thanks drbindy it really means a lot!

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The GotG are amazing, especially Rachel.

Starlord's over/under weapons... damn!!

I'm still not tracking on how you did the Drax tattoos, which also look great. What it a wet dip approach?

thanks pastnastification!

i had to totally start over on drax. this time i painted green then let it dry 1 day. then i got everything staged with multiple "tools". just tooth picks with different angles cut and some kabob sticks the same. i started by dabbing the gel like paint where it is most needed, then push pull and smear it into some semblance of a pattern. it is dry now, but i plan on spraying clear over it before pics,

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drax! i swapped out the joe legs for a fortnite waist and legs, mostly because i hated the weird gap the joe legs left. they are about the same height over all.





i'm really happy with how the tats worked out.





here with my default destro for size


some heavier filters


here are a few wips of my groot. mostly hot glue on top of the mcfarlane hobbled base.



he is large. since these pics i did one round of paint i liked, then a second that i don't. also the weight of the legs is causing them to pop off a lot.

here is the bulldog shark that had me wanting to use the window paint on drax. this looks better to me and it was just slapped on willy nilly





the paint took a fodder box time killer and made it one of my favorite specimens to look at. not sure if my guy will come through with the frickn' laser for it or not.

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while waiting for drax to dry i remade tex, he really needs a better handle. only thing i kept was head/hat and guns. lots of parts here that jive well, maybe so well i'll just weather them and he'jj be done! he is now long and lean.




my ratfink mickey is done.


i might weather my first ratfink some more, but he's about done too.


what i'm not liking is my pekachu monster. i kept cutting and adding bits, but after paint it really didn't jive well. it looks more derp than fink.

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i used a stiff brush and knocked a lot of paint off groot. the white spray paint is tough stuff!



i also "pinned" his hips. that lost some articulation, but he is much sturdier now.



my gomora had this green heatshrink on her arms and upper legs. i had to paint it, then try to match her face.

i have since removed the green heatshrink, but kept the heatshrink boots and added red 1/2 sleeves.

trying to put together a nebula, but i'm not sure if this works for her?

wo thats not ronin it's lobo.....


a cow girl wip to play with tex. i've since swapped in the original no articulating legs since i don't plan on her being too dynamicly posed.




groot is structurally done and if not for some raw glue showing totally done. a few dabs here and there. i should come clean with why he looks "punk rock". he is the native american spirit forever trapped in a old west store wooden indian statue. chief big root tobacco so all he says is "i am big root"

trying to have fun with characters so i'll be breaking all kinds of cannon. please let me know what you think and help if you can set my gotg into "an earth" old west, not necessarily our earth.....

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Some outside the box thinking here, and it's giving everything a fun surreal vibe.

Your Guardians, especially look straight out of a self-aware grown-up cartoon version of the characters.

thanks spin doctor! i really appreciate the feedback since i am outside my comfort zone with these guys.

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been a while since i bought something for a custom, but i've been looking for some alien heads (donors or???) . i wasn't seeing anything cheap ($5 is just toom much for me!) until i saw the galctic hero figure on ebay. i was able to get 3 for $4 from the same seller. i already had the st bodies and dino hand doners.

they are a bit big for the regular greys in our scale, matter of fact they might be perfect for 6" scale. but they are good enough for me to scratch the itch.

i have trimmed and better fit them and will take my next pics after paint.

GOTG 3rd western earth

and with filters

and since he was on my desk, nothing political but now your'e on a list.....


while finishing gamora's heatshrink (now sleeves and boots) i decided to try out some pant legs for a few figures i'm slowly getting pieced together. here is how that went.

a dip in really hotwater then i decided to flip the pieces of heatshrink upside down, a few trimms here, there. some ragged edges on the black set for realism.



i had to use a lighter and ended up with some nice fabric looking wrinkles by pinching. i over did the pinching on a black leg so i had to use a lighter and tweezers to open it back up.





for a step by step of basic heatshrink use see here. i'm still finding new uses all the time. sgcaper beat me to making nice looking/working holsters
http://wiki.joecustoms.com/wiki/Heat_shrink_tubing

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Great stuff as always. I like the heat shrink pants idea. Super smart using it on Gamora too

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The LOVE those aliens. I agree with Spin, you're take on the Guardians looks like it would be the modern cartoon version of them right up there with Steven Universe or Netflix's She-Ra.

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thanks sgcaper!

i appreciate the love pluv!

i guess i see gotg through a cartoon filter. never being a comic reader and not seeing all the movies the characters seem to "fit" into that category.

also if not for spec not taking the starlord infinity statue when i offered it up, i never would of had it to get board and mess with spec is also responsible for me needing to make the alien trio after seeing all his great figs.

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I get really hung up on trying to make things look 100% authentic, like they came straight out of a factory. I love that you'll try ANYTHING, you're getting amazing results trying techniques I would dismiss outright. I need to get back in the habit of trying new things, what you're coming up with is really inspirational.

We showed our 5 year old Guardians last Friday, and there was a close up on Drax and I immediately thought about your approach to the tattoos.

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thanks dotd! it does truly mean a lot to me!

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Your Guardians turned out really well.

And those aliens are just a lot of fun.