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First published June 23, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

“UMBER HULK”
Inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons character.
Sculpted by Sam Greenwell, who also painted the kit pictured. (“Krylon primer, gel stain, done.”)
Produced by Greenwell Studios.
10 inches tall; 15 resin parts.
Price: $110 plus shipping; e-mail contact@greenwellstudios.com if interested.

Not long after I discovered garage kits, I discovered eBay. It’s easy to find a ton of problems with the online auction giant, but it’s often the best place to watch if you want to find a model kit that’s out of production for a decent price. It’s also where you’ll occasionally find new pieces, which is what happened to me when I happened upon Sam Greenwell’s auction for the “Umber Hulk.”

What is an “Umber Hulk”? I had no idea, but it looks like some kind of bug. A NEAT bug, and a big one, too. Maybe part gorilla. So I looked it up and found out it was part of the D&D role-playing game. I’m one of those geeks who’s never played D&D and still don’t want to start, but at least I’m more interested now than I was.

This sculpture comes to GK fans courtesy of the talented hands of Sam Greenwell, who thinks the first of his sculptures to be produced as a garage kit was “NomadAx” for Jayco Hobbies in 1995.

Sam, 36, lives in Georgetown, Ky. He is married and has two kids, a 10-year-old daughter and 6-year-old boy.

Q&A WITH SAM GREENWELL

Resin the Barbarian: My parents both come from Hazard, Ky., a town I loved when I was small but haven’t visited in about 26 years. Have you ever been there?

Sam: No. My best friend growing up was from Hazard but I’ve never been there myself. I think the closest I’ve been would be Pikeville.

RtB: The “Umber Hulk” is, for me, the latest example of a resin kit I like that leads to me finding out more about the source material. What drew you to sculpt this character? Are you a D&D fan? Did you consider the market potential or just want to do it?

Sam: I wanted to do a cool monster so I flipped through monster books, I have a LOT of monster and creature reference books, and chose that one.

RtB: I’ve been doing a little Web surfing for pictures of the Umber Hulk. While most of them were consistent about a few things (such as the mandibles), there were also many differences. Kind of like there are different interpretations of many comic-book characters, depending on the artist. Is your sculpture based on any particular vision of the Umber Hulk, or is it your own interpretation?

Sam: A little of both. I got it from the artwork in the newest “Monster Manual” for D&D. I think it’s the newest one, it’s from 2000. I added a few changes myself, like making its head a little smaller in proportion.

RtB: I know you once had aspirations of penciling comic books. Did you do your own drawings of the Umber Hulk before sculpting it?

Sam: Nope.

RtB: Like the figure itself, what I see of the base seems to have a lot of nice detail. Where is the character supposed to be in your sculpture?

Sam: I don’t really know. I guess you can say he’s in his lair, surrounded by the bones of his victims. I was just going for stuff that looked cool. If I tell you I raided my wife’s jewelry box and the bones of a KFC meal, it doesn’t sound nearly as cool.

RtB: When you sell your pieces as resin kits, do you do your own casting?

Sam: In the past not always, but we’ve gotten our own mold shop up and running so we’ll be doing our stuff from now on.

RtB: I read in a 2002 interview that you called your company Acornboy Enterprises. On eBay, your member name is “acornsam.” What’s with the interest in acorns?

Sam: It started a LONG time ago as a joke on my wife’s then-stepbrother, but “Acornboy” has been with me for so long that it’s grown way past its origin.

RtB: I read an old interview (again at deathcookie.com) that said you were popular in Japan for a while. Do you often hear from fans there or other parts of the world?

Sam: I hear that my work is popular in other countries from friends overseas, but I have never heard from any fans outside of the U.S.

RtB: I know, of course, that you sculpt regularly, but garage kits from you aren’t terribly common these days. What do you have available right now as model kits, and what can fans expect to see from you down the road?

Sam: Yeah, I haven’t really done much in the way of garage kits for a few years, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t wanted to. I’ve been sort of overwhelmed with working for clients rather than on my own stuff so I haven’t had the time.

This year I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to get more of my own designs out there as kits, and also as prepaint statues. Right now, we’ve got the “Umber Hulk,” “Calliope,” the updated version of my “Time Bandit,” and within a week, the “Flygirl.”

I plan on having at least 10 kits for sale by the end of the year, as well as at least one as a prepainted statue.

We’ve also got a line of Norse gods that I’ve been working on for a few years now.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the Zodiac series that I started in 1996, I’m working on those again.

There’s going to be a LOT, this year and next. I’m really excited about what we’ve got planned.

RtB: Anything else you’d like to add?

Sam: Not really. Just thanks for the opportunity to do this interview, and take care.

Want to read more about Sam? Click HERE for a terrific interview.

Originally published June 16, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

“BLUE BOY”
A companion piece to the PSI “Hellboy” bust.
1/3 scale resin bust, 13 inches tall.
Nine parts.

“NEO NAZI”
1/6 scale resin model kit. About a foot tall.
Nine parts.
Both sculpted by Joe Simon and offered through 3rd Eye Design.
Price for each is $100 plus shipping.

Joe Simon must be one of the busier garage-kit sculptors around, judging by the number of companies he works with. In addition to the kits he makes for his own company, 3rd Eye Design, Joe works with GEOmetric Design, CultTVman, Kitbuilders Magazine, Model Giants, PSI and more. He’s the kind of sculptor who can produce more wonderful work in a year than half-talented kitbuilders like myself could actually hope to build and paint.

Joe, 33, lives in Bangkok, Thailand. He moved there from Minnesota almost four years ago after a friend invited him to Malaysia for Chinese New Year; he planned to stay a week and “see the world from a different view,” now he feels at home there.

Joe’s not married but has been with “the boss” about three years. She’s “10 years younger (and) dreams of taking over the world,” he wrote in an e-mail. “She started with me!”

Joe says he comes from a huge family and plans to leave carrying on the name to the rest of the bunch. “I never wanna stop being a kid myself, playing with clay, paint and guitars!” he wrote.

I’ve been watching for a chance to get in touch with Joe for several months now, and his new “Hellboy”-related kits gave me the perfect excuse.

