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Post by TxR on Dec 18, 2007 13:13:04 GMT -5
First of all, let me start off by saying thanks to all those who participated and poured their allinto their figures. Also thank you to Becca for running this and her and Maniwa for coming to me to judge... It's been a while since I've posted, so lets do this the right way.
Okay… First match… PTTG vs. Razor… Two WCW customs here and a fairly good matchup skill wise.
I’ll start off with PTTG’s Diamond Studd. To be honest, I’m really not a fan of this figure at all. Rushed, or not, that is no one’s fault but your own and I feel you have no room for excuses, If you couldn’t present a quality custom by the deadline, which you knew ahead of time, then you should not have entered. I am however happy that you didn’t simply leave the PPV hanging like so many have done in the past. Back the figure... starting with the parts choice, it’s poor. The torso does not work for Hall in any era. Definitely should have gone with the less defined Brock or SHW torso. He head also is not accurate for the era. His mullet would have been much more accurate. I dislike the skintone… a lot. It is far too pink and chalky looking. I don’t know what happened there, maybe you didn’t seal it, but it doesn’t look so good. You need to establish more of a tanned skintone, than this pinkish one. The chest hair… yeah again, not so good. Develop your techniques by practicing on spare parts, or figures that are not for tournaments. To me it looks like you’ve got too much paint on your brush when applying. Thin down some paint with water, do small bits at a time, and take your time when doing chest hair. I have seen way too many people over the years destroy figures with hideous chest hair and this is one of those cases. It looks like you sculpted the kneepads, while they are decent, they aren’t great looking. They just look kind of awkward the way they sit on the legs. The tights’s painting looks pretty good on the front, simple design, but the right colors and whatnot. The back writing could use work. It appears to descend to the right across his ass. Just even that part out and it’ll look fine. Last critique is the positioning of the figure. I’m confused why his arms are up and in an awkward position. Believe it or not, it makes a BIG difference in appearance how you position the figure for photographing. Arms by the sides or posed is obviously the best position. It looks like maybe you painted the skintone on in this position and you are afraid to move the arms because the skintone will rub off. If that is the case you definitely need to figure something out with that… like sealer.
Now... onto Razor’s Kidman. I loved this era in WCW. I’ve always been a fan of Raven’s work, so clearly I enjoyed the Flock. What I like most about this figure is its originality. I have made it very well known that what I respect more than anything in the custom game is having original ideas and original work. This figure is decent, but does have its flaws as well. I enjoy the fact that you didn’t use one of Kidman’s realscan heads. Neither one ever really worked for me, so I’m glad you didn’t cheap out and use one of those. Maybe it’s because this is all you had, or maybe you wanted to try something new, either way, I like it better than the traditional Kidman realscan head. The hair sculpt, however, I am definitely not a fan of. I can see the look you were going for, but it really wasn’t achieved. It almost looks like a mullet. What was supposed to be strands of hair hanging in his face looks more like bangs. I’ll give you one thing with this however, it does look dirty. The part choices on this figure are pretty good. The rubber shirt, while a little big, is pretty much your only option without sculpting one. The longer baggier arm sleeves do work for Kidman, but again appear too big. I think you didn’t change out the lower arms as they appear overly large as well. Simply replacing those with the newer skinny lower arms would help the look of your figure. Also, believe it or not, the hand choices on some of these figures makes a difference, with the hands you used on the smaller body they look huge. Now I understand that its Jakks mold. But using some clinched fists would have made them not as noticeable. Legs look good. I’m glad you painted the white frayed detailing on the shorts. People tend to overlook that sometimes. Paint wise, not much appears to have been used, but truthfully it wasn’t needed. I’m glad you didn’t paint an unnecessary skintone and cheapen the look of the figure. The shirt design is sloppy however. I understand that it supposed to be rough looking, but looking back at pictures, it isn’t completely accurate. I’m also curious if you painted the back design. Judging from the pictures, I doubt it, but I will offer the benefit of the doubt.
Now which figure does one vote on… The one with more painting, but looks rushed and cheaply done, or the figure that is much cleaner, finished looking but without major painting or modding jobs? Razor’s attention to detail and overall good use of parts and the effectiveness of the figure gives him my vote.
Winner: Razor’s Flock style Kidman.
