Minimate Customs: Dream and Death

Yep, more Minimates.  Just bought a printer, which will allow me to print decals out at home (rather then making the shameful trek to Kinko's), so I've gotta clear the backlog out to make room for the new projects.  Anyway, I've been sitting on one of these for quite awhile, waiting to complete the pair, which I just did this week.  So I present...

Dream and Death

 
I've made a lot of Vertigo Minimates over the years- some of which you've seen- but the collection felt complete without the Sandman.  After all, Neil Gaiman's creation is probably Vertigo's signature character, and Vertigo without the Sandman is like the Justice League without Superman.  I suppose that makes his sister there Wonder Woman....

Dream

I tried to make a few Sandman quick customs over the years, but none ever looked remotely right.  He's such a distinct character that you just can't fake him.  But things became much easier when Sam Haim was released as part of the Real Ghostbusters line; I mean, that robe looks like it was made for Dream.  I made a decal using a Cubeecraft template found on DeviantArt, which I'll share right now:

The last- and biggest- hurdle was Dream's great big mop of goth hair.  There's simply no existing Minimate hair that works (this is probably the closest), and unless Diamond Select Toys decides to revive their rock line and makes Robert Smith or the Jesus & Mary Chain (please note: I would be very happy if Diamond Select Toys made Minimates of the Cure and the Jesus & Mary Chain), I don't think their ever will be.  So the hair would have to be sculpted, and, seeing as how I'm a big fat baby when it comes to sculpting, I turned to Minimate guru Luke Porter, who whipped out the beauty you see here.  I did have to paint it myself, though!  Oh, the Matthew the Raven accessory comes from the old DC Direct Sandman figure.

Death

Morpheus' big sister might be even more popular then her brother; if Sandman had been a tv show, she'd have been the breakout character.  I still see Death at least once at every big comic book convention I attend (and yes, that's exactly how I wish that phrase to read).  So making her was a big priority for me.  Again, her hair was a trouble spot; this one, from Karma, doesn't really quite capture her goth glory, but it's close enough.  Decal's again a modified Cubeecraft template, with some black pants and that cool little bracelet to complete the ensemble.  Man, I wish I could remember where I got that from.  Sorry, but here's the decal, so you can bring Death to yourself court Death never mind:

No plans to make the rest of the Endless, I'm afraid; I'm happy with these two.  They'd make quite a two pack for a revived DC Direct Minimates line, eh?