GIMLI Customs...

[Wor-Gar]

Thanks guys! Glad to have GIMLI finished.

Very fine indeed. Can you take pics of what you did to get rid of the tunics flare?

Yes, here's a pic -- I think its fairly clear how I pinched the back:

That damn glitter from the chainmail is everywhere


And here's some pics in light:

I got to get him hunched a bit, ready to fight, but I'm waiting on EC's sculpt so the TB head is just resting there, unpainted of course.


Once again here's a compare of what I was trying to get:

 

[The Ween]

Thanks guys! Glad to have GIMLI finished.




Yes, here's a pic -- I think its fairly clear how I pinched the back:

That damn glitter from the chainmail is everywhere


And here's some pics in light:

I got to get him hunched a bit, ready to fight, but I'm waiting on EC's sculpt so the TB head is just resting there, unpainted of course.


Once again here's a compare of what I was trying to get:

Did you do any painting on the face at all?

 

[Wor-Gar]

Did you do any painting on the face at all?

Nope, not yet. That's just the TB head straight from the figure. I want to get one of EC's new sculpts so I figured I'd wait.

 

[pixletwin]

Thanks for the back shots WG. I am going to do the same to mine.

 

[The Ween]

Nope, not yet. That's just the TB head straight from the figure. I want to get one of EC's new sculpts so I figured I'd wait.

Mine has a really red face. Like he's holding his breath and about to explode!

 

[Wor-Gar]

Thanks for the back shots WG. I am going to do the same to mine.

No prob. That trick definitely helps.

Mine has a really red face. Like he's holding his breath and about to explode!

Mine's reddish by the cheeks too, he does look like he's holding his breath.

 

[King Darkness]

Looks great WG!!!!

 

[carbo-fation]

I haven't been following this thread for a while now, but great job Wor-Gar. Gimli looks excellent.

So far, I have the ToyBiz Gimli and the DiD Gimli. I know I need the Roto Gimli as well. But there was something else for the chain mail a lot of people went with, just can't remember. If any of you would be so kind as let me know what else I need so I can ship mines out to Pix to be made, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[thenammagazine]

I haven't been following this thread for a while now, but great job Wor-Gar. Gimli looks excellent.

So far, I have the ToyBiz Gimli and the DiD Gimli. I know I need the Roto Gimli as well. But there was something else for the chain mail a lot of people went with, just can't remember. If any of you would be so kind as let me know what else I need so I can ship mines out to Pix to be made, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

The Ignite chain mail suit.

 

[carbo-fation]

Thank you.

 

[The Ringer]

Fantastic work WG!

It looks like you have his proportions down to a science.

 

[El Skutto]

Take a steel straw, tuck it inside the sleeves and melt the mail at the edge. That's what I did and I don't have any issues with unraveling.

Hey, thanks for the advice. I'm pretty much done customizing the body now and only have the outfit to complete. Again, though, I have some questions.

What did you use to melt the edges of the mail hauberk? Lighter? Heated blade? Stove top? This is one of those situations where you really get only one chance to get it right, so I want to be sure I don't screw it up.

For the shirt, did you bother putting the DID brown shirt on under the mail hauberk or just ignore it? It doesn't look like any part of that shirt would be visible once he's fully kitted up, but it might also add some bulk to his upper body, too. And if you did use it, how did you deal with the long sleeves, cut 'em off or tuck 'em in?

Finally, I tried a quick dress-up of the figure and found that both the mail hauberk and his outer coat seem to hang a bit lower than they should, almost touching the tops of his boots. Is this the same for everyone, or was some modification of those garments required to get them to roughly knee-length?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

And I'm considering an experiment to add wrist (actually, forearm) articulation to the TB roto gauntlets. Essentially, I'd insert and glue a small nail down the center of his forearm with a washer that's roughly the same diameter where the wrist would be. The washer would still be able to spin freely. I'd then add some super glue to the edges of the washer and shove it into the gauntlet. My hope is that the gauntlet and washer would rotate at the end of the forearm and yet not fall out. Does this sound plausible, or am I wasting my time?