Q&A WITH JOE SIMON

Resin the Barbarian: I’ve never actually read the “Hellboy” comics, but I like the movie a lot. Can I safely assume these kits represent the characters as shown in the film?

Joe: I have to honestly say I didn’t read the “Hellboy” comic either, didn’t know much about the characters till the movie came out … I was hooked instantly!

Visually the characters inspired me.. that’s why I’ve done three sculpts so far, and hope to do more. More than likely, I will stick to the movie version on those also.

RtB: These are pieces you are selling through your own company, so I guess that means no one commissioned you to make them. What drew you to this subject matter?

Joe: Originally Jerry Buchanan of PSI Kits had commissioned me to sculpt a 1/3rd scale Hellboy bust. After watching the movie a hundred times for reference, like I said, I got hooked and just wanted to do more or characters.

RtB: You seem to be one of the busier sculptors working in the garage-kit industry, and you work with a variety of kit producers. In fact, I’m one of many fans who’s been waiting for months to see GEOmetric Design release your “Night of the Living Dead” piece. How many hours do you put into sculpting in an average week, and what hours of the day do you work?

Joe: Luckily I do keep pretty busy, hope it stays that way too! I appreciate people putting out their hard-earned money to buy something that was created by my hands. It still boggles my mind sometimes.

Even more, I love seeing what those people make of the kit after putting their touch to it when painting it up! I rarely have time to paint anything up myself, so I only have a handful of my own sculptures on display.

As far as hours I put in, it all depends on the clients’ request date, how many pieces I am working on simultaneously. I do work every day at the least six hours but sometimes will sit in my dented chair 16, 18 hours. Sometimes the piece just doesn’t wanna leave your hand!

RtB: Let’s say I wanted to start producing GKs of my own and I wanted to commission you to sculpt something like the “Neo Nazi” for me. You know, a detailed, 1/6 scale figure. About how much would you charge me?

Joe: This is not a question I can really answer, each piece is so vastly different that pricing depends on the amount of time that must go into that piece, and the difficulty of it. For example, I will charge more for a likeness than for a general face … Likenesses take time.

RtB: What was your first garage kit?

Joe: Wow, I am not even sure I remember. Honestly, I think it was a microFly for GEOmetric Designs.

RtB: Is there any particular subject matter you most enjoy sculpting? And do you have a preferred scale?

RtB: The thing I dream about is having time to do things that come from my own imagination. Unfortunately that doesn’t always pay the bills. In general I’m a sci-fi movie freak so anything with creatures fantasy, horror is fun for me.

RtB: What do you think you do best as a sculptor?

Joe: For me, it’s hard to answer. I think there are many areas I can improve on … I know what I’ve been told, that I am good at likenesses, crisp clean pieces, proportions, but again that’s what I’ve been told but do not feel that way myself.

RtB: Is there any subject matter you reject as a sculptor?

Joe: I don’t mind most subject matter. I will not do anything that conflicts with my own morals, so guess there’s not much I won’t sculpt.

Seriously, I don’t want do anything that offends people. I want people to look at my sculptures and get inspired, the same feeling I get when I look at some of the work out there, guys like William Paquet, Casey Love, Steve West, Gabe Perna, Sam Greenwell, Andy Bergholtz, just to name a few!

RtB: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the near future?

Joe: Lately I have been trying to concentrate on my own creations when I have a bit of spare time. I’m hoping to put out a few kits a year just to keep my imagination flowing. I mean, I enjoy doing subject matter that exists, but also there is nothing more satisfying than to have something that is born of you, knowing you imagined it and then realized it!

RtB: Anything else you’d like to add?

Joe: Just a thanks to anyone that has ever purchased any of the kits I have sculpted. I am truly grateful those people for helping me to make this my way of living!!!

Originally published June 14, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Yesterday, I had a Q&A with sculptor Dave Grasso, discussing the upcoming reissue of his classic “hatted” Nosferatu kit through Nocturna Productions. Today, I have a Q&A with Cindy and David Fisher, the folks behind Nocturna.

Pretty much anyone involved with garage kits knows the background of David Fisher and his partner, Terry Webb, because most everyone involved with the kits has discovered their magazine, Amazing Figure Modeler. If you’re not familiar with it yourself, or even if you just haven’t read it before, click HERE for a fantastic write-up.

Cindy and David live in Tennessee. They met in art school and have been married for 24 “terrific” years.

Q&A WITH CINDY AND DAVID FISHER

Resin the Barbarian: Anyone who’s interested in the work of David Fisher finds out quickly he’s a fan of Nosferatu kits. Cindy, are you also a fan of the character?

Cindy: Most definitely, but not as obsessed David! I love silent movies in general, from Harold Lloyd to Lon Chaney. I find them fascinating as an art form and as period time capsules.

RtB: As I recall (and my memory may be failing me), Nocturna was introduced as a company run by Cindy, but plainly David is involved as well. What role do each of you take in the company, and do the products you sell reflect both of your interests?

David: Nocturna Productions is completely Cindy’s company, but I obviously help with advice and my connections to sculptors in the hobby, as well as the graphic design of ads and packaging.

I’ve also sculpted bases for kits such as the Gothic base, Skull Pit and Lab Base, which Nocturna has produced throughout the years.

As for Cindy, Nocturna began as a simple business created to help Mike Hill sell his Hammer bust series in the U.S., then she commissioned a sculpture from Mike of the “Curse of the Werewolf” which was in production until just recently when the third set of molds wore out. Then she commissioned a set of silent horror super-deforms from sculptor Rick Force. Most recently she worked a deal with Staffan Linder to re-release the Swede Creations Nosferatu, and will soon release David Grasso’s Nosferatu as well.

I guess she does everything but cast the kits!

RtB:I presume the reissue of the Swede Creations Kinski Nosferatu was a success for you; I know it generated a lot of buzz last year. Is that part of what inspired you to approach Dave Grasso? What else led you to do this?

Cindy: It has been very successful, the kit is such a beautiful sculpture, and even modelers that aren’t Nosferatu fans seem to appreciate it. So many modelers missed out on the kit it needed a second run, and with the addition of Staffan Linder’s new base, it’s an impressive work of art.

