Comic Style Conan & Red Sonja

Crom!  I can't believe I've never made a thread for these 2.  I shot these in 2016, but thought they were worth sharing now.

I had picked up the Phicen Red Sonja figure when it came out for the few things I wanted from the set, mainly the head, body, boots, and sword.  If interested, you can check out this post where I get into everything that I thought was wrong with the original boxed figure, and everything I rebuilt.  

http://www.reverendspooky.com/news/red-sonja-wip-part-1

Since then, I also rebuilt the battle-ax, added fur to the boots, and made a new cloak from scratch.  Way happier with the end result.













I'd been wanting to do a custom Conan figure for so long.  There have been some great 1/6 accessory sets based on the 1982 Arnold Schwarzenegger film (which I wholeheartedly love) but I've always really loved the comics.  Savage Sword of Conan was my 1st real introduction to the character, and I devoured any of the magazine sized issues that I could get my hands on, long before I ever read any of Robert Howard's original stories.  For the last 10 years or so Dark Horse has been absolutely KILLING it since they got the rights to the character, and it's probably my favorite portrayal of Conan yet.

So, I always thought that when I did do a Conan figure, it'd be much more based on the comic style.  Plus, that gave me a lot more room to do my take on the character, than try to match up to any movie accuracy.  As soon as Phicen released the M34 body, I knew it was time to get to work.

















And of course, I had to get a few photos together.  





I really should get some new photos of them.  I'd since upgraded Conan from the M34 to the M35, and I wonder if Sonja should get one of the newer, more defined muscle bodies...

Wonderful customization and kitbashing, as usual with your creations! The Red Sonja upgrade is excellent, and I appreciate you providing the link explaining some of your improvements to the original Phicen/TBLegaue set. I have used some of the pieces (never had the complete set), but you have gone above and beyond anything I would have dared (or thought to) do. Also very impressed by your non-film-based Conan. Is that a modified Chris Redfield head sculpt? The outfit looks complex without being overly so, and within the realm of the possible/probable. And it's nice to see him using a shield like a more realistic warrior. They look great together, and I'm glad you remembered to share them with us.

These are gorgeous! I especially appreciate that you have them in natural settings.... imo, this feels much more fitting for these characters than a dio with artificial lighting. Your versions of them are unique and go perfectly together. And I always LOVE seeing non-film inspired Conans! The headsculpt you used is not what I would have expected, but works surprisingly well. The leather gear/armour and footwear also adds a great deal to the realism here. Wonderful work!

I personally don't mind the more streamlined muscles on Red Sonja, but everyone has their preference... :')

They look amazing, Conal looks like a beast (in a good way), I specially love his thigh armor and the cloth, makes him look really exotic. Red Sonja looks amazing too.

yikes, that second pic is a keeper, looks like a calendar shot for December....

Topnotch my friend. They look fantastic. Great job.

I’m glad to see these here. I did the something similar with those earrings for my custom Red Sonja‘s armor. Great shots.

Hey Rev, fantastic Pictures ! The Poses are amazing. You made excellent Clothes for them. Like Your Conan more than the original one. I really like the chain Mail of Sonja. Normally clothes for 1:6 Figures are not heavy enough to look like real when the figure poses. But this one looks great.

GubernatorFan wrote:Wonderful customization and kitbashing, as usual with your creations! The Red Sonja upgrade is excellent, and I appreciate you providing the link explaining some of your improvements to the original Phicen/TBLegaue set. I have used some of the pieces (never had the complete set), but you have gone above and beyond anything I would have dared (or thought to) do. Also very impressed by your non-film-based Conan. Is that a modified Chris Redfield head sculpt? The outfit looks complex without being overly so, and within the realm of the possible/probable. And it's nice to see him using a shield like a more realistic warrior. They look great together, and I'm glad you remembered to share them with us.

Holy crap, you are REALLY good at recognizing 1/6 heads! I did not expect anyone to catch that. I did a lot of looking for the right face shape, and I was really happy with how it worked for him.

And thanks so much! I think you have the right idea cherry micking that set, as there's probably more waste than worth keeping. If I did it today, there are more body options too, and I'd probably use even less of the original.

I looked at tons of art on both characters, so a lot of the outfit details were inspired by elements from all sorts of various artists, and I was lucky they came together so well. And so glad you like the shield! It was really fun to put together.

skywalkersaga wrote:These are gorgeous! I especially appreciate that you have them in natural settings.... imo, this feels much more fitting for these characters than a dio with artificial lighting. Your versions of them are unique and go perfectly together. And I always LOVE seeing non-film inspired Conans! The headsculpt you used is not what I would have expected, but works surprisingly well. The leather gear/armour and footwear also adds a great deal to the realism here. Wonderful work!

