Thursday 20 June 2013

Daphne & Velma...

...the return of the 'secret project'!



Miss Daphne Hudson, the spirited niece of Holmes' former housekeeper was privately educated  at Roedean  thanks, in no small measure, to the generous stipend that the consulting detective had set aside for her.  Always meticulous in her appearance, Daphne was due to take the social scene by storm, but tragedy struck when a ferocious bout Dengue fever claimed the lives of her parents whilst travelling abroad.   Grief stricken, Daphne missed her Debutantes' ball  and her opportunity to shine on the glittering social circuit.  With few options left open to her she has reluctantly chosen to follow her  'adopted'  uncle on his lecture tour of the United States armed only with her late father's umbrella.


'By Jinkies!'  Velma, Dr Watson's wayward ward, has a reputation for being a hellion.  Although awarded a place to read the relatively new social science of  anthropology at St. Hilda's College, Oxford, Velma quickly became frustrated by the inequality between the sexes at British educational establishments at the time.  As a result this wildcat has shunned academia for a chance to explore the grand old U.S. of A. enjoying the relative freedom from the restrains of polite society and the stifling dress code that goes with it.  A veteran of her father's grouse moor, Velma is an expert shot!



Now as departures go this one is a little left field, even by my standards.  The self indulgent folly that is the 'secret project' is simply an excuse that allows yours truly to meld together all manner of unholy combinations from mythology, folklore, popular culture and of course earlier episodes of 'Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'


This ridiculous construct allows me to collect pretty much anything that grabs my fancy without ever having to worry about gaming it and today I'm proud to reveal the latest characters, Daphne and Velma erstwhile travelling companies of our heroes, S. Holmes Esq., Shaggy Watson and Baskerville.  This ludicrous piece of frippery has been sitting on the back burning for a while now, whilst suitable characters were tracked down, but it wasn't until 'Salute 2013' that inspiration struck.  My curiosity was piqued by the swarm of customers around the 'Black Scorpion' stand.  The release of their new cowgirls set was certainly causing quite a stir; nothing at all to do with the delightful young lady that was serving behind the counter!  It was from this new cowgirl set that Velma was born, the resin of the 'Black Scorpion' piece allowing for a simple head swop from a 'Hasslefree Miniatures', 'Louise' (what will I do with that body!) I did try to file the angular glasses frames to something more rounded, but conscious that one slip would result in an unplanned nose job, I bottled the job!  As for Daphne, she came from 'Black Scorpion's' Civilians 1 group, with both ladies adopting a colour palette inspired from the original Scooby Doo cartoon.



So there we have it, the travelling companions finally reunited and ready for more adventures, but sadly these will have to wait for the moment as the St. Trinians zombie hunters are calling!





76 comments:

  1. That is sheer JOY. Totally self indulgent and utterly Brilliant. I really wish I had thought of it.... Maybe I should make some as zombie hunters for my wild west zombie game.

    FAN-BLUMI'-TASTIC!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Clint, I can't tell you how much fun it was to do too! Wild West zombies, now you're talking!

      Delete
  2. Great work Michael is Scoobydelicious !!
    Really nice paint and colors .
    Greetings
    Vincent .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Vincent, that is really kind of you.

      Delete
  3. That's just awesome. Very creative and well executed Sir!
    Rod

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Rod, I've been desperate to get these two finished.

      Delete
  4. Velma appears to have forgotten to put her vest on...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The good Doctor may need to have a word with her.

      Delete
  5. Stunning figures Michael! Lovely work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very, very clever, sir. I love the backstories, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sir, it was great fun dreaming it all up.

      Delete
  7. Hola
    GUAUUUUUU Magnificas,si señor.es Scooby Delicioso jajajaja
    un saludo

    ReplyDelete
  8. These are excellent, never worry about being self indulgent, after all that's what we all do, you just do it so well

    Ian

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ian, I do enjoy a spot of self indulgence - when I'm allowed.

      Delete
  9. These are simply scoobyfandoobytastic!

