59 replies to this topic

[Heir of the Chronicler]

That's right, folks - I'm back in town, and I mean business.

Welcome to Vaal's Forge & Foundry
the First and Finest in Customized LEGO
Formerly "Vakama's Masks", since 2007


(Click on Vaal to visit the Forge & Foundry!)

You'll find everything you need to order your own custom LEGO part on my website;
simply copy+paste the appropriate order form to this topic, fill it out, and I'll take you from there.

In the time that BZP's been down, I've refurbished & updated my website,
preparing it for when the forums would come back online... which, quite obviously, is now!

For those of you who might ask, "Whatever is up with the name change?"
My answer is, times've changed; I needed to branch out from simply masks.
Vaal is a craftsman character, not unlike the god Hephaestus of Greek legend.

I now take commissions for Bionicle, Hero Factory, System, and anything else you've a use for.
For those of you with an interest in tabletop wargaming, I even take on miniature work!

Look forward to doing business with ya'll. Mata Nui knows, I've missed it.
All the best,
~ Heir of the Chronicler

Edited by Watashi Wa, Oct 16 2011 - 08:25 PM.

[Space: Ocean of Awe]

This. Is. Art. You are amazing at this. Although sorry to disappoint you, but I won't be getting anything. I love your work, everything seems just so seamless.

=)

[Tahkuta]

I would love to get Toa Mata Nui's yellow parts Infected. Can you take a look at the set (im sure you own one/ know who he is) and pm me a quote on the total price? Thanks.

-T

[Bulik]

FINALLY! this was the best custo mask and weapon shop in the bionicvle fanverse!
the HF masks will have some cool customizations. i've heard that furno 1.0 's mask kinda looks like master chief. so i bet some tinkering would make it look like it even more

[Tahkuta]

Customer Name: ***** (Will appear in PM)
Online Alias: Tahkuta
Mask Name: ------
Part Name: All the yellow parts from Mata Nui

Description of Rust or Infection work wanted: Rusted like the Carapar Armour

Color Palette Requested: Coloured like the Carapar Armour

Additional Notes: Will want certain parts broken artistically

Payment Method: Cash

Shipping Method: Small Box

[Heir of the Chronicler]

@ Space: Thanx, man! Appreciate the kind words

@ Bulik: Cheers! It's good to be back. And, hm... I suppose it does! It could certainly be modified into a MJOLNIR-esque helmet, if given the trademark gold visor. Halo 3 and Reach introduced so many variations, that's the only consistent feature anyway.

@ Tahkuta: Thanx for the order, boss! I do indeed know what you're referring to. I'll be sending you a PM by tomorrow.


And now, for what I've been working on! First up... an infected Kraahkan for a friend over in Switzerland:





Perhaps more interestingly, however, a visor'd Hau Nuva with hand-painted silver lightning...






The visor is from a Kaukau Olda, and the silver "lightning" effect was painted by hand in three shades of silver. As you can see from these two work-in-progress shots, this was the most difficult custom I've attempted in a long, long while... tho I'm sure it won't hold that title for too very long!

http://www.brickshel...update/vff2.jpg
http://www.brickshel...update/vff4.jpg

And lastly, but not leastly, something I've been working on in the Downtime... a very, very old commission as asked for by our own Alsru, Toa of Honor. I do hope he's still around... I owe him this.



That's right... a 100% repainted and posed Vahki. It's permanently positioned, and painted in the visual style of the last Bionicle movie. I've picked out details, chipped corners, and greased pistons; took me over a month of almost nightly work to complete. The orange on it's head is a delicate "stippling" work comprised of seven different shades of yellow; each and every chip was painted in three stages... first black, for then silver, for the chip itself, and then a wash to blend it all together.

As far as detail painting goes, this is my masterpiece... for now.






As compared to a stock Bordakh...




Alrighty then, that's all what's fit to photograph from the Forge and Foundry... for now.

Cheers,
- Heir

[Bulik]

was my reaction
the hau-kaukau combo was amazing, and the bordakh... alot better than mine

but, nonetheless, the paint chipping and grease, really, made it look like something to put on its own poduim XD

im not really a fan of infected masks, but the kraahkan is nice

[Rahkashi]

Wow. Pure art. Beautiful job, as always!

[eagonwuzhere]

ok heres my question is this legal to sell....because i can make these too http://www.flickr.co...59467@N05/sets/ check out random projects!

[Heir of the Chronicler]

Huh! Nice casting work, and I groove the cut down Hau. Don't see too much of that, 'specially not since Flintsmith disappeared.

Customs are legal to sell; been doing it since 2007. It's no different from selling any other set or collectible. Selling castings of LEGO products, however, is illegal. It has to be an all-original product or else LEGO is legally viable to come after you.

Nice Iron Man helmet, too. Only thing rarer than casting around here is, well, welding

Cheers,
- Heir

[Tahkuta]

Oh, I forgot to ask whether or not you would be okay breaking parts. Is that okay for you to do?

