HOLIDAZE 2013: THE MAGIC OF THE MYTH OF CHRISTMAS

Castle Greyskull.

G.I. Joe Tactical Battle Platform.

Toy Biz's Marvel Superheroes Training Center.

Nintendo Entertainment System.


Some Christmas mornings are so unforgettable that they transcend and become magical. The moment when you get exactly what you hoped for. It had been a very long time since I had REALLY wanted anything for Christmas… until I saw the 6" Boba Fett with Han Solo in Carbonite San Diego Comic Con exclusive. 

Boba Fett. Most Notorious Bounty Hunter in the Galaxy. My favorite Star Wars character/figure ever, and, to this day, one of my most treasured childhood toys.

Being an exclusive, I knew I probably wouldn't be able to afford one-- if it was available online-- so I let it be. I later read that Boba Fett would be available in the second wave of Hasbro's The Black Series. While I had a glimmer of hope, I had kinda resigned myself to a Boba-less existence… and, as long as I didn't have Fett, I couldn't see myself starting a new collection in a new scale.

I walked past the Black Series figures countless times. At first, I was kinda thrown off by the larger scale, but the detail and articulation were amazing. I'd never really seen Star Wars figures of this quality at this size from an American company. While I was impressed, I was steadfast that I wouldn't collect them until I got my Boba Fett.

…Then I received a very cool, unexpected gift from a Secret Santa: 

Suddenly, I feel like a kid again. Opening it immediately took me back to my first X-Wing Luke (the original 1970s figure) and my MEGO Spider-Man. I easily spent a half hour at my workbench just messing around, posing him. 

For the first time in years, I'm actually psyched about upcoming Star Wars figures. Every day I check online for any hints of upcoming waves, usually fawning over leaked images of future products, like they were from some lost Sears catalog of yore.

The other night, my lady took me out for my birthday and wanted me to pick out a few gifts at the store. I made a bee line for the Star Wars section and found Greedo, Han Solo, and Boba Fett waiting for me. 

It was the moment I got exactly what I hoped for Christmas; when it transcended and became magical.

SAY MY NAME

Walter White. Heisenberg. Like Dexter Morgan or Don Draper, one of the most complex, real, and best characters to appear on television in the past 25 years. I came to Breaking Bad very late-- like the final season late-- and was introduced by my girlfriend... the person this piece was made for. While I had built her Doctor Who figures in the past ( http://strangelabs.blogspot.com/2013/06/you-will-be-upgraded.html , http://strangelabs.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-doctor-who.html ), I wanted her to have a Heisenberg to celebrate her birthday and the end of the series. 

Completed in October 2013, Heisenberg is primarily a mix of 25th Anniversary GI Joe pieces (upper body) and GI Joe movie pieces (legs, coat), topped off with a random head I found amongst my customizing fodder. It was already primed white and looked like Walt, so I ran with it. 

That is, indeed, a tiny, in-scale plastic baggie of Sky Blue meth. It was a random figure accessory literally chopped up and put into a real plastic baggie from the Strange Labs Kitchen that I hacked up. It's also the weirdest accessory I've ever made for a figure. 

While watching the first season of Breaking Bad and new episodes every Sunday simultaneously, it was fascinating to see how so much ties together, and how so many details from earlier episodes really come into play later on. I was struck by how much Walter White reminded me of Dexter Morgan-- the normal demeanor, solid job as an authority figure, dual identities, illicit activities, etc. Like Walter, Dexter is aware of his Dark Passenger. What I wonder is if, like Dexter, White's dark side Heisenberg has always been there, lurking in the shadows...

NEXT TIME: HOLIDAZE BEGINS

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

In celebration of Thanksgiving, I wanted to post a few pieces that I've given to very important people in my life, ranging from good buddies to my Goddaughter to My Special Someone :-)

This year I gave more figures away than last year, and I hope to continue the trend in 2014. To see the expression of surprise and shock makes it more and more worthwhile...


ULTRAVIOLET

Ultraviolet was a gift for Nya, my Goddaughter. Like myself and her dad Brian (best attorney in the world, PS), Nya loves GI Joes, so Brian asked me if I would create an original character based on her. Inspired by Nya's multi-colored hair and her punk rock mom Sarah, Ultraviolet is Nya grown up. While she's truly a member of the GI Joe team (trained by Snake Eyes, what!), she's also a triple agent: A Dreadnok who works for Cobra spying on GI Joe (she's really giving them misinformation created by the Joes). 

In addition to being a bad-ass spy, Ultraviolet-- like the real Nya-- loves and cares for animals, and works as a vet for all the animal companions on the GI Joe team.  

