Customizer's Spotlight: Roberto Williams
Published by D_Martin on April 7, 2008 at 02:03 AM CST
| CTR’s Customizer’s Spotlight: Roberto Williams |
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Name: Roberto Williams
CTR Forum Name: Darklord1967
Located: Brooklyn, NY
| Roberto has been gracing the Rebelscum/ Cool Toy Review forum customizing forums for years with his Star wars creations, but nothing beats his MEGO Batman collection.
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Nostalgia has a knack of altering facts. What may actually be nothing more than a mass produced piece of plastic becomes, through nostalgic recall, the most amazing toy ever crafted. Often times when adults rediscover their old childhood playthings, they are shocked at how simple it is. For collectors with a creative mind and the time to develop their skills, the quest to recapture those old feelings can easily become the motivation to customize toys. When done right the outcome can be truly amazing.
Batman and Robin
My goal was to create a "Classic Dynamic Duo" that reflected the darker tone of the comics, and accurately displayed the physical difference between man and boy wonder.
To accomplish this goal I used the (shorter) 6-inch "boy" action figure body from MEGO's 1976 "Our Gang" collection as the basis to create Robin The Boy Wonder. "Alfalfa" was used (for the main body) as was "Mickey" (for the head sculpt). I re-sculpted the Mickey head with a new Richard Grayson" hair style, and a boyish smirk, and then made a 5% smaller final casting with these new sculpted changes. With the exception of the green shorts and t-shirt sleeves (which were both borrowed and tailored from MEGO’s original Robin action figure), All of the costume items had to be created from scratch. The biggest challenge was fashioning Robin’s gauntlets (bye-bye vinyl oven mitts!) and "pixie" boots out of lime green fabric. Holy fashion statement!
The Batman began life as a standard nude MEGO 8 inch "type II" (muscular) body. I replaced the original MEGO arms with the bulkier upper arms found on LJN’s 8-inch SWAT action figure from the ‘1970’s. These new arms also have a "swivel" joint in the biceps, which allow for much more posing.
I selected an existing MEGO head sculpt to double as "Bruce Wayne", and with a quick hair re-sculpt and re-paint and he was done.
The creation of the Batman’s costume was a challenge: He needed some tighter-fitting dark grey lycra spandex tights that improved upon MEGO’s original "pajama-fit" costume. Here, Charlee Flatt came to my rescue by providing the excellent sewing chores. I created everything else. I attempted to make The Batman’s removable mask using Pez Candy Dispensers that I radically re-sculpted. After no less than 15 failed attempts (!!!), I finally got one to fit on the action figure’s head!! The mask pictured in this photo is the final one that I created.
Accessories for both of these action figures (not pictured) include Bat-ropes, and two different folding "Bat-a-Rangs"
Both action figures sleep in MEGO-styled window-box packaging that I created for them on computer in Adobe Photoshop.
Commissioner Gordon
I really felt like I needed a customized MEGO 8 inch action figure of Gotham City’s Police Commissioner Gordon! The Commissioner is pictured here during a particularly dangerous night in Gotham City as he summons the Caped Crusaders with the famed Bat-Signal (Toy prop created by DC Direct Products)!
This custom Commissioner Gordon action figure was a lot of fun, but very difficult to create. I developed his head sculpt from an existing MEGO sculpt which I re-worked and repainted extensively with a large mustache added. I also went through a VERY difficult time creating those tiny eyeglasses (with lenses included!) and incorporating them seamlessly into Gordon’s hairline. Legendary MEGO customizer Charlee Flatt helped me out by providing Gordon's custom-made basic black business suit, a white shirt, a pair of black sox, and a tan rain-overcoat. I made a belt for his trousers easily enough, but I had a REALLY difficult time creating that silk necktie of his that I had to knot (Windsor-style) with tweezers! Custom-made accessories for this figure (not pictured) include a GCPD badge, a service revolver, and a smoking pipe.
He also sleeps in a custom-made MEGO-styled window box package that I created for him on computer in Adobe Photoshop.
The Joker
I found substantial room for improvement over MEGO's original 8 Inch action figure version of the Joker...
I started off by giving his face a bit of a makeover with a slightly more detailed paint scheme.
With his wardrobe, I eliminated the silk-screened leotard that MEGO provided and fashioned all-new separate garments (custom silk green shirt, flaming orange flannel vest, baggy "pleated" purple pants with fat black pinstripes and tall waistband. As for his zany purple blazer, I only added a wild orange satin lining to the tails to spruce them up.
As final touches, I added the decorative details to the figure like buttons, floppy black tie, bright red lapel flower, a pair of purple dress sox and, a pair of white spats draped over his standard brown MEGO shoes. The Joker also wears a dandy pair of CLOTH white dress gloves, which unfortunately did not photograph as well as I’d hoped…
I created a custom MEGO-styled window box on computer for THE JOKER to sleep in and called him finished!
The Penguin
“Rounding out” the rouge's gallery of Bat-villains is my customized action figure rendition of the nefarious Oswald Cobblepot!
MEGO'S original action figure version of the Penguin required a complete and total makeover as far as I was concerned. This figure has customized shorter and thicker legs to give him a 7-inch tall body height (to actually make him shorter than the other 8 inch tall characters). He also has an all-new (more sinister) head sculpt with a removable top hat and monocle with lens (not molded onto the head sculpt like MEGO's original.)
The Penguin now wears brand new custom-made SEPARATE clothing garments: white shirt, silk bow-tie, silk orange cummerbund, purple dress pants, sox, white spats on top of wing-tip shoes, buttons (unlike MEGO's original silk-screen printed leotard). My customized Penguin action figure also wears white silk dress gloves with cuffs (instead of MEGO's simple "white hands"), and he has custom-made cigarette-holder and umbrella accessories (which MEGO never included with their original action figure)
I also created a customized MEGO-styled window-box package for this action figure on computer in Adobe Photoshop.
The Batmobile
After 5-1/2 years of sculpting and about $4,000 spent (God, I’m INSANE!!), I have succeeded in creating a very clean and smooth resin casting of my (correctly-scaled) Batmobile body sculpt for my custom MEGO action figures.
This body shell was developed as an amalgam of:
A) A tooled-up 1/25th scale Bat-converted Lincoln Futura Model kit,
B) My own original sculpting, and
C) The British AB models 1/8th scale Batmobile kit.
My custom Batmobile toy will be about 27 inches in length (as opposed to MEGO's car which was just only 13 inches long)! It will feature: working "light-ups" (headlights, siren flasher, and rear Jet "after-burner" nozzle). The toy will have working doors, Steerable front wheels, a fully detailed cockpit with light-up "closed-circuit TV monitor", Robin's radar scope, simulated black carpeting, vinyl upholstered "soft-plush" seats and door panels, and cloth seatbelts. And even a tiny mobile "Bat" phone! My Batmobile toy will roll on real rubber tires and chromed aluminum five-spoke styled wheels. Black cloth canvas parachute packs (non-deployable) will be installed in back of the car, and a trio of polished aluminum "rocket launch tubes" will sit prominently behind the back bubble windows. The front and rear grilles will be made of photo-etched metal. And the "Bat" emblems on the doors and wheels will be totally accurate and computer-printed as transfer labels.
I have already finished my Adobe Photoshop designs for the artwork on the box packaging for this one of a kind custom toy. The design is homage to MEGO’s original 1974 Batmobile artwork box design.
Think your customs have what it takes to be featured? Drop us a line.
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