ACRO ZOMBIES ARE HERE!

 LORE OF THE ACROZOMBIE.

 If you don't want to read all my waffle: Go to my Flickr (link on the right) to see all of the Acrozombies. And for buying, the info is at the bottom of this post :)

The threat of Acroyear invasion to the people of earth has been effectively stifled thus far by the efforts of the small race of extraterrestrials known as the "Micronauts" or "Micromen". Endless unseen wars have been strategically waged away form the eyes of the inhabitants of earth, often not far from where we sit in blissful ignorance, behind a paper thin facade of safety.

The effects of Earth's atmosphere have seemingly played little part in the outcome of the Acroyear attempts at attack and invasion. However, during the mid decades of the twentieth century, a foreign virus created an outbreak in what was called "zombification". Oft confused with the results of witchcraft, this scientifically explainable phenomenon caused deceased human hosts to attack, and devour still living human beings. Although the outbreak was eventually thwarted, the virus remained, and has been developed and experimented with, ever since.
 
During a routine expedition, a group of small Time Travellers were set upon by a Giant Acroyear and a small battle ensued. All parties involved were destroyed. The Armroids, small minions that can detach from the Giant Acroyear master to fight independently, were left largely intact. At some point in the 1990s, the US Government dumped waste that contained the virus responsible for the outbreak earlier that century. Over time, the buried bodies of the Time Travellers were infected, and able to partly re-animate, combined their own beings with the still usable Armroid units. A new organism was formed, but he Time Travellers lost their original consciousness, and took on the mission of invading Earth, with improved and lethal means.

 

 THE FIGURES:

All figures come with exactly the same dimensions as an armroid, including the 5mm peg on the back. There are two head types, and two chest types.

Here is an Acrozombie Skull Version. This is usually a case of contamination of the Acro-spherical helmet worn by the Time Traveller. His chestpiece is engraved with a bold but translucent "666".

 

 And here is a humanoid Acrozombie with Time Traveller head still not deteriorated. He is sporting neon pink guts in urine yellow chest piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MAKING OF:

   I started this project a couple of months ago alongside a few other things. I intended there to be 20 or 30 affordable figures in all, but a few things went wrong with materials which meant either I'd have to buy more materials and charge more, or leave it at ten figures. So that's what I've done.

My main inspirations for this were: Martian invasions, listening to the Misfits discography on repeat, and 70s movies like Silent Running. Also, the yellow plastic of the 70s found in wonderful toys like the Mobile Exploration Lab, had a lot to do with it.

I really wanted to make posable figures that I personally would consider part of my Micronaut collection if I bought them. I knew there was no way I'd have the means to do something like Gold Dober's incredible Roboids or Flight Commanders. But given the reliability of everything having 5mm ports in classic Microman/Micronauts toys, I thought that a nice robust build like the armroid would be worth a go.

 Here's an original Armroid showing you the luxurious furnishings YOUR AcroZombie will be travelling in!

I chose the arms form an original Acroyear as the face vertical, rather than horizontal, and I wanted these to be able to hold weapons. And I definitely wanted to sculpt something myself so I can at least have some stamp  to call mine, rather than have a coll coloured bootleg. So I got to work on the Build-Ray. A basic raygun chassis with pegs and ports to incorporate with existing Takara/Micronauts parts. My first effort looked fine until I cast it, then I realised it looked a bit of a plain lump.

That's more like it!!! I took a cast and etched a lot more detail in, and added a hilt from an Acroyear sword. The peg on the front is kind of short still, to make sure the attachments are nice and snug. All the holes have been drilled with a 4.5 mm drill I bought especially for a nice tight fit.

Originally, before I had any clear resin, the whole set was going to be in neon green, black, and white. The "666" chestpiece I sculpted often came out pretty crap with the neon pigment, full of dots etc, so I scrapped that for a smooth chest piece, in clear resin, with pink neon guts!!!

 On the 1970s Space Station Killer here, I think it looks pretty f'ing cool!

The packaging was always going to be a coffin. I found a company that makes custom boxes so all you have to do is take them out and fold them. My girlfriend and I cut the windows out (I can't cut) and put in the real nice acetate panes. Before all that I invested in some glitter spray Galaxxor style and spaced those boxes up. They feel and look awesome to hold. I'm so happy with the finished product.

DiaZombie-8 

 

Diazombie-8 is the leader of the Acro-zombies. Purely by accident, he is also a completely unique figure.

I took a GatsBlocker head from a broken figure, and added extra sculpting. I really like Greek history and am a big nerd for armour. I gave him a crest, an a Robotman style "ear". These were going to have 5mm holes drilled in to make them either usable as heads, or as "tanks" to attach to the build ray. The mold ate it after just two pulls and the original got busted up in the molding.

I'm going to make a unique box for him, then put him up on e-bay sometime.

