While I think visually Bulldozer is the coolest member of the the Crew for a sculptor to get his hands on, certainly Thunderball and Wrecker are probably the most exciting of the foursome for fans of the Crew.
These two pieces presented their own unique challenges. With the many sculpts I have worked on, I've never had the chance to sculpt an African American face, even if it is based on a comic book. Thunderball presented that opportunity and I think I did his portrait the fastest out of all of these guys. There's something to be said for sculpting something you haven't before. If you are excited about it, the inspiration tends to flow.
On the other hand the Wrecker was a bit of a problem child for me. I say this not because he posed difficulty in actually sculpting his portrait, but more in the expectations that were had with the sculpt. These characters have been around forever, but the Wrecker is the most popular and everyone has their own vision of how he should look. Some think he should look exactly like Kirby drew him. Some feel he should be more inspired by Byrne or Buscema. Neither of these options completely fit with whatever the hell it is, that is my style. I tried to not let all of that get to me though and instead opted to just make him look mean and nasty, beefy and cool. Everyone can agree the Wrecker is at least those things. The rest is up to me to just make a great looking piece.
Thunderball is the brains of the outfit. He has tried on several occasions to screw everyone over in the Crew and take all of the power and "glory" for himself. I wanted to give him a different look than the other sculpts, even if it was a bit more subtle. He does not have an open mouth, a sneer, a growl, or the need to be ferocious. He knows he's gonna beat your ass, he doesn't need to talk about it, even if he at times chooses to. Also, Thunderball has a slightly different musculature in my mind than the others. He's huge of course as they all are, but he's not thuggish like the Wrecker. He's not as big as Dozer and he's not as shredded as Piledriver. This was my distinction... He has enormous muscles, he's just a bit smoother and not as ripped. I don't think anyone else on the planet but me will think of things like this, or even care, but hey, whatever works for me as an artist right?
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click here to enlarge image
I had a lot of fun on Thunderball. Like I said before, it was something new and that can always get your creative juices flowing if you embrace it. Randy sent some chain for his wrecking ball and I had the ball itself "in stock" as I had some Styrofoam balls left over from my Hawkman sculpt. If you spray a little primer on... emphasis on LITTLE... it will eat away at the foam just enough to appear like scuffed up iron. I love it when a plan comes together.
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click here to enlarge image
The Wrecker... the biggest douche bag on the planet... how fun is the idea of sculpting someone that has absolutely zero in the redeeming qualities column? I even sculpted his head twice on my own, even though Rand liked the first one because I didn't feel the first was douchelicious enough. The Wrecker is not a ripped guy. At least in his earlier appearances he wasn't. He's this giant and thick guy, like a 1940's dock worker. He's also covered in something that I can only compare to a mechanics jumpsuit with a welding flap and a ski mask. These make for a visually exciting piece that stands out due to him being the only one with folds and wrinkles in his costume. The challenge was to add these elements without making him seem like less of a bad ass.
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click here to enlarge image
I actually borrowed a mechanic outfit from my brother and had Marie shoot pictures of me in it, in the Wrecker's pose. These pictures will never ever surface mind you, but having the proper reference material is always a good thing. Not only that but I actually have access to a 4 foot crowbar that came in pretty handy as well.
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click here to enlarge image
Overall I had a blast working on the Wrecker. I took steps backward just as much as I took steps forward because I was looking to impress with him the most. I can only hope that I delivered on that once these guys start hitting collector's shelves. It seems many folks only want the Wrecker and could care less about the other three. Of course a sculptor never goes into a project hoping that people could care less about their work, so I gave it my all on all four of these guys. Again, I truly hope that it shows and that collector's love them as much as I loved sculpting them.
How could you not love irredeemable bastards like these guys?
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As always and until next time, thanks for lookin'
K
Keith , it's always intersting to read your comments , dear artist ;)
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