Project - Asami Yamazaki (from Audition)

Audition (1999)

I figured Asami Yamazaki from the 1999 movie Audition was never in the same league as Freddie, Jason, when it comes to popularity, thus would never be made by the likes of Sideshow, Hot Toys etc.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, I gave the idea some thought, and set about creating a 1/6th scale figure inspired by Asami Yamazaki.


Audition - Asami Yamazaki - Fan Art

Asami Yamazaki is slowly coming together. But what I thought would be quite straight forward has proved difficult. The original plan was to assemble the figure using various off the shelf components.  Time and time again, quite what I wanted, did not appear to be available? Needless to say, my Asami Yamazaki is never going to match the might of a Hot Toys product.

Another thing, I found many of the items I wanted to be located in China. For some reason, shipping from China takes ages?!


The first item I ordered (which I am still waiting to arrive) is an Asian portrait.
I searched and searched and searched, and it was difficult to find what I wanted.
#compromise became a key word.

Key features included:
Long black straight hair (that could be cut to correct length)
Non smiling mouth.
Asian style eye’s.

Many of the portraits I found featured smiling faces. The eye’s failed to look Asian. The nose looked too pointy.

I found an Asian portrait by Kumik. Using Photoshop I re_imagined the portrait with lips repainted a different colour and made slightly wider. Nose spot added. Slight darkening under the eye’s. The Kumik portrait has a lot of black eyeliner. That might need toning down.

Coming from China, will I receive what is in the photo? ..or a low quality fake. Time will tell.


Asami Yamazaki (left) Kumik Asian Headsculpt (centre) Photoshop Mock-up (right)

I guess further down the line, it might be possible to obtain a custom head sculpt. The Kumik solution will do for now.

(cont.)

I knew from the start, a TBLeague (formerly known as Phicen) body would be the best option (..or maybe not?).

Researching TBLeague/Phicen bodies revealed a number of characteristics, including pale/suntan, medium/large breast size, ankle joins/no ankle joints, and various levels of muscle tone. Lucky enough I located a video on YouTube that demonstrated, clearly, the differences.

I went with: PLMB2016-S17B
Suntan, medium breast size, slender, visible ankle joints.

Once the TBLeague/Phicen body arrived, it looked perfect.
Ideally the breast size should be slightly smaller. I am surprise TBLeague/ Phicen don’t offer small, medium, large. Likewise, darker than suntan should be made available.


The first task I got on with were the boots. Having studied what little there was to study, given the boots receive little screen time, I figured the boots were black/dark-brown, leather or suede, medium height heel, rounded toe area, no laces, little in the way of detail.

I searched and searched and searched, and it was difficult to find what I wanted.
Medium high boots are easy to find, but they have pointy toe areas and all sorts of other fancy stuff going on. Plain boots are easy to find, but those tend to feature flat heels.


Audition - Asami Yamazaki - Boots

The closest boots I managed to locate were by Kumik. They were black, medium high heel, non pointy toe, no fancy details.
They featured a top buckle and were too tall, but the plan was to cut them down to the correct size.


Kumik Boots

The boots fitted perfectly. I managed to cut them both down to size, and only had the once chance to do so.
There is one slight issue, the top of the boot has smooth rubber finish where. I am not too sure how to improve this surface?

(cont.)


Sketch

I made various sketches to act as reminder as to how the outfit works.
For example, the top of the boots stopping half way up the calf muscles.
Where the black rubber apron ends top and bottom in relation to the body.
Hair length in relation to the apron.
The design of the 3 wrapped strips that hold the apron in place.
3x studs that hold the apron straps in place.
The more I studied the outfit, the more and more I would spot the details.

(cont.)


Audition - Asami Yamazaki - White T-Shirt

Asami Yamazaki  appears to wear a white top. The top appears to be made from soft cotton t-shirt material. It features a collar, pocket on the left side, and buttons.

I searched and searched and searched, and it was difficult to find what I wanted.
White t-shirts are easy to find, but they lack any of the details mentioned above.

For the moment I have had to settle for a short sleeve white shirt.
Adjustments include shortening the short sleeves, as they were not short enough.
I had to unpick to vertical rows of thread, which had been added to make the shirt curve at the front.


Original white shirt (left + centre) Sleeves shortened (right)

After I had cut the sleeves, they started to (what’s the word?) fray?
To solve this I folded the ends of each sleeve over, and inserted 2mm wide strips of wonder-web, and ironed.
The results turned out perfect. I had considered stitches, but my skills in this area are not good enough.