[Heir of the Chronicler]

Yeah, that's no biggie, so long as I'm doing what you want; just let me know, in detail, so I don't mess it up!

And, I still owe you that PM. Might have to wait until later this evening, am super busy today

Cheers,
- Heir

[Tahkuta]

Of course, Im not just going to let you attack my pieces with a hammer XD
Alright man, understandable. Im at school right now anyways, so I will be checking my inbox later, don't worry about being expedient

[Heir of the Chronicler]

But, but, but! Attacking them with a hammer is so much fuuun

Just kidding. Catch you this evening

- Heir

[Tahkuta]

I can imagine it would be!
Alright, thanks.


-T

[Bulik]

ok heres my question is this legal to sell....because i can make these too http://www.flickr.co...59467@N05/sets/ check out random projects!

are you gonna make a full portal gun?

[Alsru Toa of Honor]

Oh, look, my Bordakh from way back when; looks awesome. Though, I do recall talk about some sort of base for it to stand upon, it is beautiful standing alone.

So, if you are done with it, let me know and we should be able to figure something out.

~Alsru~

[Heir of the Chronicler]

Oh! You mean this li'l ol' work-in-progress thang?




- Heir

[Alsru Toa of Honor]

Yes, that, exactly. Oh goodness me...that looks like it will be far better than I imagined all those years ago. What sort of ideas are you thinking about with the base?

~Alsru~

[Tahkuta]

Yes, that, exactly. Oh goodness me...that looks like it will be far better than I imagined all those years ago. What sort of ideas are you thinking about with the base?

~Alsru~

Just to throw in my two cents (I know hes yours but..) It would be cool if it were a rocky-type base, and maybe have a hole in it for you to stick a metru torso, so the Vahki is standing over it in victory.

[Heir of the Chronicler]

A rightly fine idea, Tahkuta, but not per the terms of the original order I've had in my head for so very, very long...

I plan to build it viginette-style as a section of Ga-Metru; the Vahki is standing in front of a wall, with a tile "sidewalk" at the base of the wall. A couple of the tiles will be erupting upward, with a Morbuzahk vine snaking out from it...

Also, I have the disk that goes in it's mouth, but I didn't glue it in or even paint it. I think he looks more menacing without it.

Cheers!
- Heir

[eagonwuzhere]

im not sure exactly how to use this forum very well but
DEAR
bulik


yes i am making a full portal gun follow my flickr page and i try to update it at least once a week! and Heir....I also can make customs.....thanks for giving me the scoop on the caastings though....haha I do this for school...once semester break rolls around i can start working on customs.....thanks for inspiring !

[Nujanii: Kanohi Master]

How much would it cost to have 6 kanohi repainted? I may be financially incapable at the moment, so I want a general idea concerning how much you would charge.

[Zarohum]

Could you do something like this?

also, I saw that you once made a Tohunga Makuta. How did you do the arms?

Edited by Zarohum, Oct 24 2011 - 12:49 PM.

[Tahkuta]

Could you do something like this?

also, I saw that you once made a Tohunga Makuta. How did you do the arms?

Haha, that looks like a starfish went SPLAT on a Pakari!

[Zarohum]

Could you do something like this?

also, I saw that you once made a Tohunga Makuta. How did you do the arms?

Haha, that looks like a starfish went SPLAT on a Pakari!

yeah, that's 2002 photoshop skills for ya. It was a rumored "7th Toa" in 2002 made by a fan. A fan with very bad photoshop skills.

[Heir of the Chronicler]

@ Kanohi Master: My full pricing index can be found here:

http://www.odysseyho...ts_Repaint.html

Mind you, I do discount for larger orders, so jus' take 25% off whatever your total comes out to be an' that'll be roughly right. Thanx!

@ Zarohum: Well... I *could* do something like that, but I'd pretty much have to sculpt it from scratch! Aaand IMHO, that's even sillier looking than this..:
http://www.odysseyho...led-180x137.png

Also, same way I did the rest of 'im... sandblasted + painted. The paint didn't flake off due to arm bendiness because the sandblasting textured it so heavily.

And holy catfish, I've been around this so long I remember that 7th Toa rumor... when it was new.

- Heir

Edited by Heir of the Chronicler, Oct 25 2011 - 12:36 PM.

[Tahkuta]

I like that blue Matau alien :S
An I haven't been here (BZP) since the Seventh Toa rumor, but I sure do remember it!

[Hurricane iBrow]

Hmm... now that I have the means to pay for things like this, I might make an order! Depends though. It always depends. Though a "borg-ish" Nuju Metru doesn't sound bad. It does sound expensive though.

Just a quick question: are you able to do Hero Factory parts as well?

-ibrow

[Ice the Great]

that's even sillier looking than this..:
http://www.odysseyho...led-180x137.png - Heir

HEY! Ushaan-tor are SERIOUS BUSINESS! They're used to settle disputes of honor! They'll cut a Toa's head off!

It does look kinda odd, though... Especially since it's supposed to be used as an ice pick.

