Casey Jones
As an old school Mirage Comics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, Casey Jones was always my favorite character. Not to mention Elias Koteas playing him in the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie was the best thing about it. It could be said that I’m more of a Casey Jones fan than I am a Turtles fan.
But, the more I looked a references for this figure, the more I realized I didn't love the design on any of the previous versions of him. My biggest complaint was the mask. Jones is a dirt poor, slightly crazy vigilante. Everything he had seemed like it was laying around his shitty apartment, but his mask looked like it was custom made for super hero shenanigans. And the sweatpants just had to go. Yes they made sense. They’re comfortable, easy to move in, and fit for a character who obviously didn't care about the fashion of being a hero. But I just couldn't reconcile with sweatpants. No one should go out in sweatpants, even to fight crime.
So I started from the ground up. If I were to start a TMNT series today, how would I design Casey Jones? Sloppy old combat boots. Faded jeans. Grimy white thrift store work shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. Black & red, slightly 80’s vest. Because Casey Jones is a product of the 80’s and I doubt his fashion sense has really progressed since then. Hockey goalie gloves for protection. But my favorite part is the mask. The iconic mask. I had seen a few images from the new cartoon. I haven’t checked it out, but I immediately thought, no KNEW, that they got the mask right. It looked like a real hockey mask, that he had hand painted the skull on. It was rough, sloppy, a little ugly. Something I could see Casey Jones painting.
It's worth noting that at 7" of all plastic, Casey is the first non 1/6 scale figure I've done, and I hope to have more on the way. Maybe a whole set of custom turtles somewhere down the line.
All backgrounds are from the photography of Dave Porteus whose work can be found here and here. Seriously worth a look, because his stuff is just gorgeous.
But, the more I looked a references for this figure, the more I realized I didn't love the design on any of the previous versions of him. My biggest complaint was the mask. Jones is a dirt poor, slightly crazy vigilante. Everything he had seemed like it was laying around his shitty apartment, but his mask looked like it was custom made for super hero shenanigans. And the sweatpants just had to go. Yes they made sense. They’re comfortable, easy to move in, and fit for a character who obviously didn't care about the fashion of being a hero. But I just couldn't reconcile with sweatpants. No one should go out in sweatpants, even to fight crime.
So I started from the ground up. If I were to start a TMNT series today, how would I design Casey Jones? Sloppy old combat boots. Faded jeans. Grimy white thrift store work shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. Black & red, slightly 80’s vest. Because Casey Jones is a product of the 80’s and I doubt his fashion sense has really progressed since then. Hockey goalie gloves for protection. But my favorite part is the mask. The iconic mask. I had seen a few images from the new cartoon. I haven’t checked it out, but I immediately thought, no KNEW, that they got the mask right. It looked like a real hockey mask, that he had hand painted the skull on. It was rough, sloppy, a little ugly. Something I could see Casey Jones painting.
It's worth noting that at 7" of all plastic, Casey is the first non 1/6 scale figure I've done, and I hope to have more on the way. Maybe a whole set of custom turtles somewhere down the line.
All backgrounds are from the photography of Dave Porteus whose work can be found here and here. Seriously worth a look, because his stuff is just gorgeous.