STRANGE LABS ENTERS CUSTOMCON 33!

Strange Labs is proud to announce the realization of a decade-long dream: My work will appear in this Winter's CustomCon! I have been a huge fan of the "show" ever since I discovered it online over 10 years ago, and I've been concocting plans to enter for about as long... and now, to announce Strange Labs' submission, a special guest:

STRANGE LABORATORIES ANNOUNCES OUR NEWEST LINE OF CUSTOMS: GOTHAM'S MOST WANTED-- DEBUTING AT CUSTOMCON 33!

Consisting of eight of The Batman's deadliest foes-- including classic villains and obscure favorites of Dr. Robert Strange-- Gotham's Most Wanted will feature brand-new, never-before-seen work. From http://thefwoosh.com/ :

What is CustomCon? CustomCon is a special presentation of new custom toy creations by customizers around the globe. Twelve years in the running, it’s still going strong. Inspired by the presentations of new product by legitimate manufacturers at Toy Fair and other trade shows, CustomCon is a “fake” convention, whereby customizers present their latest creations and recipes as if unveiling a new line of real toys to retailers. It’s always a lot of fun for both the viewers and the participants. CustomCon 33 will run from December 10 to 14, 2012.

For an archive of past CustomCon entries, check out: http://www.joeacevedo.com/docs/customzone/customcon/customconmain.htm

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR GOTHAM'S MOST WANTED, DEBUTING DECEMBER 10TH-14TH, 2012 ONLY AT http://thefwoosh.com/

"...LIKE A HOOD ORNAMENT."

Many Gen X-ers have remarked that Star Wars (A New Hope) came out in 1977 at that perfect age in childhood, where it felt all the more real and magical. While I agree about The Holy Trilogy, I also feel this way about The Rocketeer-- I will never forget the year it came out, and saving allowance and report card money to buy anything and everything Rocketeer. Very few characters inspire this kind of devotion in me, but Dave Stevens' remarkable creation has had a hold on me since I locked eyes on it. It has been an inspiration and influence ever since.

Over the past 20 years, I have attempted numerous times to create a Rocketeer. The first one I ever constructed was one of the first toys I ever made; a laughable attempt made from a GI Joe named Drop Zone (http://www.yojoe.com/action/90/dropzone.shtml). I didn't even repaint it. My Dad didn't let me use his model paints until I was older anyhow. I just remember it had a terrible helmet.

Lost count at what number attempt this is at The Rocketeer, but it was constructed primarily in 2010, then picked up again in 2011 and painted. The head and jetpack are from vintage PVC figures I had as a kid, and the body is a GI Joe 25th Anniversary Crimson Guard. Legs from the toy parts Graveyard. The jacket is not 100% on-model, but I've never liked the light brown, so I opted for a more realistic dark leather flight jacket.

Finally happy with this piece... Well, until better, more accurate custom fodder comes along. Been planning to build a Nazi Rocket Trooper for him to fight, but can't decide on a base figure, but it's inevitable.

DOES WHATEVER A SPIDER CAN

It all started with Flash Gordon, and not even the good one. I was sucked into the 1980s Flash movie-- complete with Queen cheesiness-- as a kid, and was hooked on "pulp" heroes ever since. Whether it was Defenders of the Universe (a sort of Justice League of pulp characters), The Rocketeer (pulp style, but not from the 1930s-40s), The Shadow, or The Green Hornet, I couldn't get enough. Now it influences so much of what I do and infuses itself into almost everything I make.

Produced in 2011, Spider-Man Noir is another true LBC (lazy bastard custom), primarily composed of Snake Eyes parts repainted black. Though the head isn't 100% on-model, it screams Spidey, and I love using it for GI Joe versions of the character. After completing this photo shoot, I decided to revisit this piece, so a new, more accurate head may be in order.

I first discovered Spider-Man Noir when I saw the video game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, where you play as parallel reality versions of the character. I immediately fell in love and went to work, even going so far as to use a Snake Eyes with enhanced wrist articulation so he's extra poseable.

I decided on the most basic design of the character because I love its simplicity so much-- though it is extremely bare-bones, it works as a very proto, real world version of a 1940s Spider-Man. There are more elaborate looks, but I found them garish... this one suits my needs just fine.

There are a number of other pulpy/noir takes on my favorite characters coming up, as well as a major announcement. Stay tuned...

THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE!

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THE FLASH? Batman I got. Superman? Duh. But The Flash? There was something about him that hooked me immediately upon seeing the character at 3 or 4, which became a full-on obsession once the John Wesley Shipp Flash TV show premiered...

My design for The Flash combines elements of all the incarnations of the Scarlet Speedster, but primarily Golden Age Flash's helmet and retro feel and Silver Age Flash's mask and red color scheme:

The Flash was produced in Fall 2011 and consists primarily of a GI Joe 25th Anniversary Crimson Guard figure. The helmet is from a Mattel DC Infinite Heroes Golden Age Flash (the only decent, usable part of that figure). The rest is GI Joe bits from my Graveyard. The logo was scratch-built from thin plastic and strategically-cut toothpicks.

THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE GETS THE SLIP ON THE COLDEST CROOKS AROUND!

Some of Captain Cold's goons are robbing a high-security vault-- they're about to become frozen dinner! Now you see them in the vault, now you don't! Flash-frozen by a human whirlwind!

NEXT TIME: NOT-SO-FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN

NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF...

"Is your mind playing tricks on you... or am I?"- The Scarecrow

Produced in Spring 2012, the former Dr. Jonathan Crane, now the diabolical Scarecow, was primarily inspired by his appearance in the Arkham Asylum game and was created from a number of 1:18 scale parts... The Doctor from the first GI Joe movie line was a dead ringer for an old school straight jacket, then I added a Joe cloak, gas mask, hood, and an Indiana Jones satchel.

Scarecrow's gas pistol was kit bashed from Star Wars accessories. The glove is a modded Doctor accessory, with a bunch of pointy bits from some random Cobra Commander accessory. The staff is merely a piece of scrap from my bench.

Next to The Joker, The Scarecrow is my favorite of Batman's rogues, specifically because he uses fear and intimidation (like Batman) on his victims. Cillian Murphy's constantly-evolving take on the character in all three of Nolan's Batman films only cemented his favorite status, taking him from a crooked psychologist on the take, to a horse-riding night terror, then morphing again into a twisted drug dealer who finally becomes judge, jury, and executioner of Gotham's "courts" under Bane's jurisdiction.

Since Scarecrow is something of a clothes-horse AND has a penchant for creating horrifying hallucinations in his "patients," I've created multiple versions of the character. My favorite incarnation I haven't made yet? The escaped Arkham inmate Crane on demonic horseback...

Dr. Crane brings Strange Labs' Halloween festivities to a close for this year, but there are still MANY tricks up my lab coat sleeve... STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES