STOLAS! My first resin toy project is almost complete!

Thought I'd share my first major resin project with you guys.

First a little background info... (okay, maybe a lot.)

My obsession with vinyl toys didn't really blossom until early this year, when I started stalking the #designertoy tag on Instagram. I soon found myself discovering the whole underground DIY resin toy scene, which intrigued me because it could be done by just about anyone. Having some prior experience in sculpting through a Ceramics course in college and churning out polymer clay jewelry crap on Etsy, I was really excited to jump on in. Up until that point I had sculpted what people wanted rather than things that I actually wanted to make.

I started planning out my first resin toy back in late March. I wanted to make something obscure yet familiar, and remembered something I had found about a year ago. I was making an "evil" character in a video game and wanted to use the name of a historical demon for their last name. After searching through an online "demon encyclopedia," I found a name... but not without discovering this little fellow.

This... this silly-looking owl, is Stolas.
According to mythology:
"Stolas is a Great Prince of Hell, commands twenty-six legions of demons (twenty-five according to other authors), and teaches astronomy and the knowledge of poisonous plants, herbs and precious stones. He is also known as Stolos and Solas. He is depicted as either being a crowned owl with long legs, a raven, or a man."
Yes, this innocent little owl with a crown is supposed to be a commander in the legion of hell.

I thought that was absolutely hilarious, and was instantly drawn to him as a character. I set out to design a possible resin toy of him.

Here's an early concept drawing (made in glorious MS Paint, I might add) of Stolas and possible colorways. You can see that I was kind of influenced by more cartoony sculpts at the time. This was before my attention shifted more towards Japanese vinyl.

Fast-forward three months, and I still didn't do any actual sculpting. College and other personal projects got in the way, so when summer finally came around I was thrilled.

Three weeks ago I started sculpting Stolas. I'm no professional sculptor and it was soon evident that I couldn't possibly translate my previous concept art into clay at my current skill level. I had to make several adjustments and just make do with what I could accomplish at the moment.

An early head-shot. 

One of the most frustrating things I faced with this project was the constant breakage of parts. The ear-tufts and side-tufts broke more times than I could count. I'm not sure if it's because of the material (super sculpey normal and firm), because I didn't cook it long enough, or I just manhandle my sculpts, but I broke more pieces than I could count. Repairs were a constant thing to deal with throughout the project. I had to cook the piece after each little addition just so I wouldn't mess up the whole thing.

I had to do a lot of reinforcing of the tufts. Here you can see a little indentation where I planned to put a magnet for head articulation, because I honestly have no idea how to make a joint.

Sculpting and filling the wings so I wouldn't have to deal with too many bubbles with casting. I don't have a pressure pot, so it's going to be just pour-and-poke to get rid of the bubbles.

Trying to get an idea of what it will look like finished. I honestly was lazy and only made one leg. Planning on just casting the leg twice and gluing them into the holes I made in the upper leg.

The final photo before molding. I primed, wet-sanded for about an hour and a half, and left it to dry out for 24 hours.

...aaaand here we are at present day. Last night I molded all the pieces (head, body, leg and crown) and will be demolded at 1am tonight. I'll be making a test-cast and depending on how that goes, I'll be grabbing a respirator and dremel to start self-production casts in August. 

I'll keep you guys updated with how it goes.

I need your help designing a resin toy!

Please help me put together a finalized design for the body of my first resin figurine!
Yes, I'm trying to get into the designer toy scene... No, it's not going to be easy.
That's why I need your help.

Click HERE to vote! It takes only a minute, no log-ins, no emails, no hassle.

A Week with TERA: Day 6

It's the second to last day of my week-long review of TERA, so let's get started!

I logged into Chumley and having done all the frivolous quests in the area, it was time to tackle the storyline quest.

I was to destroy these big, floating "vortex cores" that were being guarded by demons.

First, I had to walk through the more "evil" part of the forest...

It was a huge relief to hear the music change along with the scenery after yesterday's awkward dead body moment, which begged the question... why didn't they just put the body here? We may never know.

Time to go dismantle some vortex cores!

It just oozes with evil.

There were three cores in the area, with three "Scions of Lok" guarding each one. They were easy for Chumley to slash down, especially since they're 3 levels lower than my demon-slaying doggie. (Did I mention I'm level 15 now? Probably not.)

After destroying the last one, I got a quick cutscene.

I sense EEEEEVIL!

Oh, I angered that big guy behind me... oops.

He wasn't really that hard to beat, but the ridiculously fast respawn time killed me again. I was trying to get a creepy screencap of the altar, because there were bodies and skeletons laid out on it... and there he was, beating my ass 20 seconds after I killed him. Not cool TERA, not cool.
After telling the NPC about my kill, she just said she has never heard of a group called the Scions of Lok, and told me some dude in Lumbertown has an assignment for me.
What the heck? There's evil afoot and unknown bodies on an altar being used for some horrible ritual, and I'm told to just leave? I really don't understand these quests.
Anyway, it looks like I'm heading off to a new area... this one called the Oblivion Woods.
The local merchants have had their wares raided by Devan bandits, so off I went to retrieve the goods.

