Custom Wolverine X-Force bust

Last update for the day, this one is about my Wolverine replica bust turned into custom..it took a long time for me to get this one, went through a lot of trouble too..even texted the wrong number once..so after a lot of things i finally got it for P500..i was thisclose to giving up on the bust..anyway, this bust is an Alex Ross Wolverine replica..by hobbymaster, he started as someone who did replicas but now he makes his own kits..anyway, the bust arrives more or less at this condition..it's evident that there are a lot of paint chips on the bust..also not seen in the picture is a chip on the point part of the mask..if i remember correctly it's the right pointy part..it's a small chip but it's still very annoying..even before i got this bust and found out about its imperfections i already knew about what i was going to do..that's why i bought a pack of epoxy clay (didn't want to "bake" so i didn't use sculpey), the smallest paintbrush available (it was a little below the average size) and a new set of acrylic paint..even though i bought a whole set..i only needed the black, white (mix with black to form grey) and the red paint..

*the pre-edited picture came from the seller, he was also selling th Capt. America and the Hulk busts beside it.

Step 1:
I applied epoxy clay on the surrounding part of the eye, since i didn't want any skin showing around the eye, i made the mask sculpt reach up until the eyeballs..i also sculpted the chipped part of the mask..after i got the hang of it, it was very easy..all i had to do was remove the excess clay and let it dry over night. here's what it looked like after..notice that i made two lines at the dome of his head..i was planning to put two lines there after i painted it but i decided to abandon it afterwards since it wasn't really a necessary feature of the mask.

Step 2:
2nd step was simple, i painted over it..painted the black part first then i painted the gray part of the mask and finally painted over the red eyes. The only real difficulty i encountered here is the meeting point of the black and the grey parts of the mask. I had to repaint it quite a lot and just like the ML Wolverine i did, i had a hard time creating a proper gray color. After a few colors, it looked like this.
Step 3:
Notice that the eyes were still very visible, i had to let the red part dry up and repaint it again with red..did this for around three times so that the eyes won't be visible anymore..i also painted the name plaque with the same color i used with the dome part of the mask. At first i planned to write Wolverine in red paint but i couldn't do it properly so i just left it at that..i also started reapplying black paint to the base.
Step4:
I was already happy with the new paint but then i noticed that the gray part was a bit darker than the normal. I decided that i would apply a lighter shade of gray..i used around 1/3 black and 2/3 white to achieve this kind of paint.

Here's a shot of it with proper lighting..i do think that it was a success..

Final product.

I'll post details on how i finished it next weekend. I really really want to put this beside this other bust..unfortunately, my uncle has yet to order this one..i wonder when he will..

Next Project: Alex Ross X-Force Wolverine

This will be another quick post, i'm finally going to get my HML Astonishing Cyclops tomorrow, i'll trade it for the Human Torch from the Secret Wars 2-pack and the guy i'm trading it with will just add P50. That means i'll be able to add to my 6"New X-Force team. Hopefully it won't have loose joints..

i've finally decided on what my next project is going to be..it'll take around a day to finish but i think if i'll be able to do it correctly then it'll be another one of my most prized possessions..it'll also cost me a some cash but it probably won't reach 4 digits..i'm estimating P800.00, which will be a steal if i'm able to do this correctly..what i'll need are the following:
- Replica of Wolverine mini-bust by Alex Ross
- Black, Grey, Red acrylic paint
- epoxy clay or anything similar

There, that's all i need..all of them are easy to find other than the replica bust..you might be wondering why i'm looking for a replica and not the real one..well, it's simple...if ever this doesn't pan out, instead of spending more or less P1500 for the authentic bust i'll just spend maximum of P600 for the replica one. Even if the paint apps aren't as good, the only thing i won't paint is the mouth area. Plus, the replicas were done by Hobbymaster (now a sculptor himself) so paint apps might not be that big of a deal. The only real problem i'll have with this one is the application of the epoxy clay..i'll need to cover the skin that is showing around the eye. Since i want it to look comic accurate..the paint thing will be a breeze..it's just going toi be black and grey with a little red added for the eyes..it won't be hard since i alrady did something like that once..i might still use a white base paint in order to get the paint to look more uniform. if all goes well, i'll be able to do something that will look like the X-Force Wolverine, if you still don't know what that looks like then here it is..see, i don't think it'll be that hard..right now i'm in talks with 2 people who have the replica mini-busts..one of them has replied already, he's willing to give it to me for P500 but the problem is, one of the pointy things on wolverines mask was chipped for some reason..he told me it's an easy fix but i'm not buying it..especially since it's going to be my first resculpting..the other guy is selling it at P600 but i asked him to give it to me for P400, i can meet him asap if he will...so there, while waiting if i'll get the Kotobukiya bust or not, i guess this will take my mind off of it a bit.

