Opinions on 3rd party figs/add-on kits
 

My first cartoon/toy love is Transformers so I'm really familiar with 3rd party custom/add on kits for toys. I was thinking I wonder if anyone would do that with Thundercats. And not just the new figures the old ones as well. I'm not talking 100s of custom items like the Transformers 3rd party stuff, just a few things here and there to make are already cool toys cooler. Some ideas is a weapons pack made with non bendy plastic. A smaller Snarf for the collectors who think he is too big. Just stuff like that. Let me know what you guys think and if you have any other ideas for cool stuff that should be made.

I've never really been a fan of 3rd party products, but in the case of Thundercats, I wouldn't mind seeing some accessories that the retail releases don't have made by a 3rd party "company". Like a lantern for Mumm-Ra, a mace for Grune like the one he had before he betrayed his brethren, and other stuff like that. I don't have any issues with the bendy plastic used for the weapons the toys have, so I wouldn't get any redoes of those.

I don't have a real problem with the weapons they come with either. But I would like to see them have more detail. Like red and blue handles for Panthro. And blue on the Sword of Omens. Just little detail like that, cause this softer plastic is harder to paint.

If they made fully painted non-bendy weapons for the 4 inch figures I'm sure they'd sell like hot cakes.

That'd actually help persuade me to buy the 4 inch figs. :D

Idk about making weapons but I am planning to make stands for the 4" figures.
See:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n...2000.02.15.jpg

It's a wip and it's gonna go on a 2.5" diameter round base.
Would you guys be interested in that?

As for accessories and weapons, I could give it a shot.
I'll try Grunes mace. Any other suggestions/ ideas?

Anything you want dude. After you get more stuff done I'd make a thread saying what you plan on selling and for how much. I'd be interested in weapons for sure.

Okay just did some research (re-watched the 1st 2 episodes) and here's what I could make.

Grune's mace
Thunderian Shield and spear
Tygra/ Thunderian(?) sword
Lizard rifle
Lizard daggers
Lizard sword
Mumm-Ra's dagger (the one used to kill Cladus)

I could possibly make the lantern too but it wouldn't have a floating Jaga head (which I think would look cool) and each one would probably be custom made instead of being made from a mold.

Don't know how soon I can make them but I'd work on them during any spare time i have. Cool?

Sounds cool to me :D

Im in for an accessory pack like that.
Do you use Shapeways?: Shapeways | Passionate about creating
They are awesome for prototyping.
I print in "stainless steel" when I want to have a master for mold
making.

re cast the sword of omens but non floppy. And a Mumm-Ra lantern :)

Also you can leave them unpainted if you want. Or sell a painted/unpainted version, just something that is made of good plastic that we can actually paint. Unlike the stuff given to us by Bandai.

No I usually just use sculpy and/ styrene and mold from that.

Maybe.... I just don't want to get into any legal problems.

I'd use Smooth-On resin which is pretty sturdy but at this size it might be a bit floppy but not as bad as the Bandai weapons/ accessories. Might try something else. I gotta shop around and look at the alternatives. Point is, is that it'll be paintable.

Odds are the spear will be made first since they're the easiest.

Awesome! I can't wait to see these things all finished.

Yea those lizard men weapons would be really cool to have

I'd be interested in those as well.

I too do do some of my project work the "by hand" way as well.
to be honest I find it more gratifying. I just like the reproducability
of printed parts.

I am very seriously interested in a few packs of weapons when this
plan comes to fruition.

If you need any assistance let me know.

I find it gratifying to do it by hand too but I also don't know how to sculpt(?) in 3D modeling programs. I'm not opposed to it either tho. Funny thing is, is that when you mentioned Shapeways I checked them out, and I've been there but the whole 3d modeling issue...

If and when I do need help I'll let you know. Btw what kind of help are you offering?

I'm going to start off with the melee/ edged weapons for the Lizards first since they're easier than the guns/ rifles.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited about making these weapons. But one thing. I'll be selling them individually and not as a pack. The good news is that I'll be selling them at a reasonable price w/ reasonable shipping charges. I hate it when ppl/ stores charge you like $5 for shipping, on an items that they only really pay less than $1. I've seen it happen and that's not my style. If I'm gonna make $ I'd rather make it off of the item.

