Complete Wilycub's "Virtual" Custom Figures

[Wilycub]

Hello all,

I always wished that there were more characters in the original "Thundercats" toy line created by LJN. So with the help of 3D sculpting software, Photoshop and a lot of hours in front of the computer , I have come up with these four "virtual" "Thundercats" figures, complete with their MOC packaging. I have tried to make them look as similar to the LJN figures as possible. Hope you like them and I would love to hear your feedback. Thank you

WILLA:













BRUTEMAN:














MANDORA:













CLAUDUS:

[Cat's Pajamas]

Great idea, and excellent execution!

[adssse]

Wow, amazing work. I would like to see those in production.

[Wilycub]

Thank you! If 3D printing wasn't so expensive, I probably would have printed out these figures to add to my collection.

[Kregermeister]

You cant be a human.... this is too good. Amazing as always, you are a true artist! Ya know if you printed one set of these via shapeways or whatever, you can just have a mold made up and sell them. I know someone that would help you with that part ;D

[AlexofThundera]

Mandora would have been such a great figure had LJN produced her. Seriously she is one cool character.

Great work on photoshopping the figure onto the card. Looks good.

[Wilycub]

Thank you "Kregermeister" and "AlexofThundera" for the kind words. Oh and "Kregermeister", I can assure you that I am human. I'll even type out a captcha to prove it! LOL! But thank you for the compliment

[Covenant]

Absolutely incredible! You should send your renderings to Bandai and get a job there so you can make these toys for us to buy next year!

[IndyCat]

wow, amazing. so when do these hit TRU?

......wait, they arent real. <mind blown>

[Wilycub]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant

Absolutely incredible! You should send your renderings to Bandai and get a job there so you can make these toys for us to buy next year!

Thank you. Maybe I should apply for a job at Bandai. But haven't they discontinued the "Thundercats" merchandise?

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndyCat

wow, amazing. so when do these hit TRU?

......wait, they arent real. <mind blown>

LOL! Your comment really made me laugh!

[IndyCat]

being totally honest, I wonder what it would take to actually make them?

[Wilycub]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndyCat

being totally honest, I wonder what it would take to actually make them?

It is my understanding that 3D printing usually costs in the range of US$ 5-10 per cubic inch, depending on materials used etc. So I'm estimating that a single Thundercats action figure, which is roughly 6 inch in height, could easily cost somewhere between $150-300.

[Kregermeister]

Shapeways might not be as expensive. Plus if X fans do a deposit for a kit, that would pay for the original printing, and then the toy can be remolded, and sold in kit form to save everyone money.

[thetoylegend]

hi to all thundercat fans and collectors ive sent in an email to the employment contact of bandai and wrote to them how i feel about what they have ben doing with the toys and what they should be doing with the toys and for them to hire this person as there toy designer to start makin the toys that were never produced or the ones they just had prototypes of and many more so lets cross our fingers and hope this 3d art designer gets hired with all our hopes, wishes and spiritual energy if all of us are thinkin all at the same level and wanting this to happen for us collectors and fans we can make this happen so put all your mind energy and thoughts into this and wish him luck and that my email gets threw to them on how they should be doing things in order to save the thundercats toy line and to make every collector and fan happy and specially bandai with all the money they can be making if they do as mentioned in my email only time will.

[Wilycub]

Thank you all for the great support that you have shown me and my work. Really appreciate it!

[DrMind]

Wilycub... Honestly... You should 3D print these guys. They are pure gold... And I am sure the community would support you if you come up with a plan to provide resin copies to all the supporters... Congratulations.

[englishw]

Staples has started advertising that they will be offering a 3D printing service next year. They haven't released pricing yet, but I would imagine that they would be more affordable than other options. Casting a mold from a 3D printed figure would not be terribly difficult and then figures could be produced from that. They would still not be "cheap" to make, but there would probably be support here and on eBay for custom figures of that quality. Personally, I would do a poll for which figures people would be most interested in before going any further. There was a user here that was offering a custom Mad Bubbler and there was considerable interest. I don't know a lot about kickstarter, but that might be an option too. I know there are some figures that I'd love to see... just not sure if I would have the budget to actually buy them. heh

Great job though! No matter what happens. Well done!!

[adssse]

I agree this is awesome work and provided I could afford them would love to get my hands on them if they were produced.

[Wilycub]

Thank you, DrMind, englishw and adssse for your kind words and your suggestions. I did do quite a bit of research and visited a number of different websites which offer 3D printing service. The cost is still the main problem. Even if I choose the cheapest material as an option, the cost is still very high. Then there are the postage charges as well.

Since I have never done this before, I'm not too confident and would not feel comfortable taking money from people in advance lest anything goes awry. I would prefer that I get the figures printed out at my own exxpense, paint them and then sell it. That way people know exactly what they are getting.

So far it is still a pipe dream. But at the rate that 3D printing is growing, I'm pretty sure that the competition will result in lower prices and then I could give this a shot. I am truly grateful for all the support and ideas that people on this board have shown me. Thanks all!

[Max1984]

i think there are personal 3d printing machines you can buy for around $500 but i could be dead wrong.

also im new with this type of technology so i don;t know what program you build things in so that the machine can understand what you want to make.

but i would love to learn once the technology is more affordable

[DrMind]

Actually, there are personal 3D printers Starting at $1,200.00...
I think they are worth considering for 3D and custom enthusiasts...

Cube 3d Printer

I would kill to have one of those... Actually, once I manage to fully understand Zbrush, I think I should consider getting one of these marvels... I love working in Carrara, although I am not as advanced as our friend Wilycub here...

[Huxtable85]

@WilyCub can you do an updated SilverHawks line? That would be so cool

[Carnivac]

Damn. When I first saw that picture of Willa in packaging I thought that was a real figure til I realised it was CGI mock ups. They all look superb. And I definitely wanted Willa, Mandora and Claudus as figures when I was a kid (and would still buy them now as I like those characters a lot). I would buy the Bruteman too. Maybe a couple as slaves for the Mutant figures.

[mmartino]

3D printers will be at printshops next year. It is only a matter of time till we can make these toys at our local print shop. We will just have to paint them till the 3d printers get better. It will change the toy industry forever when they come out.

[Captain C83]

Those are so cool! No, cool doesn't even cut it. Those are perfect!

[Carnivac]

Oh yeah. 3D printers have a lot of potential. Can't wait for the time when they're affordable for general home use and instead of searching eBay for months for one tiny little bit of plastic thing or accessory I need that my figure may be missing, I could just print out a replica and be done with it.