MAKE YOUR OWN
RICHTER FIGURE
by James Baxter
Here are the basic "ingredients" I used to make the "Richter Belmont" Figure:
1) A Toy Biz X-Men 2099 "Meanstreak" Action Figure
2) Super Sculpey (a kind of putty that you can shape then harden)
3) A Toy Biz Ghost Rider Figure's Chain for the Vampire Killer
4) A Toy Biz Hercules: The Legendary Journeys "Mole Man" spiked ball for the Vampire Killer.
5) A Toy Biz X-Force "Deep Sea Cable" figure's knife for Richter's dagger.
6) A McFarlane Toys "DragonBlade" belt.
7) Tamiya Acrylic Water Based paints.
8) Electrical Tape
Here are the various tools I used:
1) Utility razor*
2) X-Acto #11 blade*
3) Soft paint brush (various sizes)
4) Dremel Tool* (a high speed hand drill) with various bits.
5) Safety goggles. (These are definitely recommended especially if you're going to use the Dremel tool.)
6) Shaping tools
7) Hair dryer*, Heat gun*, or Candle*
*Kids, make sure you have your parents' permission to use such tools
before beginning ANY projects that deal with cutting down or shaving off
materials. These tools are VERY DANGEROUS if not used properly.
First, I had to decide what figure to use. I saw an X-Men 2099 "Meanstreak" figure in discount bin at Toys R' Us
for only $2.97! If you take a look at the Meanstreak figure, he already looks almost identical to Richter Belmont.
The only exception was that Meanstreak had red pants, a buffed and extremely developed chest and stomach,
forearm gauntlets, extremely big gold colored boots, and slanted Asian-esque eyes. The reason for the eyes
was because The Meanstreak character was well, Asian. Chinese to be specific. So one the starting points I
had to deal with was the eyes. Richter is not Asian so I had to use my X-acto blade to kind of "square out" the
figure's eyes. What I mean by that is to shave off pieces from around the eyes, so when you paint the face and
color the eyes, it looks like the figure has always had "square eyes". The next step I took was to cut down the
boots of the figure with the utility blade. Now when you cut down or shave off ANY part of ANY figure make sure
you know how soft the material is that the figure was made from. Lucky for me, parts of Meanstreak were made
from a semi hard PVC material so I was able to cut the figure down without using much force. (The reason why I
say this is so you don't cut yourself by pushing, pressing or pulling too hard.
If a figure is made out of "hard plastic" it is recommended that you use a Dremel tool instead.) As for the forearms, I
also used the utility blade to cut down the gauntlets. I than had to "shave down" Meanstreak's belt with the Dremel tool
because the chest and crotch were made from hard plastic. With all the cutting down and shaving done, It's time to use
the Super Sculpey. (First off, read the instructions on the box of Sculpey before you begin. Once you've figured out how
the sculpey is supposed to work, start shaping out pieces for the figure. This will make it much easier.) I shaped the
sculpey to make it look like the figure was wearing clothing on his chest. I then took little strips of sculpey and put them
around the chest and shoulders to make it look like he had straps. After doing this, I used a slightly larger strip of sculpey
for his collar. I then added a small amount of sculpey to his head for his hair and bandana.
Next was his belt and loin cloth. Using 2 strips of electrical tape, I stuck the tape to the front and the back of his waist.
I then took another large strip of sculpey and shaped it over the tape to make it look like the loin cloth was part of his chest
clothing. When this was done, i took more strips of sculpey and put them on his right forearm to make it look like he had
straps there too, and his left forearm using a wraparound technique just like how you would wrap a bandage. The final part
of the sculpting was his boots. I used thick strips of sculpey to make the boot cuffs and straps around his boots.
With all of the sculpting done, I then detailed the straps, chest and hair with the shaping tools. For the hair, I used a
needle to give the effect of wavy strands of hair. If you notice, Meanstreak never had any sideburns! The other part is the
weapon making. Using a Ghost Rider figure's chain, I took that, added the spiked ball from the Mole Man figure and used a
small straw with sculpey and the tip from a toothpick embedded in the handle of the whip. The sheath for the dagger was
made entirely from sculpey.
In order for you to harden the SuperSculpey on the figure, use a hair
dryer, heat gun or old fashioned candle to "bake" the sculpey. DO NOT
put the whole figure into an oven to bake because you're going to melt
your figure, and POSSIBLY RELEASE TOXIC FUMES from the burning plastic
or PVC materials. If you're going to use the hair dryer, make sure you
don't keep it pointed at one area of the sculpey too long or you'll BURN
the sculpey and possibly deform the figure too. Even more extra care
should be taken if you're going to use the heat gun. Since the heat gun
can get many times hotter than the hair dryer, you must use it
carefully. As for using the candle, use a candle that's at the bottom
and in the middle of a glass candle holder. You should have to reach
into the container to light the wick. Surprisingly, the heat from
candles can be many times hotter than the heat gun and hair dryer put
together (depending on how big the flame is). Keep the area you want to
harden about 5 to 6 inches from the flame itself. The heat should be
enough to harden the sculpey. But be careful, keeping it at the same
heat too long is going to result in burned sculpey. Please remember
that using the candle can be VERY DANGEROUS so please do not keep your
figure or the sculpey ANYWHERE near the flames (you don't want to
barbecue your figure, just roast it, and above all, you don't want to
hurt yourself).
With all the big tasks done. It's now time for the best part of the action figure: PAINTING!
Well, this is pretty self explanatory and I'm sure that if you're good enough to make a figure, well then you can paint
one too! It all just takes a little time and dedication to make your figure the best that you can. Never let anyone say your
figure isn't good. Why? Because you made it, and you like it, that's all that really matters! Anyhow, thanks for reading
this. I hope your figure turns out great! Have fun!
James
|
MAKE YOUR OWN
