Kokoro (DOA) Custom and (late) year in review/2023 plans

Hey everyone! I have a bit different post today for my most recent custom. It will be part showing it off, part doing a self review of what I made in 2022, part my plans for 2023. I'm very late, but I didn't get finished up with the final 2022 project until this past week. Anyway, my latest and technically last custom of 2022: Kokoro

As usual, if anyone wishes to learn more, here is the wiki link.


Specs:

Custom Head Sculpt
Custom Hair
S10D Body (that was the wrong choice, lemme tell you. Should be on a S07C for the correct height. See pics.) Note, Kokoro is all of 5'2" IRL. Remember that.
i8toys furisode (love it, stunning, I have no idea how to tie that obi)


I want to do something different when looking at this character as she's the end of a long, complicated journey.

As you may know, I have wanted to make my favorite characters from the Dead or Alive series of fighting games in 1/6th scale. Well today marks the end of the first part of this journey. I started off with my favorite character, Kasumi (who took 2 years to finish). I then worked my way through four others: Ayane, Honoka, Hitomi and now Kokoro. Over this past year I completed 5 total custom figures, 2 dioramas, and have learned a number of new skills.

So if anything, this is part show the new custom, part reflection on the skills learned.

Things learned and tried while making these figures

• How to use a 4K resin 3d printer
  

• How to air brush and paint
  

• How to make eye decals
  

• How to make wig caps and style hair semi-competently
  

• How to sew by hand draw patterns for outfits
  

• How to scale measurements
  

• How to use UV Resin for eye effects
  

• How to plan and build dioramas
  

• That dioramas are my favorite part of this hobby
  

• How to accept what is truly failure verses my being a perfectionist
  

• How to force myself to be patient and accept that it is my creation and interpretation
  

The list goes on. Thank you again to all of you I have mentioned before for the help and tips and inspiration!


Before I go into the 2023 plans, I just want to give a quick, personal rating for each.

• Kasumi - 9.5/10. She's my fave, and while I will eventually replace the head sculpt where I fix some minor issues, she is easily my best (in all facets). She is just the one I am unfairly critical of.
  

• Ayane - 8.75/10. Easily my second best, she's the only one I have not replaced the eyes on with decals. Mostly me being lazy, honestly. Her outfit is easily my favorite part of her as it turned out fantastic IMO.
  

• Honoka - 8/10. Her head sculpt was tricky as it's quite round, but that is nothing compared to how tough her dress was to make. Learned a lot, but there is a lot that could be tightened up on in the quality department with her outfit.
  

• Hitomi - 8.25/10. She has the second least custom anything to her as the only part of the outfit I did make was the tank top. Went with my fav hair style of her's and learned that wax is your friend, especially for short, bob-type styles. Her eyes look wonderful, and were the reason I am not going back from decals and resin coating.
  

• Kokoro 7.75/10. I was tired by the time i finished Hitomi, so I was exhausted by the time I finished Kokoro. She has the least custom anything of the 5. She's on the wrong body for her character, but I needed something with pegs. I made the wig cap wrong and didn't realize it until halfway through the hair. I had to add a flower hair piece to cover up a mistake that the wig cap mistake created. She has Kokoro's personality though, so that worked out. All said, I rushed and didn't care as much as I did the others.
  

• Kasumi dio 9/10, Ayane dio 8/10. Both have some genuine mistakes. Kasumi's should have used foam as the base. Ayane I should have ran with all red LEDs. Kasumi's doesn't impact her "world" as much, so it gets the better score. Ayane's I can't enjoy the lighting as much as violet light, while on theme, is not very bright. Still looks cool without it though.
  

So what are the plans then for 2023? Upgrades? Additional dioramas for the 3 who don't have one yet? Other characters? Well, the answer is both yes and no.

Yes because there is always room for upgrades, but the fact of the matter is I am not sure what is worth it at the end. They are all very much in the "not needed, but would be cool" column.

