1st, heeeeeerrrrreeeee's Johhny...um...West, the NJC winner















And the write-up I did with the Johnny submission:

Johnny West (w/ Thunderbolt)
Johnny is the titular cowboy from the old Marx line of Johnny West 12" Action Figures. Johnny's bio was never really fully formed, which allowed him to be whatever kind of old west star you wanted him to be. Most everyone perceived him to be the good guy, however, and his adventures regularly pitted him against the likes of Sam Cobra, Geronimo, and Chief Cherokee.

The Marx figures had surprisingly good articulation in the day, but their accessories were what really set them apart for that era. These qualities helped make up for the fact that each figure was made using 2 basic colors (flesh and a molded body color), with only hair and eye details painted in any way.

In making Johnny be 3 and 3/4" scale, I struggled with the choice to go for realism with the paint choices, or to make this figure an homage to the original's design. I had all but decided upon realism, yet once the light brown paint hit the figure, I felt compelled to do the whole thing that way. I did add a touch more face detail than the original figure had, for whatever that is worth.

The other thing that made the Marx cowboys interesting were the great Marx horses. With that in mind, I felt this figure would not be complete without Johnny's trusted steed, Thunderbolt.

PARTS:
Head is a commissioned Hydro-shrink job by Asphalt;
Torso upper legs and upper arms are TF Flint;
Lower arms are A-Team Murdock
Lower legs are 25A Red Star, modded heavily
Boots from Wild Bill
Vest: Indiana Jones coat
Kerchief?
Belt is kibble from various other belts;
Hat is Chap Mei, modded to be worn
Winchester Rifle is Playmobile
Money bag is from Chap Mei
Horse (Thunderbolt) is a repaint of PTE horse. Saddle from PTE, Bridle from Dollar Store horse, blanket cut from a vintage Marx Johnny West horse blanket.


And Sam Cobra (who, incidentally is my fave of the two):










And what I wrote for Sam's submission:

Sam Cobra (w/ Satan)
Sam Cobra is the premier bad guy from the old Marx line of Johnny West 12" Action Figures. Good old Sam was a gambler, thief, and overall shady individual. The Marx figures had surprising good articulation in the day, but their accessories were what really set them apart for that era. These qualities helped make up for the fact that each figure was made using 2 basic colors (flesh and a molded body color), with only hair and eye details painted in any way.
In making Sam be 3 and 3/4" scale, I tried to balance paying proper homage to the original, while trying to keep his look semi-relevant. I basically kept the body style all black, but added more face detail than the original figure had, and I injected some color details to the accessories, which originally would have been all in black as well.

The other thing that made the Marx cowboys interesting were the great Marx horses. With that in mind, I felt this figure would not be complete without Sam's trusted steed, Satan.

PARTS:
Head is a commissioned Hydro-shrink job by Asphalt;
Body is SDCC Destro, modified by cutting coat length, sculpting scarf, and adding ascot, amongst other details;
Hat is built using clear plastic insert from Henry Jones hat fused onto a brim from a 25A Wild Bill hat;
Gun Belt is MU Union Jack (?)
Belt Buckle is Aves Fix-It, and removable belt buckle Derringer pistol is plastic kibble;
Sword Cane is Henry Jones umbrella handle fused to random blade, stored inside of coffee stirrer as the cane part;
Dynamite made using toothpicks, thread, and Aves fix-it;
Money bag is from Chap Mei
Horse (Satan) is a repaint of PTE horse. Saddle from PTE, Bridle from Dollar Store horse, blanket cut from a vintage Marx Johnny west horse blanket.

_________________

I wish you had done an action shot with him using the pistol from his belt buckle. That is such an awesome accessory. Both are really well done figures with tons of awesome accessories.

_________________

I like the way you made the boots show through Johnny West's pants. Very Cool.

Johnny West looks 1/6th scale. Can't get over that.

_________________

Wow! Those are fantastic.

_________________

Holy $%#T those are awesome! I have a soft spot for Johnny because back in the day I remember seeing him at a specialty toystore (back in the late 70s before toys r us) and begging the parents to get him; I had to wait for them to get their paycheck and once they did I remember rushing first to the bank then to the toystore to pick it up! Johnny was a big part of my action figure upbringing...I digress!

Well done!

Sam Cobra looks like he should have a handlebar mustache.

_________________

I hate you a little bit.

well done,
I voted for johnny but sam was my 2nd choice.
They are very professional and that's what is expected from you

your wish is my...well, no, but here:


I didn't use it because I hadn't touched up the paint on him at that point. And the angle gives him a bobblehead which he doesn't really have.

Also, the buckle without the Derringer:


And...comparison pics first my vintage Johnny which I have since sold:




and my vintage Sam Cobra, who will soon be hitting ebay. Note all those sweet accessories! The little key you see in there actually fit on a tiny little peg inside of his hat. With more time for the NJC I would have worked on more of these. I did realize, after photos were taken, that the safe is actually much better scaled to 1/18, so I pulled an extra one of those out to customize too.



JoeDoc - thanks man! I share those same memories. I got my first few JW figs as hand me downs from my big brother. But they were still on the shelf in the late 70s (by then after several different titles called Johnny West Adventures - likely to catch some Adventure Team action). The store displays for these were epic.

joey - yes, yes I know

Matthew - thanks! I tried to capture that look and feel for sure. Honestly though, I don't think it would have worked nearly so well without painting the horses to match (almost - forgot the socks on Thunderbolt) the vintage horses. I almost didn't do it.

Darth - you are right that it looks like the boot top poking through - on the original I think it was his jeans rolled up and cuffed. Either way, it was a hard look to mimic with these parts, so I'm glad it looked ok.

Sean, Tim, GR - thanks fellas!

_________________

Hi drbindy

_________________

Top-notch work on both of these, particularly the accessories. Those can really put a figure over the top and Sam is a classic example.

Both are incredible.

_________________

Superb job on both, I may have to borrow from your recipe at Christmas time for a friend. He's a big Johnny west fan.

I like Johnny West. Looks like John Wayne in one of his Westerns.