Ultraviolet was a combination of a lot of different parts-- Mutt Williams from Indiana Jones, Scarlet, and some random female Jedi Star Wars figure. I believe the head is from Angel Forge 

( http://shop.theangelforge.com ), a bonus piece added to an order by surprise... one of the many reasons why they're amazing.

SCORPION

About a year and a half back, my good buddy Moe asked me if I'd ever consider working on one of his favorite video game characters, Mortal Kombat's Scorpion. While I've never been much of a gamer, I'd always liked his design (along with Sub-Zero, Reptile, and Smoke), and had even made a REALLY CRAPPY one out of old skool GI Joes when I was a little kid. If memory serves, I was so nervous about painting the eyes that I cut some out from the Mortal Kombat magazine ad and glued them on his face. It looked as horrible as it sounds. 

Moe's favorite costume for Scorpion was a little daunting, and, before I knew it, a long time had past since his request. But it proved fortuitous; Moe's birthday was coming up and I knew exactly what to give him...

Scorpion is a repainted ninja from the GI Joe Retaliation line. As soon as I saw it, I knew the yellow would work beautifully with that sculpt. Add in the sick articulation and you've got a birthday present to die for... "GET OVER HERE!"

NEXT TIME: Being good, Breaking Bad...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM STRANGE LABORATORIES!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Today starts what I really consider to be my favorite month of the year: The month between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve... or, as I like to refer to them, THE HOLIDAZE. In the spirit of the season, Strange Labs has many surprises and fun little "gifts" for you to see all throughout December, full of magic, wonder, and memory.

Can't wait for you to see them...

-Strange

STRANGE LABS' FIRST SHOW FOR 2014!

Strange Labs is thrilled to announce that our first show of 2014 has already been booked! 

A brand-new, never-before-seen piece will make its debut at Bear & Bird's 4th SQUARE SHOW-- I absolutely love the work, and it signals a new (but logical) progression. The past few months have yielded cool proof-of-concept shots, but I can't stop staring at this new one...

Oh, and if you're a creative type in the South Florida area, Bear & Bird is still accepting RSVPs through Friday, December 20th

More info: http://www.bearandbird.com

SNEAK PEEK: HOLIDAZE 2013

It's not even Thanksgiving, but it's already Christmas at Strange Laboratories... well, kinda. Over the past few weeks, I've been planning and assembling props for a very special holiday project that is a combination of everything I love: toys, miniatures, dioramas, and this magical time of the year, and here's your first look!

 More details-- and pics-- coming soon!

CREATURE FEATURE 2013: "IT'S ALIVE! ALIVE!"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM STRANGE LABORATORIES!

As a kid, I was OBSESSED with monsters, aliens, and ghosts-- pretty much anything and everything that could be classified as occult or supernatural was researched, read, and retold, all throughout elementary school. During this time, I discovered a line of classic Universal horror characters in the same scale as my beloved GI Joe and Star Wars figures. I'd seen a Frankenstein first, then a Dracula. In the days before The Internet, I was never able to track down the name of the line. 

Fast-forward 10 years. McFarlane Toys-- my favorite company at the time-- began putting out playsets in the 4" scale loosely based on classic Universal horror. This time, I didn't miss my chance. They're treasured parts of my toy collection, and I still use them as backgrounds to this day. 

While I have a soft spot in my heart for all of the sets, my favorite from the first series (and the first set I bought from the line) was Frankenstein's Monster. Packed with detail and crammed with accessories, it's one of the coolest toys of all time. 

Here, my original creation Dr. Clockwork stands in for Dr. Frankenstein. The original McFarlane Dr. Frankenstein is kinda cheesy, in that very mid-90s "grim & gritty" style. While I loved the concept of a  cyborg doctor who experimented on himself, the ponytail and goatee had to go. Dr. Frankenstein builds monsters... he's not fronting a 90s alternarock band.

While there were literally thousands of ways I could've approached the piece, I ended up creating a straight-up homage to McFarlane's bad-ass original. Part of its appeal was that head sculpt, so I opted to keep it and put it on a new, super-articulated body (from an Absorbing Man). The crooked line of stitches across the abdomen was another detail I always loved about the McF original, so I lifted them and Frank's "Undead Mint" color palette. 

It's a mint you don't want to eat, kids.

The Monster's neck bolts are made from real screws, provided by a GI Joe. They were one of the final additions to the piece, at the suggestion of a friend who stopped by The Lab. He said that it wouldn't be Frankenstein's Monster without them, and I agreed. 

CREATURE FEATURE WILL RETURN FOR HALLOWEEN 2014, WITH MORE TRICKS AND TREATS... UNTIL THEN, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!