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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Fall! Fall!

This was one of the first scenes I had attempted when I got interested in toy photography. I've learned a little since then, mostly by experimenting and watching what others do. Still have a long way to go in terms of proper lighting technique and believable Photoshop tricks.

This was shot with X-Transbots Apollyon who seems to not be long for this world considering how great DX9 Mightron and Maketoys Despotron look in previews, and Masterpiece Hot Rod who despite some flaws is still a nice figure. The background is composed of separate shots of the foothills at Alum Rock Park, a cloudy sky, and a large rock from my garden.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVaFZfaHpGMTNMUEU

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Planet X Dinobots

It's been a while since I've had time to work on a project. Couldn't remember how I did some of the glowie bits and shadows so Triton might be a little different than the rest. All in all, a bunch of great figures with some flaws spread across the line. Still, I absolutely love the set. It's one of my favorite groups. It's so hard to choose just one.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVWUJIcHRNaEVCRU0
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Dancing in Paradise

It's not from a cartoon or comic I'm aware of. I just wanted to make use of a vacation photo I had taken. I was also inspired by a scene from some late night Kung Fu movie I had seen.

I used Perfect Effect Aranea and Mastermind Creations Azalea. By underexposing the shot, I was able to simulate their silhouette against the sunset. Their swords and eyes are from Inner and Outer Glow Layer Styles.

The background is a photo I took from Waikiki beach as the sun was setting.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVWUdNbDFTclVHNVk

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Fans Toys Insecticons

The Fans Toys figures just barely edge out the Badcube Collector's Edition for a spot on my MP shelf. These figures are weighty and fun to pose.

Instead of my DIY light box, I used an actual light tent to take shots of the figures. That, plus learning how to use the histogram on my camera, made the photography process so much easier this time. Chrome is still a pain though. The majority of the time was spent trying to blend them into the foliage.

I've not been to a swamp so I used a shot from Manoa Falls in Oahu as the background.

I added a circular purple to orange gradient layer as an overlay to give a warmer feel to the lighted area and a cooler feel to the shadowy area.

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwxl1QbH6hwVY1I5NF85WkxkT0E

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