The kit is temporarily out of stock due to the loss of our resin caster, but we’ve struck a deal with a new caster who should be up and running within a few weeks, which will time out perfectly with re-releasing Dave Grasso’s kit.

David has always admired Dave Grasso’s sculpture, and over the years, many modelers have contacted him about how to find one. After the success of Swede Creations’ kit, David thought it was worth a try to approach Dave Grasso about letting me handle a re-release of the piece. The timing was perfect since he had already been thinking of another run of it himself, so another much sought after kit gets a second life!

Originally published June 16, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

“COUNT ORLOK”
Sculpted by Dave Grasso.
Soon to be reissued by Nocturna Productions.
1/6 scale (a little more than a foot tall), made of resin, with a piece of jeweler’s chain holding the lantern.
Price: TBD.

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, many garage-kit makers and builders love the vampire – Graf Orlok – from the silent movie “Nosferatu, A Symphony Terror.” Why should a pale, rat-toothed creature be such a draw to GK fans? I’m not certain, but I suspect it has a lot to do with two people: David Fisher of Amazing Figure Modeler and sculptor Dave Grasso, the subject of today’s e-mail Q&A.

In 2000, Fisher wrote an article in issue 21 of his magazine headlined “Nosferatu: Land of the Rats.” The piece was a look at more than two dozen Nosferatu garage kits and remains a valuable, though slightly dated, summary of the subject. In it, he said of Grasso’s “hatted” Nosferatu: “…the face captures the old man features of the character better than any other I’ve seen. The features and accuracy are incredible, and the expressive hands are exactly what is needed to cure my Orlok fever. The pose is classic, the detailing superb.”

Coming soon from Nocturna Productions, the company run by Cindy Fisher, David’s wife: A much-anticipated reissue of that Grasso Nosferatu. More about the Fishers later this week.

Now, Dave Grasso. If you’re interested in the subject enough to have read this far, it’s a pretty good sign that you’re familiar with Dave’s work even if you don’t know it. He’s a special makeup and creature effects artist currently finishing up on the third “Resident Evil” movie at Patrick Tatopoulos Studios. He worked at Stan Winston Studio about nine years. Other titles on Dave’s résumé include “Jurassic Park,” “Batman Returns,” “Terminator 2” and “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

Garage-kit hobbyists will also know Dave for his first Nosferatu kit, the Invisible Man he sculpted for Dark Horse and a Vampirella based on artwork by Sanjulian. He also did a few toys for Stan Winston Creatures and many maquettes for studios he’s worked with over the years.

“I’ve always wanted to get back in the garage-kit world (I’ve had other ideas for kits in the past), but was always to busy with film and toy work to pursue it,” he wrote in an e-mail.

Dave lives in California and has a wife and kids.

“My dad was and still is a great one for starting my interest in this hobby at such a young age,” Dave wrote. “My mom is also amazing in that she and my dad supported me in my decision to pursue special makeup effects all the way.

“My wife is also very supportive and quite creative as well, and my son is where most of my inspiration comes from. He loves the hobby as well.”

Q&A WITH DAVE GRASSO

Resin the Barbarian: How long ago did you create the Count Orlok sculpture?

Dave: I think I started it in ’94, put it on the shelf for a long while, and finished it in ’97.

RtB: Does the original sculpture still exist, or only castings?

Dave: The original sculpture does exist, in fact, I’m remolding the original sculpt again so the quality won’t change from the first runs.

RtB: This is your second Nosferatu kit and I know it has been out of production for a few years. What led to the decision to reissue it? Who approached whom with the idea?

Dave: I’ve wanted to reproduce it again for some time now, and recently, David Fisher got in touch with me about releasing it through Nocturna. He’s been great to deal with and has been very patient with me and my hectic work schedule.

RtB: What, if anything, is going to be different about the reissued version of the kit?

Dave: The character himself I decided not to change at all. I figured everybody would want it just the way it was. I am doing a new base for it that should be a little more interesting, but not detract from the figure.

RtB: When do you expect to have it ready to deliver to Nocturna Productions?

Dave: I’m still playing around with the base, so as soon as that’s complete, then I’ll be able to ship out some masters to David Fisher.

RtB: It seems that the thrust of your work is creating state-of-the-art special effects for movies. What drew you, as a sculptor, to “Nosferatu,” a silent-era movie?

Dave: Well, I’ll try to keep this short. My dad used to bring me home the Universal Monsters Aurora model kits after his work day and also an occasional Famous Monsters issue or horror movie book … I was about 6 or 7 at the time.

One of the horror movie books had a small picture of Nosferatu standing in the open gateway to his abbey with his classic long, bony fingers and nails. That image still pops up in my head now and then and he will always be the creepiest-looking vampire on screen.

I also got into silent films at an early age as well, I was watching “Nosferatu,” “The Golem” and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” when I was 8.

So much for keeping it short.

RtB: Is there any chance your first Nosferatu kit will also be reissued?

Dave: I really hadn’t planned on it because the main reason I did the hatted Orlok was that I grew to dislike the first one I did. I wanted to do a much classier version of him.

I know it was keys that he was holding in the film, but I decided to do a lantern instead, just a little change.

RtB: Are you steadily involved in the garage-kit hobby (collector, builder, etc.), or do you simply return to the hobby from time to time as a sculptor?

Dave: I haven’t been involved in the hobby for a while now, but it’s cool to see that it’s still alive.

RtB: I know David Fisher once called your second Nosferatu kit one of the best Orlok kits ever made. Now it is a highly prized garage kit. What do you think about the popularity of your piece among this subculture of hobbyists?

Dave: Wow….I really wasn’t expecting that kind of response when I did it. It’s cool to see how many Nosferatu fans there are out there. I have to give a very big thank you to David Fisher for the incredible praise, I’m very grateful to you and everybody else that just loves Nosferatu the way I do.

RtB: Is there any chance that you’re squeezing sculpting new garage kits into your heavy workload? If so, can you tell me what’s in the works?

Dave: I actually have two pieces that I try to work on when I can which is hardly ever. One of them is a small diorama based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, and the other I can’t say what it is just yet.

There are a few others that I definitely want to do after these are done. Two of them are from early 1920s cinema as well. The Lovecraft piece I want to do as a series, one diorama each from three of my favorite stories.

