Okay folks, I can finally start spilling the beans about something I'm real excited about--something that's been taking up most of my time for the past few months...but that I haven't been able to breathe a word about. Until now.
Starting August 1st, our buddy and esteemed Takara SF super-fan, MicroBry, is joining forces with designer vinyl/custom toy magnate, Bwana Spoons, for a Microman/Micronauts-themed art show at Grass Hut in Portland, OR. This show is called My Friend the Micronaut 2013, and will feature Micro-themed artwork and toys from over a dozen DIY toy makers...including yours truly!
Yup--my first art show...that I'm not just crashing! :P
But I won't be repping Brownnoize by dolo. Oh no. For a show like this, I've enlisted some local talent in order to come up with some VERY special offerings. First off, Mason, our bacony-good cohort and host for many East Coast Chogokin Summits in years past, has organized a team to hand-paint a trio of Powered Suit Fake Types--my Diaclone Powered Suit replicas--exclusively for the event. Yes, these are the Shapeways-printed offerings I've been blogging about for a while now. Stainless steel bodies, magnetic shoulder joints, 3D printed "Inch Lady" female Diaclone driver...and all 100% compatible with the original toys!
But most definitely *unlike* the photos of Shapeways prints I've shown before, each of these figures will feature a unique hand-painted color scheme in keeping with the show's theme! Mason is an experienced wargaming miniature painter and he and his team will be lovingly transforming these toys into true one-of-a-kind works of art. I haven't even seen them yet--other than the teaser pic above--but I'm just honored to have such an established painter painstakingly work his magic on my humble replicas!
Oh, and like the post title says...this is also a big deal: these will be the first Powered Suit Fake Types available to the public!
And on a related note, I did get a chance to take a photo of one of the Inch Lady female pilots, primed and ready for paint. Finally we get to see a decent shot of her!
Because of the translucent plastic she's made of, matte primer is pretty much the only way to see the detail on the print--even looking at the figure in person. So Mason showing me the primed figure was the first time even *I* got a sense for the print resolution. It's pretty wild! Even primed, to the naked eye, those print lines are all but invisible on such a microscopic figure. But now, of course, I'm dying to see her all painted up!
Next up, we have some 2D artwork that is sure to melt some eyeballs! Once again, Larry from Minutia Studios comes to the rescue with his absolutely mind-boggling skills! If I'm nice with 3D CAD, Larry is godlike with 2D software. Whether vector or raster, I've never seen anyone work like him!
Larry took my 3D CAD model for the Powered Suit Fake Type, developed a pose, photorendered it, mapped stickers to the surfaces, and got it all gussied up...before my very eyes. And the result? Brilliant.
I can say that this magnificent artwork *will* be available at the show in one form or another...but I can't give away ALL my secrets just yet! There's one more homegrown surprise in store that I think will go over well. Stay tuned. ;) In the meantime, y'all should check out Bry's Tumblr page for the show and peep the previews for some of the truly AMAZING toys and artwork that will be on display at Grass Hut!
Til next time, I'm out!
