My first real custom: Dencina

[MXC-087]

I finally got photos of Dencina, and, linked at the Stikfas forum on these boards, Deep Purple Man. This obviously will focus on the former, and since I have an extensive photo gallery on my public Photobucket account for her, I'll only post a few images. (Click the link below my signature, then go Customs -> Dencina to view the gallery.)

First, some major acknowledgments. This particular custom would not have been possible in the first place without the help of board member Zovex, who at the time, due to his massive collection, was selling individual parts for a fair price. In total, he supplied a set of Hemo Goblin's wings, Quick Slinger's body, belt, and coat, three Sky Grinder heads, an extra Razorclaw head, a Moon Stalker tail, several Skull Jack armor pieces, and most importantly perhaps, a Tomb Wraith sword, the inspiration behind the custom. Unfortunately, and especially with new Xevoz kits no longer being commonly sold at retail, Zovex is no longer selling parts; if you are able to read this post, Zovex, thank you very much again for your help in this endeavor. Secondly, and although I cannot remember this forum member's name, he operated his own toy shop, and supplied me with an Alpha Ranger knife which I used as Dencina's sword hilt. I had promised to buy my next Xevoz kits at his store online, but never got the chance to follow through. For this, I soundly apologize, and wish to make amends, if you are able to contact me...





This was the figure when first completed. Basically, Dencina is an orange draconian in my medieval fantasy comic generically titled Dragonslayer. A former villain turned hero when she realized the truth of her origins, Dencina has been one of my favorite characters overall, so I figured her custom could use some touching up. First, I modified the heads, adding her signature bang, and an extra joint under the original socket as a neck, so her chin wouldn't be resting on her collarbone. I also modified the shoulder belt so her hilt wouldn't sit so close to her hip as to limit weapon placement, completely redid her upper armored body using a spare Alpha Ranger figure I've been using for parts, and touched up some of the paint details, including the transparent red used on the sword's handle.



This is how the figure looks today. The elevated perspective of the camera tends to make her legs look short, but I think it's a huge improvement overall.



This is her alternate plate armor, made using Razorclaw armor - the basic figure was originally made using Alpha Ranger and Razorclaw parts. I believe I made her alternate head's neck a little too long, but it doesn't look all that bad.



And this is Dencina's human form - I repaired her damaged hip (nicked by my Dremel tool when I was grinding away at Quick Slinger's belt) with a new ball joint and added some definition to her chest, which was originally flatter and would not hold armor pieces in place very well at all. The human form was very much an afterthought, but considering the character's storyline, it fits her well.



Human Dencina in her basic armor - I still think overall, her upper body still looks like a heavy overcoat rather than light armor, but this is part of the limits of using the same part for her draconian and human forms.

And I leave you with a shot of Dencina in battle... be sure to check out her full gallery. Again, you can either use the link under my signature, or a direct link at:
s58.photobucket.com/albums/g263/RHMXevoz/Customs/Dencina/?action=view¤t=dencd01.jpg

[Machineman]

Wow that brings back memories. That was the current custom when I joined. That whole sockmoney thing had pretty much all ready ended. Still good stuff. Major props for using some kind of clay to sculpt your own.

I think the Human Dencina works best. Almost a Wonder Woman thing going on. The big armor doesn't take away for me.

I still shake my head that you are the only one with customs on Hasbro's site. But they ARE good.

[Spark]

That's really awesome! Fantastic job getting the final product, it looks very nice! Great paint job and sculpting. I had go at painting a Xevoz, it took me a while! The armour looks sweet too. Great job! ;D ;D

[Knightmare]

can you give me some painting advise

[MXC-087]

I guess number one, use acrylic paint. Two, cover the areas to be painted thoroughly... use several coats if needed. Three, avoid painting the ball joints; if visibility is an issue, put a light amount on the front. Otherwise, the joint will be too tight, risking breaking. Four, be patient as the paint dries... don't try to paint too much at once, or the wet paint will stick to the paper. (Fifth, lay down paper on the table or floor you'll be working on, of course.) For more thorough tutorials, be sure to check the website of master customizer Jin Saotome... www.jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com .

[fatshadowmaster]

Jin is awesome. I love when he does a Marvel VS Capcom Legends custom.