I came across this on the Toybox DX message board in a search and I remembered how cool it was. Ladies and gentlemen, I present a true work of art, Paul Kaiju's custom Bullmark Zinclon Garamon: http://hometown.aol.com/demonhead11/UltraQ.html
I was looking for pics of this to show someone, and of course that AOL page is long gone, but thankfully the Wayback Machine has a copy with most of the images: https://web.archive.org/web/20031015105240/http://hometown.aol.com/demonhead11/UltraQ.html @Paulkaiju How is the legendary Zinclon Garamon doing these days?
This was one of the toys that sparked it all for me.. Between this and remembering the movies from being a kid, I was hooked.
Wow, going way back. I am so unbelievably glad that somehow the waybackmachine has archived this AOL gold. A complete gem of a toy, and I agree, would really love to know what sort of life the zinclon Gary is living now. Just love this whole story, and all the little nuances aspects and inspiration Paul dove into with this fella. This is kid and toy passion epitomised. What a super toy to revisit, and one worthy of a revival if there ever was one.
^^ Thank you so much for the heads up Kevin. I just saw this, and hopefully have made my thoughts clear there, but in case I didn't and in the short of it - Paul, I know you are very much a lone wolf and driven by your own creativity and passions - SO much respect for that. But if it is at all any help to you, please do let us support you on this one. This sort of weirdo passion project is just the sort of thing this community is here for. Anything we can do to help, would be a great pleasure; even if it remains just a dream in a drawer waiting for the right moment for another big break.
View this post on Instagram WOW! I don't think I ever saw Version 2 before this, but it looks incredible. I think it would make for a fantastic figure if it was resculpted as a sofubi. I've seen so many impressive "action features" built into vinyl toys by Ilu Ilu and Toysbian in recent years, I can totally see things like that working on this figure, too. Thank you for posting this, Paul!
Thanks for making me dig it out and dusting it off. I really needed a recharge with a personal project. If memory serves me correctly I shelved it over 8-9-10 (?) years ago due to many problems related to materials used as I had gunned into in without considering the Incompatibility of the materials. Wood and styrene combined with super glue just didn't vibe well with each other over time so I'm doing some major rehash and re sculpt on some parts. Chalk it up to naivety I guess. "De-wonkify" and "same-some-shit-up" are terms I use in this. Adding the "simulated" tongue missile launching tab to the back of the head as well and modification of the mouth missile. Bullmark and Ark would have had the head made in soft plastic with the missile mechanism jammed in and metal jaw screwed on. It was never intended to actually launch. The thighs got a total re sculpt and added rivet details. This will mean a total foot rehash probably and unfortunately. I'm 50/50 on this. They are slightly off. I learned how important it is to work on overall part shape with them machined stuck back-to-back so they same-up better. Head details rebalanced eyes. Next up I'm redoing the back fin details. I was never happy with these. In the imagined toy they would have been X6 "Child safe" soft rubber details plugged into the diecast body. I want them a bit more coral looking like the OG character. The spikey wings just aren't cutting it for me. I want something that flows a bit better. Added a drill detail to the belly port. The sub can also be docked onto this. I do intend to finish with a grand Bullmark style paint application similar to the Zinclon Toho line.
Is this something that you're planning to cast at some point / are the screws just an aesthetic touch or do they serve a functional purpose? I suppose I'm just curious about a "finished" piece having articulation added after the fact.
Well....It will be a long road but don't think it isn't being negotiated. I've got allies in good places.
Yes. All the screws are authentic working screws. It is fully articulated. This was engineered as an intentional diecast.
Sure, that will cover my necessary Gary army, but it would be pretty great for you, Bwana, (and, well, maybe one or two others) to enjoy Paul's delightful zinclon genius, too.