RtB: Would you like to add anything else?

Dave: I’m just blown away to see that there is still interest in this kit, and I have to thank all the Nosferatu fans out there that like it enough to want to have one. I was going to do another one based on a particular scene from the movie, but there seems to be a flood of Nosferatu sculpts out there right now. I’ll probably hold off on that one for a while.

Again, thanks for the interest, guys.

And from me, a thanks to Mike Nordstrom for helping me get in touch with Dave.

Originally published June 8, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

“BATMAN BEGINS” BUST
• Sculpted by Scott Whitworth of Formation Designs.
• Produced by WebbHead Enterprises.
• 1/4 scale, about 10 inches tall.
• Two resin parts.
• The kit in the pictures was painted by Steve Riojas of Denver.

Back in my preschool days, late ’60s until about 1970, the world was all about the campy “Batman” TV series. While grown-ups were laughing at those silly “POWS!” and Robin in tights, little kids like me were taking the show dead seriously and making capes out of bath towels.

Move to my elementary school days and Batman was still an important character, but he was the Batman, a dark hero battling villains such as the maniacal Joker and the exotic Ra’s Al-Ghul.

Jump to college. Comics remained an occasional interest, but mostly as bathroom reading and the only titles that came into the house were stuff Dad found at garage sales. In 1985, I was buried in pretending to do homework and most of the fiction I read was what my teachers assigned. That’s when I happened on a story in the newspaper about Frank Miller’s “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,” a four-issue series about the Batman coming out of retirement in his 50s. Like millions of others, I checked them out and loved them. Those comics were hugely popular, as was the follow-up “Batman: Year One,” also written by Frank Miller and presented in four issues of the ongoing “Batman” comic book.

Of course, Warner Bros., owner of DC Comics, couldn’t help but notice that the Caped Crusader was more popular than ever and decided to make a movie. Tim Burton’s original “Batman” – starring Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Michael Keaton as Bats – debuted on the big screen in 1989 and generally pleased fans like me, even though the story pretty much fell apart in the last hour. It was followed up in 1992 by “Batman Returns,” featuring Michelle Pfeiffer as an interesting Catwoman and Danny DeVito as a disgusting Penguin. Fans are split on that one; I didn’t care for it and found Joel Schumacher’s follow-up – “Batman Forever” (1995), with Val Kilmer as the title hero and Chris O’Donnell as Robin – an improvement despite the forgettable villains and increased camp. However, I’ll never forgive Schumacher for the fourth movie in the series, “Batman and Robin” (1997), a film that failed so spectacularly further Bat-projects were shelved for years.

Those of us who liked Frank Miller’s vision of Batman found things to enjoy about some of these Batman movies, but it wasn’t until summer 2005 – when Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins,” starring Christian Bale, debuted – that we got the movie we’d been waiting for. “Batman Begins” takes some of the elements that worked in the previous movies, but its larger influences came from the Batman stories of the ’70s and Frank Miller’s Dark Night of the ’80s. Not all Bat-fans were thrilled – the Batmobile, called the “Tumbler” in the movie, seems to be a particular point of contention – but many were, including me.

Now, sculptor Scott Whitworth, working with Terry Webb of WebbHead Enterprises, has something new for fans of “Batman Begins” in the form of the bust that’s the focus of this entry. Like most garage kits, it’s available as an extremely limited edition for hobbyists and only for a limited time.

Scott, 33, of Phoenix has made a lot fans in the garage-kit community in the last couple of years, thanks in particular to the work he has offered through Formation Designs, of which he is the owner, sole operator and sculptor. He also works as a computer graphics artist. Scott is married; no kids yet, but he and the wife look forward to the day they’ll have them.

Scott sculpted the Batman bust in Super Sculpey’s Extra-Firm Gray Sculpting Compound; let’s take a look at that process before this week’s e-mail questions and answers.

Q&A WITH SCOTT WHITWORTH

Resin the Barbarian: Can I safely assume that you liked the movie “Batman Begins” and that’s what inspired you to create this bust? And, how long ago did you start work on it? I seem to recall seeing pictures of it on your Web site late last year.

Scott: I thought the movie was great. I think Tim Burton did an amazing job with the first two films, never really cared for Joel Schumacher’s take on the third and fourth films, I think Christopher Nolan’s approach was refreshing and created a much more realistic tone to the film.

Funny thing is, I was never really inspired to sculpt the character after seeing the film until I was contacted by WebbHead Enterprises and asked if I’d be interested in sculpting a “Batman Begins” bust. Of course, my first response was, “When do we start?” From there I had my concept artist sketch up the discussed design and about five to six weeks later the piece was finished. I was first contacted near the end of August and wrapped the piece up around early October.

RtB: At the first glance of my untrained eye, this sculpture looks pretty simple. Then I start to notice things like the angle of the bat ears, the symmetry of the emblem on the base, the folds in the clothing, the ridges on the cowl… What detail of the Christian Bale Batman look was most difficult to re-create in clay?

Scott: Actually, the original idea for the piece was to be a simple upside down triangle, arms crossed as seen in the final piece. We toyed around with some different ideas as you can see in the concept design, but in the end we went back to the upside-down triangle design.

I can honestly say that I really never confronted any difficulties with this piece, which is something I wish I could say about every piece I do. When I finally started the piece I was so excited about doing it everything just came together. Also, it didn’t hurt that Christian Bale is one of those actors who has very definitive facial features, which makes replicating them in clay that much easier.

RtB: This is kind of a standard question, but the answer is still usually interesting: What other sculptors do you most admire? Did you discover their work before you became interested in sculpting yourself, of did you gain an interest in them after you got involved? (I ask this because of a personal experience. When I returned to the hobby a few years ago, I had no idea who the well-known kitbuilders were, but now I do and I follow their work avidly, looking for tips I can incorporate into my own work.)