Kotobukiya dreaming. X-Force Fetish. Mutilation.

Ever since my gf bought me those three busts, i have been thinking real bad about buying busts too..which is bad since that seriously costs a LOT. anything in the 4 digits are a lot for me..upwards of P500 is big for me. at first i was thinking that i should just buy the ones that are way below srp, like the three that i got. but then that still costs a lot..it got me thinking that eversince, there has only been ONE bust/statue that has caught my attention and made me say "i HAVE to get that"..and if you have been reading my past blogs you should have an idea already of what it is..Wolverine, in his X-Force uniform..specifically, the Kotobukiya bust that was released during the SDCC this year..i mean, look at that...it's not over the top, and yet it looks awesome, for me being as realistix as possible works here, it doesn't look plain though his pose isn't overwhelming like the astonighing bust. I've been looking for ways to get this bust, i asked someone over at PTK if he can get me one, i aksed someone from the US how much it costs to ship it to me..well, it costs pretty much around P7k, 2 rats used to pre-order it at P4999 only to have the Brown Wolverine instead. Plus, 2Rats still hasn't gained my trust yet, they're seriously known as sellers of overruns..yeah, maybe some of my figures MIGHT have come from them..but i wouldn't want a bust that's an overrun..nope, i wouldn't want that. Anyway, the brown one is almost as good as this one but this one is better for me because of the X-force uniform. If you (yes you, my reader) know how i can get one, please let me know. I'm actually asking my parents if we know anyone who lives in the U.S. so that we can just have this delivered to their place and just bring it here on Christmas or whenever they come back here..this would be the PERFECT Christmas gift for me, yep..though i love the gift my gf gave me, still..this one's perfect..unfortunately, it seems to be out of reach..only 500 of these beauties were released if i'm correct, and that's a small number..

I just realized that i have a fetish for the X-Force costume, i don't know why..i guess it's because it's just so practical for me, being stealthy (Black and Grey) while intimidating at the same time (red) right? I like the uniform so much i already have three figs of it, one of which is my own custom..the MU X-Force Wolverine is the reason why i'm planning to complete the MU Wolverines, the custom ML Wolverine was the first thing i planned to do when i started collecting action figures. And i don't really like the SHS line but i still bought it just because it's wearing the X-Force uniform. I actually like this so much that i wouldn't be mad at Hasbro if they ever decide to release an X-Force Wolverine using the ML6 sculpt (which has already been used on 6 figs! ML6 Brown, AoA Reg, AoA Burnt, Rulk Black, Rulk Tigerstipe, Silver), i still think that sculpt is the best Wolverine sculpt. Oh, and IF EVER Marvel Select decides to do an X-Force Wolverine, i'll surely get it no matter what..oh, and if you noticed, the MU Wolverine is holding two guns..it's because i gave the Muramasa Sword to the Secret Wars Wolverine..and the other one came from...

