Gladky’s Workshop: Custom Beast Wars Optimus Primal Some time ago I got second Ultra Class Optimus Primal in my collection. It was in a pretty bad shape so I have decided to work on it and give it a more realistic feel.
If you are interested in some Work in Progress photos I have posted them Here:
http://maniacyfigurek.pl/dziennik-beast ... us-primal/Article is in Polish but it says more or less things that I will be writing here.
I still can't believe how revolutionary Beast Wars figures were. Amazing engeneering and so many gimmicks that actually worked. Primal is a perfect example - twenty years old and still very impressive.
Because I can't wait to get my Masterpiece Optimus Primal I had to do something to help the time pass quicker and so the idea of custom Primal was born. I hope you will enjoy this custom.
VideopresentationI have prepared a nice surprise for you. This time not only did I create a photogallery of my custom but also I have made a short film showcasing the figure. If you like this type of videos and transformers reviews in general please feel free to subscribe to my channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liiohkwX0YUBeast Mode
Stock Optimus Primal I used as my base was in pretty bad condition. The chest punching gimmick was working very poorly and when I opened the figure I have realised that there was a lot of dirt in there. After cleaning everything and tightening some joints I was finally ready to start the real work on the figure.
The base mould already had great looking fur sculpt. It only needed some paint to show its potential. Because the whole fur was painted from scratch I could also cover areas which were just pale white plastic. Few gloss black paint detailed helped hiding many robot parts in beast mode.
I never liked paintjob of stock figure gorilla's face. Those dead blue eyes, yellow teeth and big gray splat of paint around it just didn't feel right.
That's why I gave it slightly more natural look. Gray drybrush keeps paintscheme close to original one but also is so much more subtle and shows how great the sculpt looks. The cherry on top is a new set of glossy, beast eyes and new sharp teeth.
Like I said before, figure's inner mechanisms were in really poor condition. Luckily I was able to restore them and Primal can again hit his chest like a propper gorilla.
Black, gloss paint also helped hiding thighs in beast mode which is a nice bonus.
Comparisons
The true difference can be seen when we compare my custom to the original figure. To add more natural look to my Primal's fur I applied semi-gloss clearcoat that has this shiny fur look.
While working on this custom I fave also fixed one of the things I didn't like about original figure - holes in the fists. Now I don't have to worry about them anymore.
Similarly to the face, hands and chest were also painted and shaded to give them more natural feel.
One more shot of both beast modes. This photo shows perfectly how great original figure was sculpted. It only needed some more paint co accompany it.
In this mode the most noticable difference is the new fur colour. However the real fun begins when we transform this guy.
Robot Mode
This is where the figure really shines. I have decided to replace white panels with silver chrome. It gives great contrast to dark, shaded fur. Of course I couldn't forget about some gloss red details.
Back doesn't show too much but if you pay attention you can notice some nice details like piano black heels.
I have put a lot of effort into the headsculpt. First thing I did was removing hinge from mutant mask (which did not come with the figure). I cut the piece to look more like a neck than original one. Most of the helmet was painted in metallic blue colour. I also added some chrome and grapphite paint apps and new, gloss red eyes.
I made some mods to the chest area as well. Original one was looking nothing like the one from show. Now it is much closer to the CGI.
Of course my Beast Wars Optimus Primal kept all his poseability.
I always really liked the pistons in Primal's feet. It's amazing that such a nice detail was put in the figure twenty years ago. After adding some chrome and red details it looks just as it should.
You can also find some red spots on thighs. Crotchpiece was one of the elements I painted gloss black. It also got some small, blue details to keep it close to the animation model.
Mace also got nice new colour. It was such a clever idea to hide this weapon in figure's arm. I miss this attention to details in modern figures.
The handle was painted black to distinguish it from the rest of the weapon. I am really looking forward to getting modern version with my Masterpiece Primal and his banana crate.
"Hand" cannon was repainted in pure black because I felt it looked much more convincing in this colour. I didn't want the red pieces to de as visible as in the original figure.
Last thing I wanted to show you were new shoulder cannons. Those are now in gloss black as well. I have also painted this colour all the interior parts of the beast mode. I still can't believe this figure is already 20 years old.
Comparisons
Talking about cannons. Let's see how those compare to the stock ones.
One more Primal comparison. Here you can see some more minor mods I have made. The most noticable one was sanding some parts and getting rid of moulding lines. You can see it very well on shoulder guards.
One last quick comparison of both figures.
That's all I wanted to show you today. I hope you like finished custom. Please feel free to comment and ask questions.