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Post by TxR on Dec 18, 2007 13:47:15 GMT -5
Allrite… Second match… TCKDeen vs. TitanTrap. Again, this appears to be a very good matchup skill level. TitanTrap has been improving over the past year or so and has put out a ton of customs. This shows that. TCKDeen… I know nothing about, but this custom is fairly impressive.
I will start with TCKDeen’s Stinger. Overall, I am a fan of this custom. Parts choice, very good. I like the originality of using the Toybiz body as that’s not something you see everyday around here. Billy Gunn, I believe it is, has pretty much everything needed for an old school Sting custom. I love how Gunn’s boots on his TNA figure very much resemble those in which Sting wore in the 80’s and 90’s, The solid boots with straps, no kickpads or laces is perfectly accurate. Also the physique of this figure works well for Sting. I commend you on going over the short tights mold and modding it enough to resemble long tights rather than simply painting all the way down the leg. That is a surefire way to kill a custom is with the use of inappropriate parts and think that paint alone will cover up an original mold. The original Chavo head has been used many, many, many times in the past, so I can’t give kudos for that choice, but it does work. Sting’s excited “Wooo” look is depicted pretty well in that scan. Unlike most of the Jakks RA heads, it actually works on the TNA body quite well. Painting… It really looks good. It looks like you painted a full skintone, but at the same time, it’s very clean looking. Good work with that if that is the case. The tights appear to be painted nicely as well. It does look a bit rough around where the short tights were modded, but that’s almost to be expected. The scorpion on the leg looks good as well. I can’t tell if that is a printout or not, but another think I have always said is that it’s not about how it’s done, it’s about how effective it is done. Orange can be a difficult color to paint in bulk, so good job with that. It’s a good figure. Simple attire choice, as there aren’t many colors, but it works. The facepaint appears to be painted very nicely as well. The major gripe I have with your figure is the hair. While the sculpt looks very un-detailed, but acceptable, the color is not. It is way too yellow. As I’m sure you know Sting’s hair was always Platinum blonde, and not gold-blonde. You need to add more whites and browns/beiges into your mix and the hair will look much more accurate. Also, put some detailing in there to give it more definition. Pictures are good. Nothing distracting and highlight your figure and allow it to stand out… Good work with that.
Now onto TitanTrap’s Phantasio. Much like in the first matchup I am VERY thankful for an original custom. When is the last time anyone saw a custom made of this cat…? Yeah exactly. You get major TXR-points for that one. What I like most about your work bro is the cleanliness of your figures. This figure is a perfect example of that. The paint is EXTREMELY smooth. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that one of the major compliments I received was for my smooth paint. It really makes a difference in the appearance of customs. The smoother the paint, the more realistic and professional it looks. The thing about this figure however, is its simplicity. There are pretty much two colors on this entire figure. While very effective and accurate, it doesn’t leave a very exciting feeling for a tournament or competition matchup. Moving on, the part choices are excellent. Looks like you painted on the upper portion of the singlet which works fine. The straps across the front look very straight and professional. This is an interesting matchup as both of you guys chose less common mediums. Him with the Toybiz and TitanTrap with the DA… both very different, but both fairly exciting. TitanTrap, the Malenko head works very well in this application. The Malenko hair mold works fine for Phantasio and his serious demeanor works wonderfully. Doesn’t look like any modifications were made to the head, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There really isn’t much that I could point out that makes it inaccurate. I loooove the fact that you included the little removable mask with him as well. I’ve always felt that it is the small things, the details or accessories that really takes a figure to the next level. Nice attention to detail bro. I commend you for it! Now, let me tell you the problem I have with this figure... The painting is smooth and well done, however… it is the skintone(s) on this one that brings it down for me. There are three different tones on here… You’ve got the tanned Malenko head, the “pale” DA body and then the patch on the leg of skintone which is lighter than the Jakks tone. Now, many wouldn’t notice such a thing, but I’m a stickler for matching skintones. The Jakks skintone is something that dozens of people have attempted, but no one has perfected. If you’ve got parts with different tons, you either need to match the main tone, or paint the entire figure. On this figure it is a small issue, but brings it down in my book. Also bro… a bit of criticism, your pictures. These for instance are very distracting. All of the crap in the background, the darkish lighting and inability to highlight your figure make it look unprofessional. Just take the time to clear off a bit of wall, or set up a mini studio to take pictures of your figures… It will make them shine that much more, trust me..
So again… who gets the nod? The figure that is more colorful, and accurate, but fairly overdone, or the original-as-hell figure which is quite simple with a few flaws that will bring it down… I’ve got to give it to TCKDeen. His Sting is a really decent figure and there is less to pick apart. Titantrap put on a very good showing.
Winner: TCKDeen’s Sting
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Post by TxR on Dec 18, 2007 15:05:14 GMT -5
Wow… Big tag match we got here next… First off I’ll start with 4LK’s Roderick Strong and CustomKenny’s James Gibson. This is decent pair of customs here. Both have their faults, but also have their strong points.
4LK’s Roderick Strong… This is a very solid RA playable custom here. Many have attempted Roderick Strong customs, and this is pretty much the essence of what an RA Strong should look like. Finally we have a torso that accurately portrays his strange physique and you put that to use very nicely. Overall Parts choices are good. Torso works wonderful, I like that you used the cruiser arms rather than the huge arms that most people use for him. They fit his body much better. The tights are a no-brainer and the short boots work decent. The only problem here is the height of the short boots. There really isn’t a pair of Jakks boots that works perfect for Roddy as they are either too short, or too tall, but you made the best of what we’ve got. I like the hands that you chose. It allows you to pose or play with “chopping action” as Roderick is known for. The head had been used many times before… and I honestly am not much of a fan of it. I can understand why people use it, but to me its way overused. The hairsculpt is good for a more modern Roderick where he ahs let it grow out a little bit, but there was no modding done to the face. It still looks very much like it did on RVD. I would recommend doing some work around the eyes and tooling the eyebrows a little bit until you can get it to resemble him more and RVD less. Paintjob on the tights appears smooth and the designs all look accurate. A very solid figure here.
Now… CustomKenny’s James Gibson… I’m really disappointed with this figure. It’s got potential, but really wasn’t done like it should have been. The parts work well for a DA Gibson… Not much to say there at all.. Cruiser torso and tights, real simple. The head choice I don’t like and let me explain… It’s a real scan head, I realize, but in order for it to resemble Gibson it takes a lot of work. The goatee does not look like anything Gibson has had in the past few years, the eyes and eyebrow area look nothing like him with the stock paintjob. Finally the color of his hair is off. I cannot say its okay because it’s a realscan head, because it’s not, why should you receive less criticism because you made someone that Jakks has already done… Yeah.. the head needs work. If you don’t know what I’m talking about I’d be happy to post a picture to explain. Moving on… The boots look good. I’m glad you went with accuracy as opposed to simplicity there. The pictures are really difficult to make out detail however. I can’t critique the laces painting accurately because its way too hard to see, but it does look like there may be some touchups required. Now the tights… My other gripe… The orange painting looks sort of strange. It looks a bit inconsistent and rough… Also, the printout on the rear of the tights is bad. It is clearly a printout and makes you figure look tacky. It is really not a design that is extremely difficult to paint. You can see the pixels for the printer… Not so good. You had a good idea with this custom but the execution was very poor. It needs a lot of work.
Now I’ll hit the opposition.
This LAX set is also decent, but also has many issues… Let me explain.
First, TCKDeen’s Hernandez. I’d say is the better of the two. The part choices are quite good. I like the use of the Brock or SHW torso for him. He’s a real bulky dude, and I think this fits him well. The shorts obviously work well for him and I like that you went with some short boots that would add height to the figure. Its details like that that make customs stand out. I can’t decipher which head you used… It works for the most part, but looks oddly shaped. In the angled picture it looks almost deformed. Secondly, the temple area on that side is really rough. It’s in definite need of some smoothing. The goatee also looks a bit strange, maybe it’s too bushy or thick or something, either way it needs revision. I’m quite disappointed with the skintone on this figure. On the Sting figure also entered in this competition the skintone was very smooth and nicely done. This one looks rough and chunky, I’m definitely not a fan. Then tattoos are there, but look small and un-detailed. I’m glad you added them, but you need to get good reference pictures before jumping into something like tattoos. The designs on the pants appear to be printouts. Like I’ve stated previously I don’t have a problem with printouts if you can make them look nice. These are decent… much better than that in which Kenny used for his Noble. Perhaps it’s due to the black background, but either way, I’ll let it go. As I said with TitanTrap it’s the details and accessories that tickles my fancy… The addition of the necklace and title belt are awesome. Kudos for that. Overall, it’s a decent custom, but rough around the edges, with some revision and a little more care, this could be a very solid custom.
