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DerynifanK

March 17, 2024, 03:48:44 PM
Happy St Patrick's Day. Enjoy the one day of the year when the whole world is Irish.

Re: Work In Progress--Deryni Action Figure Project (was Duncan Action Figure)

Started by Evie, March 11, 2012, 08:52:30 PM

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Evie

Actually, no, he gets a brief reprieve.  It turns out that his head and neck are attached, and his neck joint is inset at the top of the shoulder.  Duncan's head, on the other hand, is meant to fit over a neck that is attached to the torso, and his neck joint is inside his head.   It is possible to purchase something called a long neck joint that can connect a Duncan-style head to the Viking style body, but unfortunately that's not something I'm likely to find locally, so that means purchasing it online and then waiting a few more days for it to come in.  Or not.  I'm still exploring other options as well.

But hey, at least Duncan gets some cool new accessories, and the detail on them is amazing!  The tiny pouch with the "bone" toggle actually opens (I nearly put a penny inside it for luck--a bit of grim humor there, since this was when I was still planning on popping his head off when we got home--but it's just a tiny bit too small inside for a penny to fit with the flap closed), and the flap has a Celtic beast design embossed in the faux leather.  The cloak clasp is pinned with a "bone" needle that is actually threaded.  The drinking horn has been carved with a knotwork motif.  The shield has faux "woodgrain" molded into its surface on the back as well as the front, and the back of the shield is just as finished looking as the front, with a studded grip for the figure to hold at the center of the hollow metal boss.  The belt dagger and sword both come out of their scabbards and are made of metal, not plastic, as is the ax head.  About the only thing I'm not thrilled with is that the sword's scabbard doesn't appear to have any way to attach it to the belt (I suppose it's just meant to be tucked in?), but that's easy enough to fix.  Also the red dye of the tunic isn't colorfast, and a bit of red has rubbed off on the yellow trousers underneath and on the skin just under his sleeve, but again, I might be able to wash it and get the extra dye out.  Or maybe a splash of vinegar in the wash water will help to set the dye?  The cloak and hat are both made of a very fine microfiber (I think?) that simulates a soft sueded leather very well, and the fake fur on the hat looks and feels close enough to silky real fur that I had to give it a closer inspection to tell that it wasn't.  And the shoes...OMG, I'm in love with the itty bitty "leather" shoes that lace up the sides and have 'stitches' showing at the soles!  They make me squee nearly as much as the belt pouch.  Even the buttercup yellow trews aren't quite as garish in person as they looked onscreen.  They'll work for "saffron yellow" trews for a Borderer, I suppose.  I figure even if I end up not using this body at all for some reason, I got my money's worth just in the additions to Duncan's wardrobe.  Now I just have to figure out if there's a safe way to remove the shield boss so I can repaint the shield, or if I'll just need to paint around it....   :D

Since this figure's body build is likely to be closer to that of other articulated "soldier" and "action hero" figures out there than Duncan's Ken Doll body, I'll try slipping Duncan's current clothing on it to see how well they fit.  Not much use in continuing to shop for an articulated action figure body, or even just a neck joint, if I'd just have to start over again with the wardrobe once I got one.  Although I noticed recently that the new "Fashionista Ken" dolls are articulated (if not quite as nicely as the poseable action figures), and they're build on the same scale as my current Duncan and use the same sort of head and neck joint...   :D
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Jerusha

Too bad Rhemuth doesn't have the equivalent of want-ads:

"Deryni Bishop looking for an articulated body.  Must be able to fit into existing vestments.  Head optional."  :D
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Evie

The ad would also need to state "Neck required."   :D
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Alkari

There are times when Loris would have been happy to provide you with the requisite bits, though I'm sure he'd not be too impressed if you were going to put them back together again  :D

Evie

I've been a busy little bee in the past 24 hours....   :D

On Maundy Thursday, I added a chasuble to Duncan's wardrobe.  For Good Friday, I finished his cope and white stole.

Here are a few photo updates:



The amice is tied on over the alb.  Next should come the stole and the girdle or cincture (belt), over which the chasuble is worn, but I hadn't made either of those items yet when this photo was taken, so he's just wearing his everyday cincture.



