For the month of June I decided to put together a pair of fairly simple projects—ones that didn't require a lot of structural rebuilding or modifications. Gives me more time to work on that obstacle course of a backyard, don't you know. (I think I'm going to need to rent a steam shovel or something to get that clothesline post dug out.) Anyway, the game features a couple of reptillian baddies, the Aligator and the Crocdile (yes, I know how to spell, thank you), both of whom dwell exclusively in the underground watery passages beneath the castles and towns our heroes call home. In other words, yes, Final Fantasy IV has alligators in the sewers. Next month I may attempt something more ambitious. It's hard to say. As I've said before, I don't like to necessarily lock myself down and promise specific projects here, because a rigid schedule tends to stifle the creative process. But I can promise you with certainty that I will either a) unveil a new Final Fantasy IV monster here in about one month's time, or b) I won't. It's definitely going to be one of those or the other.
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This month I set out to tackle three of the armored knight warriors from Final Fantasy IV who serve the forces of Golbez, namely the Guard, the FlameMan (pictured), and the BladeMan. These projects were the culmination of many months' worth of hunting down the very specific action figures and accessories I required to bring these video game enemies to life. I make it look easy, I suppose, but the process involved is often anything but. When it came to the BladeMan and his buddies, for example, it was clear I needed to start with an action figure of a medieval knight. But, which one? Was it affordable on eBay? Would I be able to collect three of them? After discovering the existence of the King Arthur and the Knights of Justice toy line, that solved the problem of the base figure, but what of the accessories? This project required a very large shield and a broadsword to make it work, as well as a suitable cape and helmet. Where would I get them? And how would I ever find three matching sets? These are the questions that keep me up at night. Well, that and too much Mountain Dew Voltage. Next month is Halloween, so I suppose it won't be giving too much away to mention that my plans are to do a suitably spooky project. A haunting we will go! This month's update showcases a particularly difficult pair of projects. I had actually started them last year, but I put them on the back burner for a bit because I really wasn't sure exactly how to build them. I always say that it's better to put a project aside and let my subconscious ruminate on it for a bit, rather than trying to push through it, forcing something into existence before it's good and ready. (And, no, I'm not just saying that because it ties nicely into the quote from Charlotte's Web I used above.) So, there are a couple of bizarre half-woman, half-spider creatures crawling about within the realm of Final Fantasy IV. One is the Arachne, with which you're likely already familiar, and the other is the considerably more obscure Talantla [sic], who is very well-hidden and is almost impossible to discover on your own during the course of a normal game. (I will freely admit that I didn't know about her until I read about her online. I don't know what I'd do without the Internet. Besides go outside and get fresh air and exercise, I mean.) Not sure what next month will bring. I have a great, big box of toys that I've bought with the express purpose of turning them into Final Fantasy IV monsters. If a particular game sprite is used, say, four times, I really need to have four copies of the same action figure lined up and ready to go before I start working on them. Obviously, that isn't the case with the monsters who have unique sprites that aren't reused during the course of the game. My point is that I still have a lot of incomplete sets. I guess time will tell! |
DAVID GRAHAM EDWARDS
Illustrator, writer, painter, sculptor, collector of toys and cats, observer of things. Categories
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