Remember i bought 11 Termintaor Endoskelitons? well, now there's only 10 of them..i just mutilated one of them, i guess i'm planning to make him the leader but i got tired of painting so i just did whatever i pleased to do with it, and i just gave his gun/grenade launcher/missle launcher thing to Wolverine. It Fits! though his finger isn't on the trigger, the scale is to small to be noticed..That's it for now, i'll be going to Greenhills again tomorrow for a meet-up, I'm finally going to get the 25th Silver Wolverine and the Variant Riders Logan..After that, it just leaves the FA Wolverine open mouth variant, Rulk Tigerstripe and the Blue Ultimate Wolverine as my remaining targets from the Marvel Lgends line and then i'm done..i promise, after getting all ML Wolverines, i will post a blog that is solely devoted to the ML Wolverines, i'm going to rank them from the best to the worst..and right now, 3 HML Wolverines might end up at the bottom of the list. Oh man, i suddenly can't wait to complete the line.:D

Successful GB. Nice Guys. New Wolverines. fixed phone. possible custom.

okay, so God was blessed us with a fairly good weather yesterday..no heavy rains or typhoons in the metro..that meant i was good to go. I woke up pretty early though i slept late since i was afraid that if i fell asleep..it would rain real hard..good thing it didn't...i was able to go to GH w/o my dad knowing and my mom thinking i'll only go to SM Bicutan (around 8x nearer our house), my father found out only when i got home..wasn't mad since mom knew...anyway, when i got there..i was able to meet most Wolverine collectors on PTK. One guy wasn't there due to more important things...condolence once again bro. He asked me to hold on to his figs first, he got the masked astonishing, CMF, unmasked astonishing SHS and Logan SHS, i'll just go give him the figs on CollectIcon, i'll get the things i bought from him too (ML Strike team, AoA Regular, 3 essentials). Anyway, these guys are real nice, i've already met one of them before since i bought 2 wolverines from him already (Ultimate and Weapon X). After the group buy, only 5 items were left. 2 vintage wolverines (from mid 1990s) 2 Funkko (?) bobble heads (Brown and tigerstripe) and HML Black Wolverine..yes, the one i'm looking for..the guy selling it was quitting toy collecting already and he wanted to let everything go already..and pretty much everyone knew it was in my hit list. So they persuaded me into buying it. I told them i'm looking for a looose one...and then the guy said he'd sell it to me as if it was loose..i was tempted so much but the price he gave was the exact amount i had left..meaning, no more cellphone repair and no commute money. Called my mom and asked her to give me an advance so i can buy something i wanted, she obliged. But being the thinking man that i am..i was still able to ask for P50 ($1) off..he finally agreed so he gave it to me for a VERY LOW P450 ($9)! most loose figs aren't even sold that low!it goes for around P800 ($16) on ebay for a loose figure..and the lowest MOC is around P900 ($18)...but that wasn't the end of my lucky day in collecting. The seller gave the two vintage Wolverines to the head of the group buy as a sign of thanks..so after that, i went to the cellphone repair section where i looked for the lowest possible price for my phone's repair (ended up having it repaired for P250) while searching, the head of the GB texted me and even called me asking if i was still in GH. I thought i picked up a wrong fig, turns out..he asked if i wanted to get the vintage wolverines..of course i did! haha. so i ended up meeting with him in McDo, hung out for a while..got a shirt for my girlfriend..got my phone fixed and went home. All in all i took home 5 new figs for myself..the CMF magazine didn't contain anything that i didn't know before (yep, i read it..haha). I also found out that the Iron Mongers i found online were already cheap. haha. might get two of them..more on that later..here's what i think of the new Wolverines i have..a little summary?