Now wwe4ever’s Homicide… What is there to say about this figure… It much like the James Gibson is the more disappointing of the duo. It’s just… missing something. The part choices need work… and perhaps that is the thing factor that brings it down the most… Throughout this match I have enjoyed all the part choices on the other figures, but this one is a huge let down… First of all the torso does not work for Homicide… He does not tuck in his shirt while wrestling… ever. If you can prove me wrong please do so.. Furthermore, the arms are way too big… We’ve all been guilty of using what you have, but in this case, I’m not a fan. Furthermore, Homicide doesn’t wear ripped jean shorts. If you are going to use this mold for Homicide it needs work. I can understand not using the Coach basketball shorts mold. As it’s hard to come across, however it definitely needs work… You can easily switch out the crotch piece to one with sweat pants or tights detailing as it is much more accurate looking for basketball shorts than the jeans crotch… Also some removal of the rips and pockets on the shorts would have been nice. Beyond just the part choices, the execution of this figure is poor. There is absolutely no designs on the shorts…. Not good. If you’re going for his LAX look he has abundant designs on his shorts… The shirt logo is poor. Big, crooked and very amateur looking. It needs some touching up, straightening and attention to small detail. The tattoos are the same way. Homicide has elaborate designs taking over the majority of his arms… You need to get good reference pictures and go to town slowly, carefully and attentively. Now, onto the head… You can’t see it. I appreciate the inclusion of his different headgears, but you need to make it removable so that his head can be seen. Using the Maven head can work, but it needs heavy modding. Covering his face with bandanas isn’t going to win you any points… that’s for sure.
This is another very tough choice… The Gibson and Homicide customs almost cancel each other out… Both are very poor and need a lot of work… so that pretty much leaves it t Roderick vs. Hernandez… and with that in mind, I have to vote for 4LK’s Roderick Strong. It’s a much cleaner accurate figure. I love the part choices and there really isn’t much more to say.
Winner: 4LK’s Roderick Strong (and Customkenny’s James Gibson by default)
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Post by TxR on Dec 19, 2007 14:21:04 GMT -5
And now… We’ve got the IC title Match pinning GateCitySinner against Bartman in a showdown of wrestlecraperific proportions.
I’ll kick it off with Gate City Sinner’s Shark custom. Excellent work here man. With each custom you have put it the improvement made is definitely shown. You even claim yourself that you tend to rush things sometimes, as most are for orders, but you have continuously gotten better. Let me call this… You are the next ImportRacer. He’s been known for putting out quality work, although sometimes rushed for years. Your styles are very similar in the way you paint and manipulate the parts. It’s a huge compliment in comparing you to import as he’s always been a solid force. Now onto this actual figure… Parts choices… Very good man… I like that you upgraded from Jakks Earthquake figure. Rather than the too-large Yokozuna parts Jakks used for him, you went with the much more accurate Bam Bam parts. Excellent call there. You also did something that many wouldn’t notice and definitely wouldn’t expect… You went with a different head than the Real Scan one. I like that a lot. Rather than the calm, kind of strange looking Tenta head, you went with the Bam Bam head which has a much more fierce look. I like it. Excellent modding to the hair and ponytail. It does look Jakks-like. Standard body mold which works wonderfully for Tenta’s build. Only problem I have with the parts choice is the left wrist. Obviously it’s the wrist band mold in the fleshtone, which I’m never a fan of, so sanding that down clearly would have made it a better custom. I love the paintjob on this figure. Everything is sooo smooth. There’s almost nothing I enjoy more than a smooth paintjob figure-wise. Excellent. The designs are all there and all look very accurate. I commend you on going into detail on this figure as I would imagine it would be difficult to find good reference pictures, but you nailed it. Everything from the armband to the multi-colored sharks on this thigh… it’s really quality work! The “Shark Attack” text on the back of his tights is very nicely done. Its even it’s symmetrical, it’s very clean. A recurring theme throughout this competition seems to be accessories. I love them, and I love that you made a little bandana for him. Along with the face paint it really adds to this figure and completes it as a badass custom. It’s nothing that took hours of sculpting, a ton of modding, or any of that, but it’s a hell of a job done. Everything is accurate and beyond the unpainted wristband, there is very little to complain about.