While the sleeve is now the correct length, the lower part (armpit) gives the impression it is too short.
This is caused by the side of the shirt design curving outwards. This is not much I can do about this.

I had thought about adding the pocket.

Looks like you are approaching this very methodically. I marvel at your patience and organizational skills. This promises to be very good. Nice mod on the boots. I think the facial modification would work, but watch out lest you make the lips too full (they look a little bit too full on the mock up) -- you can always fill them out more gradually, as needed, rather than try to reduce them later (but, yes, they are not full enough on the head sculpt itself). I agree that the eyeliner should not be this stark; it's going to be delicate, but possible to dull it down/lighten it a bit. Don't forget to extend the eyebrows toward each other just a little bit, to get more of that arched look.

GubernatorFan wrote:Looks like you are approaching this very methodically. I marvel at your patience and organizational skills. This promises to be very good. Nice mod on the boots. I think the facial modification would work, but watch out lest you make the lips too full (they look a little bit too full on the mock up) -- you can always fill them out more gradually, as needed, rather than try to reduce them later (but, yes, they are not full enough on the head sculpt itself). I agree that the eyeliner should not be this stark; it's going to be delicate, but possible to dull it down/lighten it a bit. Don't forget to extend the eyebrows toward each other just a little bit, to get more of that arched look.

Thanks.

Painting isn't a strong point of mine. I will give it ago (once the portrait arrives).
The Kumik nose is wider than the source material. Not much can be done about that.
The lips will be painted slightly wider, less than the Photoshop mock-up.
Eyebrows, painting eyebrows is hyper difficult.

Panting these small faces (although some of us have been doing that to 1/12 scale figures too!) is difficult. Just go slowly and carefully, use acrylics, have a moist cotton q-tip to make immediate corrections. For small details -- like extending the eyebrows -- I would suggest using a sharp toothpick to apply bits of paint. It would be one tiny spot at a time, but given the size of the head, it will not take long and might save you some grief. The wideness of the nose... well, there are Dremel-like tools for that, but it might be too advanced for most of us, myself included, to modify such a visible part of the sculpt that way without making a mess or ruining it altogether. You could also experiment with some shadowing (i.e., color), but there might be a theory behind this type of work that I do not know to pass on.

GubernatorFan wrote:Panting these small faces (although some of us have been doing that to 1/12 scale figures too!) is difficult. Just go slowly and carefully, use acrylics, have a moist cotton q-tip to make immediate corrections. For small details -- like extending the eyebrows -- I would suggest using a sharp toothpick to apply bits of paint. It would be one tiny spot at a time, but given the size of the head, it will not take long and might save you some grief. The wideness of the nose... well, there are Dremel-like tools for that, but it might be too advanced for most of us, myself included, to modify such a visible part of the sculpt that way without making a mess or ruining it altogether. You could also experiment with some shadowing (i.e., color), but there might be a theory behind this type of work that I do not know to pass on.

Once the head sculpt arrives, and it looks like it does in the seller's photo, then i will give the toothpick concept a try.

Welcome aboard, and nice WIP pics. I’m not a fan of slasher flicks, but I’ve had my eye on this movie many times over the last 20 years. Good luck, and looking forward to seeing the final.

You're doing an Audition figure!?! That made my day. God, such a perfect movie. The scen with the bag makes me jump, no matter how many times i watch it. Everything about it is perfect, so atmospheric, an seriously one of Miike's best films.

I 1st saw this at Film Forum in NYC, and the crowd was definitively more of an arthouse/foreign film crowd than a horror one, and were completely unprepared for a Takashi Miike film. When the big final scene that the film is iconic for started (no spoilers, because I HIGHLY recommend any horror fans on here to go take the ride immediately) people started bailing out in a hurry. By the time things really got rolling, a good chunk of the row in front of us got up, shielded their eyes from the screen, and were tripping over each other to get out. It may be one of the best theater going experiences I've ever had.

Very excited to see this come together, and huge respect for you working so hard to get all the details right. Fair warning, all Kumik heads are a bit of a strange color, so it will not match the Phicen body you picked up without a complete repaint. But I do think the feature are a pretty damn good match, and all the elements are looking great so far!

Kiri Kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri...

Welcome Shaun, good job so far! It's always an adventure navigating the 1/6 depths of eBay etc.
For tiny details I personally prefer tiny brushes and acrylics.

