See, I told you I'd upload photos of these projects eventually! So, the Fiend and Gremlin, arguably two of the more weird-looking monsters of Final Fantasy IV, have actually been a staple of the game series for a while. They originally appeared in 1988 (in different colors) as the Pit Fiend and the Imp, both creatures appearing in the 8-bit Final Fantasy II for Famicom in Japan (not to be confused with the Super Nintendo release called Final Fantasy II). The point of all this is that this style of monster was created for the series pretty early on in its life cycle, predating their 1991 appearance in the Super Nintendo version by a number of years. These projects were a little more elaborate than some of the other ones I've done. I guess one of the benefits of social distancing is that I've got lots of time to spend at home working on projects. Each of them even has a tiny voodoo doll hanging off his belt, which I think marks the first time I've ever built a toy that's carrying another toy.
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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! I do believe this is the first time in history that I've attempted six identically-designed projects at the same time. Clearly, I am a madman. So, in my insane quest to build as many monsters from Final Fantasy IV as is practical (where "practical" is defined here for our purposes as "throwing as much disposable income at the idea as possible"), I really wanted to build those ridiculously blobby food monsters from the game (you know: Tofu, Cream, Pudding, etc.) At some point I remembered that there was a jellyfish named Pearl from the old McDonald's Finding Nemo promotion that was about the right shape. All I had to do was make them look evil. So, I know that plastic melts in the oven. I swear to you, dear reader, that I was careful. I sculpted new eyebrows and mouths for these little monsters, and I was four projects deep when I somehow managed to melt projects five and six. So, it was back to eBay to find two more jellyfish. I spent just as much on the two replacement jellyfish as I did on the original six. But, hey. Any problem can be solved if you throw enough money at it. After Mrs. Potato Head was done handing out angry eyes to everyone, I made them some teeth out of toothpicks. Each monster got seven teeth. And then took them all to creative dentistry school and gave them root canals because I wasn't happy with them. So, that's seven times six times two. Eighty-four teeth. No wonder there are tiny pieces of toothpick all over my floor downstairs. Using my airbrush didn't even dawn on me until very late in the game, but I'm so glad I used it. It allowed me to capture the same colors used in the Super Nintendo game sprites, but in a way that seems natural and believable (well, as believable as a gigantic walking pile of tofu could possibly be). Anyway, here are the Jelly, Cream, Slime, Tofu, Pudding, and the infuriating PinkPuff. What's next? Not sure. I have some birds that I got at Target (candidates for the Eagle, Roc Baby, and Cocktric) but I really like the ones at Toys "R" Us better so I might wait for those instead. I've got a couple of dragons by Safari, Ltd. (Blue D. and Red D. and D.Machin) but I need one more before I can paint them. I'm just getting started, though. It may take me many years to collect all the toys that I'll need to do the whole cast. This is definitely a long-term commitment. (Check back with me in ten years and see how far I've gotten!) I'm also going to need a new bookshelf to display all these guys... |
DAVID GRAHAM EDWARDS
Illustrator, writer, painter, sculptor, collector of toys and cats, observer of things. Categories
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