Ripley & Power Loader, Part III: Mike Allen
Originally posted May 4, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.
Some people at The Clubhouse said I ought to make the Forbidden Zone Ripley & Power Loader into a three-part entry by asking Mike Allen to share a little more about the base and decals he made for the kit. Mike was game, so why not?
In addition to impressing me as the guy behind Forbidden Zone, which is putting out some of the best garage kits around, Mike got on my good side by agreeing to help me launch “Resin the Barbarian” Feb. 1. He answered a few questions about his Young Frankenstein bust without having much of an idea of what I hoped to do with his answers, and helped make it easier for me to approach everyone I’ve written about in the weeks since.
So, what follows is what Mike told me via e-mail about making a base to go along with the Ripley figure by Gabriel Marquez (part I) and the Power Loader by Tom Seiler (part II).
Q&A WITH MIKE ALLEN
Resin the Barbarian: As the person who runs Forbidden Zone, you are basically the guy in charge of the collaborative process that led to the Power Loader kit. Do you ever find it intimidating or uncomfortable giving direction/advice to people like Gabriel Marquez and Tom Seiler, who are so enviably talented?
Mike: No, not really. First of all, Tom and Gabriel are so down to earth and easy to get along with. They are very talented, but they’re open to all kinds of ideas. I mean … the machinery is what it is … Sigorney looked a certain way … it’s committed to film, so you pretty much know what you have to create.
I have to hand it to Tom; he studied screen grabs and photographs to pull all sorts of little details into it. I’ll tell you this much, I have had two individuals e-mail me that are connected to folks who created the full-size and miniature Loader for the film. They thought enough of the work on the kit to contact us and compliment it.
Now, the way I see it, the place where you have some freedom and creativity is the pose and composition of the piece. That’s where I think I can bring something to the table. I get to work with these talented guys and collectively create something we can all be proud of.
It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I can talk to Gabriel and say something like “I want her arm as high as she can physically get it. I want her to look like she’s frightened, but about to open a can of whoop-ass!? And, like magic it happens.
Perhaps I would have a different experience with other people, but I don’t think I have really been intimidated by anyone I have worked with in this hobby. There’s just so much talent … I think it’s easy to get excited … and feed off of that energy.
Once Tom and Gabriel were done, the fun didn’t end there. I had to go out and try to find materials to include in the kit … like tubing that would represent the many hydraulic hoses on the Loader. That stuff isn’t super easy to find. Finding someone who could vacuform the emergency beacon dome on the top … including small gauge wires for the welder and joysticks. Lots of little details.
Oh, and the decals. I used the Halcyon decal sheet as a starting point, but had to add details that they didn’t have. Thankfully, we had great reference … and you gotta love Photoshop!
Not to get too far off the subject, and since we’re talking about talent, I think this is such a great time to be in this hobby. To even call it a hobby sorta trivializes it. There are so many talented folks creating great art. I hope everyone sees it that way. I’m excited to be a part of it.
RtB: How long has the Power Loader been in the works, and what started the process?
Mike: Hmmm … that’s a great question. Well, I am originally from Houston, so there were a few years where several of us would drive from Houston to Louisville for WonderFest. Heck of a long drive … but the conversations you have … well … you never know where they will lead.
A few years ago, Tom and I were driving back from Wonderfest and I told him about a conversation I had with a sculptor who said he was thinking of doing an Alien Queen … maybe 1/8th scale. Now, that person will remain nameless, I wouldn’t want everyone to deluge them with e-mails about doing a Queen.
However, it got Tom and me talking about how great it would be to have a Loader & Ripley to go along with it. Since we’re both huge fans of the film, we just couldn’t let that idea go.
It took a while to gather the right reference. Tom worked on it in his spare time. But, it finally came together.
RtB: You sculpted the kit’s base. What materials did you use to make the original?
Mike: Well, much like Tom, I wouldn’t call what I did on the base sculpting. More like fabricating.
The first thing I have to say is … thank the Lord for DVD … and the ability to screen capture! I don’t think I could get anywhere without that!
Anyway, the base began as a drawing I made in the computer. Once I had all the measurements down, I started cutting all the shapes from sheet styrene. I knew that I wanted the base to have that feel of a little section of the spaceship Sulaco’s bay.
After studying the film, and talking to folks in the know, I discovered that the floor tiles were made from plastic bread trays. They had a very distinctive look. There were some other kinds of grating in there too.
So, I created some artwork on the computer and sent it to Mark Kaelin. I have to throw a plug in here for Mark. His magic printing process takes a piece of black and white artwork and turns it into three-dimensional reality!
Once he sent me the master plates for the floor tiles, I poured a quickie mold and cast a few up. The name plate is from Mark as well.
To finish out the base, I wanted to do some details around the edge, so I dug into a spare parts box I have kept for years. In these cases, it pays to be a pack rat. I used bits of old plastic kits to add detail, along with guitar strings and styrene tubing.
RtB: I confess wasn’t aware that you were a sculptor. Have you created bases for other kits? Do you sculpt other kinds of works?
Mike: Well, like I said before, I wouldn’t really consider myself a sculptor. I have definitely created bases. I did the bases for the Forbidden Zone Blade 2 kit and the Son of Frankenstein kit. Those bases were mostly created with Styrofoam and Durham’s Water Putty. I did a base for an article in the latest issue of Amazing Vehicular Modeler.
I am also fabricating some feet and legs for a Martian War Machine. I have some other “fabrication” projects planned for the near future.
As far as traditional sculpting, I have toyed with it a little. I started a Rocketeer a few years ago that never really went anywhere. I would love to try it again someday. So many things to try … so little time!