World of WarCrafts: Custom Arthas figure
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.
This week's WarCraft comes from Jilara of Southshore, US Perenolde (aka WoW.com reader RetPallyJil ) -- and yes, that's Arthas himself. The 12-inch customized figure is a patchwork of modified parts and handcrafted pieces. Arthas wields a "Fantasy Letter Opener" Frostmourne from eBay, refined and repainted.
"As for Arthas, I started with a Dragon Models' Alexander the Great as a base figure," she explained to World of WarCrafts. "It was fairly expensive, but I thought the face sculpt was worth it; youthful without being boyish, mature without being craggy. The hair had to be special-ordered -- it's nylon instead of the world standard acrylic (to which I'm terribly allergic.) Again, it was somewhat expensive, but sculpted hair wouldn't do him justice."
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Arthas' breastplate is modified Marx Knight armor, which Jilara sliced open and puttied back together around Arthas for a custom fit, then painted in hammered steel and drybrushed gloss black. The skull shoulders are actually dollar-store Halloween whistles, hollowed out, painted and wired to the breastplate. The assorted skulls were Dremeled from sheet styrene, while the rest of his armor consists of thin vinyl and jewelry findings.
Attention to detail delights this crafter. "His hair is hand-rooted; I'm pretty pleased that I got the necessary wispy look instead of a hair-metal pompadour," Jilara admits. "I can't get a picture clear enough, but his gloves match those shown in the 'Fall of Lordaeron' cut scene, complete with those pointless metal rings on the palms. It's the details that matter!"
Jilara's been crafting custom figures seriously for five years. She's currently working on a realistic rendition of Jilara the character. "So far, so good!" she adds. Judging from what we've seen of Arthas, we'd have to agree with the "good" aspect.
