Capt. QUINT update - 1st Rapid Prototype!

7 inches nose to tail of 3D printed ABS plastic goodness... 1st initial rapid prototype of my 1st Urban Vinyl (Designer Toy) creation!...

...the resolution may not be the highest (that's why its call "rapid" prototyping), but it is true to the digital sculpt.

Some of the areas are in need of minor tweaking (a quick fix in Z-Brush) before final prototyping.


...stay tuned!

Troublefish: making neat stuff.

Behold and rejoice! 

We have taken down the "under construction" page for good... and replaced it with a simply informative single page website. Check out www.troublefish.com, at home or on the go!

With the first design in early stages of prototyping, we'll be updating content regularly - stay up-to-date by following us on twitter, facebook and instagram!

Capt. QUINT - ready for rapid prototyping!

Spielberg introduced us to "Bruce" in 1975, the Umbrella Corporation engineered the zombie shark (Resident Evil 6), now Troublefish (my design toy business - coming soon - I'll let y'all know when exactly!) is getting ready to give you yet another reason "not to go in the water"; Capt QUINT - the turbine powered great white!

Sharks and race-cars were some of the coolest things for a boy growing up in the 80s (epitomized in the "Sharkruiser" by Hot Wheels)... giving in to my childhood passion, I've decided to combine the most awesome primal predator around with a rat-rod styled 50's turbine engine! The name is a tribute (or spite) to Robert Shaw's ill-fated character Quint, skipper of the "Orca"... and its not a coincidence that I'm releasing this toy on the 40th anniversary of JAWS.

The digital design phase has reached its final stage, and a test print is required to check for any design flaws or aesthetic discrepancies. I've attached a few (un-colored) views of the digital sculpt, as it currently resides in Z-brush.

Once the final sculpt is approved and a suitable size determined, the STL file can be sent off for rapid prototyping in alumide (nylon filled with aluminum dust) on a 3D printer. The material works great, as it shows detail, is tough and has some flexibility (and is reasonably priced at $1.50 to $1.95 per cubic cm)...

...at a final cost of $900 to $1200 for the prototype, I have to make sure the sculpt is just right!

  

New Painting Series - Fastfood Deterrent - "OINK"

...ok, I guess this is more of a BLT than a hamburger (unless, off course, your are one of those new-age hipsters that prefers bacon as the sole protein source to sate your fast food cravings), but it'll make more sense when I finish the rest of the series...

...in the works:
"MOO" (calf)
"TWEET" (chick)
"..." (fishy)

the paintings are available in 2 sizes; 2foot x 4foot (large) and 3foot x 6foot (crazy large)!

PS. the little icon to the left of the message (at bottom) is supposed to be tofu...

Happy Holidays 2014

 This was bound to be the theme for one of my Christmas cards sooner or later...

2-in-1 Travel Painting Series: "Seattle"

...I've spent 20 years of my life here, so Seattle was bound to end up in this series sooner than later (its rather ironic that I took this picture while visiting as a tourist last month)...

...various shades of teal struck me as an appropriate hue to light the emerald city (although Seattle only had 2 seasons - summer and fall - the later lasts around 9 months, the ever so familiar grey seemed just a bit too harsh).

As for the subject, I had quite a few choices - though 2 stood out over the rest. And... the suspenders-over-the-flannel-tucked-into-the-cuffs-double-rolled-tight-corduroys donning, Market Optical designer glasses wearing hipster beat out the omnipresent perpetually-training-for-the-Tour-de-France spandex clad bike anarchist.

Previous painting: Savannah, Georgia (see it here).

Next up: Hamburg, Germany.

Zombie Kit - first batch ready!

The first 10 Zombie Kits are finished, sealed and packaged  - ready for retail!
 
I thoroughly enjoy the modern zombie genre (just in case you haven't figured that out from my blog) - so functionality (all wrapped up in a neat package) was the primary motive behind the kit. These kits CAN be used in a zombie outbreak!

No plastic was harmed in the making of these kits (well, ok...the letting on the glass is vinyl) - aside from the content, you're left with a locally crafted case of wood (poplar), natural wool felt, and glass. 

Contents:
18inch machete
first aid kit
portable AM/FM radio with ear buds
LED flash light
permanent markers (2)
disposable lighters (2)
compass

I don't stockpile the kits, and after the initial 10 are gone, I'll be making additional ones to-order, by commission (usually a 3 week waiting period) - I'm thinking of offering additional stains down the road. The finished kit retails at $285.00 - each kit is hand-made to order.

I don't intend of mass producing them overseas (I've come across an excess of kits on the interwebs consisting of sweat shop bags and boxes filled with non-firing guns, plastic knives, a handful of Band-Aids and some poorly drawn, printed at home stickers).

Shipping is going to take a bit to figure out....