I was invited to customise Strange Cat Toys very own Mascot “Grandpa” for their second instalment of “Grandpa & Friends” . This time featuring just UK artists, it was showcased at their booth at ToyConUK in London last weekend.
This unbelievably cute little guy was designed and sculpted by In Prime We Trust.
It’s always great to get the toy in hand and get a feel for the character and it’s form.
I’ll photograph it and draw a quick outline on my tablet. I use sketchbooks too for initial ideas but for working through ideas it’s quicker to add and change elements like colours, etc on the iPad.
I first brainstormed ideas based around the cat theme. Here are some of my workings.
Playing around with a few different ideas I landed on Cringer. I felt I could merge the character quite nicely onto the Grandpa form without forcing it and still maintain the character of the original toy. This choice was also massively appealing as Masters of the Universe was a big part of my childhood.
I thought it would be kind of fun if Cringer in his Scaredy cat form could take on He-Man’s main character persona and what that might look like. I like the message that we are all braver than we think, even if we feel terrified!
And this is the final result!
I always enjoy an accessory so of course Cringer has a removable sword and shield!
As the toy is hollow vinyl and I was adding these removable parts I filled the body with foil, glue and resin to add weight and make it more solid and stable. I also changed the neck and added magnets. I do this with most of my figures so I can split the toy up for easier painting and reassembly.
I hope you enjoy it and
thanks for looking!
Leave a Reply