Scott: This is a funny story, I never considered sculpting and had never even heard of Super Sculpey, pretty much the only material I use, until one day I had picked up a copy of Wizard magazine, issue No. 35, and saw an article about this guy Randy Bowen. In it, he had sculpted Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer, the Predator, Frankenstein, etc. I was so blown away by this I ran out to my local art supply store and picked up a box of Super Sculpey. The rest, well we’re here today…

Now, who do I admire? Well, of course there are the old masters Michelangelo, etc., etc., etc…

My greatest inspiration has come from Mark Newman. Not only is this guy down to earth and generous, this guy has a traditional style that most of us can dream of reaching for. So, other than Mark Newman there are Takayuki Takeya, Tony Cipriano, Steve West, Mark VanTine, Jarrod and Brandon Shiflett, Ray Villafane, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say friends like Gabe Perna.

RtB: What goes through your head when you sit down to work, looking at a lump of clay and knowing you want to turn that into something like this Batman bust, or perhaps an Eight and a Half Tails” or “Cyber”? Are you excited about what you expect to see taking shape or do you feel intimidated?

Scott: The train of thought I always try to maintain is the final result as well as dissecting it as I move forward. I think about the final result and then break it down to the armature, the basic form, the lines/curves, the textures, and so on. I try not to let any possible piece intimidate me. I try to use the principles I learned reading all of those Burne Hogarth books and that is everything is made up of simple geometric forms. From there, it’s just adding all of the fine detail.

RtB: When you were 10 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? And how old were you when you realized that you weren’t simply interested in art as a pastime, but that you wanted to seriously pursue it?

Scott: I grew up in the automotive capital of the world, Michigan, and I knew at a young age that I didn’t want to spend my life grinding the hours away. I was raised with a passion for sci-fi, horror, and fantasy films thanks to my mom and dad letting me stay up late watching movies that were probably inappropriate for me at the time. I told everyone I wanted to work in films and the typical response was, “That’s just a dream!?” and 10 days after I graduated college I was working at Digital Domain working on “X-Men” and later working on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Red Planet.”

RtB: What are you working on now?

Scott: I have a couple pieces in the works. Unfortunately, I can only share one. Cable is the garage kit I’m currently working on; the other four pieces I’m working on are commissioned pieces that I can’t disclose.

RtB: Do you have any long-term hopes or plans for your career as a sculptor?

Scott: My long-term plans are to raise children with my beautiful wife and sit in my studio and sculpt. I’ve been very fortunate with my career working in the film, video game, prepaint, and garage-kit industries. Although I’m still doing the computer graphics, I’ll continue pursing a career in sculpting. No matter which path I stay on, I’ll make sure I’m happy.

Originally published June 1, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

PAQUET “NOSFERATU” BUST
Based on the 1922 silent classic movie “Nosferatu, A Symphony of Terror”
• Sculpted by William Paquet
• Produced by Tower of London, available from X-O Facto
• About 1/2 scale, 11 inches tall
• Made of two resin parts; casting by Mark Brokaw of Earthbound Studios
• Price: $120 plus shipping
• The “Nosferatu” kit pictured was painted by Steve Riojas of Denver

Back in the silent era of movies, director F.W. Murnau turned actor Max Schreck into Graf Orlok, one of the most memorable vampires ever put on screen. Unfortunately, instead of coming up with a story of their own or paying the Bram Stoker estate for the rights to “Dracula,” the filmmakers simply swiped the story. That led to all kinds of nasty legal entanglements, and for years it was a challenge to see the movie.

These days, “Nosferatu” has moved into the public domain, and in addition to being able to find cheap DVD copies of it all over the place, it’s one of the most popular subjects for garage model kits, one of the latest being the bust pictured above.

That piece and the others pictured are the work of sculptor William Paquet. William’s name is one of the first I learned when I got interested in garage kits, because he’s the creative talent behind some of the most sought-after kits ever produced. Of course, I’ve been watching for an excuse to contact him to do an e-mail Q&A ever since I started doing these profiles.

William, 41, lives in Virginia. He’s got a wife, Laurie; daughter, Valerie; a border collie named Rex; and two cats, Clovis and Vincent. Considering the frightening nature of much of his sculpture, I had to ask if there were any tell-tale hearts beating in his home. “No corpses under the floorboards,” he told me, “but a decent collection of animal skulls, including a crocodile and a bear.”

Q&A WITH WILLIAM PAQUET

Resin the Barbarian: Wasn’t the Nosferatu sculpture originally intended to be a very large, full figure piece? If so, why didn’t that work out?

William: Time. The piece as it originally was intended is about 80 percent complete, but finding the time in my schedule to complete it has been difficult,

RtB: Does this bust represent a specific moment in the silent movie “Nosferatu”? If so, what is the character doing at this moment?

William: There is a scene where the vampire is walking through a courtyard. At first the camera shows a long shot, and then the view pulls into a close-up of him. He stands there and slowly turns his head as though listening to something. The portrayal is so stiff and creepy that his look there always struck me as very unsettling.

RtB: To my amateur eye, your work looks like an extremely accurate representation of Max Schreck in the movie, so I presume you use books, photos and/or videos as references. Do you keep images pasted up on the walls around you while you work?

William: I have some horror anthology books with a few decent images which I did use, but most of the reference was straight off a DVD on still frame. Not the easiest way to work, but printed material on the film is so rare that it was the only choice I had.

I did want to get as accurate a portrayal as I could, but the art director in me is always there so I will sometimes alter things slightly. That’s why he has no hair behind his ears. I don’t like it visually. To me it looks out of place and haphazard, and just breaks up the clean yet freaky shape of his head.

RtB: You are considered one of the “pioneers” of garage kits. What was the first of your sculptures sold as a kit, and what led to you creating it?

William: The first sculpture I made was a zombie stormtrooper from a movie called “Shock Waves.” Why I made it is solely because of my appreciation of the movie and the great makeup designs that Alan Ormsby developed.

RtB: I’m betting that these days you make a lot more money creating the sculptures that get sold as prepainted statues than you do making Nosferatus and the like for kitbuilders such as myself. Is that true? And if so, what keeps you coming back to garage kits?

William: There is certainly a lot more money to be made from creating sculptures for the prepainted statue market than from garage kits.

I do enjoy the work of sculpting comic-book-based characters, but I am a die-hard horror freak. If given the choice, I will always choose to sculpt a zombie, freak, monster, corpse, etc. first. Unfortunately the market for that genre within the pre-paint business is slim at best, so the work that is available, while not my main area of enjoyment, still is fun and does pay the mortgage.

