Custom McFarlane Batman Forever Sonar Suit Batman Figure

[@camaroxx1]

Hey brother, fantastic work as always! Think I may need to buy a second Kilmer fig and paint the sonar suit haha. I was gonna suggest (for future figures) Dupli color makes a plastic adhesion promoter that will seal up those rubber parts while remaining flexible and can take whatever paint and won't dry tacky :).

[@Ibrahim_M]

Ah, now that's what I'm talkin' about! Thanks for the tip, dude! And the kind words!

[@camaroxx1]

Absolutely man, glad I could help you out.

[@pabl0cc033]

Great job, I think a primer sealer or what we call an adhesion promoter could work for the soft plastic diaper, it happens in automotive applications

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thanks man! It’s tricky with this because it adheres really well, it just won’t dry, haha. Even with double layer of acrylic as a primer. I think there’s a chemical reaction with the paint and the plastic that just makes it a no-go.

[@zarnistastudios]

What an amazing result! Looks perfect!

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you very much!

[@TheRealBatToast]

Nice job sir. Like # 274... Bat Toast

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you very much! I really appreciate it.

[@dalecomixcollectibles137]

Loving the way this turned out.

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you!

[@zuhairvazir338]

Fantastic. John C. Holmes, or even better, Jimbo gets a sweet makeover. Your videos keep me sane with the world going to shizzle. Keep walking Mustafa.

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you, my friend. You have no idea how much I needed something like that as a justification to keep making these right now when things feel so pointless 🙏🏼

[@krymson_reigns]

Man this looks great and love the step by step walkthrough. I’ve run into to that same issue with paint not adhering to soft plastics, ended up spraying it a little with Mr. Clear matte spray which helped… a little.

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you as always, my guy! 🙏🏼

[@CharlieUptownOfficial]

Fire, fire 🔥🔥 these videos taking me back to 1995, eating McDonald’s and playing Sega! Fantastic mods! God bless 🤙🏾

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you, bro! That means a lot, man. I think a lot of this hobby is about remembering simpler, happier times, haha.

[@PaulGallianoChannel]

Another great job! That cape sure does work well 👍👍

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thanks so much, Paul!

[@kurono77]

Was never a fan of the sonar suit, even more so the purple color scheme McF did but you did an awesome job! Love the panther suit! Lookin forward to Robin.

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thanks very much! Yeah it was never really my thing either, but it definitely grew on me. I think after the Batman Begins suit had a similar vibe I started to like it more, haha.

[@decadentdave]

Because the diaper is a flexible vinyl plastic you need to paint it with a polyurethane acrylic. The polyurethane dries flexible and will stretch not crack and chip like regular acrylic. This is why I never use enamel paints.

[@Ibrahim_M]

Yeah when you finish the video you will see that I switched to acrylic for that piece. But the issue wasn't non-flexibility, it was that it didn't dry at all as a reaction to the plastic.

[@LesWalker2023]

Magnifique! I love the finished look! I am not a fan of the type of paints you used on this plastic, and you are brave for that, but the finished look is wonderful! He is darker looking on camera than mine, but mine looks about the same shade in person. Go figure! On camera mine looks silver! lol! Your's looks amazing! The matt spray does lock it though! Great job on the accessories! Overall, wonderful! Another one knocked out of the park! (Another great neck sculpt too!)

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thanks so much, Les! That's something I really love about this iteration of Batman; it's not so much a color as it is an ever-shifting reflection, so all takes on it are valid. This movie keeps on giving!

[@LesWalker2023]

@@Ibrahim_M Ain't it the truth! Good observation!

[@kinglouiethethird]

my fav batman film growing up! 👏👏👏

[@Ibrahim_M]

Same!

[@robp5141]

Looks great!

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you!!

[@ironstark3116]

Slips are made of rubber, if you apply primer the color becomes sticky. Because rubber needs to breathe. I recommend you put a water-based acrylic and you're done.

[@Ibrahim_M]

That’s helpful info, thank you! I did use acrylic for that area and that’s what solved it. It only became tacky again once I used a clear coat on it. So that must be because it can’t breathe the same way once sealed.

[@scottmcclary594]

@@Ibrahim_M I learned my lesson years ago and never use oil based paints on customs especially figures because they never dry!

[@Ibrahim_M]

@@scottmcclary594 They do if you don't use them on the soft parts. This was actually the best outcome I've ever had painting a figure aside from the soft piece-- much less prone to flaking and rubbing.