I am considering it my friend. The Sword of Omens might be an issue to cast though since it doesn't stay straight but maybe, just maybe....
____________________________

So aside from the weapons I'm making a stand and I thought I'd share a the next step in the process.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Y...2022.39.18.jpg

I just need to tweak it a bit, but it's definitely getting made into a mold tomorrow! What do you guys think?

Well I can help recast and painting parts.

Also one thing to remember, Tygra's pistol is a handgun that is from the
Lizard-men/Mumm-ra armory. So the handgun is already done in a sense.

That said the rifle is probably the hardest to scratch-build accurately, but
I think I may have some base component ideas that could help speed the
process quite a bit. Luckily I got my 2 Lizard Cannons in the post today.
This will make grip compatability a lot easier.

Now I am off to get some good pics of their rifles for reference.

Stand's in the pot being made into a mold. So I thought I'd show you how it looks w/ a figure on it.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Y...2018.58.27.jpg

Not bad, huh? Would you guys want it white, colored or clear?

I think a colored would look cool. How much for the little stands?

That's great work on the stands. Stands would would a great 3rd party item.

Not 100% sure on the price YET. But I should figure it out by tomorrow or Saturday. I know this much. If you want a set of 6 (1 for each Thundercat) I'll discount the price.

What do you mean "would"? It is a 3rd party item! lol

I'm in for 10 stands as long as they are not crazy expensive.

Why 10?

Lion-O
Tygra
Cheetara
Wilykit
Wilykat
Panthro
Jaga (Snarf can chill on Jaga's till/if a figure is made)
Pumyra
Lynx-O
Ben-gali

Lizard Army Rifle: Progess report>
So far I have found the usual images with the Lizard army infantry
with their rifles at the ready. These guns look like a mix
of an old Soviet WW2 SMG (#) and the new pistols sci/fi styling
with a big effing "Choppah'" on the front. I think I can get about as
accurate as any the other figure weapons to the show version
without having to a ton of time to getting the "master" ready for
some casting.

(#) The PPSh-41 & PPD-40:
"Would you like to know more?"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PPSh-41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PPD-40

DAMN! 10? Thank you!
I've actually figured out the price w/ some help from a friend and the pricing goes as such:

$1.50 for white
$2 for color
$3 for clear color

I know they seem kind of pricey but please remember that these are custom made by me.

I'll have the them available at my online store.

Cassette Man Studios

Im kinda of thinking we will get a lizard with rifle in this next sereis? its pretty early to be making wepons, I would like a stiff sword of omens

It's no biggie for me, I enjoy the art of it as much as anything else.
If Bandai puts out a lizard trooper with his longarm, more power to
them. I'd be pleased to get that accessory from the "source".

No sweat. That price is reasonable for this sort of thing.

I may ammend my ordering strategy to 9 opaque and one clear for a certain
spectral advisor, hmmm...

By "color" do you mean red with black or just one color?

Sounds good, go for it!

Maybe it is too early but I'm not at making the rifle at the moment. It's the most time consuming (day job and all) and other weapons are easier to make. Short of making a sword from scratch, the problem of making a stiff sword, is that the original sword is so flexible, that it's very difficult to make a mold.

I agree about getting an accessory from the "source"

color = red/black
same goes for clear color.
_____________________________________________

So the stands are up in the store, so order now while supplies last!

http://soundwave810.ecrater.com/

These are good prices IMO very reasonable, thanks man. :)

No problem, just be sure to buy some stands from my store

Cassette Man Studios


Also thought you guys would enjoy a work in progress preview of what's coming up next,
Grunes' mace!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V...2000.15.36.jpg

Nice I just need to find a grune figure

The mace looks great, when will the painted stands be sold?

Lol, good luck! I hear Grune is the shortpack..

