Defined Green Lantern Comic Rings

[Gregatron]

Been pretty burned-out, lately, and I haven't had much time to work on the project or read more of the Johns comic run. That being said, I finally read BLACKEST NIGHT, and it's interesting to note that Ivan Reis' artwork for the rings shifted from the round-signet style he'd been doing to a more oval-faced, sleeker version, with engraved lines running down either side of the band.

So, of course, ironically, the BLACKEST NIGHT promo rings from DC Direct appear to have been based on Ethan Van Sciver's art (and he didn't even draw any of the BN stories), rather than the rings as they actually appeared in the series!

 

[publiusr]

I wonder if you could put a moire pattern in a wide disk for one…

 

[pengbuzz]

Been pretty burned-out, lately, and I haven't had much time to work on the project or read more of the Johns comic run. That being said, I finally read BLACKEST NIGHT, and it's interesting to note that Ivan Reis' artwork for the rings shifted from the round-signet style he'd been doing to a more oval-faced, sleeker version, with engraved lines running down either side of the band.

Sorry to hear that! Hope you feel better soon bro!

 

[DexAntares]

Hey everybody. I just stumbled across this post and I love the attention to detail! I was feeling inspired by Gregatron's work so I figured I'd show off my own efforts to craft a Lantern Ring. I made it in Tinkercad and Vectary. I'm an amateur when it comes to 3D modeling but I gotta say, this turned out way better than I expected. The printout is polished stainless steel. I scratched up the inside of the center to make it look similar to the 1998 DC Direct version. The inlay is UV resin with green and yellow glow pigment dust and Sharpie for color.

 

[Gregatron]

Hey everybody. I just stumbled across this post and I love the attention to detail! I was feeling inspired by Gregatron's work so I figured I'd show off my own efforts to craft a Lantern Ring. I made it in Tinkercad and Vectary. I'm an amateur when it comes to 3D modeling but I gotta say, this turned out way better than I expected. The printout is polished stainless steel. I scratched up the inside of the center to make it look similar to the 1998 DC Direct version. The inlay is UV resin with green and yellow glow pigment dust and Sharpie for color. View attachment 1631650View attachment 1631651View attachment 1631652View attachment 1631653View attachment 1631656View attachment 1631657View attachment 1631655

That’s awesome! I’d have thought it’s an actual DC Direct ring, at first glance!

And this just reminds me of my early TinkerCad work. We’ve come a long way, baby!

 

[DexAntares]

Thank you! I was indeed trying to go for a very DC Direct look with this one. It means a lot to see you say that ^_^ I hope we see more of your fantastic work soon too!

 

[DexAntares]

I should've mentioned in a previous post but I got my ring printed through CraftCloud. They offer a lot of options for materials and finishes, and their pricing is great IMO.

 

[Gregatron]

I should've mentioned in a previous post but I got my ring printed through CraftCloud. They offer a lot of options for materials and finishes, and their pricing is great IMO.

This is extremely helpful. I've been meaning to look for a vendor which does resin printing, for my upcoming STAR TREK- THE MOTION PICTURE tricorder, among other things.

Also, maybe I'll get my next test-batch of GL rings printed in green resin (rather than Shapeways nylon and then having to paint them).

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Gregatron]

Getting into the Doug Mahnke issues, now. His take on the rings is very similar to Ivan Reis’.

 

[Gregatron]

Reading the BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in stories, now. Interestingly, Patrick Gleason drew the V2 rings as being very similar to the REBIRTH style, but with a slope-sided signet disc and the sidebars attached to the disc to create the V2 design. It’s a neat look, and sleeker than traditional V2s. And his Red Lantern ring design does the same, with the sidebars attached to the disc to create the 3D symbol atop the band, whereas previous iterations always featured the traditional symbol-within-disc look.

I have to say that, aside from the considerable rewriting of the lore that Geoff Johns did, I’ve been enjoying the heck out of this era. I also find myself tempted to model some of the ring designs from guys like Reis and Gleason.


Meanwhile, after a lengthy hiatus, I just ordered another batch of test prints. Decided to go with the lower-profile, 3mm discs/symbols for the designs. I also ordered the gems/inserts to mold and cast in resin, but this time in Shapeways’ Fine Detail Plastic, which should come much smoother and easier to work with.

 

[Gregatron]

Tracking says the test prints are to be delivered, today. If that’s the case, I’ll have to give them a shot of green paint, then mold and cast the gems. Photos when all that’s done, but I’ll give my first impressions right after I receive them.

 

[Gregatron]

Rings have arrived! Paint is curing, but I’m very pleased after my cursory evaluation.

Meanwhile, I’m again thinking about whether or not to include a glowing feature on the final versions. Too toylike?

I’m also thinking that it might be best to lay down a layer of glue within the gem sockets, then sprinkle raw glow-powder directly on top of it, rather than mixing the powder into the resin gems or using glow paint. You see, I’m aiming for that lime-ish, yellow-green color from the comics for the gems, and that glow-in-the-dark pale green interferes with the proper coloration. I’m thinking that backing properly-colored resin gems with glow powder would provide the best of both worlds—accurate color AND the glow factor.