    Here's a big thumbs up to self indulgence - the end results are always so much better :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Inspirational work as always Michael. Now you've got me looking for a reason to do something very similar! Kudos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Derek - that I may have inspired you to do something similar is such a thrill, good luck Sir.

      Delete
  11. These great characters will propel you into the lime light, Sir.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jay, not overly keen on the limelight though - far too crowded!

      Delete
  12. Original and so nice!! A great work, inspired and colored...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Phil, just seemed to come together rather easily.

      Delete
  13. Very nice...
    Daphne appears to have a pair of large gauge Barrels! 12 bore?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Paul, I think it might be Velma that is armed and yes a rather splendid side by side - Purdy's I should imagine.

      Delete
  14. Fantastic! I loved watching Scooby Doo as a kid. Good memories - Daphne never looked so good. Best, Dean

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Dean, she certainly not how I remember her either.

      Delete
  15. Awesome! Velma is particularly... VA-Voom! (The cowboy boots are quite fetching) Still lovun' that groovy jalopy. Very, very cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Curt, she certainly stands out from the crowd.

      Delete
  16. Cool figs. They look good together.

    ReplyDelete
  17. do not remember Velma being so up front......
    Great work

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you James, she is certainly an opinionated young lady.

      Delete
  18. fantastic job and a greet little group.
    thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Dannoc, being thinking of finishing them off for so long now.

      Delete
  19. Thank you Andrew, that is incredibly kind of you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ah but what if you do game with them? What if you play zany ghost filled adventures? You may have invented a whole new form of gaming.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Well done. You really brought these great figures to live with your outstanding paintjob.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Both excellently done. I really like how you bought them to life. Especially Velma what a foxy chick she obviously come from a great breeding stock

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Simon, I've enjoyed 'fleshing' out the project!

      Delete
  23. Excellent painting!!! I must say Velma's seems to have more than I remember????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ray, she certainly has developed her charms since we last met her.

      Delete
  24. A fine pair. I like where your indulgence led.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, still not sure where this will ned up.

      Delete
  25. Velma will catch her death going out dressed like that!

    Pip pip

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Certainly will given the summer we've had to date!

      Delete
  26. Great concept, superb execution!

    ReplyDelete
  27. That's just great Michael, top conversion and the car looks so good love all the bits in the back!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mr. Smillie, the Conundrum carriage has its own post slightly earlier.

      Delete
  28. That's a side of Velma I've never seen! Wonderful work on these figures Michael!

    Christopher

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She has definitely been keeping her assets hidden from us all!

      Delete
  29. Great idea! I like your interpretation of Velma, sexy like Linda Cardellini from the films. And the Mystery Machine is great, Scooby Do meets Beverly Hillbillies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sean, it's an idea that has been kicking around for a while now.

      Delete
  30. If you are going to play...PLAY! Great stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Utter brilliance Michael. Uuuuby rooooo

    Get yer brushes ready them rootin rootin Cowboys are on the way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Dave and I shall be standing by the letterbox in anticipation!

      Delete
  32. Daphne never look so good there Michael. Top job on both of them and great skills in painting and conversions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Pete, I wonder where it will lead next?

      Delete
  33. This is going to be a wonderful and very unique collection Michael.
    Superb painting and appropriate basing.
    Cheers,
    Pat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Pat, every now and then I just feel the urge to go off and do something a bit silly.

      Delete
  34. Fantastic stuff, Michael! Love the car too!

    ...not that you'd ever catch me doing anything whimsical based on a children's TV series...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Colonel, such a ridiculous concept!

      Delete
  35. NOt muc to say for this tired man but well-done! Again you were providing real eye-candy.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Excellent work on Velma! I always knew she wore those full topped sweaters to hide her hidden attributes! Now I wait to see your rendition of Shaggy

    ReplyDelete
  37. That is one hell of a take on Velma, I'll never be able to watch scooby-do again with the kids, in the same way!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Brilliant stuff indeed! I find myself strangely drawn to Velma but then I had a girlfriend from St Hilda's. She actually looked much more like your Daphne, though!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I love your Scooby-Doo like vignette, Michael. Wonderfully executed!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...