Yes I want to do more dioramas! I love that process, and I am designing a dojo for Hitomi currently. Honoka and Kokoro I am undecided on at the moment.

Yes I will do other characters. Fire Emblem is another fav of mine, and I have some plans for them. The problem is, I need to learn to design a lot from scratch, like their head sculpts and armors, which is intimidating as I really can't draw a stick figure.

The "no" comes in in two big ways. First things first, I am applying for my PhD at the University of Notre Dame. If accepted, I will be moving to South Bend, Indiana, in August. To say that would be a huge life change is an understatement. Starting new projects, especially ones that cost money and will be a pain to pack up and move, is just not a smart call right now.

Regardless of how that goes, I will still be moving later this year. So yeah, I have no idea how to pack Ayane's dio


2022 was busy and bled into 2023, with 2023 looking like it has no plans to slow down!



With the reviews and plans over, it is time for the photos. Not too many this time as I just didn't feel like putting in a ton of effort when my camera is being a pain.







Just a bit uncomfortable to look at. Also, I had waaaaay too much cling wrap on the neck joint, so she couldn't move her head well.


Honoka is short, but this is something else (Honoka comes in at a tall 5' 0.25" in this version).


Ayane isn't one for hugs. Or physical contact. Or other people, including friends.


At home on a different S07C I have standing there. Much better fit and look.

Those were some really cool shots with the kimono. And nice approximation of hitting the volleyball. There is something to be said about doing it without SFX magic.

Yeah this hobby is great for learning new stuff and getting better. Your Figure turned out great, well done
Passion for a certain theme is always helpful. You are working on a nice project, getting all these chars done for something you love.

MeMyself&I wrote:
Things learned and tried while making these figures

• How to use a 4K resin 3d printer
  

• How to air brush and paint
  

• How to make eye decals
  

• How to make wig caps and style hair semi-competently
  

• How to sew by hand draw patterns for outfits
  

• How to scale measurements
  

• How to use UV Resin for eye effects
  

• How to plan and build dioramas
  

• That dioramas are my favorite part of this hobby
  

• How to accept what is truly failure verses my being a perfectionist
  

• How to force myself to be patient and accept that it is my creation and interpretation
  

The list goes on. Thank you again to all of you I have mentioned before for the help and tips and inspiration!

Can you tell me more about your UV resin for eyes usage? Interested in painting better eyes myself.

GubernatorFan wrote:Those were some really cool shots with the kimono. And nice approximation of hitting the volleyball. There is something to be said about doing it without SFX magic.

Thanks Gub! Practical effects are the best effects

Valiarde wrote:Yeah this hobby is great for learning new stuff and getting better. Your Figure turned out great, well done
Passion for a certain theme is always helpful. You are working on a nice project, getting all these chars done for something you love.


Can you tell me more about your UV resin for eyes usage? Interested in painting better eyes myself.  

Thanks Vallarde! While I love the series, it is definitely time for a break


As for the eyes and the UV resin process, I am happy to describe it for you!

The process for using UV resin came about while I was working on Hitomi. I always print multiple heads in case I screw something up permanently, Hitomi being no exception. I did exactly that though, and screwed up the neck hole enough that I was unwilling to fix it. So I painted it up anyway and thought "you know...I at least have a test head and base for the wig cap and hair." So it wasn't a total loss.

It was around this time that I was learning (thanks to Gub and Stryker) about the eye decals you can buy off ebay. I bought some and after some fiddling around managed to add some eye decals to a different sculpt that actually looked halfway decent. Using Vallejo Gloss Varnish with the decals was proving problematic (probably because of a lack of experience) as well, and I knew I needed something else.

So the idea of using something that would solidify in a way that would make Daft Punk proud came to mind: UV Resin. Some of the youtube vids I was watching were making great use of the stuff in a wide range of applications. I then bought some off amazon (after a good deal of research), along with a UV flashlight, and grabbed a sculpt I had tested the decals on. The results were immediate. The clarity was perfect, even with numerous layers. It was rock hard. And the reflection was brighter than anything I had done with the gloss varnish.

How I applied it was simple:

• Plastic scrap to put a drop of resin on

• A brush I didn't care about ruining with a good tip

• Grab a tiny drop of resin on the brush and touch dead center of the eye

• Gently spread the resin and cure with the UV light immediately (45 seconds all of 3mm above the eye)

• Repeat until happy with it.

The pros are: Rock hard when cured, clear as day, lightning fast set time with the UV light, and easy to sort of mold and manipulate on the eye as you layer it.

The cons are: Likes to flow into the corner of the eyes (If you don't drown it, it isn't noticeable when some gets there. If anything, it makes the eye look like it is well hydrated), has some odor to it when uncured, and is, without any question, permanent. Rubbing alcohol would remove your work prior. Now, well, good luck.

To be fair, I wanted permanent. I am not worried about yellowing either as none of them are in direct sunlight and what sunlight does hit them is ambient room lighting and not heavy rays of light. And that is if I don't have the blinds closed and my blackout process in place.

All told, it was an idea I am glad I had and tried. It is scary though!

Very nice, Indeed!

The character with the ball would look good photographed outside on sand, beach scene.

MeMyself&I wrote:


As for the eyes and the UV resin process, I am happy to describe it for you!

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation! Will try it too in the future

Very cute. The last volleyball shot is well done; I know the ball is just balancing on her arms, but it does look like she’s hitting it. Very cool.

BAMComix wrote:Very nice, Indeed!

Thank ya!

ukshaun wrote:The character with the ball would look good photographed outside on sand, beach scene.

One day this will happen. Right now though it is rainy and 35F outside, so not really beach volleyball weather :p

Valiarde wrote:

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation! Will try it too in the future

Definitely test it out! Let me know if you have any questions too. Or improvements!

Stryker2011 wrote:Very cute. The last volleyball shot is well done; I know the ball is just balancing on her arms, but it does look like she’s hitting it. Very cool.

Thanks! I need to do the magnet thing so I can attempt more poses, but I need another volleyball first. I like the paint job on this one too much to modify it.

MeMyself&I wrote:

Things learned and tried while making these figures

• How to use a 4K resin 3d printer
  

• How to air brush and paint
  

• How to make eye decals
  

• How to make wig caps and style hair semi-competently
  

• How to sew by hand draw patterns for outfits
  

• How to scale measurements
  

• How to use UV Resin for eye effects
  

• How to plan and build dioramas
  

• That dioramas are my favorite part of this hobby
  

• How to accept what is truly failure verses my being a perfectionist
  

• How to force myself to be patient and accept that it is my creation and interpretation
  

The list goes on. Thank you again to all of you I have mentioned before for the help and tips and inspiration!

It really can be quite the educational hobby, right? You should be really proud of that list.

Ovy wrote:

MeMyself&I wrote:

Things learned and tried while making these figures

• How to use a 4K resin 3d printer
  

• How to air brush and paint
  

• How to make eye decals
  

• How to make wig caps and style hair semi-competently
  

• How to sew by hand draw patterns for outfits
  

• How to scale measurements
  

• How to use UV Resin for eye effects
  

• How to plan and build dioramas
  

• That dioramas are my favorite part of this hobby
  

• How to accept what is truly failure verses my being a perfectionist
  

• How to force myself to be patient and accept that it is my creation and interpretation
  

The list goes on. Thank you again to all of you I have mentioned before for the help and tips and inspiration!

It really can be quite the educational hobby, right? You should be really proud of that list.

Yes, yes it is! I have said it before, but I’m grateful for all the posts you, Ovy, and of course many others have made that have taught me a lot of that list. It’s much appreciated!

Very nice and very lovely customs. Good luck on your PHD too, I wish you all the best and don't worry too much the hobby will always be there.