Something a little different... a Top Five List!

Just off the cuff here, I've rated what I think are the best fan-made Jason busts in existence.

1. His Unlucky Day (part 4), by James Mangrum. This gets the number one slot for a multitude of reasons... James's incredible fidelity to the original design, his improvements on that design (adding lifelike skin lines, pores and even gingivitis not present in the film appliances), his painting with translucent inks and the fact that its resin make this the greatest Jason piece anyone can own. If you were lucky enough to get in on the first run and get it painted by James himself, you indeed had a Lucky Day.

2. Hideous Looking Man (part 3 Winston version) by Crash Cunningham. One of the greatest artists in the Jason-fan universe, Crash created a stunning duplication of the Stan Winston mask originally made for Richard Brooker in part 3. As with James, Crash even improved on the detailing in the original design, and added acrylic teeth. Truly an ultimate collector's piece.

3. Silver Shampain Novelties 'New Blood' (part 7). Made from the screen-used appliances worn by Kane Hodder, so you can't get any more accurate than this guy. There is something so satisfying about owning something cast directly from a movie piece. These things unfortunately come with a medicore paint job that doesn't exactly match the movie makeup and the mouth is strangely filled in, but nonetheless a must-own for New Blood fans.

4. Horror at Higgins Haven (part 3 Doug White version) by Dead End Hollow. Josh at DEH does some of the best Jason bustwork out there, everything from Crazy Ralph to Pam (living and decapitated) and has sculpted what is probably the overall best part 3 DW Jason piece. This thing is light years beyond Itz-U in its faithfulness to the movie makeup, with my only small gripe being a too-small right eye. Josh's unique style comes through in all of his pieces, its tough to describe... a certain expressiveness, I guess, in the eyes and facial features make his pieces seem particularly lifelike.

5. 'Kill for Mother' (remake) by Jeremy Bohr. Jeremy has done a ton of Jason work but I think this is his crowning achievement. Though Jeremy is by his own account not one to go for perfection in reproducing a Jason design, he really pulled off something amazing with this piece, with its grotesque acrylic teeth, maniacal expression and faithfulness to the movie design. Outstanding work... also like his Roy and his JGTH.

The CJ progress

So I overlayed transparencies of images of CJ wearing the original mask onto my sculpt to determine the accuracy of my form this far and its looking really good. Here's a couple of samples.

The X

Just finished this, and its for sale :D

Part 5: The Exhumation

You'll notice the blood on the axe cut and the fresher splatter on the cheek, mosts artists don't do this but in the scene where he first gets out of the grave he has the blood from his own headwound and the splatter was from the two guys he just killed. It was washed off in the rain as he got out of his grave, a nightmarish prelude to what Tommy would experience some time later...

The CJ... update

Update, Feb. 1. Its really looking good, although still a lot of details to work through. You'll notice a difference in the forehead in the top comparison, thats because the angle is slightly different (with the real deal turned toward you about 2-3 degrees more, thus showing where the sloping of the forehead begins). I am anticipating completion and molding by the end of March, based on the speed of my progress so far. I have noticed a lot of hits on the blog here lately, so thanks to everyone who makes this a regular stop! :D




Update Jan. 24. Still playing with the form, mostly in the cranium...

Still forming this guy and trying to be as exact as possible, results have been favorable so far. Here are a couple of comparisons showing what photos I am matching to. I've been using screen caps as well as behind the scenes photos so I can observe how his head looks as it moves and rotates onscreen. I have a long way to go on this guy...

Gratuitous Ultimate III Picture!!!!!!

haha sorry. I'm sure you've seen enough Ultimate III's but I found this pic recently of what is probably my best one. I'll have more interesting posts in the near future.

The C.J. update

Just two days later, and this guy is really shaping up nice... still just working on the form, but now that he has a neck his facial physiology makes more sense... I'm going for a 1:1 copy of Brian Wade's work here, with every little detail that I can nail down from photos.

Jan. 4 edit: here's another pic. I did the shoulders last night, so all ten pounds of clay are on him, but I'm going to need about a pound more I think...

New Project: The C.J.

3 days into sculpting this one, I'm going for a very accurate replication of the mask worn by C.J. Graham in part 6. Originally sculpted in 24 hours by effects artist Brian Wade when director Tom McLaughlin needed a replacement bust for a new actor, the mask was swimming in detail, so it will be quite a challenge to replicate, especially for a novice sculptor like myself. Pleased with the results so far though! Thanks for looking.

Ultimate Warlock mask, after improvements

This photo is designed to be a comparison photo for the well known photo of the real part IV movie mask taken by Dick Warlock. You can see it in the background...

I am still accepting commissions for this piece, also offering it "part 4 end scene" style (basically the same mask with part 4 blood). If you want to own a near-perfect reproduction of the only mask used in 3 films, complete with custom-matched basecoat, the crack through the forehead and every known scratch or scuff on the original, this is the one to get. Thanks for looking!