They're kind of like red elf... castanic... troll... things.

Mass slaughter of the Devans... Devas... whatever, was quite fun. It was also nice to finally be away from bright and happy Fey Forest. The music here is a lot more jungle-like, almost Yuhtunga Jungle-esque with an actiony flair, for you FFXI fans.

After getting the loot from the Devawhatevers, I returned to quite a hefty sum of experience points.

At this point I was getting a horrible headache, so I called it a night... but I took an extra screenshot just for you guys.

Beautiful willows above the Oblivion Wood's first camp. But who knows what evil they hide...

Current Impressions

Graphics: They still continue to amaze me. I really can't wait to get out of the forest and see some of the other settings.

Plot: I hate to say it, but the plot is starting to frustrate me. I don't really have any idea what is going on, and why other NPCs aren't taking anything seriously. I'm sure a lot of the game was hastily translated from Korean to English to make the release date, but c'mon, some of this just doesn't make any sense.

Combat: I forgot to get my skills, ahh! But still, combat is fun. I'm actually really beginning to want to make another character to see what the other classes are like.

Questing: Stale and somewhat annoying. They made little cutscenes for certain quests, but then don't say much when you complete the quest itself.

Crafting and Gathering: Still gathering stuff for my next crafting run. I need some more money first though... money is slow to get at early levels, it seems.

Tomorrow is my last day doing a full review! I'm sort of relieved to be honest, writing daily has been a chore. I'll be glad when it's over. Now to go grab a Tylenol and go to sleep...

A Week with TERA: Day 3

Good news, I got over my cold! I've never had a one-day-long cold before, but I couldn't possibly be happier. I hate being sick.
Anyway, onto the real reason I'm typing... THE GAME!

I logged in to Chumley, and realized that I'm level 8. I hadn't been paying any attention to my level since I started the game, so I was surprised to see that I had gained that many so far. And hey, I guess it's a good thing that I haven't even noticed my level... I'm having too much fun to care, and that might be a sign that this game isn't going to be an endless grindfest. Keeping my eyes glued on my EXP bar has been something all too familiar to me in past MMOs.
I only had one quest in my quest log, so I went to go complete it. I had to find Leander, Elleon's brother, and talk to him at a shrine. As I approached the area I got a short cutscene, which was a welcome surprise.

Leander is FABULOUS.

He found a giant and "familiar" sword at the shrine, but says there is an unnatural energy tainting it. I'm to take it to somebody else to try and figure out what kind of power is running through it. Is this Elleon's sword? Who knows, but I'm glad to see the plot line is actually going somewhere.

After running back with the sword, my suspicions were confirmed... it is Elleon's sword, Demonbane. Interestingly enough, it's been tainted with strong demonic power. A demon-killing blade now turned into a vessel for demonic energy? And why would Elleon ever abandon his beloved sword? Something isn't right, and of course I'm the one to do more research on this. Time to go KILL MORE THINGS! (to see if they have the same magic coursing through their body parts... it's for SCIENCE!)

After returning with the evidence, it turns out the power is too strong to interpret. Something is resisting the NPC's attempts to analyze it, something that "feels... ugly." She tells me to go speak to Leander, and that the power's source may be coming from that area I killed the monsters in. Leander is concerned, but says the only "evil" thing around are the orcans. (Think orcs. Just... orcs.) Do they have allies? I'm to check this out, but I already know the answer is YES.

You seriously expect me to forget about THESE awesome guys?

Well, time to go kill one. 

I'm sorry that it's had to come to this...

Upon killing one, I found a scroll with illegible writing. Who knows weird languages? Why, Mr. Scholar, Leander of course.

Before I did that, however, I ran into my first glitch.

Looks like someone has mastered levitation.

Honestly, I found it more funny than annoying. After I moved he rotated and his legs went back to normal. I'm surprised that this is the first glitch I've seen... The game has only been out for 15 days, and hell, WoW still has glitches 6 years after release.

Back to the plot.

After running all the way back to Leander, he says that these aren't just squiggles... It's demonic script, and it says the leader of these marauders is located to the east. Before I inspect anything there, I have to clear out an area where some kind of enemy has holed up with his minions. Alright, then.

This sure looks foreboding.

The orcan at the top of the hill ends up screaming about how I "won't get the feather" whatever the hell that means, and attacks immediately. He is not an easy kill. I left the battle with only 1/3rd of my health remaining.

