Free Marvels now.

Free Marvels now.

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

X-Com: Alien forms

 

I'd say it's going well.


Thin Man finally has ears... while the Sectoid starts moving his hands and taking shape.


I am proceeding very slowly, I want to take all the time necessary to make as few mistakes as possible on the first sculpt.


It seems to me that the proportions are respected, I think that in the second round of modeling I will have to review the pose of the joints and work on the faces. 

Unfortunately at this stage you are not able to apreciate the proportion of the Sectoid because the body position I choose for him is a little bit  complicated, but when this figure is standing it is nice to see and I can't wait to see him painted and on a proper base!



 

At the same time I also started to give a minimum of shape to the aliens' weapons.

Surely you will notice that a weapon is entirely made from a stick for cleaning interdental spaces.... yes, that's right...






Monday, July 3, 2023

X-com: enemy begins!


As promised, I started working on the X-Com series.


While waiting for a very special delivery of figures from China, which are needed to custom my X-Com squad, I started modelling three classic alien villains from the game.

I'm trying to do my best to have at least:

one Sectoid...


... at least one Thin Man...

and last but not least....  a fascinating Floater...



Those survivors that follow my blog since the beginning... they know I'm not a good teller... I prefer to post images of my progress, and eventually to reply any welcome comment from your side:


See... the old style of mine, sort of a brand: a plastic cup with water, some green milliput and a thootpick! 😇
That's all I need to sculpt!

Ops! You probably noticed The Spot, from Marvel Comics, guarding the area of work... yeah yeah he's there only to remind me that I am a 1/24 modeler ...and he is suggesting me the right needed proportions...



Giving some form to the buddies.
I prefer to work in the same time the three of them, so that while milliput is drying one figure I am able to continue to work on another one...


Starting from scratch cut is much longer and the beginning is really frustrating. 
It is much more easier to custom a base (suitable and choosen carefully!), it takes just some milliput to model the base and give the peculiar details and later to paint according the figure you wish to have. But in this case I preferred to start from scratch the three characters.
I consider this more rewarding and the final result makes me prouder.


After Green Milliput dried, I could refine some detail...


I always prefer to model arms and legs separately from the body.
This is because it is not easy to model the arms and the legs when they are connected to the body due to interference within the model itself and the tool I use (mainly a toothpick and my fingers...). 

At least, in the very beginning I'm doing this way. And this is my suggestion to those that like to start the same kind of modelling. 

Specially when we talk about 1/24 mm scale, that is quite little and difficult to manipulate compared to biggare scales.

After connecting the limbs to the body I only refine them, but I try to do the biggest part of them individually and before.


When the bodies start to have a sense... and they recall more or less the charcater's peculiarities, so that I can clearly recognize what the hell I'm doing... I start to add particulars to the bodies, and to better define the arms and legs...

To give (hopefully) a better idea, I made a patchwork here in order to show the progress for example of Thin Man:


Hope you liked this post. Please come soon to see the further progress.

Yours Skif. 

 


Friday, June 23, 2023

5 years later...

 

Welcome! 😀


I was a bit homesick and came back after a long time to visit my Marvel characters blog.

It's a bit shocking to see that the last post dates back to May 14th 2018... and maybe you deserve an update on the last 5 years of your neighborhood Skif customizer!


Well yes, in 2018 I then finished both Fear Itself mechanized infantry N°3 and Guillottine and Magdalene....

I've never included them in the finished custom gallery. But I finished them.


Then in 2018 I had some difficulties at work and I stopped publishing, I wanted to fix those things in my life.

I had to change job, and I took a new one with even bigger responsibilities, and  in the new company it was really challenging and could not blog for a while again.

 

But with the new job it didn't go as I was planning... unfortunately you have to choose well when you change, and I ended up in the really wrong place.

So.... in a few months I was out of work. 


I thought that moment would not last long; I had and have a good curriculum and despite my age I still have a lot to give to companies I work for.

But a few days later, at the beginning of 2019, while looking for a new job, the oldest of my children was diagnosed with bad disease.


I won't tell you about my son illness, I will only say two things:

The first is that he's better now. He is alive, and that's what matters.

The second is that no father should see his son suffer, without being able to do anything. You know that Tyler Rake movie? Well, we didn't run away, we fought and won together. 💪


These events have kept me away from my blog, actually from social life in general.

The world around me has changed. My son is here, I have a new job, with responsibility, and perhaps the desire to blog is returning.


Today, after 5 long years, I wanted to write, and here I am. 💗


In the last few months I've started creating again. The basket contains only colors almost all now dry, and the brushes are all a little aged.

So I touched the wood a little by hand, and I present to you two boats that I have made.








They have nothing to do with Marvel. And that's why I'm posting them, because my world has suddenly changed.