Here is the front of the new chasuble.  It ended up being a nightmare to make; both of the fabrics used were very prone to fraying even with Fray-Check applied to all cut edges, so I was constantly snipping at loose threads as I went.  Not to mention that the seam allowances were too narrow to handle the bulky outer fabric as gracefully as I'd have liked.  And I ended up having to enlarge the neckline as I went, which was an interesting bit of improvisation...as in the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."   But it's completed...finally! 



Here is the rear view of the chasuble.  I thought it turned out a little bit better than the front view.



Here is Duncan wearing his new chasuble!  It was the hardest of the pieces to make, but all the effort paid off.  And you'll notice that Luke was tired of being ignored by this point, so that's his tail making an appearance in this photo.   ;D

You might notice that his chasuble appears sort of greenish in some photos.  That's because in brighter lights it appears more green, while in dimmer light it appears more harvest gold.  I didn't notice the green tinge until I brought it out into full sunlight one day, but I ended up using a sage green thread to sew this chasuble that blended in perfectly with the outer fabric and--oddly enough--even well enough with the metallic gold that I had trouble seeing where my stitches were at times unless I put the chasuble directly under the lamp light.

As I mentioned earlier, I also finished the cope and made the white stole today, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow to upload and post those photos.  That should give me time to also finish the new white and gold cincture and figure out a pattern for the mitre. 
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Shiral

I love it, you have a Catzilla, too! Duncan is clearly keeping his cool about having a large beast next to him. =o)

The chasuble looks great, however difficult it was to sew.  As do Duncan's under vestments. Looks like he will be properly attired for Easter Mass.

Melissa
You can have a sound mind in a healthy body--Or you can be a nanonovelist!

Jerusha

The chasuble is an exquisite piece of work!  Beautifully done.

That is the "furriest" bell rope I've ever seen.  Not that Bishop Duncan would be ringing the church bells himself, but that's the first thought that popped into my head when I saw Luke's tail.  (Better than my head popping off, I suppose.  ;D)
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Evie

Quote from: Jerusha on April 07, 2012, 03:22:00 PM

That is the "furriest" bell rope I've ever seen. 

LOL!  That's exactly what my husband said when he saw that picture!  :D
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Shiral

Quote from: Evie on April 07, 2012, 04:11:34 PM
Quote from: Jerusha on April 07, 2012, 03:22:00 PM

That is the "furriest" bell rope I've ever seen. 

LOL!  That's exactly what my husband said when he saw that picture!  :D

The Rhemuth Carrillon:
Cathedral: "Bong Bong!" Basilica:  "ROWR! ROWR!"

  :D Melissa
You can have a sound mind in a healthy body--Or you can be a nanonovelist!

Evie

Here is the Holy Saturday update I promised.  Sorry it took so long for me to get to it, but hopefully it will be worth the wait.

First, here's the cope.  I finished it yesterday evening.



The front of the cope, with trim and the morse added.



The rear view of the assembled cope.  The hem is just lightly basted in place, so it can be removed if I want to add the embroidered patches to the cope later.  I put the final stitches in the hem border at my church's Good Friday service, so I took the opportunity for Duncan to have a posed "photo op" in front of the lobby's Lenten Cross.



If you look under the hem of the chasuble, you'll see the ends of Duncan's new Easter stole peeking out.  I'd like to add some gold fringe to the ends if I don't run out of time, but it's OK as is if I don't get around to that.



(Yes, my church friends already know I'm weird!  :D)

Today, in between making lunch and cleaning house, I worked on the crosier.  Here is the result:



Crosier head made of Sculpey and spray-painted with gold metallic paint, then ornamented with a self-adhesive amethyst rhinestone and leftover trim from the cope.  The dowel was cut down to the right size by my husband, then I rubbed it down with wood stain and glued the crosier crook onto it.  (The base of the crook was molded onto the dowel before baking to ensure a proper fit.)



This was a pain to sculpt; my first attempt was too small and looked miniscule on the dowel.  I originally tried for a smoother cast-metal look, but my sculpting skills weren't up to the task, so eventually I found a tool with a small rounded head in my kit and decided to go with a "hammered metal" look instead.  (The crafter's version of "I meant to do that!"   ;) )

Here is a close up view:



The reverse side has the same design.