BUYING: 

22GBP/ 34USD + S+H. 

You can e-mail me by going to my profile :)

 AZ1: Mintchoc (left knee stuck :/... = $6 off! :)) SOLD

AZ2: Space Station Killer SOLD

AZ3: Cosmic Claw SOLD

AZ4: Diazombie EBAY SOON

AZ5: Sodapop SOLD

AZ6: Starkiller SOLD

AZ6: Devestator SOLD

AZ8: Bloodfeaast SOLD

AZ9: Mintchoc 2 SOLD

AZ10: Green Hell  (Thigh joints stuck = $6 off!) SOLD



You will notice a few of them are already sold. I am sorry. I've been doing this for the fun of it and have been showing off to my friends who've said "I'll take that one" to which I goofily reply "Awesome! Thanks!". This isn't me being an elitist nobhead. Next time, it'll all be for sale at the same time.

I thought this project was going to take a lot longer, as I never expected to have such ridiculous mishaps with my supplies. I only this afternoon made my mind up on a price. I worked really really hard on these for a few weeks, and if I knew at the beginning what I know now, I'd definitely be charging more, but there are mistakes I won't make again and things that I'll know to avoid so I'm letting these go at a pretty reasonable price because at the very least, it was a learning experience for me. These figures are POSABLE not PLAYABLE per se. You can have fun swapping the parts around, I know I have. I wish the molds had lasted longer. I had so many more colours I'd like to have done.

The arms should not be posed by holding anywhere but the shoulder, the thigh pegs are occasionally half a mm too small or too big bit here and there. I've dropped them numerous times and due to the chunky parts, they've never broken. These are better than I give myself credit for I'm sure, but I am selling these on the basis that they look cool, and have made pretty fucking awesome packaging to make sure they are displayed in peace.

 15 minutes left before midnight. DONE!

Acro-Zombies. 2 days to go! Pricing and packaging, and another amazing addition to the Microverse!

Providing what's in my pot, being pressurised by my shite old compressor (which I plan to replace after this project) comes out ok, That will be the final few parts I need to finish the project.

I've had to ask a couple of friends who make and sell toys too, what they think a fair price would be. I have a very different concept of money to many people. I've never had very much, and don't pay very much for stuff. Accordingly, I expect other people to be the same way.
I just wrote a huge post and deleted it.
Here's the crack; it's going to be limited to ten figures. Not because I don't like making toys, or I want to charge loads because they're "super-rare", or I can't be bothered. I'm happy in the extreme to be making something that could fit into a Micronauts collection. Posable, in scale, and interchangable (ish - not everything is bang on 5mm).  It's just that bad resin supply ruining my molds the first time, followed by bad silicone supply making bad molds the second time, seem to be a sign that ten is the number.

My girlfriend and I will be working on the packaging today and tomorrow ( I can't cut card, and can't do geometry). It's going to look awesome - and I'm highly self critical.

Regardless of the crippled grind of the past ten days work... SQUEEEEEE!!!!

Also, coincidentally almost simultaneous to this release is the new figure by the don of fully posable resin figure production, and Micronauts man extraordinaire, Gold Dober. This is made all by one man, from scratch. I think his work is amazing and it's why I bombard him with so many mails. As far as I can tell he's not a designer figure scene kind of guy. He simply makes amazing new figures based on Micronauts lore, with all the same joints, and articulation. I'm kind of happy I'll be releasing something into the Microverse at around the same time! Check it out! http://micronautshomeworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/flight-commanders-picture.html

Phhhuuuu... ok. Acro-Zombies. Friday (*tired "yay"*)

Just as I was really getting into the swing of things and knocking out something new almost everyday, I first have a problem with me resins killing my best and newest molds. Then, as a result of the soundproofing I've done on it, my otherwise very noisy compressor (and I live in a terraced house flat) starts overheating and f'ing up. It rapidly ran into suck country.

I've used the last of a batch of shit silicone to make a couple of molds that should hold up for the last of the Acro-zombies project. Then... rest.
Well sort of rest, I have a three big  pieces of casting work to do for one collaboration, one private commission (I've already been paid in toys), and something else awesome.

So by friday, I hope to be able to put pics of the guys up and put them up for sale. I have no idea what I should charge. I'm a skinflint and feel guilty charging any more than the costs of materials. Plus, I need space so I'm happy to sell my stuff off just to get it out of the way to make more stuff. I'll ask a couple of people who make toys what they think... I have worked my bollocks off on this project and that's no lie.

Here's my workspace. Ridiculous isn't it? We need to move.

Pieces for a Battle GAze collaboration are being sent off tomorrow. Might not be for a while but I'm dead excited to see what gets done with the parts I cast. SHould breathe some new life into the project and get me started on the female counterpart I'm tentatively titling "Battle Broads". I'm not a new man or anything like that but I personally dislike words like "Bitches" or "Whores" as it kind of makes the man saying it sound bitter and undersexed. I may be a pervert but I love womankind a great deal.