[Toa Xemnas of Crystal]

I'm curious: Have you ever made a Legend Reborn-style Mata Nui sword?

[Heir of the Chronicler]

@ ibrow: Yeah man, I can to anything Lego and some things what ain't! Jus' hit me up with what you have in mind.

@ Ice: Funny, I wasn't actually talking about the Ushaan-Tor, and had to go back and look to even realize it was in the picture. (I'm cool like that.) Was mostly the forehead-stalks I was referring to...

@ Xemnas: Am afraid not. Have always wanted to, tho. My lazy man's version is to take an Ackar sword and plug a Jaller Mahri sword into the center of it. Dirty but effective. Speaking of which, what I've REALLY wanted to make was Ackar's pre-elemental sword, the one with the curved blade. Looks really neat, IMO.

Cheers,
- Heir

[Alsru Toa of Honor]

You know, after looking at the base again, it seems a tad tall and might take away from the focus being the Bordakh. Would it be possible to shorten it about two inches or so?

Something else that came up to mind is that with how well you have done with the Bordakh, would you be up to the challenge of the other five Vahki?

Also, just curious, something to think over; how would you think about taking a complete vehicle set, say Cendox V1 of Kaxium V3, and giving them the proper sand wear, pitting corrosion, dirt, battle damage that they should have? Scratches, dents, layers of dirt on the exhausts; things like that.

~Alsru~

[Tahkuta]

I'd love to get a Vehicle "worn out" like Alsru said. I think that would be neat looking.

[Srakii~Pktaaim]

Great to see this is back! Can't wait to not order anything!
Yeah, kinda broke, but can't wait to see what stuff you keep making.

--

[Endaro the Glatorian]

The Heir of the Chronicler has returned! Excellent! I noticed on your website in the gallery that you've come up with a "more accuracte" yellow than the paler shade you used for Toa_Ausar's repainted Rau, but the color doesn't appear to be listed as one of your options in the Standard Repaints Store. So, is this "more accuracte" yellow available as an option and, if it is, would it be possible to see a sample?

[Heir of the Chronicler]

Whoa, sorry 'bout my silence, folks. My day job and my family obligation's have been mauling my time away from me... as always.

@ Alsru: Am afraid not, it's glued solid. However, I'm confident it'll come out well; my Dad and I actually had a big discussion over appropriate base height (he cut the wood to build it out of.) There'll be a trim piece rimming the bottom that'll balance it well, IMO.

The other five, eh? "Challenge" is right, that much is for certain! I'd say I'm up to it, aye, but it'll take some doing. I've got twenty hours of detail handpainting invested in that Bordakh, easy.

About the larger sets... that's crossed my mind to do, actually! It'd be little different than painting the Bordakh in many ways... biggest difference is the effect portrayal, ie, a Bara Magnan vehicle would be battered and dirt-caked, while a Metru Nuian Vahki would show only the rigors of it's duty.


@ Piraka-Mistika: Thanx! I get that a lot


@ Endaro: It isn't listed? Really? Hrm, will have to go correct that. Regardless, aye, it's available! I'll slap a brush-stroke on a Manas Komau next time I'm taking pictures and post it up for you.

Cheers,
- Heir

[Alsru Toa of Honor]

Well, alright then; just keep me posted on the progress of the base. I would like to see how it has been coming along.

Good, seeing as I have the time, patience, and have few qualms about how much it will cost me, we could likely work something out concerning the other five Vahki.

Which is where the fun is with the vehicles, I figure. Not only would it give you the vehicle to damage and make it look used and under constant state of repair, but the driver as well could have wear from the rigors of the desert; think scratches and discoloration of the armor, maybe even showing off colors of former owners.

Plenty for us to discuss.

~Alsru~

[Heir of the Chronicler]

Well, that was some fun downtime! We'd know nothing about that, would we?

@ Alsru: Have been juggling the base this past week with a couple of other orders. Involves a lot of gluing, clamping, puttying, sanding... the works. Still have to sculpt and paint the Morbuzahk vine. Will look a lot better than the original foam base I'd planned. Will be a lot heavier, too!


About the other five. I'll certainly take a tackle at it for you! Just went back and watched the Vahki animations (instead of, you know, completing this post...) Would be interesting to build different bases to represent the different Metru's, and allow us to explore different poses. I always really, really liked the Vahki... few other Bionicle's possess the variety of cool stances they do.

After what you posted about the vehicles, all I could think of was Ork Trukks from the Warhammer 40K universe...

http://images.dakkad... Orks Buggy.jpg
http://i100.photobuc...rkTrukk3Ram.jpg

Everything they build is a jumbled scrap-heap of constantly under-repair junk... and they're of the belief that painting it red'll make it "go fasta." Also, they're a ton of fun to paint! Anyways, was just what came to mind...

Cheers,
- Heir

[Tiakor]

I saw your website.
I love the detail done on the eyepieces and infection!
I have never seen work so seamless. Keep up the good work, you may have yourself a customer!