And Spooky, that story sounds crazy funny! Miike still is a depraved evil creature, though. xD

Stryker2011 wrote:Welcome aboard, and nice WIP pics. I’m not a fan of slasher flicks, but I’ve had my eye on this movie many times over the last 20 years. Good luck, and looking forward to seeing the final.

Me too (seeing the final).

ReverendSpooky wrote:You're doing an Audition figure!?!  That made my day.  God, such a perfect movie.  The scen with the bag makes me jump, no matter how many times i watch it.  Everything about it is perfect, so atmospheric, an seriously one of Miike's best films.  

I 1st saw this at Film Forum in NYC, and the crowd was definitively more of an arthouse/foreign film crowd than a horror one, and were completely unprepared for a Takashi Miike film.  When the big final scene that the film is iconic for started (no spoilers, because I HIGHLY recommend any horror fans on here to go take the ride immediately) people started bailing out in a hurry.  By the time things really got rolling, a good chunk of the row in front of us got up, shielded their eyes from the screen, and were tripping over each other to get out.  It may be one of the best theater going experiences I've ever had.

Very excited to see this come together, and huge respect for you working so hard to get all the details right.  Fair warning, all Kumik heads are a bit of a strange color, so it will not match the Phicen body you picked up without a complete repaint.  But I do think the feature are a pretty damn good match, and all the elements are looking great so far!

Kiri Kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri...

It is a slow burner for sure. The ending, becomes overwhelming.

Ovy wrote:Welcome Shaun, good job so far! It's always an adventure navigating the 1/6 depths of eBay etc.
For tiny details I personally prefer tiny brushes and acrylics.

And Spooky, that story sounds crazy funny! Miike still is a depraved evil creature, though. xD

Searching for some simple components, tiny 'D' rings for example proved difficult.
Action-man items have so far offered a great help!
If Action-man collectors knew what i was doing with Action-man stuff, i'd probably be none too popular.

By the way, it occurs to me that the S17 is a fairly tall body -- was she a tall character? TBLeague has made shorter bodies S24-27 petite and very petite and S28-29 less petite and more curvy, but before you try those (at least the more petite versions), you might want to see how big the head sculpt looks.

GubernatorFan wrote:By the way, it occurs to me that the S17 is a fairly tall body -- was she a tall character? TBLeague has made shorter bodies S24-27 petite and very petite and S28-29 less petite and more curvy, but before you try those (at least the more petite versions), you might want to see how big the head sculpt looks.

Eihi Shiina who plays the part of Asami Yamazaki is 1.7m tall (apparently).
Add to that boot heels (2-3 inches). I would guess almost 1.8m in total.

(cont.)

Behind the black apron, Asami Yamazaki wears a beige pleated skirt, medium length, that ends just below the knee area.


Audition - Asami Yamazaki - Beige pleated skirt

I searched online not thinking for one minute I stood any chance of locating a 1/6th scale beige pleated skirt.
I found one! ..all be it a Barbie skirt. It was not 100% perfect, but it would do.
The $20 price tag seemed high. I went a head and ordered it.

On arrival, I can confirm that the price was high given the low quality of the product.
The biggest issue was the join at the back. The lower part (hem?) was not aligned 100%.
It was about 3mm off, which is a lot. I had no option but to unpick the stitches, and hand sew both vertical edges (to stop fraying) then stitch the two sides together.
This took me 2hrs! ..it was worth it.


Seller's Image (left) Fixed beige pleated skirt (right right right)

The shade of beige is correct, give or take. The length is correct. The fabric could be more dense.
The black band at the top is incorrect, but this is covered by the white shirt.
The fact remains, most of the beige skirt will be covered, at the front atleast, by a black apron.
There is room for improvement. Especially in the fabric, weight.

Very unique and interesting project, and you've made a great start. I never remember to document  my progress in such detail, so kudos for that! I hope all the parts and pieces you are gathering will work together, but if not, don't worry... that is a common part of the 1/6 hobby as we all know too well. ;p

You might appreciate this, but, hilariously, I just got an automated email from ebay, one of those that is tailored to your search history, and it said 'like Barbies and horror films? then check out [x, y, z]'.

Speaking of which, I had to go and read and spoil the ending of this movie for myself so I could better understand the context of your project. I'm glad I did, since it then saves me from watching. I'm a huge fan of horror, but lean more toward old-fashioned subjects like gothic horror, hammer horror/occult horror, and folk horror. Body horror and torture-related stuff is just not for me.  Nevertheless, your project is fascinating and I look forward to further updates!