Here is Duncan holding his new crosier:



And yes, keen eyes might spot the bottom left corner of my framed Eleven Kingdoms poster map.   :D

Duncan got one more present on Holy Saturday:



Duncan got his bishop's ring, only this time no one had to lose a body part for it!  ;D  Unfortunately Action Figure Duncan doesn't have separate fingers (not even one of Bishop Istelyn's in a box), so I couldn't get a true ring for him, and I didn't have any brush on gold paint to paint the band in first, but the self-adhesive amethyst rhinestone is large enough to nearly cover the finger's width.  If I get gold paint and a small enough brush, I may try to paint the small gaps around the jewel later.  I would have used a cabochon jewel, as this would be more period, but I couldn't find them anywhere, so I had to settle on a slightly faceted stone.

All right, that's it for tonight's update.  I still have to figure out how to make the mitre, and there's the new cincture to make as well, and I ought to add a bit of gold fringe to the new stole if there's time.  But you can wait until tomorrow to see Duncan in all of his new finery.  (Especially since I haven't made those pictures yet!)
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Evie

Happy Easter!  Christus resurrexit...vere resurrexit...Alleluia!   :D

And here are the final photos from the Liturgical Vestments stage of this project:



Here is Duncan fully dressed just in time for Easter Mass.



A close up of Duncan's finery.



A side view that shows off the stole and cincture a bit better and also the side of the mitre.  Trying to figure out how the front and back join was a pain.  I had to work out the pattern several times on paper before I got it right.



A close up view of the mitre and crosier.  You can also see his amethyst ring peeking out from under his sleeve.



Full view of chasuble, mitre and crosier.  Notice I managed to add the fringe to the stole and that his cincture is now white and gold rather than just plain white.



Close up of the cope with crosier and mitre.  I was disappointed that the cope didn't end up more "drapey," but I think the bottom trim stiffened the hem too much.  When I eventually take it off to add the embroidered archangel motifs, I'll see if the cope drapes better without the hem border. 



A rear view of Duncan wearing his full Easter regalia.  The lappets ought to have fringe on them, but I discovered when hemming the ribbon that it's extremely prone to fraying (to the point of nearly shredding), so I was afraid to try adding anything extra to it for fear of ruining the entire mitre.



Here is the mitre with the rear lappets added.  I thought I was done with this project at midnight, but after I'd put everything up and gone to bed, as I was falling asleep, Duncan woke me up with "You forgot my lappets."  Your what???  So there I was, still stitching ribbon bits to the back of the mitre at nearly 2:00 am and taking more rear view shots of the finished mitre when my husband came home from a late night visit to the store.  "What are you doing still awake?" he asked.  "I had to take pictures of Duncan's dangly bits," I told him.  "Oh great, I leave my wife alone for an hour or two, and when I get home, she's taking pictures of some other man's dangly bits!"  This, my friends, is how rumors get started....  *sigh*

And because I just couldn't resist taking this Catzilla picture....



Please excuse the stunning laundry basket backdrop, but this was one of those spontaneous moments that had to be captured immediately.  Luke had decided he urgently needed his eyebrow scratched, and seeing Duncan's hand lifted in the characteristic "scratch kitteh's brow" position, he started frantically rubbing his head against Duncan's fingertips.  Or perhaps he was just seeking an Easter blessing? 

That's it for now, and I think I'll let my eyes and needle rest for a little while before taking on my next sewing project!   :D

"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Jerusha

#116
Beautifully done!  And I love the picture of Luke receiving his Easter blessing!  :D

What a fantastic journey from Ultimate Boyfriend Ken to Bishop Duncan!
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Elkhound

/channelling Duncan/"Cousin Alaric, I could *really* use your animal-charming gift right now!"/channelling Duncan/

Shiral

LOL at the sight of Luke getting his "Easter Blessing!"  And also at "Duncan's Dangly Bits!" (Me I'd have told that pesky Bishop to wait until morning.)

Those vestments are beautiful though, and I'm in awe of your attention to detail and your ability to figure out how to make a mitre. And I'd say your eyes have more than earned a rest. after all those tiny stitches. 

You DO know you're obsessed, right?  ;)

Melissa
You can have a sound mind in a healthy body--Or you can be a nanonovelist!

derynifanatic64

We will never forget the events of 9-11!!  USA!! USA!!