1. XMC Stealth- left elbow is loose, other than that..awesome.
2. Unmasked Astonishing - REAL TIGHT! unlike my masked one..
3. Street Fight Logan - REALLY LOOSE but i think it's meant to be that way since it's the feature of the figure
4. Vintage Logan - the claws work like a pen..you can retract them...nice condition
5. Vintage Battle Damaged - pull the lever at the back, hands move. nice condtion for an old fig..
6. Black Wolverine - Will keep it MOC unless someone buys the right arm (2nd MOC fig if ever, next to MS Ultimate Wolverine)
i might have spent more money than expected but i wouldn't have it any other way..i was able to get 3 new figures for just an additional P450! met nice guys too..real nice guys..i'm real excited to go hunt for new toys on staurday, CollectIcon..i want to be able to buy at least one or two figs there..and hopefully the trade for Ninja Strike Wolverine goes through and happens..oh, and i won't get a movie abomination anymore..i'll get 2 movie iron mongers instead..at least, i hope i do..i don't need to get them asap and i'm still trying to work out a trade using NBA cards for one Iron Monger so that i won't have to spend money, or at least spend less. Saw the open cockpit for sale in SM Bicutan for P699, too much for my taste..i'll only use this as a punching bag for my MU X-Force anyway. so ill try to spend as little as possible on them. I might repaint the Iron Mongers too, make them look like government issued mutant killers or something like that..ala sentinel maybe but not entirely Sentinel like..i am still open to changing it though, the one constant is that i won't spend more than P300 for the enemy figure. One last thing, i already contacted two customizers...i want to get a custom rotocast..the big 12"ones, i want to get a custom one..i guess i'm ready to shell out P2000 at the most for one, i mean..i'm not really asking for a lot..just a repaint and some modifications that aren't that hard..so hopefully, the ones i was able to contact and the one who i'll ask for a custom is real good. So that i'll be able to get the most out of my money..but if ever it goes over P2000, i won't bite. anyway, i have classes tomorrow after a week off thanks to the bad weather..body clock isn't properly set yet..wish me luck. and pray for those affected by the bad weather..

*sorry for the grainy black wolverine, took that with my phone..freaking camera is busted..but at least from now on i'll post my real pics..

ML X-Force Wolverine

As far as i know, Hasbro has yet to produce an X-Force Wolverine, but they did release a prototype during the SDCC 09. And i've pretty much shared just how much i like the X-Force unis. That's why a few months back i decided to create my own. At first i was planning to use the ML6 Wolverine but those things are worth around P500 for loose and can go up to around P1000 for the MOC ones, so i decided that i'll just use those overrun toys. When i found out my sister was in robinson's ermita, i asked her to go to the stall near the LRT station to look for Wolverine toys. She told me there were three, one was an overrun Wolverine ML Rider Series that comes with the bike for P500, another one is probably a movie version and the last one was Wolverine with a cape and gold claws..I actually thought that the gold claws meant that instead of 3 silver claws, it was gold and that when she said that it had a cape on..Sentry was the first thing on my mind..haha. it ended up being Black Panther's body. It went for P199 and i seriously think it's way too expensive..i mean, it's an overrun..it should go for as low as P100 (i think it's like that in Divi). So when i got it, i asked my uncle to lend me some acrylic paint cause i know he had some, one problem though..no FLESH paint. how will i make the arms?! so anyway, that's a problem i shouldn't think of yet..what i first did was color the entire body (except the head) with white, i acted all professional and put some base paint on it..haha. it ended up looking like a winter Wolverine for some reason, it was as if he was wearing a white suit for an arctic expedition..looked real camoflauge-y when i put him on a white paper to dry up. After a few hours (should have been longer, paint was still a little sticky) i couldn't wait so i just picked him up and cut off his golden claws. Wolverine doesn't have claws..not since he went all feral anyway. So after doing that, again i acted all professional and stuff..i decided to put grey paint nect, but since my uncle also didn't have grey paint i mixed up the black and white one..i think it ended up looking alright. Wolverine now looks like a road on Christmas. With snow coverine the cement. This is where it got a bit hard..see, i didn't break up the body, i just painted on it as a whole, so i keep on messing up the paint while applying some on the other side, let's just say this was real hard but i ended up salvaging it anyway. I know it wouldv'e been better if i took it apart, but ever since i was a kid i was never really good with putting things back together, though i was good at breaking a whole lot of stuff. So there, i applied the paint grey paint throughout his entire torso and down until his feet, though i know the boot was supposed to be all black anyway. I just did it so for some reason. The belt area was also becoming a big problem since i can't paint underneath it and i won't be able to get it out unless i cut it in two and i didn't want to do that since i know it would be bad. So there, after drying it up again i guess it would be time to apply the black paint. it was very time consuming since by that time my grey paint also dried up, that means that i had to create another grey paint since my black paint would be misapplied and shit. and since i had a new grey paint that meant i had to reapply it to the whole body so that it wouldn't look like they had patches of grey paint..i did it more or less around 10 times before i was satisfied with the look of the paint application..after that, i guess i was pretty much finished since i didn't have flesh paint..i left it alone for almost 2 weeks..it was pretty much done except for the fact that it had white arms..as i told you guys in the past posts, i don't have a lot of extra cash, so i wasn't able to buy flesh acrylic paint..so one time, i was real bored..i checked the figure, i found out that most of the paint chips everytime i move the joints, it was a problem since i had no intentions in making a statue. Unforunately, during this time i had no camera with me so i wasn't able to take pictures..just use your imagintaions. haha. so i decided to rip the arms of, the legs too. But when i took the leg off..the crotch area was split into two, which was a good thing since i could remove it and i could now remove the belt properly..so there, i was able to paint most of the joints properly now, and i screwed around with the colors white, red, yellow, and brown and to my surprise..i ended up with as color that was similar to his face! so there, i painted it up but the problem was, i knew that i had to paint the entire arm instead of just one side since by the time one side dries up, the paint i created would dry up too..and i told you that i just messed around, so i did

