Henry Jarrod House of Wax 12" Custom Figure

[raycastile]

Matt, though I don't plan on customizing this figure, your tips gave me an idea. We all know that Martin's ultimate destiny on this asteroid called "Earth" is to produce a 12" Coffin Joe figure. Once he accomplishes this, he will assume the lotus position and ascend to the next plane. This goes without saying.

But CJ's top hat poses a problem. It could be too brittle. Unfortunately, Martin has not unlocked the secrets of rotocasting pliable pvc or vinyl pieces. So what to do...

What if the hat were not resin or plastic, but formed felt? Isn't that how the Michael's cowboy hat is made? What would it take to "mold" a rigid fabric 1/6 scale hat? Perhaps it would turn out looking silly, but it is worthy of some R&D.

[mjaycox]

Matt, though I don't plan on customizing this figure, your tips gave me an idea. We all know that Martin's ultimate destiny on this asteroid called "Earth" is to produce a 12" Coffin Joe figure. Once he accomplishes this, he will assume the lotus position and ascend to the next plane. This goes without saying.

But CJ's top hat poses a problem. It could be too brittle. Unfortunately, Martin has not unlocked the secrets of rotocasting pliable pvc or vinyl pieces. So what to do...

Martin may not have, but Paul Dr Mego Clarke has... I am not sure if he has worked in 1/6 scale before... There are firms on EBay that make specialty clothes and items for 1/6 figures that have this all worked out. Including too hats.

Personally, I plan on making my own CJ in 12" and already have the perfect hat to use.

The cowboy hat can't be altered sufficiently because the dome doesn't have enough material (something I'm accused of from time to time as well).

Matt

[Anton Phibes]

Jarrod should be arriving at my home right round my birthday. What a treat! Happy Birthday To Me.




Such an awesome figure.

[Spock]

About the hat and Inverness coat. I actually based the figure on this picture. Also I new it was such and awesome sculpt by Steve I didnt want to hide one mm of it under a hat. He really would have had to alter it drastically to get a hat to fit and look right. But rest assured, the Mego version will have a hat and inverness coat. Not sure if the hat will be removable tho, but we will see

[Anton Phibes]

Perhpas a noose letter(see what I did there? ) containing sneaks and info as to where a figure was headed would help some folks know what to expect.

Martin and I pm a lot on all things Vincent Price. So---since I knew his plans for the 1/6 Jarrod and the Mego scale Jarrod: I was thrilled. No "but wheres the hat and inverness coat?". Price's street stalker garb is an ascot crevat, black single breasted suit,hat and inverness coat and black shoes. The 1/6 is in a completely different garb from the 1/9 because they are from different points in the film.

When we get so spoiled we start trying to dictate which film/parts of a film an artists should choose: we are over reaching too much. That beign said: if the 1/9 scale Theatre of Blood figure comes in fencing gear: I wont mind. If he comes exactly like the 1/6...even better. Some folks are probably voting for a mego Butch though. . I aint one of them. But, yes, I would still buy it. because I am a slave to all thigns Vincent Price,lol.

[raycastile]

I'm not complaining. I'm just expressing what I would want to purchase. It's an impressive figure, and I can appreciate it as an observer. If it had the hat and coat, I'd feel compelled to buy it. That would close the deal.

I would buy an 8" Butch. I haven't bought any of the Mego-style Price figures, so I don't know if I would buy Jarrod in that scale. But I would not be able to resist a Mego Butch.

That word "resist" is important. I am not rich. I only have so much money to spend on stuff like this. So when I buy one, it's because it appeals to me so much that I can't "resist" the purchase. I just hate the idea of not owning it. I think the 12" Jarrod has a beautifully sculpted likeness, and the costume is exactly as it should be, given the scene on which it is based. But I can resist owning it. If it had the coat and hat, I'd feel like I just had to have that thing in my house. But that's OK, because I can spend the money on the next Hammer figure.

[Count_Zirock]

In an ideal world, I'd have the money to buy all of the DD figures, and the space to display them all. Sadly, neither is the case. So, as much as I really admire all of the DD figures, I must drastically limit my purchases. This Jarrod figure is awesome, and for those of you buying it, I think you're going to love it. That the 8" figure will have the hat and cloak is icing on the cake.

[Anton Phibes]

I hope things get better for you soon Count. Wouldnt want you to miss out on too much. I've missed out on waaaaay too much for my liking.

Food for thought: I just recently sent an item to Martin from Ohio. I shipped it as inexpensively as possible via USPS. It was the same size and weight as a Mego scale figure. It cost me $22.00 to ship it. Least expensive service rate.

So-- consider this---that makes a Mego scale figure roughly $58.00 and shipping. A 1/6 scale figure $88.00 and shipping. "Still a lot of money, Phibes". Surely. I'm broke most days....because I bought too much house at too high a price. But thats another sob story for another forum,lol.

But, consider and compare this toa new resin monster kit (lets use Mrs. Bates by M&M as an example, since it may be the last one I bought). It arrives unpainted, unassembled, in a plain brown or white box with--- no illustration at all. Sometimes resin kits come in a plastic bag with no fanfare. General range: 130.00-180.00 depending on the maker and sculptor involved. For a 1/6 scale. Then there's all the prep work. Sanding, filling, priming....and then you paint. Hours of work going into said kit before you can proudly display it in your collection of beasties.

Unless you cant do complicated resin work. Then you pay someone else to do it. The cheapest I have seen anyone do this is $100.00. But you pay shipping to and from. The artist doesnt pay that.

So---for Martin to deliver the amount of product he does, more or less by himself (with help from the missus), as cost effectively as he does--- is amazing to me. I am a huge Vincent Price loonie. The minute I saw the Jarrod....I went bananas. That was before the full reveal on debut day, viewing only in progress shots. Many of us have come to view anything Martin does as though it was done specifically for us. As if he were on retainer to fulfill commission. Because of his great customer service and interaction in our little group.