 

[Blu Falcon]

What did you use to melt the edges of the mail hauberk? Lighter? Heated blade? Stove top? This is one of those situations where you really get only one chance to get it right, so I want to be sure I don't screw it up.

And why are we setting poor Gimli's clothes on fire?

I didn't bother with the T-Shirt. Fat suit was more than enough for bulk. Not sure what thenam did, but I cut the chain mail sleeves at the wrist and used small rubber bands to blouse (tuck away) the rest of it. I performed no other modification to the garments. I like how it hangs a bit low. Forearm articulation would be cool I guess, especially if you could pull it off. I'm content with just the wrist rotating. I don't plan on having Lord Gimli in any dynamic poses.

 

[Blu Falcon]

I finally had my camera returned, so I took a couple rushed pictures of the Gimli head. Sorry for the crap quality, the lighting stinks and they're a bit blurry which makes the beard resculpt look blobby and rough where it isn't in hand. It'll look crisper cast. I'll try to take better ones then.

Stripping the paint was a huge pain and every time I do it I swear it's for the last time. It did uncover some more detail, which was the aim, but doesn't look so pretty in the pics. And this was 2 of my least favourite things to, 1) hair - fluid stuff like fire, water, smoke, hair are always a pain to do and more difficult for me than a likeness, 2) adding to an existing sculpt - adapting what you do to match another's style is a drag. I can only imagine trying to finish an oil painting with the same style and technique as another painter.

Whoah.

I'm out of the loop for a short while and this is what happens. Nice work extending that beard, brother!

 

[thenammagazine]

Hey, thanks for the advice. I'm pretty much done customizing the body now and only have the outfit to complete. Again, though, I have some questions.

What did you use to melt the edges of the mail hauberk? Lighter? Heated blade? Stove top? This is one of those situations where you really get only one chance to get it right, so I want to be sure I don't screw it up.

I used a lighter. Instant flame control. Don't put the flame directly on it or you'll create napalm. Just use the heat from the side of the flame and pay very close attention as it starts to melt. All you need to do is melt a 1/16th of an inch ring around the end. It only needs to be as wide as the forearm as you'll be putting it on and then putting on the gauntlet, not putting the mail on over the gauntlet. This way it should also tuck nicely into the end of the gauntlet's cusp.

For the shirt, did you bother putting the DID brown shirt on under the mail hauberk or just ignore it? It doesn't look like any part of that shirt would be visible once he's fully kitted up, but it might also add some bulk to his upper body, too. And if you did use it, how did you deal with the long sleeves, cut 'em off or tuck 'em in?

I left the shirt on. The sleeves got pushed up with the gauntlets but overall, it gives the chain mail some depth and weight.

Finally, I tried a quick dress-up of the figure and found that both the mail hauberk and his outer coat seem to hang a bit lower than they should, almost touching the tops of his boots. Is this the same for everyone, or was some modification of those garments required to get them to roughly knee-length?

I really didn't care that mine hung that low. It's a tad nagging, but since everyone else in the LOTR line has draping robes, it fits right in. If it bugs you that much, Wor-Gar folded his under the belt and tucked it back behind (the pics are around here somewhere - a few pages back). Or, if you're an expert seamstress, you can chop the robe about 1/2in and hide the seam under the belt. The Ignite mail should hang just about right, lengthwise. It's not "screen accurate" but it looks better and the leather borders tie the mail in with the belt nicely.

And I'm considering an experiment to add wrist (actually, forearm) articulation to the TB roto gauntlets. Essentially, I'd insert and glue a small nail down the center of his forearm with a washer that's roughly the same diameter where the wrist would be. The washer would still be able to spin freely. I'd then add some super glue to the edges of the washer and shove it into the gauntlet. My hope is that the gauntlet and washer would rotate at the end of the forearm and yet not fall out. Does this sound plausible, or am I wasting my time?

The TB roto already has articulation. If it is the TB roto, I really didn't see needing any more articulation than the cut wrists so I chose to leave well enough alone . But if it's the soft, you're on your own bud, but I look forward to seeing what you do with it!