n't know the proportions and anything like that. it was now or never so i just painted the entire are and used the hand articulation so it could grab a hold of something and i left it hanging..i left it there for sometime and when i returned, i realized i applied too much paint! it was toot hick so it wouldn't dry up..what i did was to remove some of the paint and i let it dry again. When it dried up, i rammed the arms back to the upper body but in doing so..i ruined the not so dry paint..and i didn't have flesh anymore..damn. Solution? This is the X-Force stupid..they kill an d they get bloody. BLOODY. USE BLOOD. so i put some red paint and scattered it too make Wolverine bloody..and since the paint was chipping, it had the effect that some of them were wounds..haha. NICE!! And since it would be stupid for him to have blood on his arms and nowhere else, i applied it on his body and on his face too..the result? I think this is pretty good, the shot is bad though..i had to use my fone's camera..as of now, this isn't finished yet..i'm still thinking of whether or not i should put some metal claws on him..i already know the procedure but i don't know if i should since i might ruin

the hands or something..safest

thing to do is if i find a pair of wolverine hands somewhere and i could just replace this one, either way..i think i did okay for a first customization. Pretty good.:D afterall, he doesn't always have his claws out. and yeah, it's our of scale for most MLs since i used a black panther body but so is the HoM Wolverine from the XMC line, they're about the same height..same thing with the ML3 Tiger Stripe (the one with a slanted torso)..i love this X-Force Wolverine, it might not look good for others but hey..it's my first masterpiece..maybe i'll do this more often..but i'll still get the X-Force Wolverine if ever Hasbro decides to make an ML one, i already have the Marvel Universe one. Oh by the way, i already placed a bid on the 25th Anniversary Wolverine, and Clear Emma Frost lot so wish me luck. haha.

*update: someone outbid me, i don't know if i'll bid on it again..i have one reserved on a gb in PTK though, i might just get that..it's cheaper since i'm only getting th Wolverine..

It's a COLLECTIBLE.