I agree this is a unique subject to tackle, I don't see a lot of horror-related kitbashes on here. Remember hearing about the movie a while back but never watched it, kind of sounds like Hard Candy starring Ellen Page - but I guess that one was more 'psychological torture' than anything.

skywalkersaga wrote:Very unique and interesting project, and you've made a great start. I never remember to document  my progress in such detail, so kudos for that! I hope all the parts and pieces you are gathering will work together, but if not, don't worry... that is a common part of the 1/6 hobby as we all know too well. ;p

You might appreciate this, but, hilariously, I just got an automated email from ebay, one of those that is tailored to your search history, and it said 'like Barbies and horror films? then check out [x, y, z]'.

Speaking of which, I had to go and read and spoil the ending of this movie for myself so I could better understand the context of your project. I'm glad I did, since it then saves me from watching. I'm a huge fan of horror, but lean more toward old-fashioned subjects like gothic horror, hammer horror/occult horror, and folk horror. Body horror and torture-related stuff is just not for me.  Nevertheless, your project is fascinating and I look forward to further updates!

The ending raises a number of questions. Even if you have read about the ending, Audition is worth checking out.

AlKelAstra91 wrote:I agree this is a unique subject to tackle, I don't see a lot of horror-related kitbashes on here. Remember hearing about the movie a while back but never watched it, kind of sounds like Hard Candy starring Ellen Page - but I guess that one was more 'psychological torture' than anything.

'kitbashes' that's a new one to me. I did not know there was a word for it.

That's interesting and you from what we have seen so far you've done an excellent job in matching the images. For the skirt you could try giving her a half slip to try and make the skirts fabric a bit more dense.

Theboo-bomb wrote:That's interesting and you from what we have seen so far you've done an excellent job in matching the images. For the skirt you could try giving her a half slip to try and make the skirts fabric a bit more dense.

That's an idea. Thanks.
It might bulk things out more than need be.
The black rubber apron will have the added bonus of blocking out light.

(cont.)


Audition - Asami Yamazaki - Black Rubber Apron

Asami Yamazaki wears a type of black rubber slaughter-house/butchers apron that ends just above the knee area. The left and right sides of the apron are held in place by black straps that wrap around and connect up at the back. Around the neck area appears to tan colored straps. They are either made from leather or rubber? All straps both black and tan appear to be held in place by silver metal studs.

Maybe the apron exists in the real world, or maybe the apron is a prop designed for the movie?



Black Rubber Apron - Materials

I had some idea of how to approach re-creating such an item in 1/6th scale.

Searching ebay I found:
1mm Sheet of Black Rubber
Action Man Water Bottle
1mm/0.8mm Micro Dot Rivet Nail Art Decoration
0-6/0-8 mm Tan Color Leather (not pictured)



Black Rubber Apron - 90% complete

Using reference photo’s, the height/width of the apron was calculated. The left & right angles were calculated by using the neck and side strap positions. The 1mm black rubber feels thicker than anticipated. Thinner rubber might have worked better. 1mm black rubber was the thinnest I could find.

The black side straps were taken from an Action Man water mottle. They are glued in place. For added strength I used a needle and cotton where the silver rivets would be located.

The neck straps were cut from tan Color leather and glued in place. I noticed in the reference photo’s the straps enter through slots in the Apron. I added both slots and pulled the Tan Color Leather straps through the slots. This has the benefit of added strength.

To complete the Apron the plan is to add silver rivets. I found something called:
1mm/0.8mm Micro Dot Rivet Nail Art Decoration
I think these will do the trick. For the moment they are on the slow plane from China.
Once they arrive, the plan is to glue them into position. X mark the position(s).
If the Micro Rivets fail to work, then a new direction will have to be taken.


Once the Apron is complete, the plan is to clean it up using silicone rubber spray, as it keeps rubber alive and smells better.
The 1mm sheet of rubber I am using stinks of chemical.

The Action Man water bottle has another use. It came with 4x metal strap slider components, which are ideal to be used on the 4 arm straps.
Attempting to located such metal sliders on their own proved impossible.

Audition - Asami Yamazaki - Fan Art

Found some more Fan Art.
This sort of thing keeps my motivation going

Maybe Audition is more popular than i first thought?

It is interesting to see how others believe what they might, might not have seen?
What is on each end of the wire? ..does the wire attach to the tops or bottoms?
How many straps were there around the waist area? one artist appears to have seen 5?
Are the arm straps above or below the elbow?