these figures.

 

[MaulFan]

My guess is that they may not be able to match it there. As far as shipping well that would slow down the process even more getting these figures.

How long could it take to ship, 2 weeks, max, for the right fabric, why wouldn't you do that. Even if it took a month to get to the factory, if the ultimate goal is the best looking figure, the extra wait is worth it, unless the cost of the figure was dramatically higher to cover it. I'm happy with the fabrics used most of the time, just curious why what's used here isn't sent along to the factory along with whatever else they're given to put the figure into production.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

Kevin, I'm a little confused by your last statement here. How come availability of materials overseas is a factor. If Sideshow finds a perfect material over here, couldn't they just ship it to the factory?

I imagine it would be cost prohibitive. If they had to do that, Gandalf would probably end up over $100.

 

[The Josh]

I imagine it would be cost prohibitive. If they had to do that, Gandalf would probably end up over $100.

That would be my guess as well. Sure it would be nice to match it exactly but the costs for these things are high enough already.