So I've made a new friend on these board and he asked me to make another Rankin Bass version of Bilbo from the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit. That film is near and dear to me as it was a staple view during my childhood years. Needless to say, I was very excited to get started on this one. On top of that Gandalf is already in the works and nearly completed and Thorin will be next!

As far as turning this ToyBiz Frodo figure into the animated Bilbo, here's the method: First thing to do was sculpt the head on top of the existing Frodo head. It's not an easy likeness to capture in 3D, but I think it turned out really nicely. Next, I shortened the legs to give him that squatty look, but I managed to keep the articulation in the knees so BIG PLUS there. After that I added a piece of a random cape to extend his tunic. From there I sculpted the belt and then made STING from a 1/12 scale machete I'd gotten from a Hostel figure. Once all this was done I went about painting everything.

The jackets was already there and nice so I went with a bright greeen and then muted it with a mossy green drybrush. I used that same mossy green for the legs and leg wrappings. For the tunic, I just browned a bright yellow and BOOM! We have our burglar!

*** Oh wait - have to paint match the hands and feet to the face...just couldn't wait to show him off!

Hope y'all enjoy this. From the searching I've done I'm still the only one who's made the Rankin Bass Bilbo into a moving action figure...and I've made two. The first was 6 inches, and this one is 3 inches. Thanks for looking!