Saying that, here are some sexist sketches I did today at work that the office comic book nerds agree, is a pretty good build. Gonna be a similar style to the She-Ra rip off series "Golden Girl". Less doll like female figures with barbarian/sci-fi trappings.
Thinking of having some kind of "clip-on" clothing for them. Then again, I am actually pretty good at sewing. This is months off though. I've got lots to do before I get started on these. 

Jumbokaggra all gone! And a minor setback.

Had to move a whole lot of stuff yesterday, and although exhausted, I decided to do some casting. I mustn't have mixed the resin right as it didn't cure and bonded with my molds. Mos of the molds for my current projects are ruined so I'll be a few days remaking them, and I still expect to have my AcroZombies ready by some time next week.
I write as if I'm calm right now, but actually, not so much.

Acro-Zombies ready next week. Tons of Keshi. New BattleGaze.

No posts for nearly a week? What've I been doing? Catching up with friends? Seeing my family? Travelling? What do you take me for?! I've been in my one bed flat, casting toys and slicing and sanding all day.
I've already posted a couple off, and some of these are sold but here's the slowly growing pool I've made over the past ten days or so (and a couple of ancients out of storage) :

Seems the Microkeshi is the one people like best - probably is the one I put most love into so that works for me. JKs are set to be all gone. Literally. I'm not even saving any for me.
Still making the other guys, though. Probably won't make many due to the absolutely shite silicone I bought the other week. It won't last many pulls. I still love MenMan - Probably a bit idiosyncratic a taste but I really like him. I tried to get that dark 80s mech feel with him. I finally did a header card for him this week:

 But that's only HALF of what I've been upto this week. I've been working my ARSE off and The Acro-zombies are not just going good, they're going better than I'd hoped. I've got a stack of pics but I'll save them for when the boxes and everything are done. For now, here's a look at the new look head and mid-sections (one of several types - and they all rock!). Every AZ comes in a different colorway - some will make you shit the bed I hope. This is possibly the best stuff I've ever made.

BATTLEGAZE~! The molds started dying, I got all this extra stuff going on, and ran out of ideas. In a week, alongside a large private commission, I'll be free to get back on it, probably make new molds, and start thinking up stuff. I don't want to commit anyone to anything. but an artist I have a lot of respec' for is possibly going to collaborate with me on it, which I kind of need as making the first few was a bitch. I am immensely excited to see what he comes up with and this is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for when I bought a pressure pot and got more committed to toymaking.I, and I hope you too, will shit the bed on this one.

DAI - A - KU - RON~!

If you know what this is, you'll be as "SqueeEEE!" excited as I am about it. Thank you Adam - you are a legend. :)

Lunch break fun times .

Not a massive Disney fan and haven't seen toy story three but I had to have this. Just plain cool.

Bigman Takara/Keshi crossover, 10 billion planet astral toy adventure alpha.

BIGMAN KESHI!

Here's the three new keshi I've been talking about and one old one because I felt like it. Consider this the official first wave of BIGMAN-KESHI! (You can find my e-mail addy in my profile in case you fancy some)
Wave one will be available in all the colours of the 'bow, all opaque, and costs a mere five GBP(eight USD) per figure.

 

 

 

 

Micro-Keshi

He's been ready a while but now he's header carded and ready to go! A fun, bootleggy little crossover between my two fave toy series.

 His chest engine is interchangable with a full size TT!

Battle-Bride

 

Jilted at the altar, mutated by sheer rage. Lucy Silverstein, 28, went on a one woman lifestyle quest of constant battle everywhere, all the time, when her dreams of matrimony were dashed. Maybe one day she will find the man who abandoned her, and rest. Until then, this barefoot buff battling beauty, is out for blood! 
Am I ever happy with my work on the header card! I'm getting there with computers, little by little. Gone for the late 90s dojinshi look.

 

 MEN-MAN!

 

When is a man more than a man? When he's several!! It's Men-man! Gifted and cursed with the power of group rationality, group indecisiveness, and two lazer axes He roams the galaxy, never able to settle, often making absolutely no difference for hundreds of years.

  My mate Fred Yee sent me a Robolinks/Blockman pilot. I love the little guy so much I put him in every mold I make now. I decided a giant (well, less than 2 inches but you know what I mean) Blockman pilot made of smaller ones might be cool, and so here he is! 

I tried my best to stay true to the 80s Macross/Dougram/Diaclone look and include a dash of MUCSLE with this guy. Yet to make a header card for him but will have one done in the next few days.

JUMBOKAGGRA

My first ever keshi. Only got a few left, no header cards, but he's here if you want him! :)

TWO NEW KESHI!

