Statue Forum 





Go Back   Statue Forum > Statue Talk - Others > eFX, HCG & CM

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 01-30-2011, 10:41 PM   #1
Kaijuboy
Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.
 
Kaijuboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 386
HCG Alien Bust "v2.0" (mod)

Ok, so I bought the HCG 1/1 Alien bust a little while back, and like some other board members here, was a little disappointed in it. The bust itself had some REALLY good potential, it just needing some tweaking and a little TLC to really bring it out. So, I set out on this labor of love (I sure wasnt paid for this job! ) because I REALLY wanted a "proper" 'Alien' bust (I already have a Warrior). Think of it as a "v2.0" or a super exclusive EX (only 1!)...

The facial area had a fair amount of work done. The facial tubing around the dome was in very poor condition, so I replaced it (see before & after pic). Also only some of the side facial tendons are clear, while a lot are just molded on (like the chin tendons). So I cut some clear sheet styrene and heated/stretched them to match the tendons and applied them over the chin, jaw, and upper lip area. This combined with the fixed up facial tubing really helped alleviate the "horse lip" look it had initially.

I needed to make a base/riser for the Bust so that it was actually "upright", as the Bust initially is slanted, like as if the Alien was riding in a sportscar. So I got the correct angle I needed out of a bunch of wood shims, glued them together, cut the shape to match the Aliens base, sanded it, painted it, felted it, and put the Alien logo and HCG information/edition# on the bottom.

The tubes had to be hand made, so I set out with some reference material ( pics & my ever trusty 'Giger's Alien' book), some PVC, clay, putty, and good ol' ingenuity. I originally wanted to make them detachable for easier transportation, But the trade-off of making them sturdy also made them too heavy to safely/cleanly make them detachable, so I ended up just attaching them permanently. (In hindsight I could have molded them and made some lightweight casts, but thats a lot of time/$$ for just 2 tubes). They were then painted to match the rest of the body.

The original paint application was not only too bright and flat, but mine was also strangely "dusty". It looked more like and old costume and not a living creature. So I painted it (& lots of translucents blacks!) and gave it several gloss and lacquer coats to closer match the on-screen look . The dome was also tinted to closer match what was seen on screen and then super-glossed (more so than the body) to give it that carapace like sheen (see the pic of my reflection in it!). The end result is a LOT more "alive" in my opinion.

The next several posts will show various pics of these mods, so enjoy and please let me know what you think!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien LSA.JPG
Views:	104
Size:	285.2 KB
ID:	61246   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien LSF1.JPG
Views:	106
Size:	159.4 KB
ID:	61247   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien F.JPG
Views:	85
Size:	180.6 KB
ID:	61248   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien RS.JPG
Views:	74
Size:	195.1 KB
ID:	61249   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien RSA.JPG
Views:	66
Size:	400.5 KB
ID:	61250  

Kaijuboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2011, 10:41 PM   #2
Kaijuboy
Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.
 
Kaijuboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 386
The Base...

The Base...

(see 5th pic to see the now corrected "upright" posture of the Alien when on the new base)
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Base Wood.JPG
Views:	15
Size:	144.6 KB
ID:	61251   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Base Side.JPG
Views:	11
Size:	37.9 KB
ID:	61252   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Base Top.JPG
Views:	12
Size:	189.2 KB
ID:	61253   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Base Angle.JPG
Views:	30
Size:	142.0 KB
ID:	61254   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien LS Profile.JPG
Views:	42
Size:	84.5 KB
ID:	61255  

Kaijuboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2011, 10:42 PM   #3
Kaijuboy
Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.
 
Kaijuboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 386
The Face...

The Face...

(1st pic is some of the facial tubes before & after), 2nd pic is an example of some of the new tendons. NOTE: Picture is with flash and Alien is NOT normally this bright!)
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Face tubes.JPG
Views:	102
Size:	48.3 KB
ID:	61256   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Tendons Before & After.JPG
Views:	124
Size:	54.7 KB
ID:	61257   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Face.JPG
Views:	93
Size:	217.1 KB
ID:	61258  
Kaijuboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2011, 10:42 PM   #4
Kaijuboy
Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.
 
Kaijuboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 386
The Tubes...

The Tubes...
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Tubes PVC.JPG
Views:	46
Size:	96.2 KB
ID:	61259   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Tubes in Progess.JPG
Views:	43
Size:	35.4 KB
ID:	61260   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien LSRA.JPG
Views:	53
Size:	235.2 KB
ID:	61261   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Tubes Back.JPG
Views:	36
Size:	141.7 KB
ID:	61262  
Kaijuboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2011, 10:42 PM   #5
Kaijuboy
Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.
 
Kaijuboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 386
The Dome...

The Dome...

(The 4th pic shows the magic of Min-Wax Polyurethane! )
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien TF.JPG
Views:	48
Size:	278.5 KB
ID:	61263   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien TT.JPG
Views:	41
Size:	155.9 KB
ID:	61264   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien TB.JPG
Views:	37
Size:	243.3 KB
ID:	61265   Click image for larger version

Name:	Alien Reflection.JPG
Views:	71
Size:	271.3 KB
ID:	61266  
Kaijuboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-31-2011, 12:38 AM   #6
Darth Pain
Yeah, I spend WAY too much time here!
 
Darth Pain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: NJ
Posts: 14,036
Looks much better! Nice work!
It amazes me that people actually bought that and were happy with it.
Darth Pain is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-31-2011, 04:49 AM   #7
Zoidberg
A day without sunshine is like... night.
 
Zoidberg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Norway
Posts: 299
Very impressive!!
Was awaiting this a long time, intrigued by their claim to use original molds but could not bring myself to buy the travesty they actually made.
Your improved version would have gotten my money!
Mouth,lip,tubing,paint and dome all look like somebody with a real eye made them now.
Maybe they should have sold this as a "kit for the creatively inclined; parts missing"
Can not see from the pics, but did you address the dip in the dome, too
?
Zoidberg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-31-2011, 06:38 AM   #8
thx217
Ultimates
 
thx217's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 9,777
Nice work. Though the lip thing is still there but your stylized version is much cooler then the "original mold" one.
thx217 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-31-2011, 06:38 AM   #9
thx217
Ultimates
 
thx217's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 9,777
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoidberg View Post
Very impressive!!
Was awaiting this a long time, intrigued by their claim to use original molds but could not bring myself to buy the travesty they actually made.
Your improved version would have gotten my money!
Mouth,lip,tubing,paint and dome all look like somebody with a real eye made them now.
Maybe they should have sold this as a "kit for the creatively inclined; parts missing"
Can not see from the pics, but did you address the dip in the dome, too
?
Stuff that came from the "original mold" still requires TONS of work to make it look right, making a cast out of the so called OG mold then expecting magic to happen is just plane dumb.

This thing also came from the original mold, but so what?


Same thing, but in the right hands.
thx217 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-31-2011, 09:38 AM   #10
Vader
Ghost
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 8,688
I think the dome should have been somewhat larger. and the gums should be showing rather than having the lip go as low as it does. Also, I would have misted the dome a bit more to cover the underlying paint work.

is there any way to remove the dome without breaking it?
Vader is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:57 AM.



Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright StatueForum.com