Although, as noted previously regarding the last round of test prints, I needed to back the glow-powder-infused gems with white paint to get them to visually pop properly. But that might not be the case, with this new method.

Meanwhile, I’ve been sticking with the two cylindrical tabs on the underside of the REBIRTH’s symbol-disc to anchor and align the three-piece construction of the ring, but I’m wondering if some kind of tab/slot system at 12:00/6:00/3:00/9:00 might not be a little cleaner.

Also still not sure which way to go with the early Kane V1, in terms of having either the U-band (as in the new test print), or a full O-band, with the disc sitting on top.


On a related note, I’ve never quite been happy with how the V2 symbol-piece sits on top of the band. It almost feels like it needs some kind of organic/rounded platform section for the symbol-piece to sit atop (think the REBIRTH, but with the V2 symbol instead of the disc). Seeing that Patrick Gleason V2 design in GREEN LANTERN CORPS got me thinking about a more elegant connection between the two parts.

Hard to know what Joe Staton and his contemporaries were going for, but Don Heck certainly did something akin to what Gleason would do, 30 years later.

And the DC Direct version of Rayner’s ring band most definitely transitions into a platform that the symbol sits upon.

 

[Gregatron]

Paint is dry to the touch. I’ll mold and cast the gems over the next day or two.

Some observations:

* The V1 is really nice. The only really quibbles I have now are the question of U-band vs. O-band, and the height (looks perhaps a little too thin on this print) and MAYBE the diameter (currently at 24mm) of the disc. The slightly thicker lip/ring surrounding the symbol and the thinner, round-sided band subtly helps with the overall aesthetic of the ring. Finally getting close, with this one.

* The V2 also looks quite nice, although, as noted upthread, I’m not entirely sure about the band/symbol connection. As with the V1’s disc, the symbol-piece on this one also appears a bit too thin, so I’ll probably thicken both of them back up a bit. Still can’t decide if the symbol-piece is too small, overall.

* I’m very pleased with the improved shape of the V3 with this test print. The more pronounced/defined ribs that wrap around the bottom of the band look good. As noted upthread, the artwork is quite inconsistent, and so I can’t decide how tall/high-profile the face of the ring should be. Looking at this print, my gut tells me that it should be a wee bit taller. Maybe 0.50-1.0mm. I’m also not entirely sure if the ring shouldn’t be altogether smaller, instead of having a symbol/face that’s exactly the same size as the V2’s symbol-piece. Like, maybe 75% the size of the V2, instead. Hmmm.

* I’m especially pleased with the REBIRTH ring. The improved shape and slightly more compact size are aesthetically pleasing. Overall, this iteration is a very close match to the BLACKEST NIGHT promo rings, but much less high-profile. Again, the artwork varies in terms of how thick the disc looks, but I’m now leaning much more toward the thinner look. The test print actually looks pretty spot-on, but I may well lower it a bit more—maybe by 0.25 or even 0.5mm. It’s currently at 3.5mm. As with the V1, the slightly thicker lip/ring surrounding the symbol looks quite nice. I also test-fitted the resin insert’s master into the disc. As with the V1, giving the symbol a bit more depth (the negative spaces around the symbol went from 0.5 deep to a full 1.0mm) makes the symbol pop more. Good call. This one seems pretty darn close to the finish line, at long last.

 

[Gregatron]

Yeah, a consistent 3.5mm thickness for all discs/symbols might just be the magic number. After some quality time with the test prints and some more tweaks, that’s probably what I’ll go with for the next batch.

 

[Gregatron]

…since this one doesn’t need any resin parts, here’s a little preview:

 

[greatwazoo42]

Nicely done!

 

[Gregatron]

36 hours after pouring the resin for the gems, and they’re still a bit rubbery and sticky, as well as having some tiny air bubbles. Probably didn’t mix the proper A:B ratio, or something. That being said, the gems are reasonably stable enough to test fit them. I mixed and poured a new batch, but I did pop the first pulls into the rings to get a look. I’m pleased. The color still needs fine-tuning, and the gems need SOME kind of backing or frosting, because they’re too translucent, as is. Maybe some light sanding, maybe a bit of paint. Maybe reflective foil, if I ditch the glow powder.

But I’m pleased with the shape and shine of the gems. And I didn’t even polish them, which is a good sign.

I’m wondering if I shouldn’t try UV-cure resin, instead of the usual stuff. That sounds easier to work with. I’ll have to look into it.

 

[DexAntares]

I’m wondering if I shouldn’t try UV-cure resin, instead of the usual stuff. That sounds easier to work with. I’ll have to look into it.

I used UV resin in my ring at first and I didn't like it. Even after fully curing it was still soft enough to take casual damage. Eventually I settled on the following: "Paint" the inside of the ring with Sharpie, lay down a thin layer of UV resin, add in some green and yellow glow dust, cure, repeat, and top off the final layer with clear epoxy resin for clarity and durability. UV resin has it's uses but I strongly recommend using something more durable for your top coat.

 

[Gregatron]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[DexAntares]

Thanks for the advice!

No problem~ I'm eager to see more of your results