[@JustKidsandDad]

This is really awesome! Mcfarlane should start making the head and neck movie accurate. I did upgraded my Keaton Batman with Apoxie too, the difference is night and day! Great work Man!

[@brianlehmkuhl8162]

Great improvement. As soon as you showed the Testors, I thought "oh no", I wish I could have warned you! BTW, enamel paint "cures" not "dries" but that is me being pedantic😂

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you! This is a pedantry-free zone! Lol

[@salvatoreocello]

13:51 yeah looks sick 🎉instant sub

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you, dude! Welcome!

[@goobseum]

Awesome! I hate enamel but I think you have proven me wrong! Can’t wait for the next one! And of course a cave backdrop is what I’m most looking forward to!

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you very much! Yeah, Im not typically into enamel paints either (I prefer non-toxic water soluble paints whenever possible), but man, it was really perfect for this suit!

[@ChisolmThompson]

Hey what wrist and ankle joints did you use as replacements ?

[@Ibrahim_M]

I left the wrists as they came, but the ankle joins were from the McFarlane Two-Face from the same wave. They didn't peg right in though, I had to fill the hole with some hot glue on the leg part.

[@anthonygregori7058]

that original had some long ass legs lol damn, great work Ibrahim!

[@Ibrahim_M]

😂😂 it did! Thanks, brother!

[@Galvatronfasho]

Another banger!

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you! 🙏🏼🙌🏼

[@carlosrodrigueznava4076]

Hey buddy great paint job on that Bat-Clooney made a custom McFarlane fig a couple of months ago and had same issue wuthe the paint job on the diaper part glad to know I was not the only one with that problem,excellent video and loved the cape part,keep it going I'm a little behind on your last videos but i'm on it

[@Ibrahim_M]

Carlos! Thank you my friend! Yeah that risked issue was a real pain, lol. I hope you were able to get yours sorted as well! Thank you for taking the time to watch these, dude!

[@carlosrodrigueznava4076]

@@Ibrahim_M like I said huge fan and avid learner so gotta follow the best and by far you are the greatest In my opinion cause you have such an easy way to transmit all the techniques you use thanks again buddy!!!

[@Ibrahim_M]

@@carlosrodrigueznava4076 That means a lot to me, dude, thank you so much!

[@Tcbronnie]

One of the best looking sonar repaints I’ve seen, great job! With the recently announced Batman and robin Batmobile would you ever consider repainting the B&R Wave?👀

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you so much! Probably not, I’m afraid. I just don’t have the necessary fondness or attachment to B&R (I think I may have only seen it once back when it came out, haha). With my time and shelf space being ever increasingly limited and so many cool things coming out/on preorder, I just can’t justify it to myself. The figures look really great though no was especially impressed by the Uma Ivy.

[@coletrain7755]

As far as I know, enamel paints are not meant to be applied on plastic. More so wood and ceramic. Back in my early days of customizing, I tried enamel paints and subsequently ruined a few figures. Acrylic is always the way to go for plastic

[@Ibrahim_M]

No these are model paints, so they're made specifically for plastic. They work great on the hard stuff, which is 85% of the figure. Just the soft plastic that doesn't work. Acrylic is my go-to for everything else, but this was a special case.

[@agurhythm19]

Ibrahim 👊🏼, thank you for the Kilmer Batman era mods. His Batmobile and now the action figure… what’s next? Building a suit for yourself? (I know you have the height😅😇 See you next vid

[@Ibrahim_M]

My dude! Thank you so much, bro! Haha I do have a Superman suit that my friends made me wear for my bachelor party several years ago, so maybe one day I'll have to make a Batsuit to go with it, lol. Thank you for checking these out, man! It means a lot! Give your pup a pat on the head for me!

[@agurhythm19]

@ our pleasure to see the artist at work 👊🏼. Keep up the good work and will totally give a pup a treat on your behalf- he won’t mind 😅

[@l0gan622]

Awesome work! Question: what pegs did you swap in for his ankles? The leg length looks so much better

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thanks, man! I actually used the McFarlane Two-Face ankle pegs for this.

[@Peweskimooxy]

Another great one. I had the same issue with softer plastic on a Dragon Ball figure. Hard plastic worked no problem, soft plastic would never fully dry. I never figured out how to fix it and removed all the paint. I used a Tamiya spray can, which they say the paint is a "synthetic lacquer." Primer or not, top coat or not, no luck. So don't bother with that kind of stuff either lol. Hope you find something good! Also, can you change the white balance on your camera? I find that can fix things on camera not looking like the real thing. Please ignore this if you already know that. Looking forward to Robin very much!