Now Bartman… You, like the sinner have shown great improvement with each of your customs I have seen. You have been one of the rising starts here as of late as many of the veterans of the custom game have packed up. I do however feel that this figure was almost a step back for you. I know you are capable of great work, and while this figure did have several positive features, I feel that you are better than this shows. Now, I’m not saying that it is a bad figure, but there is room for improvement… Let’s start with the part selection… I’m kind of up in the air about some of the parts… I don’t feel that the pants were the best choice, but I cannot really give advice as to which would be better. I probably would have done with the dress pants mold (such as that used on the Mexicools) as I feel it resembles the jumpsuit deal fairly well. I also don’t care for the banded crotchpiece. The torso modifications you made were good… but I don’t really understand your attire choice. Of all the variations of Droese’s garbage suit, I don’t know why you chose this. Had you gone with his short sleeved top with the vest over it I would have enjoyed it much more. Also, you’ve got the right idea with the suspenders, but where is the weightbelt at? As far as I know the suspenders were only there to hold up the weightbelt that he always wore, so I’m confused as to where that is. The arms I’m not a fan of, but Droese was a bigger dude, so that’s fine… I can understand not having access, but if you had added the CS1 or CSTT Taker gloves painted up like Droese’s gloves, I would have LOVED it, but you just repainted the standard bare hands. Moving onto the head… I dislike the choice a lot… I believe it is a Eugene head? I don’t like that you can’t see his ear more than anything... I can’t see the hair at all, but it doesn’t appear to be very detailed. I would recommend using a Mike Knox head for Droese… I think it would have worked perfect with slight mods. The paintjob overall looks pretty good. It’s quite clean and everything, but again I am confused with the attire choice. He’s most known for the blue jumpsuit, so I definitely would have gone with that. What I do like about the paintjob is the gloves. I love how you gave them a dirty look… It’s that attention to detail that’ll win me over… And finally… again with the accessories.. This is one of my favorites. The innovative trashbag Idea is simply gold! Pair him with one of Jakks trashcans or even one of their dumpsters for the photo and it would add a great look. I appreciate that you went to the trouble of creating the trashbag though… so kudos for that.
I give this match for GateCitySinner. He put out an excellent rendition of John Tenta and there was nearly nothing wrong with his figure. Droese however need s a bunch of work and whatnot… This was a good match, but an easier one for me to judge.
Winner: GateCitySinner’s John “Shark” Tenta
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Post by TxR on Dec 19, 2007 14:35:58 GMT -5
Now this is the part of the voting process where I put over Goreinator. Number one contender for a reason, Gore has been around for a number of years, and has shown improvement constantly. A good reason or not, there is no excuse why a custom should not have been turned in from his opponent. It pisses me off even more that Gore busted his ass with arguably the best custom he’s made for no reason as there was no competition, but it really just shows what kind of guy Gore is and the excellent customizer that he is. Seriously, how good is this Amazing Kong custom? Yeah… exactly. I love this thing man… All of the parts are excellently chosen. Everything from the Dreadlocked hair, the MMA-style gloves and the perfect boot choice. It’s clear that Gore did heavy modding to the torso, but everything else is Jakks parts. The skinny arms work well for Kong. She’s still a woman, but a huge one, so they are perfect. The glove mold works well for Kong and what you did to them makes it work even better. I believe you sanded the ridges on the fingers down to better resemble Kongs weird gloves. Almost like there aren’t any finger holes. Excellent attention to detail! Moving down to the legs… They’re perfect. Kong almost has abnormally skinny legs in comparison to the rest of her body and the short tights and Rocky boots fit that look to a tee. The Michael Clarke Duncan head is amazingly perfect for Kong… It’s manly but still captures her look… that head with the DA Booker hair piece makes this thing looks incredible. What can be said about the torso mods… Sculpting boobs can’t be an easy thing and all the detailing with the straps on the back and whatnot is awesome. The attire is wonderful. The use of the leather looking material works perfect… With the badass paintjob it makes this a standout custom. Gore… brother… You really stepped it up in this match and I thank you for that. As a judge who takes quite a bit of time to go over these customs and critique them, it is insulting to have someone not enter… So thank you for the pleasure of letting me review your wonderful work. I look forward to your title match and wish you the best of luck.