 

[El Skutto]

The TB roto already has articulation. If it is the TB roto, I really didn't see needing any more articulation than the cut wrists so I chose to leave well enough alone . But if it's the soft, you're on your own bud, but I look forward to seeing what you do with it!

Dammit! You're right, I meant the soft TB gauntlets. While I'd prefer to have cut wrists like with the roto, I much prefer the larger size of the soft figure's boots and gauntlets. So, this'll be my attempt at having similar articulation but with the larger, more in-scale appendages.

The way I see it, if I screw it up somehow, all I have to do is remove the nail/washer combo and just stick the gauntlets on permanently, as others have done. But if it works, I'll be pretty damned pleased with myself as I'll have the best of both worlds.

I'm probably the least technologically-adept Freak on the board, but I'll see what I can do about taking some digital pictures of my work in progress. Now I just gotta dig up that old 5 megapixel digital camera I got for Xmas three years ago and have never used...

And thanks again for all your help. It's very much appreciated.

 

[thenammagazine]

Dammit! You're right, I meant the soft TB gauntlets. While I'd prefer to have cut wrists like with the roto, I much prefer the larger size of the soft figure's boots and gauntlets. So, this'll be my attempt at having similar articulation but with the larger, more in-scale appendages.

The way I see it, if I screw it up somehow, all I have to do is remove the nail/washer combo and just stick the gauntlets on permanently, as others have done. But if it works, I'll be pretty damned pleased with myself as I'll have the best of both worlds.

I'm probably the least technologically-adept Freak on the board, but I'll see what I can do about taking some digital pictures of my work in progress. Now I just gotta dig up that old 5 megapixel digital camera I got for Xmas three years ago and have never used...

And thanks again for all your help. It's very much appreciated.

Actually, bud, the size difference between the soft and roto has been seriously overstated here (perhaps to justify not buying the now expensive rotocast Gimli when they should have? ). They're only FRACTIONALLY larger. I mean, we're talking like 1-2mm tops. There's a comparison shot somewhere here. But with an all but minute size difference, it wasn't worth losing the wrist articulation to use the soft gauntlets. Besides that, modding the roto's boots and gauntlets were as easy as cutting them off the roto body. That's it. Both parts (pun intended) fit like a glove on the modded DiD body.

 

[El Skutto]

I hear ya, but I'm a sucker for appearances, and nothing bugs me more than a figure with an improperly proportioned head, hands or feet. And since I'm using the TB soft Gimli head, the roto gauntlet hands just look too small in comparison. That extra 1 or 2mm makes all the difference in my eyes.

 

[thenammagazine]

I hear ya, but I'm a sucker for appearances, and nothing bugs me more than a figure with an improperly proportioned head, hands or feet. And since I'm using the TB soft Gimli head, the roto gauntlet hands just look too small in comparison. That extra 1 or 2mm makes all the difference in my eyes.

There's also the little bonus that when you're done, if you haven't butchered the "soft" body, you can take the head w/helm from the roto, pop it on there and you have two Gimlis.

 

[Indiana Fett]

I finally had my camera returned, so I took a couple rushed pictures of the Gimli head. Sorry for the crap quality, the lighting stinks and they're a bit blurry which makes the beard resculpt look blobby and rough where it isn't in hand. It'll look crisper cast. I'll try to take better ones then.

Stripping the paint was a huge pain and every time I do it I swear it's for the last time. It did uncover some more detail, which was the aim, but doesn't look so pretty in the pics. And this was 2 of my least favourite things to, 1) hair - fluid stuff like fire, water, smoke, hair are always a pain to do and more difficult for me than a likeness, 2) adding to an existing sculpt - adapting what you do to match another's style is a drag. I can only imagine trying to finish an oil painting with the same style and technique as another painter.

WOW! This looks AMAZING Entropy! Definitely going to have to get one of these heads from you when you cast them...and the one ring chain too!

And WG, thanks for all your tips on how you put your Gimmer together, looks bloody fantastic!