Qiao Feng's sworn brother, Xu Zhu (not the fat guy you remember from the Dynasty Warriors game) is destined for great things. Starting out as a junior monk with minuscule labor and no fighting skills whatsoever, Xu Zhu became one of the greatest martial artists the Jiang Hu world has ever come to known. He later became the head of Xiao Yao sect and Ling Jiu Palace.
Xu Zhu is one of the easier martial arts figures to do. Since he's a bald monk and I didn't have to root any hair, it took me roughly a week to complete him all the way through. His head is a recast of the Heineken Hong Kong exclusive figure. I had MikeTek make me a few copies of the head and Xu Zhu is the first occasion I've had to use this particular head. The sculpt is very nice and his facial features are very distinct. He's a good base for many figures and I have since used him for several other figures. The clothes were sewn with two different materials. His undergarment and inner robe were sewn from gray cotton fabric while his outer robe is sewn from a very tough canvas-like material.
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I've found a semi easy way to make cloth shoes now so Xu Zhu's shoes were done up in experiment to see how it works. Instead of attaching DML rubber soles to the bottom, I tried using foam boards instead. The result is pretty nice and it is just as sturdy and flexible as DML's rubber ones. Trying to get a good pattern for the shoes were tough so I tried my best. His white socks are wrapped with hemp for the extra tight fit. The monk beads were made from tiny wood beads I found at Michael's Arts and Crafts for about $3. Beads are pretty fun to do, but it can be frustrating if you don't have the time or patience.
The tri-pole staff used by Xu Zhu is made by none other than Intents2002 (Ed Cassar), another weapons customizer who I admire very much. I own quite a few of Ed's custom weapons, but this is truly the first time I've used it for a figure. The staff pieces are made of real wood and the brass fittings and chain are pieces of craft jewelry. Pretty cool huh?
Now the butterfly swords are something different. Here's another excellent commission made by Auret7. These butterfly swords are unreal. The blades, handle and guard are made of real metal and the handle is made from real wood. The pictures don't do it justice at all. The picture on the right shows Xu Zhu in action with Terry's awesome swords. I'm just putting it up for show, but these swords really belong to my upcoming Mulan figure.
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Overall, I'm very happy with Xu Zhu. He is pretty barebones, but he looks cool nonetheless. He is not accurate to any film or TV series, just a depiction of how I think Xu Zhu looks like based on Jin Yong's Demi Gods and Semi Devils novel.
Here's a final shout-out to Ed Cassar, Mike Blankenship and Terry Rosler for their help in geting the items for Xu Zhu. I couldn't have completed him without their help and continued friendship. Thanks guys! You rock!
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