Action Figure UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : FINISHED!!!

[Cap'n Cook]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

You'd swear that was a 1:1 screen used costume.

Incredible.

 

[Fangs of Death]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Thanks Tin! Wow...won't be doing all that. Some good tips there though, must experiment--I've put all my time and application in getting the resin tint colour right to obviate a massive repeated painting regime on umpteen heads. If I can get the facepaintwork down to three minutes per head I'll be satisfied (LOL).

Thanks!

 

[King Darkness]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Amazing. From top to bottom, one of the most impressive custom works I have seen. Its been great watching it from the begining.

Thnx for sharing the process with us, Tin

 

[Jmek]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Words cannot express just how amazing you work on this is Tin.

As an aside, do you think that it would have been possible for Hot Toys to produce a fabric suit in the first place? I always wondered why they went with rubber.

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Words cannot express just how amazing you work on this is Tin.

As an aside, do you think that it would have been possible for Hot Toys to produce a fabric suit in the first place? I always wondered why they went with rubber.

Thanks Jmek!

Having now made the fabric suit - my hunch is that Hot Toys just felt a fabric suit would just be too much trouble. You have to make it in pieces:
- Upper Torso (includes upper arms)
- Lower Torso
- Upper Legs (sort of like shorts)
- Lower Legs
- Lower Arms

Then once those pieces are all sewn - they have to be pieced together with that distinctive stitch bands that you see at the legs and arms.

Then you have to ad padding to give the suit the appropriate bulk in the right areas.

And the quilting pattern on all the pieces is a whole other animal.

So I think HT decided to make it as a molded rubber suit to make it all much more simple. But I think it kind of cheapens the figure.

I personally would have paid a little extra to HT to have a fabric suit.

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

You'd swear that was a 1:1 screen used costume.

Incredible.

Thanks Snake Eater!

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Amazing. From top to bottom, one of the most impressive custom works I have seen. Its been great watching it from the begining.

Thnx for sharing the process with us, Tin

Thanks King Darkness! And not a problem. Like I said before - you guys helped encourage me to keep going with this.

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Kane with his revised boots. I did some digging and it turns out that the boots that I was using as reference (Dallas's boots) was actually the pair worn by the child stand-in. The child version of the suit had some dramatically different variations from the adult versions.

So I will have to completely redo the boots at a later date. All I have time to do now is to add a thicker sole to my boots. And repaint it to match the adult boots in the movie. The ones here are unweathered.

The thicker soles gives the boots that vertically tall profile that matches the movie. And balances out the legs with the rest of the body better.

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Kane's getting close to done. Here he is with the new weathered boots. The thicker soles really balance out the figure better.
I'm working on an improved cowl/bonnet - and then the name plate and hes DONE!

 

[Anthrapoid]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Tin, have you considered moving the helmet forward and down a bit? In the movie I noticed all three of the actors seemed to have a hunched-over posture while walking, probably for two reasons; 1) the weight of the helmet and 2) for better visibility through the visor. Just my opinion, but your Kane looks a bit too erect compared to the 'slouching' Kane in the film. Your thoughts?
Otherwise... FANTASTIC!

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

I read that the helmets themselves were relatively light weight. The reason they were leaning forward was actually because of the weight of the backpacks. Early in the thread - I noted how HT had mounted the helmet way too upright on the body. So I actually took the pains to carefully cut the helmet frame from the original HT neck brace so that I could specifically mount the helmet more forward on the body. The plastic HT neck brace was also way too tall - pushing the visor way over Kane's nose. So I made the replacement fabric brace to bring the helmet back down to normal level. Those changes allowed the helmet to be mounted in a more functional manner - and along with bending the upper torso forward a little creates that slouch you're talking about.

Those previous pics - I posted him in extreme upright just to show the relation between the new boots and the rest of the body. Posture is always a priority in all my custom figures.

Note Kane isn't wearing the bonnet since I'm making him a new one. So that white on his head is the velcro that secures the bonnet in place.

 

[rivera2171]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Work of art

 

[Reinhardt]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Simply mind blowing. BTW, looks like something predator related in the second pic on the left part of the shelf. What is it?

 

[Anthrapoid]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Yeah, the weight of the backpack makes more sense. I was looking at a behind-the-scenes photo of the three actors walking together from right to left on the set, and poor little Lambert looks like she's wearing her helmet on her chest, it's so forward.
The white patch on top of Kane's head- I thought that was a folded washcloth, and Kane had just come out of a Japanese bath house...

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

You know, I keep thinking after each upgrade that you've hit it -- that's it, stop there, perfect -- then you keep improving and making things even better. It's really unbelieveable.

Now, that pic above, looks seriously like a 1:1 scale person in costume, and the face IS John Hurt. Uncanny. The posture, the expression, everything...

You've got to take a picture in the dark, nothing in background to give away the scale, just a black wall or something, some well-placed mood lighting, and that thing will look alive!

We must go on.... we have to go on.

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Work of art

Thanks Rivera2171!

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Simply mind blowing. BTW, looks like something predator related in the second pic on the left part of the shelf. What is it?

Thanks Reinhardt! That's the AVP Wolf Predator. The only HT Predator figure I have. Thinking about picking up either the classic or the new City Hunter one that was just announced - maybe.

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

You know, I keep thinking after each upgrade that you've hit it -- that's it, stop there, perfect -- then you keep improving and making things even better. It's really unbelieveable.

Now, that pic above, looks seriously like a 1:1 scale person in costume, and the face IS John Hurt. Uncanny. The posture, the expression, everything...

You've got to take a picture in the dark, nothing in background to give away the scale, just a black wall or something, some well-placed mood lighting, and that thing will look alive!

We must go on.... we have to go on.

Thanks Wor-Gar! I will find time to take some nice pics once I'm completely done. I'm making a new bonnet for him that is more snug fitting. The current one has all the right details, but is a little too bulbous from the front view. The side ear muff parts also need to be more defined from the rest of the bonnet. I should have that done this weekend. And the name plate - and then it's a wrap.

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Kane HS - Skin Paint Effect

Yeah, the weight of the backpack makes more sense. I was looking at a behind-the-scenes photo of the three actors walking together from right to left on the set, and poor little Lambert looks like she's wearing her helmet on her chest, it's so forward.
The white patch on top of Kane's head- I thought that was a folded washcloth, and Kane had just come out of a Japanese bath house...

Kane/Hurt always looks like he's got a massive migraine.

Yeah - Lambert's helmet looked like it was pulling her forward. I actually like the blue color scheme of Lambert's suit the best out of the three. When I make the suits this summer - I'll definitely make a Lambert one for myself.

 

[tinister]

Re: UPDATED:Custom Nostromo Kane : Fabric Bonnet Version 2

I was unhappy with the bonnet for numerous reasons. The main being that it was too bulbous from the front profile. It made Kane's head appear too large - especially when inside the helmet. I was also unhappy with the way the side muffs looked. They conformed too much to the rest of the bonnet so they accentuated the roundness that I didn't like.

So I made a new bonnet. I also made the center body part elastic now so the overall shape from all sides looks more natural - and much more like the bonnet from the film. And the head with the bonnet now fits in the helmet much better and looks more screen accurate.

Some pics: