WIP Crew of Firefly class ship Serenity :)

It all started with Mal.  Being a long time fan of the Firefly TV show and Serenity movie, I couldn't resist the Mal Reynolds action figure by Quantum Mechanix.  But they never released another character (it's been like 3 years since this character was released) and my Mal needs his crew.  This is the first time I've ever had dolls or, as Action Figures are new to me, an AF that are supposed to represent actual characters, and I'm finding it fun to put this crew together.  So this is what I have so far.... Mal is complete, so Here are the rest I have to create to at least the same standard:

FireflyCrew by ingiebee, on Flickr

While I'm waiting for bodies and clothes to arrive (as well as most of the heads) I started to work on River Tam's head.  Although the sculpt was supposed to be Summer Glau, I found the nose to be too sharp, so I trimmed it down and gave her more of a pixie nose.  She  also came with some kind of melanoma on her eyebrow, which I trimmed up/off.  I could see this in the promo pictures, and it turned out worse than I expected.  It was quite the lump and I couldn't live with it  So here are her Rhinoplasty photos:

rhinoplasty by ingiebee, on Flickr

rhinoplasty by ingiebee, on Flickr

rhinoplasty by ingiebee, on Flickr

Her eyes are dull because of the coating of sealant and Testors clear gloss has been out of stock and mine ran out/dried up  I'm also hoping that a little pastel will hide the seams of the paint??!!!

I don't want to modify these heads if at all possible as I don't think I can do as good a job, but some things have to be fixed, you know?  These were the best sculpts I could find for each character.  

Shepherd will need to have his nose enlarged and beard shaved (maybe, he does have a beard in Serenity, I think) and his hair needs modification

Simon's is going to need the butt chin sanded off, and hair style modified along with adjustments to his mouth.

Jayne will get a goatee, since the sculpt is based on the same actor, I figure I'd leave everything as is, and hopefully not have to paint more than his goatee

Kaylee might get her smile crooked a bit?!  I think this sculpt, from the pictures, is a good likeness, and  hope that I got lucky with it

Angelina Jolie sculpt is said to be dark??  If all I have to do is make the eyes brown and lips a tad larger, I'll be ecstatic.  Of course, she is going to need hair, which I dread making all those little curls, LOL

Washburn... well I found this sculpt that I felt *could* be Alan Tudyk, and figure he'd be 'good enough' until I mutilate a loki headsculpt into submission. Hope I can do it!

So, I got my work cut out for me!  Wish me luck, and I'll be posting what I got as I get it

Promising start. Good luck.

Thank you, I really need that gloss

Off to a hell of a start! Already impressed with the Summer Glau modifications.

For the gloss, I've become fond of using a nail polish clear coat. Because it's thick, you get a nice sense of depth on the eyes.

good idea, but doesn't it go yellow over time, @ReverendSpooky ?

Peaches wrote:good idea, but doesn't it go yellow over time, @ReverendSpooky ?

Huh. I sure hope not! I wonder if that's something I'll regretfully find out somewhere down the line...

Yeah you’re probably better with something like liquitex gloss varnish for eyes - nail polish doesn’t last very well!

I’m so excited to see your crew come together - Firefly is one of my all time favourite shows and I’m still in denial over Wash! T.T

Now THAT is some project, very ambitious, so much work to do but it will be great!
At least their clothing and weapons might be easier to come by. And I want to see the Hero of Canton with mama's orange cap.

There is that crazy dude on the internet, Chopperhead or something, he is making the complete dwarven crew from the hobbit triology, with custom headsculpts from that paintsculptmasterpeterman, very inspiring.

Lynkhart wrote:Yeah you’re probably better with something like liquitex gloss varnish for eyes - nail polish doesn’t last very well!

Definitely don't listen to me then! I guess I'll be repainting a bunch of eyes at some point in the future.

Great start! I think Ada Wong has some old Firefly cast member head sculpts for sale on her site if it's still working, here's a link.

http://wantedmall.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=79

I was wondering when you were gonna post pics! Looking good already , I’m so excited !!!

A very ambitious project and off to a great start. I find your solutions as to the "casting" of the head sculpts very ingenious.

@shovelchop81 , unfortunately, it looks like she only has Mal's head ... Still might order it though

@skywalkersaga thanks, I'm just realizing just how daunting this is going to be!

@ReverendSpooky hopefully, they won't go bad, just don't leave them in the sun light

Thank you @GubernatorFan, I am humbled. I can see this thread lasting ( clears throat) years...,.

Peaches wrote:

@skywalkersaga thanks, I'm just realizing just how daunting this is going to be!

[...]

Thank you @GubernatorFan, I am humbled.  I can see this thread lasting ( clears throat) years...,.

I feel you on that! I've embarked on a similar type of project ( similar in that it involves having to create several different characters at the same time), and even just the ones I'm working on in earnest at the moment are taking me forEVER. Part of that is due to lack of a proper set-up so I have to sort of work in snatches whenever I get a chance, and part of it is due to still being pretty new at this and making lots of mistakes and having to re-do things or change my plans mid-way through. (It's so frustrating when you know how you want things to look but lack of time/energy/resources/skills/etc. constantly prevent or delay them from completion, le sigh.)

But in your case it sounds like you already have a lot experience with doll-making in general, so you have a good foundation and I'm confident you can pull this off.   (Funnily enough, I actually started out  attempting to make *dolls* of the characters I wanted, but then found myself having to purchase loads of 1/6 action figure parts, and welp, here I am. )

Tomorrow is slated to be a 'play day' for me, I'm excited!

Shiny!!

LOL, THANKS @henchman21

I powdered up river's face with pastels a bit in an attempt to smooth out my paint patch, LOL.  I think i did it as well as i could, to get it perfect she'd have to be repainted and I'm a bit too scared to do that at this point .

Funny, I didn't look until today, but she didn't come with brown or black hair but with a honey blonde wig!  Weird, but not a problem since I want to glue on mohair anyway.  I just ordered some mohair today, so it'll be a while.  Here are a couple of pictures of her scalp I made with Apoxy putty.  She fell on the carpet and go some fibers stuck in the putty . Other than that, I think this will work.  I tried to put thin plastic over her head to make the cap removable, but then the putty kept flattening out and I couldn't consolidate it again as I had the plastic loose because I wanted to get the putty to enter the spaces in the head... Not sure I'm making sense, LOL, But I realized I hate things to come apart and this attempt was merely being driven by my desire to keep things in original condition, LOL.  She's already ruined for that with her rhinoplasty!

Anyways, the Chinese air Force lady who's body and jumper will be modified for Kaylee arrived today.  Hope the guns and other stuff can find a use here!

RiverHead by ingiebee, on Flickr

She's looking really good -- you've definitely improved the likeness greatly.  I have always been fond of the pastel look, it adds a lovely softness, and I cannot wait to see how the mohair turns out. Fingers crossed for the jumpsuit and other accessories!

I have a Kumik sculpt that I'm still waiting to arrive that is supposed to look like a particular actress, but I'm almost 100% sure it's not going to look anything like her, so I'm bracing myself for having do various modifications.

It's really great of you to share your process like this, as it's not only fun to be along for the ride, but educational as well. Thank you!

These are all looking good! Some nice choices. Praying QMX would go there, but, alas they may not. I was pretty obsessed with Summer when Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles came out. I did numerous digital versions of her head at the time. A proper 1/6 crew would be amazing, so it will be interesting to see how yours turn out. Looking forward to seeing your finished River.

CHEERS!

Thanks : D. I still haven't opened my package, I should go do that, LOL.  Gotta see how hard it is to take the sleeves off!

I have now opened the package with the FLAGSET FS-73006 1:6 Scale Chinese Air Force Pilot, and I don't know if I can do it, ugh! I mean, it's SUCH a nice set. My daughter was opening it with me, and she was all "wow, that's pretty cool, oooh, that's neat" etc... and the detail on the jumpsuit is so nice!

Just shoot me now, I have no guts.

Buy another one and cut that up, LOL!

CHEERS!

Just looked it up and it *does* look very nice. I’d be too tempted by that jumpsuit though — it seems perfect for Kaylee!

But then I’ve cut up vintage dolls in my quest to find the right clothing for my 1/6 figures, so...

LOL, I'm going to have to work on myself here!  What else am I going to do if I don't use it, right?

LOL, Rogerbee! Funds are running out!

BTW, ideas for uses of the helmet or other parts are welcome??!!

I’d need to look at it again, but perhaps some of it could be used for River when she’s in the spacesuit ?

Even if things aren’t the right colour to start, certain items can be painted , whether plastic, faux leather , or even fabric ...

As for the jumpsuit, might I offer a suggestion: instead of cutting the seam to remove the sleeves entirely — cut the sleeves just below the seam, about a quarter inch, and fold the fabric inside the jumper — you can sew those in if so inclined, but doing it that way would make it look like it being sleeveless was intentional.

And I understand where you’re coming from with not wanting to “damage” things that come in a set, but trust me — once you start down the path of modifying things, it gets a lot easier, and you’ll start to look more at the possibilities of what could be, as opposed to what it is.