Yeah, the missing holster makes me nervous. I wish I had asked my seller to check the box for it before it shipped now.
Dark Toys 1/6 Rick Deckard
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Yeah, the missing holster makes me nervous. I wish I had asked my seller to check the box for it before it shipped now.
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I wish I could capture him like that with my camera.
Just took about fifty photos, and not a single one of them showed what I could see with my own eyes.
All the sculpts around him virtually photographed themselves without trying, but young Deckard refuses to be captured.
A lot of digital photos are slightly soft, straight out of the camera. I took the liberty of running one of your pics through Photoshop, to make it slightly sharper...I wish I could capture him like that with my camera.
Just took about fifty photos, and not a single one of them showed what I could see with my own eyes.
All the sculpts around him virtually photographed themselves without trying, but young Deckard refuses to be captured.
I use the Unsharp Mask filter in Photoshop on most of my figure pics, to sharpen them up a bit.
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It's not normally a problem with this camera. Depending on the sculpt it can take really sharp photos.
For example this is Supermad's K taken up close with the flash:
These were the two best photos (with flash) from the terrible fifty I took this afternoon. It captures the other sculpts, but it just doesn't like DT's Deckard:
There's just something really strange with the paint or plastic that's making it impossible to show what he actually looks like in hand. As with most photos of this figure the camera picks up a translucence or waxiness, which I was also seeing in hand before moving him and changing the lighting.
On display I really like him after the transformation I saw under the right lighting, and I keep going into the collection room to check that he still looks good!
Good lighting definitely helps a lot. 
I never use a flash -- worst thing you can do to try and capture a figure I think. Which is why I never photograph my figures in my display. I have a special place where the light works just right. I actually like a bit of a side light on figures. That's what flash kills instantly. When I receive my Deckard I will see how he fairs in my special place.
I agree with you about not using flash. I find diffused light looks better.
Years back I bought a small lighting tent kit, which works really well when I can be bothered to erect it.
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Yeah, never use flash in general. Stanley Kubrick said so.
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The flash is a necessary evil for me, as I never did set up a "special place" for photography.
Sculpts that have the usual quality paintwork you expect (and hope for), can stand up to the punishment of the flash for the purposes of showing their detail (if not for artistic purposes).
DT's Deckard is among the worst, if not the worst, I've found to photograph.
I tried with flash on and off, in different places, with different lighting and with different camera settings. I must have taken about two hundred shots, yet none was able to represent what the eye sees. It's as though the camera's picking up what's underneath the surface paint. No chance of capturing that magical moment when I held the bloody sculpt under a lamp and it suddenly came alive, and actually looked close to Hot Toys quality.
Lordscum
Super Freak
The 3rd one down with all 3 of them doesn't look too bad. I can see some details there.It's not normally a problem with this camera. Depending on the sculpt it can take really sharp photos.
For example this is Supermad's K taken up close with the flash:
These were the two best photos (with flash) from the terrible fifty I took this afternoon. It captures the other sculpts, but it just doesn't like DT's Deckard:
View attachment 562154View attachment 562155
There's just something really strange with the paint or plastic that's making it impossible to show what he actually looks like in hand. As with most photos of this figure the camera picks up a translucence or waxiness, which I was also seeing in hand before moving him and changing the lighting.
On display I really like him after the transformation I saw under the right lighting, and I keep going into the collection room to check that he still looks good!
Lordscum
Super Freak
I think the two school girls are Replicants .
Or maybe they are friends of Lucy Devlin?... Ray McCoy was supposed to be interviewing her.
Marine Boy
Super Freak
Did some more work to the VK machine. All the electronics are mounted to the base.
The base is a push fit. To open it, remove the bellows and push it out from above.
Just to print new screen stickers and colour some of the lights.
The base is a push fit. To open it, remove the bellows and push it out from above.
Just to print new screen stickers and colour some of the lights.
Monsterjo5748
Freaked Out
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Hey everyone loving all the pics and awesome custom work yall are doing on this fig I'm super excited to get mine hopefully soon wanted to ask has anyone ordered this from tns figures and if so did yours happen to ship out already I kind of bought this one at the last minute before lunar year began and haven't seen any updates after the 8th even emailed them to check if everything like payment came through alright, just wanted to ask and see if anyone knew I'm sure they are busy right now so I'll eventually see a shipping notice soon I'm sure
p3ss3ssod
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Well, I don't really want to have to do that ever again, but the collar's all rockin the right ways now.
Lots of unpicking, wetting, smoothing, refitting, glueing. The detail piece is sewn in the bottom of the collar between the two layers and then on the inside as well as the visible stitches over the top. Getting it to fit in cloeer to the edge where it should be is a bit of a trial as you'd expect, but all good with the right amount of patience and Fabri-Tac.
The tie's been thinned to 4 blocks, I think the 3 blocks is a little too narrow for this print as it's a longer rectangle and not a perfect square like the original but I think it looks a lot more to scale than before.
Deciding whether to tackle more of the clothing or start on doing the portrait painting properly.
That'll be tomorrow's problem though, I think.
Lots of unpicking, wetting, smoothing, refitting, glueing. The detail piece is sewn in the bottom of the collar between the two layers and then on the inside as well as the visible stitches over the top. Getting it to fit in cloeer to the edge where it should be is a bit of a trial as you'd expect, but all good with the right amount of patience and Fabri-Tac.
The tie's been thinned to 4 blocks, I think the 3 blocks is a little too narrow for this print as it's a longer rectangle and not a perfect square like the original but I think it looks a lot more to scale than before.
Deciding whether to tackle more of the clothing or start on doing the portrait painting properly.
That'll be tomorrow's problem though, I think.
Monsterjo5748
Freaked Out
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Hey p3ss3ssod quick question what paints did you use to touch the sculpt up I've been struggling of recently trying to find a decent paint that will stay on and not rub/scuff off for 1/6 and do you just leave it after painting or do you have to put like a clear coat material on afterwards?
Alice Adrenochrome
Super Freak
Just in case Rick get's cold feet.
p3ss3ssod
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I just use acrylics, airbrush or standard art paints, nothing special. I've found I prefer using airbrush paint with normal brushes too. It's more about technique, if you want to stain the surface, which is all I've done on this one so far, it's about rubbing colours in and the removing them, you smear the colour around while they're thin and be careful with wear you put them. It's kind of like using washes, but you need more pigment in the paint than those.
I'm definitely going be doing a full (bar the eyes) repaint of this head though, I'm done with the translucent nature of the material they used.
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That worked out really well. Worth the effort, though the work you are doing on him is a labour of love, what with the two collars, tie and ongoing repaint.
I haven't got the skill or confidence to go that far with him.
Adding height and curing the sculpt with a trick of the light has me satisfied enough though. It amazed me that the change of lights turned the sculpt from something that was bringing the entire figure down, to something that now looks elevated beyond its humble price point.
It does feel a bit like owning a hologram though, because the improvement isn't as a tangible as a repaint, and is completely reliant on the display environment. He would look better still if I could duplicate the exact effect I found with the loose head, but that would entail more than a little rearrangement.
With only a little bit of futzing - nothing else yet - will do some customizing once I repainted the second head
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