Here is the part that pissed me off, though. As soon as he died, I took a second to pick up my loot, and started to go along my merry way. The game wouldn't have that, and the orcan suddenly respawned along with his little idiots. Next thing I know, I'm running for my life. Unfortunately I see a nice ore node, and mistakenly think I'm in the clear... Nope. The second I try mining it, I'm battered to death by those little dwarf orcans. Not cool TERA, not cool. My first death (if you don't count the prologue) and it's not because of lack of skill... rather, due to ungodly quick respawn times.

I guess one good thing about dying and respawning back at Tower Point was spotting my first set of twins.

The "feather" isn't an orcan talisman, but has been imbued with... guess... DEMONIC POWER! Remind me why aren't we going into the dark, evil-looking part of the island yet? You know, because all evidence points towards that place as being the source of everything we may be seeking.
After some more running from NPC to NPC, they all come to the consensus that yes, it's finally time to move into the demon-tainted area of the island... but first I have to recover cargo from a crashed airship, because the pilot didn't notice the COUNTLESS MONSTERS ON BOARD.

Just needs a little duct tape.

Once that was over with, I finally entered the Tainted Gorge. It was cool to see the island in a different light, after everything being so bright and cheery.

The Island of Dawn, now with 50% less happy!

I'm going to be completely blunt... The change of scenery has made me giddy as a schoolgirl. Not only did it make me want to explore, but it also made me excited for the next batch of quests. I take this as a really good sign.

I finally reached the next outpost, and continued the quest line. Turns out that the demons infesting the area are not only controlling some monsters, but are also "chummy" with some cultists and each other. They're also looking for something, and as usual, it's up to me to find out what.

I was tasked with killing demons, and I gladly obliged. The demon models are impressive, and I say this mostly because they aren't generic, uncreepy demonic entities. In fact, they're quite evil looking.

As if these zombie-like things aren't creepy enough, they can actually flip.

  This guy really isn't too friendly either... okay, very unfriendly.

A lot of demon-killing ensued, and I got to level 11. A quest was added to my log, and I grinned giddily as I realized it was a quest to get my first mount... then I was pissed when I realized the quest NPC was in an entirely different area, and I had no idea how to get there. I guess the mount will have to wait.

After a bunch of demon-slaying quests, I had to return a codex that I had found to Leander. He said there was no mention of Elleon in it, but something about Karascha or something like that. He then blabbed about somebody named Lok. A little background information on who the hell these two characters were would of been nice, but unfortunately none was really given. The next quest told me that "Lok died during the Divine War" which would help if I knew what the heck the Divine War even was...

Ah well, guess that will have to wait, because it's BAM TIME!

Karascha is actually the demon that wiped out the First Expedition... looks like I should of paid more attention. Leander, being the scholar that he is and not a man of action, sends me to go talk to an NPC, who in turn tells me to go kick this demon's butt.

You want me to go in there?

Though everyone and their mother in area chat was looking for other players to do this quest, I decided to be daring and go for it solo. When I entered the instance it turned out that I wasn't actually alone... a healer NPC was with me as well, so that was some comfort.

And then this guy crashed into view, and all feelings of comfort were lost.

The fight itself was challenging, yet surprisingly it was the NPC that almost ended up dying, and not me. Upon being defeated he yelled something about being tasked with guarding the area until a shield was put up, and that he did manage to do that task... and then something about Lok. Apparently Lok is a demon god... Once again, wish I had more background information on this.

I teleported out of the lair, and was met by Leander. I had picked up some kind of missive, and it apparently reveals that Elleon is alive, and the demons are hot on his trail. For finding this information I've been commended on my valor, and told to go to the big city... Finally, a way off this island!

And I'm leaving in STYLE.

Taking the Pegasus was quite the treat. After a lot of demon-smashing and the like, I kind of neglected to admire the scenery. This gave me a chance to sit back, relax, and take in the show.

Goodbye, Island of Dawn...

And hellooooo new city!

I was going to call it a night once I landed, but the itch to get my first mount was too strong to resist. I sped through the city, found the NPCs, and bam, got my horse!

Whoa there horsey, I'm just a dog... sitting on your back... Dang, is this considered inter-species courtship?

With that thought to ponder, I logged off.

Current Impressions

Graphics: Thrilling, chilling, and just overall incredible.

Plot: I am still completely lost in terms of plot. I now have some scrappy background information to work with, but I still have nowhere near the whole story. I'm really hoping things will become more clear over time.

Combat: Still fresh, fun, and engrossing.

Questing: If there were less walk-and-talk quests, I'd be a very happy fatty puppy. I did really enjoy kicking that demon's rear though. More BAM quests, please?

Crafting and Gathering: Will there ever be a crafting tutorial? My inventory is getting clogged with... well, crap. I don't know what on earth to do with all these items. I sure do love gathering though. Exp, buffs, and items!

Until tomorrow...