I'm in the process of moving, purchasing a new home, and starting a new job in the next couple months, so my figure posting will be much more sporadic than it has in the past! However, I have been working on these figures for several weeks, and am extremely happy with how they have come out. As some of you may or may not know, I started and have been participating in Project 365 x 7, in which I wanted each figure to be better than the last. Sometimes I was able to make each figure better than the last, and other times I feel I may have been less successful in that.
With these figures I focused on several areas:
1) I really wanted to step-up my BrickArms weapon modifications.
2) I suppose this is an offshoot of the above goal, but I really wanted to spend some time making the various lenses on the rifles and night-vision goggles.
3) Building off of one of Brandon's (Catsy) ideas, I have recently been wanting to make the body armor for my figures more... bulky; or more true-to-life versions.
4) I also wanted to make the best military figures I could, which included varying types of camo designs, as well as armor/helmet/weapon combination's.
Well, as many of you may be aware, within the last month (+ or - a week), I have been spending a lot of time on military figures; some which were better than others, but all of which were learning experiences. That still doesn't answer how did I achieve these goals? Well, let's get to the figures, and I'll answer that question at the end of the post (I will mention, throughout this entry, I will be putting images of BrickArms weapon modifications and other items, which I will place in the corresponding threads; however, they were so integral to the creation of the figures that I really feel they should be included in this topic as well. With that, here you go:
Modern Warrior - Commander:
Front:
Sides:
Back:
Gear:
Pack with Items (The machete, combat knife, combat shotgun, and grenade are all removable):
Helmet:
Weapons:
Obviously the AC8 mods were inspired by Brandon's (Catsy) versions, however, I would like to show the evolution of my two designs to illustrate the growth over time of complexity in the figures:
Modern Warrior - Scout:
Front:
Sides:
Back:
Weapons:
Overview:
Primary Weapons:
Showing the progression from my previous Jungle Trooper's BA M4 Mod (before I had an ARC; and yes, I did do some painting on the ARC):
Although I am wanting to save the majority of my thoughts until the end of the figures, I do want to point out the progression from a plain red colored dot and some white color, to the gemstone technique used on the ARC proto - a technique that I feel adds a lot of complexity to the weapon, and the figure as a whole).
Modern Warrior - Sniper:
Front:
Side:
Back:
I made his wire-cutter's from a red-coated paperclip and ribbon - I am not ecstatic about this design, however, it works at this point :) To note: on his arm is a topography map (which I don't know is used anymore, at least in this manner, on modern troops), but I am happy with how it turned out!
His Barrett M82 Sniper Rifle:
Modern Warrior - Close Quarters Specialist
Front:
Closeup on the Trench Gun (with wood grain):
Modern Warrior: Demolitions Expert:
Front:
Side:
Back:
BA HAC Mod:
Modern Combat Heavy Gunner:
Front (with Minigun)
Front (without minigun):
Side:
Back:
His Auto Shotgun:
So, my final thoughts - how did I do in achieving my goals, or how do I feel I did?
1) I really wanted to step-up my BrickArms weapon modifications.
Well, with the use of a separate vendor, as well as many items from a variety of BrickArms items (primarily AC8's) I really feel that the weapons I have included with these figures are a step up from what I have done in the past, and certainly reflect many of their real-life counterparts. Although I know there are a great many areas that I can continue to improve in my weapon modifications, I feel that these have come off very well and are a step above what I have done in the past. I also spent my first time attempting to give a weapon some wood pattern designs on the trench gun, which I think look great in the image, and even better in real-life (in my opinion).
2) I suppose this is an offshoot of the above goal, but I really wanted to spend some time making the various lenses on the rifles and night-vision goggles.
In addition to the BrickArms weapon mods, I also spent a great deal of time working on improving the weapons sights. I spent time looking at War Gaming gemstone painting techniques, which I spent a great deal of time working on. As you can see in the above weapon evolution images, these have changed dramatically!
3) Building off of one of Brandon's (Catsy) ideas, I have recently been wanting to make the body armor for my figures more... bulky; or more true-to-life versions.
4) I also wanted to make the best military figures I could, which included varying types of camo designs, as well as armor/helmet/weapon combination's.
I think this will answer both questions: I think this area really shows the work on these figures - I began incorporating clothe elements and ribbon in my designs, which allowed a great many things: In my opinion, I feel that the armor looks very realistic, and it very much enhances the figure; in addition, it allowed me to make the armor extremely playable - ALL grenades, knives, machete's, and guns are removable. The only items that are not removable are the shotgun shells and the caribeaners. In addition to the body armor modifications used here, I also used cloth/ribbon to accent the BrickArms Modern Combat Helmet's, which I think really helped to enhance an all-ready great product. Finally, I really LOVE the REAL CLOTH Lego Bandanna (created originally more due to a lack of Lego bandanna's) - it turned out amazingly well (in my opinion), and really helped enhance the figure! I also was able to make knee-pads for the Lego military figures using ribbon and a couple modified pieces - I think these also help enhance the figures! Overall, I think these figures are my best work yet, and I hope I have done the BrickArms proud. Feel free to share your thoughts, criticism, or agreements - I appreciate them all!
As always, thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoyed them!
