A Golden Age Mego-Style Update!

Hey Beetlemaniacs! First, I apologize for the intermittent nature of the posts recently. Between adjusting to married life, and a change of shift at work I haven't had as much time as I did in the past. Fear not though, I haven't given up, haven't abandoned you, the blog, or Blue Beetle! On the contrary, one of the other things that has taken up some of my free time is working on the Beetlemania Podcast over at SNGPoductions! 

But this post is something different...its a follow-up to this one from 2014! I've been honing my skills at making custom figures again. I'm no expert...but this time was MUCH better than the first in my opinion!

Remember this?

Read on to see the new and improved, Mego-style Golden Age Blue Beetle!

Mego-style Blue Beetle...the Adventure Continues!

After the multiple Ted Kord appearances in "Convergence", I decided it was time to get back to work on my custom Mego-style figures. Since I'd made the decision a while back to work on secret identities first, the only one I hadn't tackled yet was Ted. Golden age Dan was easy...he was a cop. Silver age Dan was also a breeze...he was an archaeologist. Even Jaime was pretty simple. But Ted? Ted was a challenge! What is Ted? An inventor? A student? A CEO? An every man? All of them really, at one point or another. So taking my inspiration from the Paris Cullins/Len Wein run I came up with this...the every man in a lab coat!

Is it perfect? No...but it works for me...for now. I'm still relatively new at this, so I purchased the head and clothes from Figures Toy Company, but repainted the eyes/eyebrows a bit in an effort to give him a more Paris Cullins-like expression. I'll have plenty of time to learn the ins and outs of sculpting and sewing clothes when I move into part two of this project...

Here's a nice shot of Ted, reunited with his mentor and friend Dan Garrett.

There they are, Dan, Dan, Ted and Jaime...the Beetles! And there you have it, secret identities completed. Maybe I'll revisit them again when I get a hang of sculpting, but for the immediate future...heroes will be the next challenge! Wish me luck!

Once again, thanks again to Anthony Durso of the Toyroom for the awesome custom boxes!

My Continuing Adventures With Mego-style Blue Beetle Customs

You may recall that I've been working on some custom Mego-Style Blue Beetles. (here and there) When I finally wrap this epic project I'll have at least 8 figures! Costumed heroes and secret identities. So far, the costumed heroes have posed the bigger problem. I could buy or commission custom clothing and custom heads, but the artist in me has decided to make them myself...though it's proving to be a lengthy process full of trial and error.

In the meantime, I have been working on the secret identities by mostly using existing pieces. Buy and outfit here, a body there...which leads me to today's post...Jaime Reyes!

For Jaime, I used a 6 inch "teen" body. I chose to go with the "adult" 8 inch figure clothes though. I liked how it gave him a baggy, youthful style. Where as I left Dan and Dan's somewhat generic heads untouched I did thicken the eyebrows, and change the eye color on Jaime. I used a head I found online that seemed a better fit that most of the generic "teen" heads...but I'm pretty sure this used to be "Bud" from "Married With Children."

So, that's Silver Age Dan Garrett the archaeologist, Modern Age Jaime Reyes the teenager, and Golden Age Dan Garret the cop done. Next up...Bronze Age Ted Kord! Then back to the costumed heroes...sewing, and possibly silk screening, tiny spandex outfits and sculpting and casting the heads...it's going to be a lot of work, but this is a labor of love, and an adventure!

And thanks again to Anthony Durso of the awesome Toyroom for the boxes!

What the Kaji Dha Wednesday...Custom Action Figures!

The other day I got a message from a fan on the Kord Industries Facebook page. He's a customizer that goes by the name "unknownsoldier13", a long time DC Universe fan. He was gracious enough to let me share these pics of his awesome Blue Beetle and Booster Gold custom figures! Wanna see more of his stuff? Head over to figurerealm.com or joecustoms.com

Mego-Style Golden Age Blue Beetle v1.5

Ok, my first attempt at custom Mego Blue Beetle figures didn't work out quite the way I'd hoped. Instead of being discouraged, I'm more determined. I'm even considering tackling the challenge of making Ted and Jaime's costumes on my own.

In the meantime I went ahead and did a couple quick side projects...secret identities! After going back through some of Dan Garret's Golden Age adventures I realized that our police officer is a redhead, not brown hair like the first head I purchased. So I hopped online* and ordered a new head...and some clothes...and another body...accessories...and came up with these...

Rookie patrolman Dan Garret (investigating a suspicious box)

and that brown haired head? Archaeologist Dan Garrett (investigating a mysterious box, lol)

Until I finish my work on the Beetles, their alter egos are being housed in their respective boxes

*I've found classictvtoys.com and 8inchsuperstore.com are great for finding the parts I need! But if anyone has suggestions or tips, I'm all ears!

Mego-style Golden Age Blue Beetle v.1.0

Ok, after looking back at some of the Charlton Action Hero ads, I decided there really should have been some Mego-style Blue Beetle figures. There weren't though, so what could I do? Well, how about try my hand at my first ever custom Mego?

First, I reached out to Anthony Durso of the awesome Toyroom! Anthony makes custom and repro packaging for Mego figures. I told him what I needed and within a few days he sent the pic below, and within the week I had the boxes themselves!

Since it's usually best to start at the beginning, I picked Golden Age Dan Garret as my first attempt. I figured for the first go round he'd be fairly simple...I mean it would really just come down to assembling parts, right? Dan #1 basically wears a blue hooded tunic, over blue tights, yellow gloves and belt with a domino mask. 

I started by collecting some parts from http://www.classictvtoys.com

Now, based on the pics on the website, I thought the body suit and the hoodie would have been a closer color match, but I still think it may work. I started by attaching the head (chosen because it looked enough like the 1930s illustrations of rookie patrolman Dan...until I remembered he was a redhead!) to the torso. Next, I pulled on the body suit and slipped on the domino mask. When it came time to pull on the hoodie though I realized the mask needed to come off, at least briefly.

Originally I'd planned to hide the straps of the mask UNDER the hood, but it kept slipping when I pulled the hood over the head or tried adjusting it as I put it in place. So I went OVER the hood instead.

Once that was done all I had to do was slip on the belt and gloves...and ladies and gentlemen...a Beetle!

Ok, I admit, it's a little rough around the edges. His hair is peeking out from under his "mask", the hoodie/tunic isn't long enough to really nail the look, and the blues definitely don't match. 

That said, there's a reason I labeled the post v 1.0. I plan to learn from this and try again. I still like the hoodie/tunic idea, but I think maybe a bald head would work better under there. I think without hair the hood will sit better on the head, and might even give me a little extra length on the tunic. I want to match the blues of the two pieces a little better too, and I need to add a scarab to his belt. So...what's next? Well, maybe a "rookie patrolman Dan Garret" or "archaeologist Dan Garrett"? Maybe I use the blue body suit to make a Silver Age Dan Garret/Blue Beetle? Hopefully I learn a few things along the way. I mean I think I'm going to need all the help I can get to make a Bronze Age Ted Kord, or Modern Age Jaime Reyes...won't that be cool? A whole set of Mego-style Blue Beetles!

Anyone have any experience with these types of custom figures? Tips? Suggestions? Feedback on this is definitely appreciated!