Homemade Heroes Contest?

Haven’t seen one of these in a while. Henry in Australia sent in a DSAC entry yesterday. It is sweet:

Peter,

I know I’m way too late for the competition, but I only found out about it the other day while checking out when your new book was to be released in Australia.  My partner and I have been holidaying in Japan for the last 2 weeks and today the perfect opportinuty came up for a holiday snap.  This was taken just outside the lodge we are staying in a mountain town called Nikko. We like the photo and thought we’d send it in regardless. We’ve been carying the book around just waiting for a good opportunity (and so that I can re-read the book in anticipation of your next instalment!).
Hope you like it too.

Regards,

Henry, Australia.

Dont lose track of time

I’d meant to keep the DSAC contest going for a lot longer, but Voyager’s decision not to print ARCs left me without any prizes to give out, so I had to cut it short. I feel bad about that, but there’s nothing to be done for it except to find another way to make it up to Chantal and French Jess, my deficit spending ARC winners. Consider this also a promise: No more Reaganomics on this blog. I won’t offer a prize unless I have it in hand.

I had forgotten how much joy there was in my inbox back during the competition, though. Things have been so busy lately that I haven’t I haven’t had a giveaway contest in a while, so I should get on that. I had a really good idea a couple of days ago for a grand prize.

One of the contest ideas I’ve been tossing around is a Homemade Heroes competition. Homemade Heroes was a column that used to run in Wizard magazine (maybe it still does; I haven’t read in a while), where comic book fans would make custom action figures by cannibalizing other toys and using modeling paint, fabric, etc. I always loved that column, and would totally geek out if people made figures based on characters from the Demon Cycle. But I realize that’s a lot of work, so I don’t know how many people would enter.

That said, I’ve been slowly making some of my own. The first is Jardir as a kai’Sharum:

homemadeheroes018_web

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homemadeheroes028_web

This was made from various parts from the Leonidas and Immortal figures from the 300 movie toy line. As you can see, I still have a lot of work to do. I need to buy modeling paint and fix the clawed feet/hands, putting on proper Sharum sandals, and replace the white kai’Sharum veil, with at the moment is just a white piece of paper. I also need to re-paint the spear and shield with wards, and I might turn my Gorgo figure into Inevera.

I’ve also been planning a group diorama of Arlen and Jardir fighting One Arm:

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One Arm at the moment is just a Pumpkinhead toy I bought for this purpose and cut the arm off of. I need to paint it black and add spikes to the tail, but it is in the right scale with the other figures. The Arlen figure is (I am told) WWE star Christopher Daniels, a contribution from my buddy Matt. At the moment he is unaltered, but I will paint his spandex shorts into a more dignified loincloth, and cover his body with awesome wards. I will also try to get rid of the flavor saver underneath his lower lip. This is one of those side-projects I’ve been putting off until I have time, which pretty much means I will never get around to it…

What does everyone think about a Homemade Heroes contest? Would you enter? I promise the prize will be awesome.

Posted on April 6, 2010 at 1:40 pm by PeatB
Filed under Contests, Desert Spear, Fan Art, Fans, Homemade Heroes, Musings, Warded Art, Warded Man
16 Comments »

16 responses to “Homemade Heroes Contest?”

  1. I would be up for it, but right now I am strapped for time with the semester drawing to a close and finals looming in the wings… sadly it wouldn’t be until May that I would have the time to give this undertaking the attention it deserves.

    Posted by Alex, on April 6th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
  2. That’s TNA star. And he’s a big nerd, so don’t be surprised if he finds his way to your site to see your handy work.

    Contest! Contest! Contest!

    Posted by Matt, on April 6th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
  3. I think the idea is really awesome (I’m thinking about torturing some poor Barbies ;)), but it’s really difficult to make, i guess. It’s a lot of work to do, but I would really like to enter. But to be honest, i think there wouldn’t be that much people, who try to do something. It’s a rather unusual task, although we (your Fans) have proved that we’re unstoppable in doing crazy things. Just look at some real painted men 😉
    I would aprreciate it mainly because i want to know what the prize will be.

    Posted by Iris, on April 6th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
  4. Huui..seems like the old warrior figures of my brother are in real danger 🙂
    Though I suspect that the outcome will be good, I’ll be trying to enter^^

    But I agree with Iris, don’t think that many will enter…but still I’d like you to be running that contest 🙂

    Posted by Eve, on April 6th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
  5. I’d want to enter…but have no figures to butcher (unless I rip apart LOTR statues, and my wife would probably kill me if I did that). I guess I’d have to visit second hand stores and raid their boxes of old toys, if they have any.

    Posted by Brendon, on April 6th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
  6. The contest sounds like something I would love to enter if I had any kind’ve artistic skill….I’ve convinced my best mate to read TPM, perhaps I can get him to butcher some of his 40K for the sake of great writing….hrmmm….

    Posted by Elicius, on April 6th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
  7. I’d recuse myself, but watch other entries with great interest.

    Posted by Myke, on April 6th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
  8. I’d give it a shot, with no excuse not to. Let me know when and if it officially starts and I vow to submit a homemade hero!

    Posted by jayf44, on April 6th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
  9. Sounds awsome! im down.

    Posted by blake, on April 7th, 2010 at 3:06 am
  10. Gah! That would be so awesomely fun! Do it! Do it!
    It would be cool as to see what people can do!

    Posted by Emily, on April 9th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
  11. I would be up for it, but right now I am strapped for time with the semester drawing to a close and finals looming in the wings… sadly it wouldn’t be until May that I would have the time to give this undertaking the attention it deserves.

    Posted by Karen, on April 25th, 2010 at 4:11 am
  12. Gah! That would be so awesomely fun! Do it! Do it!
    It would be cool as to see what people can do!

    Posted by Dave, on April 25th, 2010 at 11:59 am
  13. […] Last but not least, I want to drop a little hint about the next contest, even though it will be some time before I recover from this last one and get it rolling. This is a contest I’ve wanted to have for a while, but have put off because I figured it would be a lot of effort and not many people would participate: Homemade Heroes. […]

    Posted by Peter V Brett :: Peephole In My Skull, on July 11th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
  14. Oh… this is gonna be hard.. i just got rid of my action figures… all except harry and gollum… the time has come to pull em apart!

    Posted by Nanaki Singh, on July 12th, 2010 at 11:43 am
  15. I’m thinking I’m not much of an action figure collector but I have two munny’s just dying to be decorated. They’d be… not typical heros but a definite and fun challenge. Keep us up to date =D

    Posted by Debby, on August 4th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
  16. I had to google “munny”, but yeah, the judges (being me and and my nerdy action-figure collecting friends) will totally accept that.

    Posted by Peat, on August 4th, 2010 at 10:34 pm