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thank you! Someone had a really good recommendation for a plastic adhesion product that I pinned to the top of the comments. But until I have time to try that out I'm just going to keep mixing acrylic paint for the diaper area to match the enamel paint, lol. Re: the white balance, I've messed with the settings a lot both on the iphone (what I use to record) and in iMovie while editing, but I can never find a balance that looks true to what I'm seeing IRL. It'll probably be the kind of thing that I mess with forever, lol. But I appreciate the insight!

[@matteggert2439]

I’d totally recommend using play dough for future sculpting needs. Not sure about this two part compound you’re using. Play dough is the answer.

[@Ibrahim_M]

😂😂😂 I find that it works best with bits of dog hair and cheerios crumbs in it

[@matteggert2439]

@ also doubles as a delicious snack

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Like it 😄🦇👍

[@Ibrahim_M]

Thanks dude!

[@pmadi323]

Yeah the trunk sections on these McFarlane figures can be tricky. I painted over the Godspeed figure about 2 years ago and it's STILL tacky to this day. The rest of the figure was dry within about 2 hours but that part has never fully cured.

[@Ibrahim_M]

I just got a really great tip from someone that recommended dupli-color plastic adhesion accelerator. Sounds like it's for that kind of application. Would be nice to not have to deal with that again, haha.

[@scottmcclary594]

I dont know what lighting they used on set to make that "dark gunmetal gray" suit that everyone claims is the actual suit color turn chrome they way it looks in the movie because every single sonar suit action figure or statue that isn't silver to the point it's damn near chrome with blue shadowing doesn't look right to me! Seriously watch the scene "by sea, or by air?... why not both?!" And that suit is almost reflective it's so silver... that's not a lighting trick and I think the suit they used for Clooneys ice suit was kilmers silver and the only suits to survive were the backups that weren't fully painted or something!

[@Ibrahim_M]

It would be silly to assume I didn't watch every scene in the movie with that suit in it 10x while customizing a figure based on it. But what you're talking about is just how light reflection works! Idk if you've ever been on a set of any kind for recorded production, but the number of lights required can be surprising. Especially on a movie like this where light is used to convey mood AND they're on sound stages with zero natural light. It's a whole artform with an entire department of people behind it. With paint, it's not the pigment that is reflective, it's the metal flake mixed in with it. So you can have any color of any shade, and if you mix metallic flake into it, that flake is what will catch and reflect light. This also makes it subjective. Light/colors look different from person to person, and reflections even more so, because they're constantly shifting as the character moves. Even the panther suit in that movie is reflecting greens and blues and reds all of the time, which is why it doesn't look like a black void to the point where we can even see the nipples, haha. Another consideration is scale. At this size, metal flake is huge compared to a 1:1 suit. If you were to size up a piece of flake for scale it would probably be the size of a BB on a 6' tall man. That means that the more tiny flakes you can pack into a paint job on a 1:1 suit, the more reflective it can appear. Overall there is 1/12 the amount of flake in a figure like this due to the size of the flake compared to the size of the figure. Then there's the most important thing: preference. It is not my preference to see Batman in a silver suit, nor do I think that makes sense for the character, And trust me, when you do this, you have every Bat suit nerd on the internet in your comments telling you how it "ACTUALLY" was, and many of them have shared with me that the suit was a reflective gunmetal color.

[@LesWalker2023]

@@Ibrahim_M I'm with you Ibrahim. I too worked hard on both my McFarlane custom and my older, original 1/6 custom figure of this suit, using the old 1995 era Revell vinyl Batman model kit, and I came to the conclusion that I could have gone darker, or lighter, and just went with what I felt was right. I chose a moderate shade of grey gunmetal color, in my case, the specific shade of paint made by Vallejo called "Oily Steel" MIXED WITH BLACK...that is important..and not Natural Steel, which is more silver and a little bluer. The suit looks to be a very graphite color. You went with a shade or two darker than my works, but both sets look right to me. Mine photographs lighter, because I shot in lower light, which opens the iris of the camera a bit, and makes that reflective surface almost look silver in some shots. See my Panther suit custom video, and danged if it doesn't almost look chrome! lol! NO way it's that light a shade! But, in the light and with that camera, it did. Your's could also depending on the lighting. And, brilliant comment about the scale of the metallic paint on larger and smaller subjects. I had never considered that. Good call. It is hard to get it just right. Your's is fine. I am happy with mine. It's all a little bit in the mind of the beholder. Good conversation!