Fresh out of the pot are two new Keshi made by yours truly - they have names and back stories and I just need to make the header car for one of them. Really happy with my sculpting on the robot guy. I read an interview about how Galaxxor was made. 8 months of sanding! So I sanded my arse off for a few days- and came up with a pretty sharp looking fig - even if I do say so myself. Takara fans will recognise the element I kitbashed.
I haven't got a decent pull of him yet as I need to cut more airholes in the mold, but I went with a very 80s mech look, with hints of Kinnikuman thrown in. I spent a loooooong time on it.

I know the steamers are riconculously big on (what the f, who actually reads this - her names BattleBride, no suspense needed) this chick.
 There are 2 reasons: 1) I wanted to get the shape right and have enough room to texture the torn dress. 2) I put giant tits on everything.

So by next wednesday - expect these, and my Micro-keshi to be available to buy :)

3 drops in 3 weeks. Snobbery. Prometheus. Stickers. Logos. Japanese style design done wrong.

Yes 3. I'll be finishing the first wave of Acro-Zombies, with several new features I haven't even hinted about, I've got the casts for two all new keshi curing as I type, and two more sculpts almost finished, and despite a setback with a shit silicone supplier, the Blockman/Micro-NUTS pulls should start happening. Which'll be first? Well, I'm already designing the header cards for the keshis, and the packaging and all elements of the ACro-Zombie are ready, just need my clear resin to arrive. I hope this idea I have works, it will destroy the world forever.
Here's a couple of the logos I've designed. Just concepts. Thinking about including a sticker with the design on. Don't know what direction to go in yet.

IN other news, if you're into your Micronauts/Microman, you'll know 3A are set to start work on a whole new Microman series. I love their stuff - it pays real respect to the sci-fi genre/look and while it's kid of hip and kitsch, it doesn't flake out on crappy gimmicks like having a stupid plastic teddy bear with a big knife or some bollocks - call me a snob but I like to see a bit of originality.  The whole American cartoon/ anime crossover look can be awesome but you can't just knob into it thinking you don't have to learn the look first. Kickass was nerdism done right - Kill Bill (apart from the beautiful animation) was a bunch of cliches and stereotypes in my humble opinion.
Ever seen someone try to emulate Japanese design without understanding the aesthetic? You get abortions like this:

That's what my graphic designer mate and I call "the bad style". I felt so depressed as a kid when I went into a shop and had to put up with this shit knowing full well the Japanese box must have been awesome.

Anyway, the new Microman - I'm excited about it and I know they'll do it right. Although I hear the scale might be 1/12.

Prometheus was a good sci-fi flick. It doesn't surprise me everyone's hating on it though. That series was one of those things that to prequel, you'd have to effectively make a new religion.Judged independently form the Alien series, it's a great film.

Some fresh pulls. Need washing (and glossing? what do you think?)

Takara stuffs and goodbye Jumbo-Kaggra (keshi).

 HOT DOG am I every happy as flip with what just came out of my pressure pot! About four months ago, I kitbashed together a M.U.S.C.L.E. style Micronaut Time Traveller (or a TT style MUSCLE - depending on how you look at it). I sucked at mold making, and before I even got my compressor through in the post, the mold was chewed up and I had no decent pulls.
I just re-made the mold (with 50% recycled silicone from old molds) and as I'm casting some flesh keshi (keshi being the small eraser-style toys you get in Japanese vending machines) I thought I'd pump out a flesh colour TT-Keshi too. I love it and i'm not painting it! It's not even sanded and looks good. There's a bit of black on his cheek and chest as I used stained latex gloves unwittitngly but I do love this figure.
That's a Blockman pilot next to him. I have a bag of these as I line them up in molds to act as sprue. Thank you Fred - a bag full of them will be heading your way shortly
I'm working on one other Takara-keshi. at the moment. It's pretty cool I think.:)

 Also in the same pull is the re-sculpt of the build-ray. This one i'm happy with. As you can see from the new one (top pic, pink), I've taken the original (below pic), added come features, and with dremel, scalpel, and a bit of putty sculpting, made it WAY smoother and more detailed. I looked at the original and then at the Glyos on my desk and actually felt like a cack-handed four year old. I'm proud of the new one - the only bit I didn't sculpt was the handle, taken from an Acroyear sword.

.

Acro-zombies. I've made a stack of them already. I sculpted a new chest section which looks ok in some colours but sucks in others and with a bit of clear resin and horror influence, there's a lot that can be done to improve these. Give it two weeks..
 

Finally, here are all but one of the last Jumbo-Kaggra's to ever be made. Getting posted away in a couple of days. It was my first ever resin project I did years ago and the mold had a bloody good run.  Thanks for buying these if you did. One more header card left, then that's it. I've got a couple of glitter ones carded somewhere but this is the last (-1) custom to order to be made.