I have stepped away from garage kits for different lengths of time at different periods within my career, but you’re right … I do keep coming back to them eventually. There are several reasons for that.

Firstly, I started my career with GKs, and so there is a strong element of “coming home” when I do a figure for that market. Secondly, when I decide to make a sculpture on my own, I have carte blanche to do whatever I choose. I can create any character, in any design, and the only art director for the project is me. It’s the best of all worlds. The only thing that would make it better was if the market for the items was bigger, so that I could do more.

I’m currently working on a series of monster designs to be released as prepaints in the near future. I have no idea how the market will react to them, but if all goes well perhaps I will be able to devote more time to the genre that I love.

RtB: I did a Q&A with Mike Falcigno a few weeks ago and he spoke of you in glowing terms. How do you recall meeting Mike?

William: I got a package one day, that contained semi-nude pictures, a pair of old boxers, and a tube of lipstick. It was from Mike, and I thought, “Wow, what a sweet guy.”

OK, sorry … here’s the real answer –

I got a call one day from Mike inquiring about buying some of my work. We chatted a bit, and he seemed like a decent guy. We traded phone calls for quite some time, got to know each other, and found we had a lot in common.

We met face to face the first time shortly before I moved from New Jersey, to here in Virginia. I had called Mike one day, letting him know that I had a bunch of stuff I wasn’t interested in packing up and moving, so he drove down form Connecticut. We had a lot of fun hanging out. Mike went home with a carload of kits, and I didn’t have to pack so much for my move.

Mike is like a creepy little brother. Stranger than me, and that’s saying something.

RtB: I’m sure you’ve encountered your share of unique characters, probably even a few true oddballs (no, I don’t mean Mike and I hope I don’t mean me). Would you mind sharing a memorable story about meeting a fan of your work?

William: I wish I had a juicy story for you but I don’t. Are there oddballs around? Sure. Most of the folks I meet at shows or through business transactions are very nice. Fans don’t usually gush or shower praise, but mostly just talk about what they like that I have created. It’s a real treat to meet the people that enjoy my work.

Frequently collectors will request that I sculpt something that they want for their collections, or offer very kind words about a favorite work of mine that they own. It’s rewarding to hear from people that what I make with my stinky mitts, is often beloved by them or sometimes even the pinnacle of their collection. Combine that with the fact that I’m doing what I love to do, and it doesn’t get much better than that.

Although there was that one time that someone called from Mike Falcigno’s cell phone at 3 a.m., saying only, “Play ‘Misty’ for me”…

RtB: Anything else you’d like to say?

William: Absolutely … I’d like to thank anyone out there that has liked my work enough to lay down their hard-earned dollars to buy it. You people allow me to work at a craft that gives me great satisfaction, and allows me to pay my bills every month. Without the collectors, I’d be a guy doing this in limited spare time after getting off work at whatever job I could find that would pay the bills.

So, to any and all that have kept me off the streets, dancing for nickels, THANKS!

Originally published May 25, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Thanks to “kiryu” and “raydrz” for the suggested questions.

“GODZILLA GHOST”
Inspired by the original, 1954 movie “Godzilla”
• Produced by T’s Facto
• Sculpted by Takashi Yamawaki, popularly known as “T”, who also painted the piece pictured
• About 15.75 inches tall
• 51 parts (see below for a breakdown)
• Made of resin
• Price: 29,000 yen (about $260 U.S.)
• Shipping to the United States would cost about $37
• Scheduled for release in June

Frankly, the giant-monster (kaiju) movies from Japan are often pretty cheesy stuff. People dressed in rubber costumes stomp on neat scale-model buildings and fight each other. The best I’ve seen of them are fun and have some wonderful moments; only the very worst are so bad you can’t enjoy them at least a little.

Few are what I would define as truly “great” movies, although I do get a chill from post-attack scenes in the first Godzilla movie, made when the nuclear bombings in Japan were a recent memory.

Model kits based on this material are often some of the most dazzling you’ll see, and this week’s subject – “Godzilla Ghost” from T’s Facto – is the latest to floor me, coming from a sculptor whose works often make me wonder just how much I want to overheat my credit card on my hobby.

Full-time sculptor and kit seller “T” (Takashi Yamawaki) is 38 years old, unmarried, and lives in Saitama prefecture, just next to Tokyo. His mastery of written English is wonderful, judging by our e-mail exchange, which is great because I couldn’t have written this entry based on my nonexistent skill with the Japanese language. For the record, I had to do some minor editing in the Q&A exchange below, but not as much as I’ve had to do with some native English speakers in more than 15 years of newspaper experience.

“T” says he worked at International Hotel as a bartender in Singapore from the ages of 20 to 35 and learned English from his Chinese girlfriend. He moved on to sculpting three years ago.

Q&A WITH TAKASHI YAMAWAKI, A.K.A. “T”

Resin the Barbarian: This kit represents Godzilla at the end of the first movie, when he is destroyed underwater. As I recall, the skeleton is not clearly seen in the film. What did you use as reference material?

“T”: There was a movie in 2002, “Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla.” “The Monsters Inc.,” which is a sculpting team, made the skeleton model for this movie. I have a reference book of this movie. I used it.

RtB: Where did you learn how to sculpt?

“T”: I did not learn how to sculpt from anybody. Self -education.

RtB: What inspired you to get involved with sculpting kaiju model kits?

“T”: I have a pet monkey which is very small. I bought a vinyl Godzilla toy and put it in the monkey’s cage. But it had terrible looks and poor painting. So I fixed it. Repainted, remolded…

That was the beginning. Since that happened , I started to buy the kaiju model kits and fix fix fix. Then finally, I wanted to sculpt by myself.

RtB: I assume you enjoy kaiju movies. What is your favorite?

“T”: My favorite kaiju movie is the 1954 “Godzilla.” This is the best! Very artistic movie. And also I love “Gamera 1999.”

RtB: What is your favorite character to sculpt?

“T”: I like to sculpt Godzilla but don’t want to make it ordinary. I love to make it spikey and really look evil.

RtB: What inspired you to revisit the subject of the Godzilla skeleton, after having already released a smaller version?