Winner: Goreinator
Main Event voting still to come...
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Post by Bartman on Dec 19, 2007 15:43:56 GMT -5
Now Bartman… You, like the sinner have shown great improvement with each of your customs I have seen. You have been one of the rising starts here as of late as many of the veterans of the custom game have packed up. I do however feel that this figure was almost a step back for you. I know you are capable of great work, and while this figure did have several positive features, I feel that you are better than this shows. Now, I’m not saying that it is a bad figure, but there is room for improvement… Let’s start with the part selection… I’m kind of up in the air about some of the parts… I don’t feel that the pants were the best choice, but I cannot really give advice as to which would be better. I probably would have done with the dress pants mold (such as that used on the Mexicools) as I feel it resembles the jumpsuit deal fairly well. I also don’t care for the banded crotchpiece. The torso modifications you made were good… but I don’t really understand your attire choice. Of all the variations of Droese’s garbage suit, I don’t know why you chose this. Had you gone with his short sleeved top with the vest over it I would have enjoyed it much more. Also, you’ve got the right idea with the suspenders, but where is the weightbelt at? As far as I know the suspenders were only there to hold up the weightbelt that he always wore, so I’m confused as to where that is. The arms I’m not a fan of, but Droese was a bigger dude, so that’s fine… I can understand not having access, but if you had added the CS1 or CSTT Taker gloves painted up like Droese’s gloves, I would have LOVED it, but you just repainted the standard bare hands. Moving onto the head… I dislike the choice a lot… I believe it is a Eugene head? I don’t like that you can’t see his ear more than anything... I can’t see the hair at all, but it doesn’t appear to be very detailed. I would recommend using a Mike Knox head for Droese… I think it would have worked perfect with slight mods. The paintjob overall looks pretty good. It’s quite clean and everything, but again I am confused with the attire choice. He’s most known for the blue jumpsuit, so I definitely would have gone with that. What I do like about the paintjob is the gloves. I love how you gave them a dirty look… It’s that attention to detail that’ll win me over… And finally… again with the accessories.. This is one of my favorites. The innovative trashbag Idea is simply gold! Pair him with one of Jakks trashcans or even one of their dumpsters for the photo and it would add a great look. I appreciate that you went to the trouble of creating the trashbag though… so kudos for that. Thanks for the tips and comments. Oh, and trust me, this is one custom I'm definitely ashamed of putting out. Really wasn't fair to Gate for me to put out such a half-assed custom, when he went through all the effort with his. |
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Post by wwe4ever on Dec 19, 2007 17:40:38 GMT -5
Don't worry Bartman. I'm kind of embarassed about my Homicide. There is so much room for improvement. Definitely not my best custom.
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Post by TxR on Dec 20, 2007 22:15:58 GMT -5
Here we go…Big main event time..
Great matchup as far as skill level here. Both Beyondo and Famous J are among the best current customizers on the board, and this is an excellent showcase of what customizing is and was always about. Excellent work to both of you fellas. I am very impressed and thank you for putting effort into these figures. It shows.
Let’s kick this thing off with Famous J. I have said times in the past that Famous makes some of my favorite customs on this board today. This West Texas Rednecks set is definitely a solid set. Had you done Bobby Duncum Jr. I would have gone crazy and probably would have given you much higher marks simply for originality, but that does not take anything away form these two customs. I’ll start off with Hennig.. Clearly excellent parts choosing here. It’s exactly what Jakks has used a couple times, but with your sculpting modifications to the front of the singlet makes the figure much more accurate. I really like that you used the CSDA Hennig head rather than the original RA one because, as many have said, it resembles him to a tee. As I mentioned before, your sculpting job has improved the look of the Jakks parts greatly. Beyond that your sculpting has improved since some of your earlier customs. That really shows. Sculpting on kneepads looks good as well. I’ve never been a fan of the jointed pads, but you make it look very professional. The paintjob on Hennig is top notch as well. Not many colors, but a very smooth job. I love the shades you used for his hair. It makes him look extremely realistic. What I am not a fan of on this figure is the skintone. I understand what you were going for in Hennigs overly tanned appearance, but it just looks too orange for my taste. Great custom here.