Painted stands are already available.
If you want a pic, it'll be a day or two before I put them up.

nice work! Instead of recasting the sword of omens, why not try molding a new one and fixing what they missed. Make the handle longer , have the blade not go straight into the eye of Thundera, see the 6 inch Lion-O sword for what I'm talking about there, and make the hilt come out just a little further. I'd be down for at least 2 of those.

If you need a straight non bendy sword of omens to start from the deluxe Lion-O has a little bit sturdier sword than the regular Lion-O.

It would be cool if someone made a book of omens

maybe, just maybe. If I do sculpt/ carve it though, it'll be done at a later date. That and the Lizard rifle take more work to create.

That's on my short list of items to make. It's VERY easy to make. Already have the reference pics! :D

Later today (unless things are delayed), Slayer Design Studio will be reissuing all past ThunderCats parts in their newest preorder. These include everything from 80's accurate Sword of Omens to concept design weapons and bodies.

Here's their front page:
Welcome to SlayerDesignStudio -

All items are 4" scale and made to aid for modern style GI Joe customs. Please read the preorder info page before ordering as they are made to order and only take orders for a period of time.

Since they've recently wiped their product pages, to view "the vault" you have to use the search engine to find stuff. Here's some examples of their TCats parts.

Classic Sword of Omens
Thun-Blade-1

Concept Sword of Omens
Thun-Blade-2 Concept

Classic Lion-O torso (made for use with modern GI Joe style)
Thun Torso-1 Torso only

Classic Lion-O Head
Thun-3 Male

Classic Panthro torso (made for use with modern GI Joe style)
Thun- Torso-2 ( Torso only)

Classic Panthro head
Thun-4 Male

Classic Cheetara torso (made for use with modern GI Joe style)
Thun-female -1

Classic Cheetara head
Thun-6 Female

There's more, just got to look for it. Searching for "thun" brings up most, but there's a few more.

PS They have a forum. Feel free to suggest some items to the owner there.

oh wow. will there be a sword for the 6/8 inch scale?

wow, I had no idea all this was in the thread! lots of good stuff.

I'd be in for 10 stands too!

red base / black head

No, sorry, not from me. I'm focusing on the 4" line.

For these?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-c...2022.49.54.jpg

Head over to my webstore Cassette Man Studios to order some.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z...2022.46.18.jpg

oh hell yeah!

Personally I would love to see some better head sculpts. I haven't bought any of the 6" figures yet due to the bad head sculpts. If a 3rd party company would come out with fully painted better detailed heads for the 6" figures I would buy them all.

Any chance you'd consider making stands for the Classic toys?

The stands look very nice. Is the base color red and you paint the relief black?

I have no intention of working on the 6" line but I am working on some 4" heads of characters like Leo and Tygus!

The 8" classics or the original classic figures? If there is enough interest I'd consider it.

No, they're painted black and red on a white. But I use an airbrush so the the red is smooth and not streaky.

8" Classics.

Like I said, if there's interest in them I'd consider it.
One thing though, you do realize that there aren't any peg holes in the 8" Classics? So IF I do make a stand for them, it would either just a simple stand/ platform w/o a peg or I would make it with something to hold the figure by the heel or something like that.
_____________________________

That said, who would be interested in an 8" Classics stand?

maybe a smaller gun n belt for tygra ?

I got my line-art done for the "Lizard Rifle" completed.
The "Old Friends" episode give some decent views of them:

Well here we go:

>First is "Cartoon Version"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...drifle2agb.jpg

>Second is the "Toy Version"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...drifle2bgb.jpg

Alright, SDS has updated (and is still updating) with parts. Most of the TCats heads are up now as well as the Snarf figurine.

Welcome to SlayerDesignStudio -

On their Creature/Other Sculpts page are Tcat heads including (most are pretty low on the page):
4 different Lion-Os (2 concept, one accurate, and a Dogs of War head)
Panthro
Cheetara
Lynx-O
Jaga
Mumm-Ra
Grune
A vulture head that makes a great Vultureman

Snarf is under Animals.

Please keep in mind to read the front page and understand how the site works.

SDS stuff is awesome, but I just don't have the patience to wait that long.