Girls, Guns & Cigarettes: dcau

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Doc Savage: The Man of Plastic

When I was younger, I discovered the craft of "custom action figures;" basically, taking extant action figures and retooling, repainting and reconfiguring them into new ones. Being a crafty little tyke, I took to it like a fish to water, and spent endless hours taking apart and rebuilding my old toys. These days, I don't much have the time or the inclination for such pursuits, but when noodling over Christmas ideas for what to get my Dad--a fifty-nine-years-young, massive Doc Savage fan--I was reminded of that long-ago hobby of mine, and set out to craft a one-of-a-kind Doc Savage figure for my old man...

Not wishing to endeavor upon anything too elaborate, I decided a Bruce Timm-styled, "animated" look would be the way to go, as the additional sculpting and detailing would be easier to achieve given the simplified style--not to mention having a whole host of options to choose from, given the long-running Justice League Unlimited action figure line. After careful deliberation, I settled on using a Captain Atom figure for the base body, and after sculpting on Doc's trademark, torn shirt and painting the whole thing, I had a one-of-a-kind Doc Savage on my hands.

            My Dad couldn't have been happier to receive it as a gift this year, and I wound up being so pleased with the results, I kind of want to make one for myself now. Not to mention the itch I have to make other, similar pulp-hero figures, like perhaps a Tarzan. Or the Shadow. Or the Spider. Or...

            Oh, god... nothing good can come of this...

            Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful holiday season.