To me, the Windham is the gem of the set. Its simplicity is evident, but it is simply genius. Jakks has had a difficult time representing him in all his glory, but you have done a great job bro. First of all a great parts selection. The Regal torso works wonderfully for a later Windham, not to mention much better than the cruiser torso that Jakks used for their 80’s version. The bulkier HW arms work well with the torso for Windham as it still gives him his large physique. Moving down I like the use of the Kane gloved hand. Nice attention to detail. And the cowboy boots work very well in this application. What I noticed and live that much more is that you used regular booted feet and modded off the laces and whatnot. As much as I enjoy the Cowboy boot feet, these pretty much work better as they look more like the Cowboy/Wrestling boots that so many have worn over the years. Nice stuff. The head, I absolutely love. You managed to take the young look Windham head and give it a much older look. The pulled back hair sculpt is phenomenal and all looks good. I love the paintjob on this figure bro. Very crisp, very clean, and overall a wonderful Job. What would have thrown this set into a whole new level would have been come accessories. The Rednecks were notorious for their cowboy hats, t-shirts and “western” gear. With some of that they would have shined that much more.
Now… second term of this equation is Beyondos fabulous Harlem Heat set. Numerous folks have attempted Booker and Stevie Ray set, but no one has succeeded like you. You have pulled off a wonderful combination of highly artistic and fantastically clean techniques. Booker T, to start with, looks just like him circa the late 90’s. Looks like a modded up Booker T head, along with the smaller cruiserweight torso and arms. One of my favorite features of this set is the fact that you used different body molds for the two partners. For a while there it was difficult to tell who was who, but we always knew that Stevie was the bigger of the two. You captured that small detail perfect. The cruiser torso and arms, as well as the smaller mold thighs and lower legs capture Bookers build quite well next to Stevie. The parts selection here is definitely top notch. Now… honestly, what can be said about your paintjobs that hasn’t been said already? Fantastic. These are easily two of the cleanest customs in this competition, and that fact makes them stand out huge. I love it. The detailing you have gone into with the flames and “Harlem Heat” text is amazing. The fact that you managed to pull off such a clean paintjob with red, a knowingly difficult color to paint, has me loving these figures. The singlet type top on both figures is done to perfection. I can’t say exactly what you used to make them, whether it is sculpted, or just something rigged up, it looks amazing. I love the little details that you put into this set… Things like the Breathe Right nose strips are what set good customizers from great ones.
Moving onto Stevie Ray, I have to again express the fact that I love how you used different parts for the two guys. The use of the larger arms, legs and torso fit his physique very well. What makes these figures so great is the fact that rather than looking at the similarities between the two guys, you looked at the differences… The sculpted on kneepads, on Stevie again cannot be found on booker as well as the cap and different colored boots. Excellent, excellent stuff my man. Your sculpting has also improved greatly from some of your earlier works. It is very smooth! The head resembles Stevie quite well as well. Gosh I really don’t even know what to say about these figures. There is nothing that I would change if given the opportunity. Paired with the CS Sherrie figure, this set is complete. I love them both, and thank you for putting out such quality work.
Simply put, my vote goes to Beyondo. His Harlem Heat set is as close to flawless as I have seen in a while. FamousJ, you continue to amaze me and impress me with your wonderful work. I loved your set as well, but on this day, Beyondo gets the not. Wonderful work fellas I am honored to have judged your match.
Winner: Beyondo’s Harlem Heat.
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becca
Main Eventer
Joined on: Dec 13, 2005 11:20:18 GMT -5
Posts: 4,042
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Post by becca on Dec 21, 2007 9:42:24 GMT -5
Alright, voting closed. We did have one judge not vote, however, it wouldn't have changed the outcome.
Final tally:
Beyondo vs FamousJ
Judges 5 - 1
Popular 5 - 0
Gatecitysinner vs Bartman
Judges 6 - 0
Popular 5 - 0
4LK/kenny vs wwe/Deen
Judges 2 - 5
Popular 0 - 4
Deen vs Titantrap
Judges 3 - 4
Popular 1 - 3
Razor vs PeacetotheGods
Judges 3 - 1
Popular 1 - 2
The deal with the cruiserweight title is that if the final judge voted for Deen and tied up the scoring, it would default to the popular vote, which voted Titantrap, so no matter what the final judge voted, these would be the results. Congratulations to our winners. Next up, customania!
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