THE LEGENDS OF GOTHAM CITY: A Custom Action Figure Exhibit

Amazing work! Love the attention to detail.

Thank you so kindly, Xiphos! I am so glad you like my work! 😁

Thread updated with 2023 exhibit photos.

jaw droppingly good !!!!!!!!

Fantastic work dude. Love the attention to detail and the quality of your work. It must have cost a pretty Pennyworth to rent out that much space.

Thanks buddy! It was definitely not cheap, but OH SO worth it!

THE LEGENDS OF GOTHAM CITY Exhibit was a MAJOR hit at New York's BROOKLYN COMIC CON on the weekend of June 15th and 16th!!





So many wonderful new friends stopped over to admire my work and offer such flattering words of support !

ARKHAM ASYLUM / SHOCK THERAPY CHAMBER:
My display exhibit begins with a modest-sized diorama that kicks off a major crisis in Gotham City:

The gloomy halls of Arkham Asylum echo with the sounds of an emergency alarm!
Five of the facility's most notorious psychotics have escaped from their cells and they've released the entire inmate population to create diversionary cover! While chaos and horror run rampant throughout Arkham, the devious conspirators gather in the SHOCK THERAPY CHAMBER to engineer the final phase off their brazen escape!

The dastardly psychotics detonate massive explosions as they slip away into the cover of night...

As a tribute to William Shatner's performance as TWO-FACE (in the final animated '66 Batman movie Batman vs. Two Face), I updated my previous TWO FACE head sculpt by re-sculpting a vintage MEGO Captain Kirk into the grotesque villain.





TWO FACE:" Hah!! The COIN has spoken! Let's blow this cage wide open... DOUBLE time!! Hah, ha, ha, ha, hah!"

I upgraded THE RIDDLER'S brass cane with a more ornate Question Mark head. And the ornament is now finish-detailed on both sides!




THE RIDDLER: "Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee! Riddle me this: What kind of a BREAK requires planning and plotting, and careful coordination by mischievous miscreants? ANSWER: A PRISON BREAK!!! Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee!"

THE PENGUIN:"Hwaah, hwaaah, Hwaaahh!! This frigid bird is ready to FLY this coop!! Then I'll exterminate Gotham's BAT POPULATION, once and for all!! Hwaah, hwaaah, Hwaaahh!!"

HARLEY QUINN: "Hah!! Gotham's BETTER duo is servin’ up some real laughs, huh, Mr. J? And it AIN'T Smarty Bat and Bird-boy, that's fer sure!"

THE JOKER: "Hoo ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, haaa!!!! Well my Comic Criminal Cohorts! It looks like we'll be making our exit... with a real BANG!!! Eeeee, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, haaaa!!!!!!!"

While the situation at Arkham Asylum rapidly deteriorates, Police Commissioner James Gordon once again faces a terrible threat to Gotham City... one that even the Police Department will be powerless to stop! From the top of HEADQUARTERS BUILDING, he sends out an urgent call for help to Gotham's brave Caped Crusaders...

By activating a large searchlight stationed on the roof, The Commissioner projects THE BATSIGNAL onto the thick clouds of the night sky! Visible from virtually every corner of the city, the mark of THE BATMAN inspires hope... and fear!




COMMISSIONER GORDON: "With all those super-criminal maniacs at large, this hysterical city is going to tear itself apart! I sure hope the Dynamic Duo can help."

The fully-functional BATSIGNAL Prop was researched, designed, and constructed over one full year, pattered after a 1942 military carbon arc searchlight.

A 7” handheld Marine spotlight was the starting point basis for the Prop.

The final configuration and details of the searchlight were scratch-built and kit-bashed from multiple sources. The Batsignal is built to actually project an enormous classic Bat insignia onto any surface.

Remove carbon arc control box face panel to access THE BATSIGNAL’s activation switch.









I scratch-built electrical generator and GCPD sign post accessories to go with the BATSIGNAL

I detailed the BATSIGNAL’s power feed hoses with real metal connection leads.







I fabricated the BATSIGNAL’s face plate to be removable for easy cleaning. It attaches with a system of three small magnets.

THE GOTHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY, where Librarian BARBARA GORDON spots her father's emergency signal...




This small diorama is deceptively more elaborate than it seems: The base and stairs are adapted from a Buffy The Vampire Slayer Library Playset that was available several years ago for 6-inch scale figures.

My task, therefore, became to upgrade the size of the playset so that the scale was more closely compatible with my custom 8 inch (1/9 scale) action figures.

I discarded the three inadequately undersized bookshelves that were originally featured on the top level of this playset. They were just about the height of my custom Barbara Gordon figure! Way too small!

I then designed and re-built much taller and more elegant library bookshelves, configured accurately to this playset, and with a window lightbox added off to the right. These bookshelves were built and detailed in REAL WOOD with genuine wood trim decor.





BARBARA: "The Batsignal... shining from Police Headquarters??!! Whatever's happening must be pretty serious. Batman and Robin are going to need my help!"