“T”: After the smaller version sold out , I had so many requests to resell it. But I do not have a master form to fix the silicone. Since that time, I had a plan for this big version. And it should be the 1954 G Skeleton. I want them to believe that it is still standing.

RtB: How do you feel about the latest Godzilla movie, “Final Wars”? Do you think the lack of new material will affect the popularity of kaiju kits and future releases?

“T”: Well , I think that was OK for the kids. When I was a kid, I was always so happy to see the G movie. But for adults , I believe they had same answer which I have now. We grew up and think, “The old G movie was better than the new one.”

I think a new Godzilla movie will come up someday. And then the latest one will become popular like as usual. The same thing will happen for the kaiju kits.

Finally, I’ll tell you that my next release kit will be G vs ? from “Final Wars”!

Originally published May 18, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

• Produced by Mark Newman Sculpture Inc.
• Sculpted by Mark Newman, who also painted the kit in the photos
• Scale: About 1/5; the figure is 15 1/4 inches tall
• Material: Solid resin
• Number of parts: Five, including the base
• Price: $150 plus $12 shipping in the United States

Fans of monster models could fill whole shelves with the Frankenstein Monster. I should know, I’ve done it.
The Monster, first pieced together in the pages of Mary Shelley’s novel and reborn time and time again on both the big and small screen, is arguably the most popular subject for fans of figure models. This is particularly true of the Universal Studios Monster, first embodied in 1931 by Boris Karloff. A flat-headed, neck-bolted Universal Monster was the first monster model released by Aurora in 1961, and the kit was so popular that the company followed it up with more monsters that were released and re-released over the years.

Horizon Original made a great Universal Monster kit, as did Billiken, GEOmetric Design and more. MANY more.

However, the Universal Studios version of the Monster isn’t the only one to win fans. Plenty of other visions of the creature have also kept kitbuilders busy over the years. Click on the “popular subject” link above for a good sampling.

Some of those monsters represent the unique visions of their creators. That can be said of this week’s subject: “Frankenstein’s Monster” by Mark Newman, 43, of Oakland, Calif.

I’ve known Mark’s name for a while now, having heard time and again from hobbyists with a longer garage-kit background than my own 4 1/2 years, who considered him one of the best sculptors in the field. They usually spoke of him in terms of someone who had moved on from GKs to other works, and on the rare occasions they came up on eBay, his kits were at the center of bidding wars.

Then, a few months ago, Mark sort of reappeared on some Internet forums, and not too long after that he started asking people about the Frankenstein sculpture he was working on. “Would you consider buying this if it were a kit?” he asked.

Of course, the answer was a loud “Bring it on!”

As one of the Frankenstein Monster’s many longtime fans, I figured I just had to e-mail the mad doctor behind this latest version.

Q&A WITH MARK NEWMAN

Resin the Barbarian: How many versions of the “Frankenstein” story are you familiar with? (i.e. the Mary Shelley novel, various movies and comic books and so on.) And, which version is your favorite?

Mark: I’m not really sure how many versions of the classic “Frankenstein” story there are. But I always liked the original movie with Boris Karloff. That monster makeup design, to me, is still one of the coolest ever put to screen.

RtB: For some reason, I look at this piece and wonder what exactly the creature is thinking; where it is going, or where it’s coming from. Does your sculpture represent a specific moment in the story of the Monster?

Mark: In my sculpture, I wanted to portray the Monster making his first steps. Finding his balance. Lumbering along in this strange new awkward assemblance of a body.

RtB: This isn’t a terribly gruesome kit, but with its staples, raw flesh and blood, it’s also not for the squeamish. For lack of a better word, is there a point you reach when you decide it’s just “gross” enough without going too far?

Mark: I don’t think it is necessary to have too much gore in this particular piece. The thought of this being dead body parts reassembled and brought back to life should be enough without being gratuitous.

In the 1931 movie, there wasn’t much “gore” at all. To me the whole point of the character, the sympathy would be lost if shown with too muck gooey gunk all over him.

RtB: This is a hard one to phrase: It has been my impression that you were inactive in the garage-kit hobby for several years, possibly because you’d grown discouraged when recasters stole some of your works, or possibly because you’d moved on to other kinds of sculpture. Then, you started to get active on a couple of forums and even startled some hobbyists by revealing that you still had available a couple of your more sought-after kits (“Moonsinger” and “Neil Andrythal”) for great prices. Am I correct in my perception? And if so, what drew you back to sculpting the Frankenstein kit for the GK market?

Mark: I’ve always loved to create these kinds of sculptures. I always wanted to design and sculpt my own original characters or my own take on a classic “public domain” character.

In the model kit hobby, it’s very hard to sell original characters. It seems to me that most collectors like to collect their favorite characters from their favorite movies. I never really wanted to sculpt that.

I started to get very busy sculpting for the “mainstream” collectible market. I had an opportunity to design and sculpt my own wildlife figurine line and licensed it to Hallmark to produce and sell. I was making good royalties and keeping really busy.

When I was asked by Thomas Blackshear if I were interested in sculpting a line of figurines he was designing called “Ebony Visions,” knowing and respecting him and his work, I jumped at the chance.

The line became a huge success and still has a big presence in the gift industry.

The little time I had between “Ebony Visions” sculpts, I was sculpting action figures for some toy companies. Character design and maquette sculptures for video game companies and film projects. All this work left me little time to sculpt my own model kits.

Just recently I’ve found some time to bust out and make some kits. I never make me a lot of money at this but I love doing my own thing without the dreaded “approval process.”

RtB: What are you working on now?

Mark: I’m still working on the “Ebony Visions” line. I’m also working for Bowen Designs sculpting some Marvel characters. I just recently started working with Tippett Studio on a film project but that’s all I can say about that.

Originally published May 11, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

“ANGRY RED SPIDER”
• Produced by Ultratumba Productions
• Sculpted by Paul Schiola of Eastlake, Colo.
• Size: 9 inches tall, 19.5 inches wide
• Material: Solid pink resin
• Number of parts: 15, including the base
• Price: $99 plus $18 domestic shipping
• Limited to 150 kits

First time I saw a picture of this new Ultratumba Productions kit, I thought, neat! I’ve never seen the movie this beastie comes from, “The Angry Red Planet,” but the model is so interesting and fun that it makes me want to.