I gotta tell ya, as someone who subsidizes their hobby by painting kits for others (because I am poor,lol)---offering up a finished piece no one paid me to do, and letting someone just buy it or pass,  is always preferrable to taking a commission. Because the commissioner is always wanting to offer input on the kit's final appearance. A lot of time the input is wonky.. Let's face it, if the commissioner had the ability to make it look like the picture in his head, he wouldnt need a helper.

I recently had a fella tell me to paint a Dracula kit the exact same way I paint a Phantom of the Opera. Anyone will tell you---Dracula isnt high parchment yellow with grayish and umber washes. But thats what he wanted. When he got it, he hated it. Just as I told him he would. I warned him it would look terrible before I ever started it. I wound up re-doing it exactly as I had planned originally. But he paid me twice. Because his orders were terrible. Now, when I paint anything for him: he just says "you know what you're doing",and grins from ear to ear when the final product is revealed to him.

I think after 5 years, Martin knows what he's doing. His stuff and NECA's  POTA, and some DST offerings are about all I buy anymore. Will everything make everyone impulse buy? Nope. But for a variety of reasons. One being finances, another being tastes, another being character/actor devotion,etc. Jarrod is a thing of beauty. I have even done a base in anticipation for his arrival. Pictured below.  Martin: "You know what you're doing". There have been some hiccups....always will be in business. But your track record with sell outs is pretty good. If something doesn't work: sales will show this. Your customer service is great.  I am looking forward to grinning from ear to ear at the next Vincent Price offering. I am already saving for it.....and a Golden Vampire before he too evaporates like a vapor. Y'all lemme know what you think of my House of Wax stand. I used pink for a reason.

[Count_Zirock]

Unless you cant do complicated resin work. Then you pay someone else to do it. The cheapest I have seen anyone do this is $100.00. But you pay shipping to and from. The artist doesn't pay that.

Dang, I used to do that in the '90s, and only charged $25-$50, depending on the kit. Maybe I should start doing it again? Might be a good way to earn some extra cash to support my figure addiction.
That "House of Wax" stand looks great, Anton. Your Jarrod figure is going to look very classy on there.

[Anton Phibes]

If you have the ability to sling paint---its a great way to get stuff for a little elbow grease. Like the Amish,lol. . The 90's....Lord have mercy,man. Thats 20+ years ago..lol. Of course its higher now. Thanks for the props on the base. The pink was chosen because of the color of the wax at the end of the film.

[mjaycox]

I think after 5 years, Martin knows what he's doing. His stuff and NECA's  POTA, and some DST offerings are about all I buy anymore. Will everything make everyone impulse buy? Nope. But for a variety of reasons. One being finances, another being tastes, another being character/actor devotion,etc. Jarrod is a thing of beauty. I have even done a base in anticipation for his arrival. Pictured below.  Martin: "You know what you're doing". There have been some hiccups....always will be in business. But your track record with sell outs is pretty good. If something doesn't work: sales will show this. Your customer service is great.  I am looking forward to grinning from ear to ear at the next Vincent Price offering. I am already saving for it.....and a Golden Vampire before he too evaporates like a vapor. Y'all lemme know what you think of my House of Wax stand. I used pink for a reason.

That stand looks fabulous!!! If it were mine, I would add a little pink candle wax on the base... I love it though.

I know totally what you are saying about customers wanting the figure/kit done a certain way... Before I did monsters exclusively, I used to do Mego-scale customs of superheroes for sale-- and my goal was to make them look as "real" as possible, with next to no Mego aesthetic in them. I had a tidy little industry going in the late 90s, early 2000s.... but invariably would come the request: "could you make it look a little more Mego-ish?" And I would be like "Um... that's not what I'm known for or what my style is. If you wanted that, why didn't you commission someone ELSE?"

[Count_Zirock]

I used to do Mego-scale customs of superheroes for sale-- and my goal was to make them look as "real" as possible, with next to no Mego aesthetic in them. I had a tidy little industry going in the late 90s, early 2000s.... but invariably would come the request: "could you make it look a little more Mego-ish?" And I would be like "Um... that's not what I'm known for or what my style is. If you wanted that, why didn't you commission someone ELSE?"

I used to do 1/18-scale "Star Wars" custom figures, based on the modern sculpts. I did a few commissions, but not too many. I used to get asked if I did vintage Kenner customs all the time, but those things are so expensive, even loose, that I was afraid to even try. And, when I did model kit commissions, they were mostly vinyl figure kits. I was terrified the first time I was asked to do a resin kit. Fortunately, it was a Dark Horse "King Kong," sculpted by Ray Harryhausen. That was such an easy kit to build, that it was a great kit for a beginner.

I should dig out my Luminators monster kits and build them up, paint them, and see what kind of reaction I get. I wouldn't have them ready for this year's show, but I could enter them in Mad Monster Party's model contest in 2016.

[Anton Phibes]

Has anyone got theirs yet? I am in the stix, so it takes the mail forever to get to me. The suspense is killing me. Especially since I also have Fredrick Loren and Baron Meinster in the box to boot.

[Spock]

Has anyone got theirs yet? I am in the stix, so it takes the mail forever to get to me. The suspense is killing me. Especially since I also have Fredrick Loren and Baron Meinster in the box to boot.

They are just this weekend being shipped. Had a customs hold up leaving Bangkok and then a bad weather delay in the Chicago are where my forwader is based but all should be in transit by the end of this weekend

[videoaddict]

Mine arrived today. Another great one that will soon be standing amongst the other VP figures.  Thanks DD team!!