okay, i've started collecting acton figures around 2 months ago and let me just tell you..it burns a hole in your pocket! seriously, it's a good thing that i'm not a completist cause if i was, i'd probably have sold a kidney by now..the bad thing is i collect wolverines and there's a whole hell of a lot of them! so right now i'm focusing on the 6 inch wolverines..that means the Marvel Legends and the XMC lines are the ones I'm collecting right now. I think it gives the most bang for my buck since i get the figures at around P150-P800 each, the cheapest i was able to buy was a loose Wolverine whose leather jacket was pretty much chapping already, got that one for P150. It's the one from the XMC line, the Wolverine with Sentinel Attack Action, it didn't come with the sentinel though. By far the most expensive i bought was the ML series 3 Wolverine, it was still MOC but the card was pretty much banged up..it was okay since i prefer to free my figures anyway. I got that one for P800, it did come with a freebie though..something that might have been a part of a happy meal a long time ago. haha. But by far my pride and joy would have to be my custom X-force Wolverine. Yeah, i painted it myself! haha. It has the head of the Ninja Strike Wolverine and Black Panther's body. I got it that way since it was just a Factory Overrun, the kind of toys that are sold on the streets. I asked my sister to buy me one, still haven't paid her and i keep insisting that it was a treat. I haven't found the time to put claws on him yet, don't have the time and the equipment to do so..that's why as of now, he just finished kicking ass and his claws are inside again. It is a bit out of scale though..but i don't really care..i told you i love wolverine and i love the new X-Force uniform..by the way, the belt is supposed to be Riptide's, it came with the figure too. I might post the process of how i made it here sometime. Anyway, as of right now i'll be getting the regular AOA Wolverine, Strike Team Wolverine, Unmasked Astonishing Wolverine, Stealth Wolverine, and a movie version Wolverine next weekend. I also have a pending trade going on, my Undertaker (from way back when i was a kid) for the Ninja Strike Wolverine which i think is really awesome. After that, i guess i'm just going after the Black Wolverine (wrongly dubbed X-Force), The Face-off with Sabretooth and the 25th Anniversary Wolverine (the all silver one). I already have my eyes on 2 possible sources of the 25th anniversary Wolverine, i'll get whatever is cheaper but the card condition would also factor in since it's the only 6 incher that i'm going to keep closed. The 25th Anniversary Wolverine is supposed to be limited to 25,000 worldwide but i think there's a whole lot more than just that. As for the Black Wolverine, i keep seeing them on sale MOC for P800-P1200. I'll just have to wait for someone to sell a loose version. I saw one for P650 in Greenhills but i didn't have money and it was a bit too high for me. for the face-off, it's not that hard to find, i saw the Wolverine loose going for P350 while the MOC ones for P700-P800..not bad for two figures..but i do think this line has the STUPIDEST variant. it would have been better if the variant was a different costume or maybe 1st appearance Wolverine going against Hulk instead of an open mouth version! At least the Strike Team Wolverine only included the open mouth as another head..not as an entirely different set! If i get either the variant or the regular, i won't bother with the other one. But i do have to admit the the open mouth is better for fight poses. Another line i want to collect is the Marvel Select line..but if i do that, i might just as well kill myself..those things are sold for more or less P1200! They're 7 inches of pure expensiveness..there have already been 5 (Ultimate, Origins, Days of future past, Movie, Tiger Stripe, First Appearance variant) versions released and there are two more on the way (Brown, Unmasked brown variant). And the last two are Bigbadtoystore exclusives which means they'll probably be worth around P2000 if it reaches our shores. I only have the Ultimate version, can't find the D.O.F.P. and the Origins anywhere, the Movie version is still in different comic shops and so is the two yellows. Other than the Wolverines, i want to get the Emma Frost and the Sabretooth of the Select line! That's a lot of money! So maybe i'll just get the Wolverines, huh? instead of adding more than 2k to get two other characters i'm not really into? We'll see..damn, to get or not to get? haha. Plus, i don't know about this line since i don't really have any plans of opening them..i'll keep them MOC. So i don't know, i'r real 50-50 about this line. And my last problem? I want to create a diorama! and i'm thinking of using the 3.75" line to do it. But see, those little things are worth P550! I only have one as of right now and it's the MU Wolverine, i'm kind of disappointed in it though. It would've been great if it wen for 350 a piece like the G.I. Joes. But when i check online, some guys are letting it go for 350-500 for some characters...one guy's even selling it 6 for 2k for loose ones (which is again fine by me since i open them up anyway) i already told him i'm interested in Deadpool, Gambit, 2 Hand ninjas, and two wolverines..that will be a problem since i don't want to buy just about anything..don't have the money to do that..plus i told myself that the only other none Wolverine characters i'll get are the new X-Force (Warpath, Domino, X-23, etc.) both in the ML and MU. And honestly, wouldn't it look cooler if they were beating up some baddies? So there, i have no idea what to do..I'm pretty much set when it comes to the 6" line, but i have no idea about the 3.75", and the 7"..and see, i know my limits..i'm not talking about those Icons that go up to P1600 a piece..haha. So guys, just wish me luck..oh, and if you read this and you're not from Philippines..US$1 is roughly around P50..Oh, and i just want to say thank you to PTK since i get most my figures from other members, most of them are real nice people!:D

and another addition to my possible next post:
- An idea for Marvel about the Ultimate Universe..