That, I think, is a pretty common reaction to garage kits based on movies. People like me see a model kit they like, they buy it, then they go out and rent or purchase the movie that inspired it, not only because they’re curious about the film but also because they an idea of how they want to paint the kit.

But looking at this piece, I also figured I couldn’t afford it. I mean, it’s so big and so detailed, I thought it just had to be expensive. Then I found out the price is in the neighborhood of $100 – pretty cheap for a kit like this – and was even more impressed.

Affordability is an important concern for Paul Schiola of Ultratumba, which means that in addition to being worth considering because they’re neat, they’re also a good option for people on a budget or who are just starting out in the hobby.

I’ve been watching for a chance to get in touch with Paul not only because I like his work, but also because he’s a fellow Coloradan. The introduction of this spider gave me the perfect excuse to e-mail him.

Q&A WITH PAUL SCHIOLA

Resin the Barbarian: What can you tell me about the Angry Red Spider? Are you a fan of the movie “Angry Red Planet” or did you discover the creature another way?

Paul: I was a young boy around the age of 8 when we drove to Chicago to see some relatives. I had already been bitten by the monster bug thanks to my oldest brother, Frank, who found several issues of Famous Monsters under his desk while in his last class on a Friday afternoon. He brought them home with the intention to bring them back to the student he thought left them on Monday morning. So I spent the weekend drooling over these magazines from cover to cover. I was hooked!

So we arrived in Chicago in the early afternoon and, after greeting the relatives, Mom determined we needed a nap so my sister and I where sent to bed.

Not being sleepy, I spied a TV in the closet and dragged it out and plugged it in. It was an old black-and-white TV with rabbit ears. I messed around for a while and got it to tune in a station.

Unbeknownst to me, the afternoon movie was “Angry Red Planet.” I got to watch the scene where they fight with the big plant, and then here comes the Rat Bat Spider! I was stunned and changed from that point on.

Soon after this part, up came someone to check on us and alas the TV was found out and removed. I did not get to see the rest of the movie for 10 or so more years. Then I saw it on VHS and in color. Still blew my mind.

So this creature has been in my psyche for nearly 32 years and finally came out! I dearly love this movie!

RtB: Counting the spider, I know of four kits released by Ultratumba (the others being “El Baron,” “Aztec Mummy” and “?ingler.” It’s all unusual stuff, not what you usually see from garage kits. What draws you to this kind of material?

Paul: My taste in movies is very eclectic. I seem to gravitate to the things folks do not seem to pay a lot of attention to.

For the past 20-plus years I have been watching Mexican horror and sci-fi movies as well as the Lucha Libre (wrestling) movies. This, coupled with my taste for European, Asian as well as more obscure American movies, gives me a basis for the path less traveled. So all these kits and creatures are
really an extension of my love for movies.

RtB: What’s your best seller so far?

Paul: My best seller so far has been the “?ingler.” At this point it is basically sold out. I have packed up what is left for the upcoming WonderFest and hope folks will buy the rest from me.

A close second is the “El Baron” kit (from the movie “El Barón del Terror,” titled “The Brainiac” in the United States). I think this has a lot to do with the K. Gordon Murray redub release in the theaters and then TV. When you mention the Brainiac to someone, they either go “Oh, yeah, that wild creature who sucks out your brain,” or they stand there like a deer in the headlights wondering what institution you escaped from!

RtB: Do you consider the market potential of kits before you make them, or do you prefer to focus on producing what you like?

Paul: I spend a lot of time and energy when considering my next kit. I research what has been made in the past. What kind of interest if any exists for the topic I may be considering.

But the bottom line is that to see a project through, the interest has to be there for me or it will never make it to completion. The goal for me with this one-person company is to produce kits that have either never been made or subjects that have not been revisited for a long time.

Also a key element is affordability. I love building models and have since I was a kid. When the garage-kit scene was just beginning, I was in heaven but could hardly afford any of the kits.

As time rolled on, I still could not afford many kits. So when I got Ultratumba Productions up and running, I decided that my goal was to produce cool kits that the average working Joe model builder would be able to afford. Heck, I could afford!!

RtB: Two of your kits (the “Mummy” and “El Baron”) are part of what you call a trilogy of kits based on classic Mexican horror films. What will be the third in the series?

Paul: The third of the Mexican monster series is in the works as I type this. It will be the Gillman from the spy/horror movie named “Batwoman” (a.k.a. “La Mujer Murciélago”). He is a really cool Gilman created by a mad scientist.

I have more kits and prepaints coming based on Mexican movies and this is the crux of what I want to produce. Although I do take time out to make other fun stuff like the “?ingler,” and of course the “Angry Red Spider.”

RtB: What inspired you to get involved with sculpting and producing garage kits? Are you a kitbuilder as well as a sculptor?

Paul: I was a lucky boy. My father, although working two jobs most of his life, was also a painter. He saw some talent in me and when I was about 10 or 11 he enrolled himself and me into an oil painting class. This got the ball rolling.

From then on, I wanted to be an artist! I went to college and received a bachelor’s of fine arts with emphasis on sculpting.

I dabbled in the fine arts world for a while, but kept being called back to my monster roots. I sculpted and produced a zombie kit in 1991, very early in the garage-kit scene for us here. But, due to many factors, I ended up walking away.

I came back to the garage kit world after deciding I needed a 1:1 scale “Tingler” for myself (William Castle was someone I respected and loved). So I made one and painted it and showed it to several folks. Those who knew what it was and others who did not all had positive stuff to say.

And then it dawned on me. I was home. This is what I need to be doing. So I then rolled into the “El Baron” kit. After that was released I decided to go for the “?ingler,” then the “Aztec Mummy,” and so on.

RtB: I confess, my Spanish is close to nonexistent, so would you please explain why you call your company Ultratumba Productions?

Paul: Great question! Ultratumba roughly translates to “from beyond the grave.” I chose this as a company name for the reason that I feel that I an reintroducing a lot of monsters and creatures that have been forgotten or overlooked for years. So, in a way, bringing them back from the
beyond for people to revisit and enjoy.

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!