Batman vs Superman

These are from the SH Figuarts Injustice line. I prefer the armor plated look for super hero costumes.

I basically posed Batman and Superman in front of my laptop screen. The hardest part was fiddling with the figures until they were in a pose that I liked and would appear that way in the viewfinder.

I found the background picture on one of those wallpaper sites. There was no credit to the original artist. I would have liked to use my own picture, but I don't have access to a sky rise rooftop. The wall behind them is the lip of my laptop.

I had to forgo lights because of glare in the monitor so simply relied on ambient light in a dimly lit room. Superman, especially, is particularly reflective and shiny, which my polarizer helped with a little.

In Photoshop, I did the basic adjustments, cleaned up dust and smudges, closed up gaps in Batman's cape, added glowie bits to their eyes, and overlayed a cooling filter.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVQU1ocmxkdk9HWEk

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Fallen Comrade

I didn't break Trash-Talk just for this shot. That's a feature of the figure. I posed him, Cogwheel, Striker Manus, and Badcube Sunsurge on some desert panels from ToyHax.

I created the fire wth my custom smoke brush. 

The background is a shot of Hollow Bean State Beach. I tried to blend the two together. Damn, California beaches are so dreary, even in the summer. I need to make my way back to Hawaii.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVOS1PZnMzUUhPWDQ

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Mastermind Creations Fembots

I wonder if Azalea holds the record for number of remolds and repaints. It's a great piece that kickstarted my interest in toy photography, and there are at least three more named characters to go.

Putting the figures against actual flooring and backdrop saves a lot of time in post.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVVC1pLTRrc0o4ck0

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Mastermind Creations Feral Queen and Nero Queen

My introduction to toy photography came from finding Dre Merc's blog page. I was blown away by his photos, especially those with Mastermind Creations Azalea. The figure is capable of so many natural and dynamic stances compared to most other figures, especially official toys.

Feral Queen and Nero Queen are basically repaints of the Azalea figure. Except for the heads, every panel is identical to the previous figures. Their shoulder pauldrons and chest panels are the same as those on Salvia Prominon. The new head sculpt is done very well. The spikes make these two look especially aggressive.

The transformation is as aggravating as I remembered. I don't like the hovercraft mode enough to bother.

Their accessories include a pair of guns and swords for each, feet stands, and a staff for Feral Queen. All the weapons are simply repaints of what we've already seen. The staff requires some assembly. I wished Nero Queen's foot stand were black or purple instead.

I'll probably use these two figures as Deceptions. I've no idea who they are supposed to be. The mold is getting a bit old at this point, but I'd probably continuing getting these. After all, we are still missing Chromia, Firestar, and Moonracer.

The figures were shot on floor panels from ToyHax, using Mechanical Chain Base panels for backdrops.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVWE1NUVZPQ1dDTDA

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Nothing defeats the Devastator!

One last project with TFC Hercules before I crack open the new sets. I discovered Transformers before Voltron and other Japanese giant robot cartoons, so when 6 robots formed into a giant brute that the Dinobots couldn't initially handle, my mind was blown. My childhood Devastator toy was an orange-colored knockoff my father had found at the local flea market, but I didn't care.

Would Generation Toy Gravity Builder or Toyworld Devastator look better? Probably, but Hercules still looks pretty damn good. Over the year, he's gotten a little wobbly at the hips, but he's able to maintain his stance. I had to do a little surgery to his left knee. The ratchet in Mad Blender's connector joint was really loose. I was able to fix it by opening up the housing and placing 4 pieces of post-it note paper underneath the ratchet plate. If Structor's ratchet loosens, the same fix should work as well.

This is from the episode, "Heavy Metal War." Because of the small size of my light tent, I shot Apollyon, Soundwave, Starscream, and Thundercracker individually. Yes, Thundercracker. I'm anxiously awaiting finally getting my hands on MP11 Skywarp. I used some Hue Saturation layers to recolor Thundercracker. It still doesn't look quite right, but it will do for now. I did the same to the green barrel on Mad Blender. The smoke is drawn with my custom smoke bush. The background is a composite of an evening sky, a large boulder formation at Alum Rock Park, the foothills at the same, and a dried out lake bed at Penitencia Creek Trails.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVcW5zNDZvYW5DWGc

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TFC Toys Constructicons

Before gearing up to look at the Generation Toy and Toyworld Constructicons, I wanted to revisit an oldie but goodie.

The TFC Toys Constructicons are starting to show their age, but they are still a fun set. They were my first exposure to TFC Toys. Some of the figures don't really look like their source material, but I'm not really going to keep them in this mode anyways.

They lack feet and wrist articlation, severly limiting their posability. Some of them are super kibbly. With Mad Blender and Exgraver, it was simply easier to remove their cement mixer and shovel.

I spent a little time trying to blend their feet into the grass. Photoshop has this grass shapped brush that randomly changes property with each click. It seems to have the effect I wanted when applied to the layer mask at each foot. To save time, I cheated with Exgraver and Neckbreaker.

The background is a shot of the evening sunset from Communications Hill. I applied a red photo filter to the figures in an attempt to impart that rusty sunset glow. Being so strongly backlit by a sunset, they really should have been more in silhouette, but that's what Photoshop is for.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVQkpPZUs1SlJvZXc

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