MEGA MAN CUSTOM MUNNY TOY

Vinyl Toy Robot Boy Albert Art MUNNY Custom: 'Mega Man'
Capcom's beloved blue boy gets the 'Vinyl' treatment.


I've recently given birth to my latest Kidrobot custom creation, 'Mega Man'. By no means is this an official Capcom toy, because it's NOT. I'm a fan of the videogame mascot, and this piece was inspired by the franchise. As well, it's not exactly 'on model' with the videogame character for obvious reasons, but it's Mega Man nonetheless, in MUNNY form.
Being that I can't seem to get enough videogame themed art these days, from drawing and painting it, to customizing toys, the thought of turning Mega Man into a vinyl custom was at the top of my MUNNY list, following Bonk. For the simply reason that the Mega Man design (like Bonk) lends itself ideally to the Big-head-Small-body shape of the MUNNY vinyl canvas. Capcom's kid robot was perfect! Yet the process of actually making it was anything but simple.
Comprised of a whole lot of Scupley clay, paint and patience, this MUNNY was a lot to handle. Unlike the last Vinyl I did, where only the prop and the feet were made from Scupley, Mega MUNNY Man is literally covered in the stuff, around 70%, if not more. The tiny boots, the robot underwear, his Helmet and the arm canon are all Scupley. I still consider it a vinyl creation though, since Sculpey is a polymer kinda like plasticine.
The helmet was one of the more challenging parts of creating this custom. So in no way is this piece perfect, but I learned a lot from making it and am pretty happy with the end product.
A mini 'How to' Guide for MUNNY -- Want to be a MUNNY Maker? Here's some info on how to get started:
The Kidrobot forum has some fantastic answers to all sorts of MUNNY questions, and honestly without the site I wouldn't know where to begin. It's funny, before finding that forum I emailed some Munny artists with some questions, and was given the cold shoulder. 1) received no reply and 2) was told "I forgot how I made my MUNNY".
Uh huh, I don't know which is worse, being played for a fool or getting no reply at all. Some artists can be selfish with their knowledge, yet I'm not one to withhold information that would help other like-minded individuals get a start.
In any case, the Kidrobot forum saved the day and put things into perspective for what I was about to do. The thing is, the more I read over the various questions and answers, the more I realized that there is no one way to do a custom vinyl toy.
(Customizing, NOT making a vinyl toy from scratch, but taking an existing vinyl and making it your own.)
Some use Primer, some don't. Some sand their MUNNY's, others don't. Some Bake their Sculpey, others Boil it. Everyone has their own process, so which ever works for you is what you should settle for.

1. Step 1: Find a store that sells MUNNY
2. Step 2: Buy MUNNY
3. Step 3: Think of an idea for a MUNNY and do a MUNNY sketch
4. Step 4: Get the Supplies to realize your MUNNY.
5. Step 5: Head to the Art store, office supply store, Home Hardware store, flea market, garbage or garage to obtain supplies needed to bring MUNNY to life. You'll soon realize making MUNNY costs Money!

The Tools of the Trade:

-Acrylic Paint (Sprays or tube paints) and Paint Brushes

-Pencils

-Super Sculpey

-Sculpting tools

-Primer Spray (for Plastic)

-Clearcoat Spray

-latex gloves

-super glue


And anything else that you need. Everyone has their own tools!

CLEAN MUNNY
The first thing you should do when you get MUNNY out of the box is to Wash that sucker. This will prevent horrendous painting problems, the ones where little air bubbles start popping up, messing up the paint job. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! WASH MUNNY with warm water and soap.
The second thing that I suggest is get some steelwool and while you're washing MUNNY, sand him a bit, your vinyl will be smoother!
Optimus Prime, or no Prime?
So many artists have wondered whether or not Priming their MUNNY actually helps... well, it doesn't hurt, but you can paint a MUNNY without priming and get by just fine.
Boil Sculpey? It works for me. Get an old pot and use that specifically for your Sculpey boiling. Experiment with boiling Scupley first before your do your actual piece. If you molded it to the vinyl surface appropriately, it should fuse just fine when you place it in water. Why Boil? Well, melting plastic in my oven that I use to cook food with isn't exactly in my best interest... something about toxic fumes, and living an in apartment building.
The Work shop


Nothing special here, just the production of a Mega Man and the kitchen sink.


Check out Capcom, for an interesting video on Mega Man's 20 year history!.
Comments, Questions?

Summer Parties The weather is finally heating up! Not that I'm in favor of odd, unnatural, Global Warming type weather or anything, but it's August, and for crying out loud, we can use some heat over here in Vancouver. So to celebrate the Summer season, Backbone threw a little party for us at the beach. Good times, good food, good fun. Lacarno Beach was the location. Absolutely Gorgeous. There were games, prizes, and all around craziness. Catering by Vera's Burgers As we partied like party people usually do, I noticed something from the corner of my eye. More than just fanboy vandalism, I believe that Rockstar Vancouver claimed this area of the beach, and for that, I laugh. As the party ended, I made my way to the car, and noticed a business card on the ground, a card from Relic Entertainment. It seems that they were partying here too!

Next on the agenda was the Activision Meet and Greet at Kingston Pub in downtown Vancouver. Rumors of Activision establishing a studio here are greatly a miss, they simply want to absorb the talent our great city fosters into their collective of studios. Sorry Activision, I'm already taken. Behind in their yearly recruiting quota, they've come to Canada to seek new blood. Aren't we special. Open bar, food, and swag. Cheers. Thanks Activision.

The HR, and studio execs were fresh off the plane so the event started slightly late. I struck up conversations with Studio Heads and VP's and I must say that I was impressed with their vast knowledge of the business. They were very approachable and are actually very informed, even able to relate to the art side of production. A studio head who claims to have got his start as a QA tester, and can relate to the creative urges of Animator's... woah I'm impressed.

The crowd was a mix of industry people and new grads. It's always fun to socialize with the experienced and those looking to get their start. I've said this once, and I'll say it again, Vancouver is a really small industry. The industry gossip you hear around parties is always interesting!

Call of Duty 4, Quake Wars, Tony Hawk , Guitar Hero etc. Activision. The event was a smashing success.

CDNGRRL heard about the event too! Seen here with Leah from the O.C.

Overall, that was one busy ass Tuesday day/night.

I can't wait to see how EA's SKATE compares to the Tony Hawk series.

Forbes has posted an Earnings Preview of Activision.

"Playing Columbine" Trailer Danny Ledonne's documentary on his controversial interactive narrative Super Columbine Massacre RPG!