Future projects?

I'm waiting for the material to start modeling and painting my figurines again .... If everything goes accordingly ... in July I'm starting with a series dedicated to X-COM.  👽

But I wan't anticipate anything. 😛


And... if you read me... thanks for being here mate!! 🙏

Skif

Monday, May 14, 2018

Magdalene (and Guillottine Sneak Preview)


Magdalene


Courtesy of: http://www.writeups.org/magdalene-avengers-gatherers-marvel-comics/

Powers and AbilitiesMagdalene is superhumanly strong, and an accomplished fighter, especially with her staff. She is capable of holding her own against Hercules in a fight.
She usually fights with her staff, a powerful weapon which can project beams of destructive energy over a distance. Magdalene can also burn any enemy who grabs hold of it, causing even Hercules great pain. It can also project a protective force shield over the wearer.
FInally, it can open a gateway (called a Slash/Way) to distant locations, and even other dimensions.
History
Magdalene is a native of an alternative reality. Her Earth fell victim to the madness of its Sersi. She was saved by Proctor, who claimed his reality had also been a victim of his Sersi. Proctor recruited her into his Gatherers, to hunt down and stop the Sersi’s of other dimensions before they did the same to their worlds.
Some travellers to alternate realities have trouble physically adapting to a dimension where a version of them already exists. As a result, they can be left disoriented and weakened. Proctor discovered the “Gathering” ritual as a way around this. It involves locating the traveller’s counterpart and killing them.

Life by the sword
Magdalene began a relationship with Proctor. This ended when the Swordsman was rescued from an alternate reality, and Magdalene fell in love with him. Proctor kept them on as Gatherers, but harboured a grudge against the pair.
The Swordsman of Earth-616  was long dead, and so the Swordsman could not be properly Gathered. He was left disoriented a lot of the time. Magdalene stuck close by his side, caring for him.
Proctor sent Magdalene and the Swordsman to attack the Avengers, whom the Swordsman blamed for abandoning him to die. But his disorientation worked against them, and they were forced to flee.
Shortly after Proctor discovered Magdalene’s counterpart on Earth-616, Marissa Darrow. Thus, he performed the Gathering on Magdalene.
Black cats
On another gathering trip, they Gatherers recovered the Coal Tiger. He was grievously wounded when they found him. As a result, he needed Gathering quickly to have a chance of surviving in the new dimension. Sensing that his counterpart was also an Avenger in this dimension, Proctor sent the Gatherers to Avengers mansion to access their computers.
The Gatherers had already infiltrated the Avengers mansion twice, undetected. But the Avengers had detected anomalies, and were prepared for them on this occasion. They fought briefly, but Cassandra managed to subdue the Avengers. The Gatherers escaped with the information about their new member’s counterpart, the Black Panther.
They travelled to Wakanda. But the Avengers had warned T’Challa about them. As the Gatherers attacked him, some of the recovered Avengers came in, transported by Lockjaw. While the battle raged, the Black Panther was subdued by the Gatherers, and Cassandra attempted to Gather him.
However, the ritual was disrupted, however, by the Coal Tiger. He refused to let another die in his place. He soon died, and the Gatherers fled. But the Swordsman was captured before he could get away.
Alternate Vision modes
Concerned for his well-being, Magdalene begged Proctor to let them rescue him. Proctor sent them to Gather the Vision from Swordsman’s dimension. Proctor said that he would send to rescue the Swordsman. When they returned with him, Proctor released Tabula, whom he sent with the other Gatherers to capture Earth-616’s Vision.
After swapping the minds of the two Visions, Proctor sent his Vision to infiltrate the Avengers. He also gave secret orders to execute the Swordsman, and keep the other Vision captive.
The Gatherers’ Vision failed in his attempt to kill the Swordsman, although he did seriously wound him. The Gatherer’s Vision was captured, and led the Avengers to Proctor’s citadel in the Andes. The Avengers stormed the citadel and battled the Gatherers, freeing their Vision.
When the other Vision revealed he had failed the mission Proctor had given him to kill the Swordsman, Magdalene turned against Proctor. She also killed the Gatherers’ Vision.
Proctor revealed to the Avengers that he was a previous Gann Josin of Sersi. He said that her increasing madness would be a threat to the world if she was allowed to live. Then Proctor activated the self-destruct mechanisms of his citadel, teleporting himself and Ute away, abandoning the Avengers and his Gatherers to the citadel’s destruction.
Avengers, assemble !
After surviving the citadels destruction, Magdalene surrendered to the Avengers. She was desperate to see the Swordsman. But before they could leave the area, the Avengers were attacked by Kree Sentries. Magdalene helped the team fight them.
While the Swordsman was recovering, Magdalene stayed constantly at his bedside. One exception was aiding the Avengers when the Kree Lethal Legion threatened to destroy Earth. When Philip emerged from his coma, they continued to stay with the Avengers for a while, even going on missions with them.
Then Magdalene again came into conflict with the Lethal Legion, while on a team investigating the loss of an Avengers tracking station.
They moved out of Avengers mansion when Tony Stark lent them a place to stay. But the couple still maintained contact with the Avengers, helping them in battle. When the Avengers disappeared during the Onslaught affair, they became more active, helping to fill the void left by the group’s absence.
Shortly after the heroes returned, they were attacked, as were all former Avengers, by mythological creatures. They answered a call to a gathering of all former Avengers. The couple was part of the team sent to recover a Norn Stone from the South Pacific, where they battled the Midgard Serpent.

