Digital Comic Museum
General Category => Comic Related Discussion => Topic started by: GoldenAgeFigurines on November 14, 2012, 01:43:28 AM
-
Hi All,
My name is Jared Zichek (http://jaredzichek.com/) and I'm both a 3D artist and a big fan of Golden Age comics. I recently sculpted a figurine of Stardust the Super Wizard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stardust_the_Super_Wizard), who I'm sure is familiar to many folks here, originally created by the infamous Fletcher Hanks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Hanks). I've just launched a Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/441047786/fletcher-hanks-stardust-the-super-wizard-figurine) campaign to finance a limited production run of the figure for fans of Hanks and his bizarre creation.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8339/8184084534_fce1b562fc_z.jpg)(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8064/8183935387_bec182e64e_z.jpg)(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8346/8183935567_f65ac9135c_z.jpg)(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8183972138_c1ecc277f3_z.jpg)The figure is sculpted at 1/21 scale, the same scale as the Marvel (http://www.marvel-figurines.co.uk/) and DC (http://www.eaglemoss.com/dc/figurines.html) figurines produced by Eaglemoss of England. The figure stands 4.45" (11.3 cm) tall including the base; it is equivalent to an Eaglemoss "Special" due to its above average size. The production figurine will be made of white metal and hand-painted; cost is $25 plus shipping for a single figurine. Backers should receive their figure by March/April 2013. The campaign ends Friday, December 14 at 12:54 am. If the project is successful, I hope to sculpt further public domain characters from the Golden Age of Comics and create an ongoing collection celebrating these colorful mystery men. If this sounds like something that may interest you, please check it out!
Best Regards,
Jared Zichek
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/441047786/fletcher-hanks-stardust-the-super-wizard-figurine (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/441047786/fletcher-hanks-stardust-the-super-wizard-figurine)
-
Wow, that looks amazing Jared!
Fantomah would make a natural bookend to Stardust.
Good luck on the project.
:)
-
I've actually just started sculpting her, Yoc! It's one of my daughter's favorite characters, believe it or not. Will post some pics once it is further along.
-
Ha! I like your daughter's taste. ;)
You weren't tempted to have the tiny body under the head from the page before?
It would have been super cool but I guess a bugger to sculpt.
-
That could definitely be a future variant, assuming I'm able to get this one produced.
-
The only other suggestion I'd have made was having Fletcher Hank's unique signature on the base and/or the Stardust logo.
Your box design is great btw, a very professional looking job!
I just noticed your list of possible future jobs. Great to see you are considering some of my favourite mystery-men and villains like The Claw, Daredevil, The Hangman, Nightmare and Spooky.
One I didn't see but think would be very popular would be Dick Briefer's FRANKENSTEIN character. Talk about a character screaming for a fun sculpture!
I hope you can keep the project rolling to get to them.
-Yoc
-
That's a good suggestion Yoc, may incorporate it before it (hopefully) goes into production. I should note that the base matches the dimensions of the one used for Eaglemoss "specials" in the Classic Marvel Figurine Collection, so if you are a collector of those, this will fit pretty seamlessly among them.
-
The ... Grim ... Reaper.
Cool stuff.
The only other suggestion I'd have made was having Fletcher Hank's unique signature on the base and/or the Stardust logo.
Your box design is great btw, a very professional looking job!
I just noticed your list of possible future jobs. Great to see you are considering some of my favourite mystery-men and villains like The Claw, Daredevil, The Hangman, Nightmare and Spooky.
One I didn't see but think would be very popular would be Dick Briefer's FRANKENSTEIN character. Talk about a character screaming for a fun sculpture!
I hope you can keep the project rolling to get to them.
-Yoc
-
Sure, I'm open to sculpting all of those characters. Part of this campaign is to ascertain if there is a large enough market to justify an ongoing series. If it does proceed forward, I estimate that a typical figure would run $12-14, with oversized specials like Stardust going for $20-25.
-
Well, we're 8 days into the Fletcher Hanks' Stardust Figurine Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/441047786/fletcher-hanks-stardust-the-super-wizard-figurine) and 35% funded - pretty good, but still quite a ways to go. Many, many thanks to everyone who has pledged thus far! Please tell your friends about it and help spread the word; getting the word out about it is critical to meeting the funding goal. I've added a couple new rewards which will hopefully attract some new pledges:
On the low end, I've added a $5 pledge for those who want to support the project but can't afford the figurine; for this amount, you will receive a limited edition Stardust trading card:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8484/8205633991_da77af4668_z.jpg)I estimate that only 10-20 of these will be produced, so it may become collectible in its own right. It's only available at the $5 pledge level; any excess cards I have at the end will be randomly added to figurine orders.
On the high end, I've added a $750 reward for the serious collector - for this amount, I will digitally sculpt you a single public domain character of your choice and deliver a completely unique hand-painted resin 3D print with a certificate of authenticity. It must be at 1/21 scale and a humanoid of normal stature, not an oversized character like Stardust. This would put it at about 3.5" high. This sculpt will not be produced in quantity and remain one of a kind. If the character you choose is commercial enough to eventually merit mass production, I will substantially alter the pose, select another costume variation, etc. to maintain the exclusivity of your figurine. This reward may seem rather expensive, but given the fact that a professional sculpt can easily run $1200, and a high end 3D print $250 (at this size), it's actually a relative bargain.