I personally don't mind the more streamlined muscles on Red Sonja, but everyone has their preference... :')

Thank you!!! I shot most of these at my parents old house where I grew up, and I wish I took better advantage of the setting for photos before their recent move. I have a lot less rural options now.

And I LOVE the Arnold Conan movies, and they're actually way more beautifully shot than I think a lot of people give them credit for, but I think there's some aspects of the character Arnold just didn't bring to the screen. I genuinely believe Momoa captured the character better (a controversial opinion, I know), even though so much of the film was awful. But getting to kinda go for my own take on him will always be way more fun for me. I was really on the fence on the head too, but something felt right when I grabbed it, and in the end I'm glad I did.

And I think I'm content with the body too, although I can't seem to resist tinkering... So glad you enjoyed though!!!

Theboo-bomb wrote:They look amazing, Conal looks like a beast (in a good way), I specially love his thigh armor and the cloth, makes him look really exotic. Red Sonja looks amazing too.

Thank you! YEah, I liked the mash up of textures. So happy to hear it works

GregT wrote:yikes, that second pic is a keeper, looks like a calendar shot for December....

Yes!!! Thanks so much Greg! It was so fun getting out to shoot in the snow too. So glad you dig it!

actionfiguremovies2 wrote:Topnotch my friend. They look fantastic. Great job.

Thank you Actionfiguremovies! So appreciated.

Stryker2011 wrote:I’m glad to see these here. I did the something similar with those earrings for my custom Red Sonja‘s armor. Great shots.

Thank you Stryker!!! That material is fantastic, right? It moves and drapes so well. Freakin gift to 1/6 scale.

Ephiane wrote:Hey Rev, fantastic Pictures ! The Poses are amazing. You made excellent Clothes for them. Like Your Conan more than the original one. I really like the chain Mail of Sonja. Normally clothes for 1:6 Figures are not heavy enough to look like real when the figure poses. But this one looks great.

Thank you!!! Your work is always an inspiration on fantasy projects like these, so hearing that means a ton! If you haven't already gotten, I highly suggest you grab some of that mail material, It has such great drape and movement, and I think you'd have a ball with it. And I think I wired parts of Conan's outfit to compensate for the stiffness. Totally agree with how hard it is to get certain fabrics to look right at scale.

Nice, they look great as a team. Totally no chance to say if anything is bought or self-made.

I am sure they would also be great in dim studiolight to create a dramatic poster vibe. Brownish in the background on a rock with black vignette around or something.

Btw, I never read the comics, but recently had Red Sonja on while working on red characters. Such a cringe fest. 

Ovy wrote:Nice, they look great as a team. Totally no chance to say if anything is bought or self-made.

I am sure they would also be great in dim studiolight to create a dramatic poster vibe. Brownish in the background on a rock with black vignette around or something.

Btw, I never read the comics, but recently had Red Sonja on while working on red characters. Such a cringe fest. 

Thank you Ovy! Yeah, I always loved their dynamic in the comics too, and wanted to get that feeling. And they will get an indoor shoot some day, as soon as I build something with the right fantasy feel. Something may already be in the works...

I'm so sorry to hear the Red Sonja film doesn't hold up! I have a soft spot for it from growing up watching it, but I have a feeling it's not as good as I remember. You've seen the Conan movies though, right? Or at least the 1st? I re-watched that recently, and was really shocked by how good it really is, and just what a great looking piece of film it is.

If you ever do want to check out any of the comics, and the 70's Savage Sword of Conan was published in this big magazine size format, with great black and white art, a super pulpy vibe, and a bit more of an adult feel to the color comics coming out around the same time. More recently, the Dark Horse Conan books are just an incredible take on the character (The Queen of the Black Coast run is devastating) and Gail Simone writing Red Sonja for Dynamite Comics is the definitive version of the character, as far as I'm concerned.

Great looking figures. Impressive details. Thanks for sharing.

OK. It took me two years to see who this reminded me of. Great Work !

It is Slaine Mac Roth.

Cool figure, Ephi. Simon Bisley’s work is always awesome to look at, too.

Whoa nice digging for this thread - haven't seen it before and just wathced Conan 1 +2 at the weekend again. 

Great figures and art. Need to read it carefully

Actually, I like the custom figures better than the comic, probably because somehow they look less outlandish to me without all that warpaint.