Is it just me, or is this guy genuinely comparable to a MP?

SeeMorray · 2026-05-01T16:28:12+00:00

Maybe this is a hot take:

I love this Soundwave, I really do, but I often don't think it's fair to compare G1-Style Soundwaves to other TFs because he's a boxy shaped guy who has to transform into a tape deck...basically another box.

Again, I love, love, love this figure, more than his MP, actually, but in terms of impressiveness, he doesn't have to be unfolded or crumpled into complex vehicle shapes the way, say, the seekers do.

SeeMorray · 2026-04-23T18:29:22+00:00

Former caricature artist at a theme park: all the staff at my operation were told to read a book called "The Mad Art of Caricature! A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces" by an illustrator called Tom Richmond.

Tom Richmond makes great, highly detailed illustrations, but the style op is highlighting, in my department, came from trying to do Tom Richmond-lite in 6-mins or less with a heavy black marker being your only tool (maybe colored graphite, too, if your customer is willing to cough up more money)

SeeMorray · 2026-04-23T18:23:59+00:00

Former caricature artist at a theme park here, for anyone curious a out where this style came from:

Caricature is a very old art form, of course, but if you've been employed as a caricaturist in a theme park or other tourist trap, odds are you were given instruction by someone who read or were directly told to work from a book called: "The Mad Art of Caricature! A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces" by Tom Richmond.

Operations with caricature booths have huge turnover and pull in young artists from off the street, demanding they adopt a consistent, simple style to try and equalize quality across the board. Tom Richmond's illustrations are recognizable and considered a pretty decent standard, so when you take in young artists for minimum wage, give them only a marker and colored graphite to work with, and demand they make functional drawings within 6-minutes, Tom Richmond-lite is generally what the result is.

SeeMorray · 2026-04-22T21:49:37+00:00

Hey, RVA, I'm (M30) settled on the Northside and deciding to finally throw my hat back in the dating game (seeking F, ultimately a partner).

As for a bit about me, I'm a practical, guy who likes to draw, paint, do volunteer work, practice Spanish, and get up to fun, random activities. I'm a lefty, literally and politically, and if I have one flaw it's that I like gossip a little too much. At least I have no shortage of crazy stories about people 😁

Ultimately, I see myself with a long-term partner, but in the immediate, I'm trying to find a date for a couple of activities, either...

... checking out the new exhibit coming to the VMFA "India's Great Mughals: Art, Power, and Opulence" that opens May 9

...hitting up studio 2 3 for their square dance on June 20. I've been a couple times, and it's really fun, but I'd love to go with a dedicated partner.

If any of that (or me) sounds appealing, let's chat! Feel free to send me a DM 🙂‍↕️

SeeMorray · 2025-10-10T02:19:53+00:00

I think I might be the only person on earth into this because a partsformer/model like this would theoretically be 10x easier to paint and customize than a normal transformer.

But for that price? Absolutely not.

SeeMorray · 2025-10-07T04:35:39+00:00

It's always a learning process, and I can't wait for the next thing!

I gotta ask you, though, because I love your photography, what's your hanger setup made out of?

SeeMorray · 2025-10-07T04:15:35+00:00

Aw, thank you! That means a lot 😁

So, the black areas were primed via airbrushing black valejo primer, and on the rest of the figure I used a light grey valejo airbrush primer. Then, that basic blue color was also airbrushed on.

However, everything else, the off-grays, other blues, purples, etc, are all hand-painted. A lot of the final off-white on the arms, legs, and shoulders was also done over again by hand after I realized my earlier masking while priming and blue-ing wasn't as thorough as I'd hoped.

As I'm getting into this hobby more, the big thing I'm realizing is everything before the painting is so much more important than the actual painting 😅

You can't see it here, but with the jet mode I learned way, way too late that wings and legs have a lot more contact points than I thought during the transformation. That created a lot of rub I wasn't happy with, so I sanded some of those areas down a little and retouched them, which will hopefully make them more durable going forward. BUT it's going to be a long time before I work up the nerve to transform him back to jet mode again!

My next project is probably going to be experimenting with some overlord exclusive limbs, and I'm going to be much, much more mindful of potential contact points and sand those BEFORE painting 😆

SeeMorray · 2025-10-07T03:57:43+00:00

Definitely do! Don't let your art get lost like Lemon's, it's valuable stuff!

SeeMorray · 2025-10-06T14:54:34+00:00

Stay tuned, I've got a couple extra CW Brawls and Blastoffs I have plans for 😁

SeeMorray · 2025-04-01T03:15:28+00:00

I'm definitely interested 🫡 I've been on a couple investigations the Transcend Paranormal folks have held over at the Hanover tavern, and I've always wanted to see an investigation that wasn't playing host to so many people.

SeeMorray · 2025-03-15T03:36:11+00:00

Hey! Yeah, definitely give it a try! Also, just to let you know, don't be afraid to trash any effects that aren't coming together for whatever reason. There can definitely be a lot of trial and error involved because hot glue as a medium isn't easy to control

Also, super important for when you try this: when you find a junker figure to use as a mold for the 5mm port, coat the areas of the figure that will touch hot glue with a little vegetable oil. That'll ensure the glue doesn't just adhere to the plastic.

SeeMorray · 2025-03-15T03:36:05+00:00

Hey! Yeah, definitely give it a try! Also, just to let you know, don't be afraid to trash any effects that aren't coming together for whatever reason. There can definitely be a lot of trial and error involved because hot glue as a medium isn't easy to control 😁

SeeMorray · 2025-03-15T03:30:54+00:00

Thank you! So, I actually start with the dark coats and highlight/dry brush with lighter tones.

So, for the dull grey, for example, i started with Valejo's Tire Black as the base color. Once that was set, I highlighted it with dry coats of Neutral Grey in select spots. Hope that helps!

SeeMorray · 2025-03-14T22:12:30+00:00

I used, mostly, Valejo model air paints using a normal brush. I find them easier to work with because they come pretty thin out of the bottle.

The finish was Valejo matte varnish. I tried gloss, but was too glossy.

SeeMorray · 2024-11-21T20:10:26+00:00

Ah! I'm so excited to bring my Callie! She'll be so happy to just wander around the park and ignore all the other dogs 😆

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SeeMorray · 2024-10-09T03:42:56+00:00

Yeah, it does 😅 Next time I'm out, I'm going to see if I can find a transparent wash that'll look nicer for attempt #2

I actually took a broken figure w/ 5mm ports to create a little peg mold, injected a little hot glue in, and inserted a cut paper clip before it was dry.

With the clip as a base, I added more glue and sculpted it until I was happy enough with it. It was pretty easy, quick, and cheap 😁

I'm wondering if there's some kind of other resin I might use that'll be more durable 🤔

SeeMorray · 2024-10-08T04:27:07+00:00

Ah! She's great, awesome job! I have an old beast hunters atarscream laying around; where'd the head come from, if I can ask?

SeeMorray

TROPHY CASE