This is a customers commissioned build-up of "Sophie", a JJ Models kit. The customer wanted sculptural modifications, longer legs , bigger derrierre, lengthen the stool, different stockings, a bit of face work, and costume alterations below the apron-tie. Mike obliged, turning a pretty fair kit into a really great sculpture."Color is really important on these things too," says Mike. By adding dark stockings, gold-leafing the duster and stool legs, and a using purple (instead of the red upholstery shown on the box art) keeps her warm and balanced, and regal.

The following is a step-by-step tutoriol of exactly how Mike can take a very nice pre-painted sculpture and make it positively PHENOMENAL. The piece is the X-Men character, the White Queen Emma Frost. The first pic at left is how the kit looks coming out of the box...nice, right? Now, wait till you see what Mike does to it.

And this is how the re-sculpted and re-painted kit came out. (For a shock, compare it to the original kit, the first picture shown. It's an amazing transformation.) The body is a lot sexier. Not only more muscular, but Mike slid the bottom half sideways a quarter inch to increase her "hip-shot". The hair was the weakest point of the kit; it looked like bright yellow painted wood. Now her hair looks soft. This is due not only to the great re-sculpting, but the slightly lighter, more platinum color. And the face...Emma actually looks PRETTY now! AND more serious. Mike accomplished this by tilting her head down slightly so her eyes could look up fetchingly...subtle, but adds "Attitude"! The skin tones are a LOT better also; she glows like a hot peach. Instead of plain white for her costume, Mike used his own formula for a high-tech "pearlescent" white. In fact, in life, it LOOKS like pearls!. Though it doesn't show in these photos, in real life, as you move your head side to side, there are wild spectral color changes that make her costume look translucent and magical, a quantum improvement.

If you thought that was a remarkable resculpt....here's another.

The same piece resculpted and painted as Mavel's "BLACK QUEEN."