www.TIMBRUCKNER.com

A Closer look at some of Tim Bruckner's recent contributions to DC Direct

As some of you may have already seen, master sculptor Tim Bruckner has recently launched his own website showcasing much of his work over the past 10 years. It's not a complete history by any means, as there are still items that he wishes he could re-do or that would never have seen the light of day. But it is well worth taking some time to poke around and see what the origianal figures and paint masters look like before they change in the manufacturing process. Tim not only does the photography for all of his work, but he paints and casts all of his own figures as well. Seeing those original paintmasters alone is worth carving out some time in your day to poke around the new site and see all the angles. Tim's new site not only shows off his extensive body of work for DC Direct, but also work from other toy companies and a few surprises if you dig deep enough...

Tim gives us a sneak peek at what will most likely be part of the first update to his new site, and it represents the most recent work he did under his exclusive run with DC Direct. Commenting on his exclusive time Tim said:

"After working for DCD for the past five years, four under contract, a couple of hundred action figures and dozens of statues and the like, I felt it was time to move on. I was concerned that I was repeating myself and not digging as deep I should. I needed the work to challenge me, to keep me off balance and out of my comfort zone. In opening myself up to new collaborations, new kinds of product, to design and develop my own product, I hope to reacquaint myself with some of the passion and curiosity I had when I first started out thirty some years ago. It's easy to become complacent. So easy, you don't notice it until its too late. Working with DCD has been a high point in my career and I hope to continue our relationship into the future. This move, although scary as hell and may be one of the stupidest thing I'll have ever done, is the only way I could think of to reconnect me to what I love about what I do. I want to say, sincerely, how much I appreciate all the support and good will I've been given over the years. In the immortal words of a legendary Canadian band, "You ain't seen nothing yet" ... I hope."

I don't believe this is the end of the road for Tim and DC, but it will also allow fans to see some of his excellent portraiture on some other products, both from other companies and his own original projects. In his past, Tim has worked for Toy Biz, Sideshow and Applause just to pull a few well known names from his body of work.

13" Two Face Deluxe Collector's Figure

Alex Ross' JUSTICE- Solomon Grundy

Alex Ross JUSITCE- Zatanna

As many folks know Ross' Zatanna is modeled after his own wife. So, that is two of Ross' family members being made in plastic this year (see below for the other).

This version of Zatanna has a removable hat and as you can see has the articulation to capture not just a neutral pose but also a magician's bow.

Here is a closer look at the three figures sculpted by Tim Bruckner for the newly announced second wave of Elseworlds figures from DC Direct.

The first figure we will look at is the older Superman from the last chapters of the SUPERMAN: RED SON miniseries by Mark Millar.

It's difficult to sculpt into three dimensions art that is so stylized in 2-D, but Bruckner has done it by using the angles of the character and the folds in his costume. He comes with a stand and the severed head of Brainic.

Kingdom Come Spectre-

Ever since the first wave of Kingdom Com figures were announced fans have been asking for the Spectre and Norman McKay. No fan asked for them or bugged Georg Brewer more than Alex Ross himself! A Spectre/Norman 2-pack was among the top 3 of almost every "If this line continues, we need" list that I have seen since the original wave. At long last we all get our wish with the announcement of this upcoming 2-pack.

The Spectre is expected to come with a clear plastic stand that give him the illusion of hovering behind his human guide.

Norman McKay-

Norman McKay was the sort of "everyman" character in a world of Supe-beings that gounded the story in humanity. The character and portrait were boased on Alex Ross' own minister father. This is another great example of Bruckner's attention to detail. The paintmaster is stunning and look at the detail on those hands.

When given a handpainted test shot of the figure Ross' father was quoted as saying "Yeah, that's me."

Make sure you check out the newly launched www.timbruckner.com website for a no where near complete look at Tim's work!

Click here for a sneak peek at one of Bruckner's next project.

A big "Thank you" to Tim Bruckner for this opportunity to take a closer look at these highly anticipated figures.