... to a SOUTHSIDE BACK ALLEY, where CATWOMAN completes her latest burglary heist, and shudders at the sight of the fearsome symbol in the sky... and the appearance of an unexpected adversary...

CATWOMAN: "Just purrrfect!! I step out for one night of harmless mischief, and Batman's already on the prowl to clip my claws! This kitty's in no mood to be chased by an ill-tempered BAT!"

BATGIRL: “Well that’s a shame , Catwoman, because I was in hoping for a good game of “cat-and-flying-mouse!!" “

CATWOMANL: "Batgirl??!! Hsssss!!!"




















The SOUTHSIDE BACK ALLEY Diorama has a base that measures 22.5” x 15.5”, and the overall height is 45”… an ENORMOUS set!

It features light up windows, working rooftop vent fan, light-up roof skylight and functional rooftop smoke stack

Like Barbara Gordon and my other female characters, I built custom Batgirl on my 7-inch tall "9Art Athletic Female" body (a heavily modified and re-sculpted Zica "Gracie" figure). All ball-jointed. Solid figure (not hollow).


Some images of Custom Batgirl WIP...


I fashioned Batgirl's UTILITY BELT using REAL BRASS parts.
























I scratch sculpted Batgirl’s removable cowl, then I mold and cast it in black urethane








Custom BATGIRL features Fully wrist-posable, pleather Bat Guantlets (with bat fins)… pleather bat boots, custom fabricated grey bodysuit, custom dual-layer bat cape, scratch fabricated utility belt, scratch sculpted, and molded Bat-a-rang weapons, cast in real metal silver.

Meanwhile, in the GRAND MAIN STUDY at STATELY WAYNE MANOR, the heroic pair... secretly Billionaire BRUCE WAYNE and his youthful ward DICK GRAYSON are alerted to the emergency BATSIGNAL beacon by their ever-faithful butler ALFRED PENNYWORTH...










The WAYNE MANOR MAIN STUDY diorama measures 56.4” wide X 38.75” deep x 19.5” tall.

ALFRED PENNYWORTH: "Begging your pardon Masters Bruce and Richard, but it would appear that your assistance is required in Gotham City"

DICK GRAYSON: "Holy dire calamity, Bruce!! There must be serious trouble brewing in Gotham!"





BRUCE WAYNE: "There's no time to waste, Dick. Let's go!"

No real serious dollhouse furniture pieces seem to exist ANYWHERE in the 1:9 scale. They are either available in the standard 1:12 scale for 5 inch tall action figures (too small) OR in the 1:6 scale for 12-inch Barbie fashion doll figures (too big).

I have therefore always had to alter the furniture from one of these two scales in order to create items that fit with my custom 1:9 scale characters. However sometimes, even that method does not work.

When designing and building Dick Grayson's STUDY DESK, I had no choice but to fabricate the entire thing from scratch, from the ground-up!

Responding to the urgent call for help from Police Headquarters, The Batman and Robin The Boy Wonder race into the heart of Gotham City!

Now, from a warehouse rooftop, overlooking the city, they prepare for battle...








This GOTHAM WAREHOUSE & STORAGE BUILDING diorama received MAJOR renovations / upgrades for this 2023 exhibit compared to its previous version:

All of the bottom level windows were converted to double windows.

All ledge, cornice and trim pieces (originally fabricated out of fragile polyurethane molding) were replaced with much stronger and more solid real wood pieces.

The ENTIRE ROOFTOP was re-built as an attic sub-level with corner towers and TWO gargoyle statue rainwater spouts stationed at each of the 4 corners. This effectively added 9 inches to the height of the building compared to its previous version.

The solid roof features an all-new scratch-built skylight (with internal lighting). I also upgraded my original water tower by increasing the tank’s height by 50% to be more scale accurate).

However, this year I have added some fun NEW details to the rooftop:

There is now a central rooftop access hatch added onto the center of the deck.

The four smoke stack funnels (previously cosmetic), are now linked to two internal remote controlled smoke machines that spew periodic puffs of thick smoke.

And I designed and 3-D printed two rooftop ventilator fans. I built these ventilator fans with small electronic rotation motors inside them to make the fan heads turn slowly.

I also built two peg hole slots near the corner edge of the rooftop. These slots fit the posing arms of action figure stands, and allow for the posing of the dynamic duo IN MID-LEAP off the edge of the building!!


With all of these upgrades, this new version of the GOTHAM WAREHOUSE & STORAGE BUILDING measures 61” wide x 61” deep x 59.75” high (to top of water tower). This fully assembled beast tips the scales at just over 87 pounds!

ROBIN THE BOY WONDER: "Boy we've sure got our work cut out for us, Batman! Two-Face, The Riddler, The Penguin, Harley Quinn AND The Joker... on the loose and their forces combined??! Holy nightmare!"

THE BATMAN:"Stay sharp, Robin. We're going to stop those five, and break up their nasty alliance before they can ravage this city. They'll be back in their cages at Arkham before they know it!"


The 9ART custom action figure of THE BATMAN features

... classic comic book style Utility Belt with REAL BRASS buckle and vials details...



... POLISHED SILVER (real metal) BAT-A-RANG weapons