Astra's actionfigures in Action

Guys! Friends! Lovers of David Tennant! alumfelga!

I can't be the only one being OBSESSED with "Around the World in 80 Days"? Where are you? I need people to talk to!

For the unaware amongst us: It is a new 8 part series, NOT made by the BBC. It's made by a TV alliance of several countries, mainly Germany, France and Italy. But it does currently air at the BBC and in America it is airing at PBS. Poor guys only getting it once a week on Sundays. It will take them forever to go through.

In Germany it aired over three days before Christmas. I recorded it but hesitated to watch as usually German TV is dubbed. But to my delight it was available in original language and there are several different original languages from whichever country they travel to which makes it rich and full. So I only watched it last Sunday. When I say watched, what I mean is I binged it within one day. Yes, it's that good.

I was not yet sure after the first episode. David's Philas Fogg is a very insecure angsty man. But of course he grows, and with him grow the other characters. It is a modern and fresh take. It's very funny, I have been giggeling at times. It's also heartbreaking. David can show the full range of his acting.

Yes, there are those that say it does not stay true to the book, and how dare they have a black man and a woman in main roles. Ignore those ignorants! Go watch for yourself! On Twitter we are loving it, and we even already have fanfictions. One of them is by me:

https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Around%20the%20World%20in%2080%20Days%20(TV%202021)/works

Everyone is embracing this new fandom, and a second season (with a different adventure) already was confirmed before it even aired.

Did I say it's good? How could I have even any doubt. Everything David Tennant is in is good. I am just falling in love with him all over again. It also has a certain Doctor Who feeling, which I think may be intentional. Him travelling the world with companions, running around with coat tails flapping, and looking at a fobwatch.

What are you still waiting for? Go watch, watch it now! Watch it till the end, and then come talk to me!

That was quick, it arrived yesterday evening already. This is the scene that I loved wo much, with the many actors who all have played Hamlet. With a very special guest appearance at the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khu4UbwBD_w






Also, I forgot this yesterday:

Today was the #Shakespeare400 celebration, with lots of things happening all day long. Shakespeare died on this exact day 400 years ago.

I've just watched the BBC gala, moderated by David Tennant and Catherine Tate, and with guests such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and lots of others. Loved the scene where all actors that have already played Hamlet couldn't decide how to pronounce "To be or not to be". And that monologue by David at the end - he really knows how to make the language alive and not complicated at all and it is just a joy to listen to him. There was music from a live orchestra and ballet and opera and rap and everything in between. Great show.

To join the celebration, I want to re-post the link to the Hamlet I have done some years ago, together with a friend, with action figures of Doctor Who, Torchwood and Primeval. We re-created the theatre play with David Tennant, I even changed the Tenth Doctor into Hamlet. Please look at the complete story with explanations here: http://dieastra.dreamwidth.org/27300.html



PS: Seems I have another Tumblr hit here as well. 68 notes already since I posted it a couple of hours ago, and a lot of re-blogs also.

A beautiful video from Big Chief Studios, showing all the stages of making figure heads in 1:6 scale. From sculpting to making a cast to painting. I like especially the time-lapse of the sculpting - showing how many stages it goes through until it is seen as a perfect capture of the actor. Big Chief is the only distributor I buy from, they make "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock" figures, and the faces are so real and wonderful.

I can't even start to imagine how to sculpt something like that. I had a hard time already with the Hamlet naked feet - whenever the top looked good the bottom looked awful, and when I had corrected that, the top was totally out of order again... I went through a few rounds of that. But it looks like they harden the face first before adding the hair? That would help I guess. Still, needs a lot of patience - and a steady hand.


Check their stuff out here: http://bigchiefstudios.co.uk/

Both the fourth and the original (brown suit) Tenth Doctor are sold out now, but a new Ten in blue suit is in the works and can be preordered.

Nice music in the video as well and very fitting. I'm glad I was able to watch it - last time they posted a video of how the figures get assemlbed in China German GEMA had blocked it because of the use of music.

Video link in case the embedding doesn't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wY4Z0YbgV8

So this just happened ;)

It's really hard to get this pose right. He should be slumped even more but I was afraid of breaking him.

I wonder if David Tennant should get his own action figure theatre tag.

Especially for hai_di who wanted to see David Tennant at the stage door of "Richard II" without his hat, but of course also for everyone else in here! Very unusual sight on him. On stage, the hair was open, not braided. And he flung it around as if he had never worn anything else. He tenderly stroked it with his hands, or shook it back... Was nice to watch ;)







These pictures were taken by my friend who has a very good camera. I just cropped them to show the most important parts ;)

So yesterday was the big day, and of course my Doctors wanted to come to the cinema as well to see their show on the big screen. I had to smuggle them in in my bag, as I hadn't bought a ticket for them. Then again, I probably could have, as old as they are, they could have gotten pensioner's discount. Anyway, here are some pictures of our journey to Chemnitz!

I already started to regret taking them before we even had taken off. They were fighting for the best seat in the car like children.

Eleven: "Adi, stop making yourself bigger than you actually are! Some of us also want some space here!"

( All pictures can be found behind this cut )



After that the movie finally started, and it was phantastic. But you probably know that, as you have seen it yourself. Yesterday we did history, people, we got the Guiness Book award for the largest ever simulcast of a TV drama, following a global campaign from BBC Worldwide that saw "The Day of the Doctor" broadcast in 94 countries across 6 continents.

Looking forward to the 100th special in 12-D. I will be 90 at the time, so it is possible.


Disclaimer: None of those dialogues did actually happen. They are dolls after all, they cannot talk. Ow! Stop hitting me, Eleven! And you Ten, stop sulking! I promise you won't have to wear the rain coats ever again!

Tweeted at 29.11.2013: https://twitter.com/dieastra/status/406503943418572800

Never mind I still haven't posted all pictures from Peterborough, but I finally scanned the ones from the "Midnight" convention in Birmingham back in December. And here is the reason why I went there:



Edit: David Tennant/Billie Piper panel: http://davidtennantontwitter.blogspot.de/2012/12/detailed-report-of-david-tennant-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+Davidtennantontwittercom+%28DavidTennantOnTwitter.com%29

Gareth-David Lloyd/Eve Myles panel: http://helena-in-stormcage.tumblr.com/post/38183447480/eve-myles-and-gareth-david-lloyds-talk-at-midnight

I got asked to take a picture of my "vitrine" which in fact is a CD shelf with glass doors. It's where I keep all my customized action figures. In this picture you can see:

JB and his dogs - http://dieastra.livejournal.com/40390.html

2 Hamlets: http://dieastra.livejournal.com/27731.html

John & Carole Barrowman: http://dieastra.livejournal.com/41677.html

David Tennant in Much Ado About Nothing: http://dieastra.livejournal.com/37992.html

The 12" Eleventh and Tenth Doctor I did not make myself, but the Eleventh did cost 150 GBP so he belongs behind glass as well. I so hope they make a Captain Jack Harkness one day!



I'm still trying to select a few pics for the photoframes on the top.

Remember the David Tennant as Hamlet figure I did a year ago? I have done another one.
Here he is in his white Navy uniform from the theatre play "Much Ado about Nothing", I saw this live in London.

( Here you can find some step-by-step pictures and explanations )

My next projects are the complete white uniform, with jacket, sash and sword (from the end of the play), and the blue Superman shirt from that famous scene.

Masterlist of all my customized actionfigures

Edit: I just found out that I got featured with my action figure projects here which is pretty cool: http://geekcrafts.com/much-ado-about-the-tenth-doctor/

Tweeted at 17.04.2012 https://twitter.com/dieastra/status/192366087856332800
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