In addition, I've created a survey to determine the level of interest in and content of a potential "Golden Age Comics Figurine Collection." If you have a moment, you may fill it out here (http://bit.ly/TQHa7N); it will only take a few minutes and help me in planning out the series.
Finally, a Happy Thanksgiving to all the US residents on the forum! This is an amazing site and a terrific source for lovers of old comics.
-Jared
-
Hi All,
I've recently completed a new digital sculpt of Stardust the Super Wizard which I would like to share with the community here:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8514/8521870601_de90328301_o.jpg)An animated turntable video of the sculpt can be viewed on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/60884192 (https://vimeo.com/60884192). The sculpt is about 90% new; I made a conscious effort to give it a more dynamic pose and try to capture Hanks' unique style. I think the new version of the figure is an improvement over the old one; for reference, you can view the original "De Structo & the Headhunter" story at http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/783529.html (http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/783529.html). I'm considering three color variants for the production figure:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8245/8521870701_726f24ffe3_o.jpg)From left to right: standard grey boots (as he appeared in the De Structo story); red boots with red dots on the collar; and yellow boots version. Which one(s) do you prefer? I have set up a brief new survey at http://bit.ly/XhRigr (http://bit.ly/XhRigr) to determine the popularity of each variant. You can also comment on and critique the sculpt in this survey; I will be sending the digital model to the 3D printer Friday, March 8, so I would appreciate your feedback before then, if possible.
I've also sculpted a figure of Fantomah, Fletcher Hanks' other great oddball character; she is shown to scale with Stardust below:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8511/8521870411_d843555996_o.jpg)Fantomah will stand 3.75", while Stardust will stand 4.3", both at 1/21 scale. I'm considering a couple color variants for her as well:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8388/8521870505_40b42206c4_o.jpg)Which do you prefer? You can vote on it in another brief survey at http://bit.ly/13FHOxr (http://bit.ly/13FHOxr), if interested.
Finally, I'm preparing to sculpt my third figure, this one of the popular Black Terror. I have picked out some exciting covers which could serve as the basis for a cool figurine:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8085/8522984034_da8e8a38e0_b.jpg)I'm partial to cover "I" with the Black Terror punching out a robot, but would appreciate your opinions; you can select your favorite in the aforementioned survey at http://bit.ly/XhRigr (http://bit.ly/XhRigr). Some of the covers have offensive racial stereotyping which will have to be altered if turned into a statue. Otherwise, I think any of them could make a good candidate.
Many Thanks,
Jared
-
Wow, what a great looking Fantomah!!
I'd vote for the pink skin version personally.
-
Thanks Yoc! You can view turntable animations of both Fantomah versions on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/57510983 (https://vimeo.com/57510983) and https://vimeo.com/57511116 (https://vimeo.com/57511116), if interested.
-
I voted for the pink skin one on the site
-
Thanks narfstar! That version is currently in the lead, 55% to 45%.
-
Hi All,
Just wanted to give a quick update on the Stardust the Super Wizard figurine - it is currently in production in China and I have some photos to share of the painted prototypes; these were take with a camera phone at the factory and are not the best quality, but they give a general idea of how the production figure will appear:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3829/9002889653_2e78ccc6c6_o.jpg)(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7389/9002891301_f987e4eb5e_o.jpg)(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9004069912_9766da14f1_o.jpg)I'm hoping to receive shipment of the figures by the end of this month; will let you know when they are available for sale on Amazon, which will likely be the exclusive distributor for the collection.
Best Regards,
Jared
-
Very impressive Jared.
Congrats on the figure.
-
Hi All,
The long wait is over - Fletcher Hanks's mad masterpiece, Stardust the Super Wizard, is finally available as a limited edition, hand painted polyresin figurine! Sculpted at 1/21 scale and standing 4.3" tall, Stardust is the first in a new series of figurines devoted to public domain superhero, science fiction and horror characters from the Golden Age of Comics. This collection is compatible with the existing series of Marvel and DC superheroes produced by Eaglemoss of England. Only 180 pieces of the Grey Boots Edition have been produced; a Yellow Boots Edition (75 pieces) and Red Boots Edition (45 pieces - sold out) are also available. Each variant has its own label, is individually numbered, and comes in a custom full color box. Below are some photos of the figurine and packaging:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7288/9398885658_216d873afe_o.jpg)(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7362/9396119211_3f04a26969_o.jpg)(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/9398886492_bf9dfcfce7_o.jpg)(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3741/9398887166_8613034f15_o.jpg)(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2887/9398888576_b840577453_o.jpg)(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/9398888066_bc459e7c7c_b.jpg)(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/9398889888_fd70c6ae90_b.jpg)Stardust is priced at $27.95 with free economy shipping for US residents; he can be purchased directly from Goldenagefigurines.com (http://bit.ly/16ZsXOi), on eBay (http://bit.ly/1c5dDXj), and on Amazon (http://amzn.to/195SmLP). International customers are advised to order through eBay, as that is the only selling platform presently accepting orders from overseas for these figurines. If you have any questions, please let me know - thanks for your support!
Best Regards,
Jared Zichek, Owner
Goldenagefigurines.com
-
Oh man, I can't believe I missed out on all of these amazing golden age heroes! Please continue the series, so I can start my collection. I would love to see some reissues of the characters you've already created, too, especially Stardust and Fantomah! If you're collecting money for another kick starter campaign, sign me up.