La Fée Morgane
The whole scenario had been a trap by Morgan le Fay. She captured the Scarlet Witch, and used her power to alter the world into a more medieval setting.
There, the Avengers were changed into the Queen’s Vengeance, her personal army. In this world Magdalene was Lady Magdalena. The Avengers were eventually freed of Morgan’s control, and restored the world to its normal state.
Shortly after, with the Avengers reformed, Magdalene and the Swordsman were offered reserve member status. But they declined, still feeling out of place in the world.
Later, Iron Man and Magdalene managed to restore her lance’s power to travel dimensions. The goal was to allow the Squadron Supreme to return to their own world. Magdalene and Swordsman decided to leave Earth-616 too, to try and find somewhere in the multiverse they could belong.
Personality
Proud and aggressive, Magdalene will never back down from a fight if she believes she’s right.
She can be blunt in making her thoughts known. She is trusting and completely loyal to her team mates, but can be a relentless foe, especially if her trust is broken. She is extremely protective of the Swordsman.

Custom
Made from a Presier kit called Eva Base Figures, she is 1:22,5 scale, 84mm,  while all extra parts are built in green milliput and painted Vallejo. Quite a unknown character isn't she? ;)

 
And now gentlemen... have a sneak preview of next comer Guillottine... She's almost done; after her, I shall issue my last charcter (Miek) and stop the collection. Finally.... :)
 
 

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Fear Itself Mechanized Infantry Weapon 3: wall crusher


Mechanized Infantry Weapon 3 (aka The Wall Crusher) is a weapon used by Sin during Fear Itself event.

This custom has been realized with pieces from 1 PlayStation 3 borken controller (arms), 1 headphone set (arms), 1 aquarium vaccum cleaner sump (hands and head) and a couple of plastic plugs of printer ink packages (legs)










Thursday, March 1, 2018

Fear Itself Mechanized Infantry Weapon 2: Firelauncher Streets Maker


Firelauncher Streets Maker
 
The Firelauncher Streets Maker is part of Sin Mechanized Infantry paraphernalia, specially utilized after assault activities for land reclamation operations. It is equipped with a fire launcher connected to fuel tank of 500 liters capacity.
The movements are granted through compression of air from the two side air convectors; it is designed to accommodate only one soldier and its armor is about 30 millimeters thick.
Supplementary air module grants internal safe temperature and comfortable ambient even when working in extreme condition, that is hell all around!
 



Built from scratch, eventually you can recognize two Gilette Mach3 boxes laterally, the pomegranate juice bottle as main body, couple of broken pens, a toothbrush case and last but not least part of a headset microphone form a poor Chinese brand. Special mention for the soldier behind that glass from Pegaso Models 90mm.
 
 

Ruth Bat-Seraph Sabra. Noe Eaglemoss. Custom from Preiser Eva figure 1:22,5

 
Courtesy from comicvine
 
Ruth Bat-Seraph was born in Israel and is a member of the Israeli secret service known as Mossad. She later fought along side the X-men and joined the X-Corporation.
 
Ruth Bat-Seraph was born near the city of Jersualem, Isael. Ruth Bat-Seraph was recruited into Israel's Super-Soldier Program when her mutant powers first manifested, and, upon graduation onto the state-sponsored Israeli Super Agents squad, received the experimental cape and bracelets that she wears on most missions until now. Taking the codename Sabra, she eventually requested a domestic assignment upon the birth of her son and became an officer in the Israeli Police, Tel-Aviv District. Her son died at age 6 as the result of a terrorist bombing on his school bus, but Bat-Seraph remained on the civilian police until the arrival of the Hulk in Israel forced her to resume her activity as Sabra. Since then, she has participated in various overseas missions: protecting the Israeli Prime Minister at a secret New York peace summit, working closely with the X-Men to expose the robotic Bastion's infiltration into the Israeli intelligence system, and working with Union Jack (Joseph Chapman) and MI-5 to oppose a R.A.I.D. terrorist attack on Great Britain.