New: Male skins by Maximillion Grant
March 22nd, 2007 at 08:25pm Ryan Darragh
Designer Maximillion Grant is well known as one of SL’s quality skin designers, and his “Skins By Max” brand is easily one of the most popular.� Max recently announced a new entry in his line of male skins, the Envision Series.� I myself have never before owned a skin by Max, although I’ve tried on demos.� (Hey, when there’s only so much L$ to go around, a guy can only have so many skins in his inventory.)�� When I read the announcement regarding the new Envision line, I couldn’t wait to take a closer look.� Max has clearly put a great deal of thought, care, and effort into not only the artwork for the skins but also the presentation and pricing structure.� This new line is well worth your consideration.
The Envision skins come in six tones: Wraith, Platinum, Buff, Caramel, Tanned, and Jet (Platinum is shown here).� What’s more, the skin coloring is�modifiable using the Appearance sliders, so you can make the skin darker or lighter, as you prefer.� You can also�adjust the tint to your liking within a range of shades for your chosen skin tone.� Here you can see the shading and texturing of the back, which I find to be very well done, with good definition of the shoulder blades and spine.
The artwork for the chest is equally well done, with cleanly defined pecs and detailed nipples.� The abs are toned but not overly developed–a Max man keeps himself in shape, but isn’t a slave to the gym.� I’m very�impressed by the skin coloring and texture, which for me strikes�a good�balance between photorealism and something more painterly and idealized.� Be sure to check out the shading around the clavicles, which gives a distinct impression of dimension and shape.
I can’t begin to guess how many times I’ve tried on a demo skin and ultimately rejected it because, though the body might have been well done, the face simply didn’t work for me.� That’s definitely not a problem here.� Although of course Max’s facial artwork is different from that of other skin designers (otherwise what’s the point?), the face is good-looking and I’m still recognizably me.� The shading is smooth and natural; the nose and ears are particularly well defined.� This�skin may not make me as “cute” as I am with some other skins, but I think it still makes for a very attractive appearance.
As with Max’s original male skins, there are 13 facial hair options available.� All skins come with both head hair and bald versions.� The Envision Series skins can be purchased individually for L$1750, in sets of�four (each set contains a clean shaven skin plus�three others) for L$3500, or in a complete set of all 26 (all 13 facial hair options, with and without head hair) for L$5000.� Demos are available in the shop for L$1.
Each skin also includes a matching penis texture script for use exclusively with the Xcite! X2 genitals (not included, available separately).� Also, upgrade coupons are included with all but the complete skin sets, so if you�buy a single skin now and decide later that you�want�to add additional facial hair options,�you can simply pay the price difference to upgrade to one of the discounted packaged sets–contact Maximillion directly to redeem your upgrade coupon.
The new Envision Series of skins by Max is�beautifully done and well worth checking out to see if they work for you.� Available at The Body Politik (Eventide South 53, 188, 36).
Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: Yes | Friends List: No
Notes: On Ryan: "Chico" men's hair by Mystikal Faddoul (Mystikal Hair Designs). Towel by Talon Lardner (see Comments). Gecko tattoo by Rhyph Somme (Sidewalk).
Entry Filed under: Maximillion Grant, New Items, Skins, The Body Politik
10 Comments Add your own
1. Cayson Hera | March 23rd, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Where’s that towel from? Been trying to find similar one for a while now…
2. Ryan Darragh | March 23rd, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Sorry, I should have credited that! The towel is by Talon Lardner, and you can get it on slboutique.com and slexchange.com. Here are item links:
http://www.slboutique.com/index.php?p=buy&itemid=86811
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=96568
3. Zarithi Federko | March 23rd, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Probably my favorite skin designer, when I bought my first skin pack…his one out over a lot of other ones…still love it…and I just plunked down 5k for this one
Thanks for the review Ryan!
4. Kidd Krasner | March 26th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Great review, great looking skin, one question: Isn’t the “cuteness” of the face really more a factor of the shape than the skin? Sure, skin details can add dimples and smile lines, or make the angles look more severe. But I thought that cuteness - or perhaps age - is mostly a matter of relative eye size, roundness of the face, and other factors that are determined by the shape.
Or does the skin interact with the shape in ways I don’t understand.
5. Aidan Recreant | March 26th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Nice to have a skin that (for once) isn’t all bodybuilder ripped, but I wish someone would make a skin that _doesn’t_ have a six-pack. I want definition and some realism, but I’m not a buff guy and I don’t want to look like one. I hate that my choices seem to be looking ripped or using the default skin.
6. Ryan Darragh | March 26th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Kidd - I’m sure a skin or shape designer could comment more authoritatively on how skins and shapes interact, but in my experience there are skins whose faces simply don’t look as “cute” as the faces of some other skins, no matter what adjustments I make to the shape. I think the end result is a result of the interaction between the two. For reference, unless indicated otherwise, I wear my everyday “Ryan” shape to check out demo skins or photograph skins for review, so any differences should be attributable to the skin itself. If anyone else has any thoughts or insights on this, I’d love to hear them.
Aidan - I hear you on the six-pack thing. As you noticed, and I agree, this new skin by Max is far less ripped than some others out there. Some you might want to look at if you haven’t already done so are Zabitan Assia’s skins, available at FORM Gear. These have some ab definition but less than many other skins. Also, Garbage Prototype has a relatively new male skin out at Random. There’s some nice definition and detailing on this skin, but as I recall very little if any six-pack. Might be worth a trip for you to try a demo. I’ve looked at demos for some other “twinkie” skins, but never found one that worked for me–most of these were less realistic than I prefer. If anyone else has recommendations, please post ‘em here!
7. Ugh | March 26th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Until Max figures out how to make a face without it appearing it was dragged behind a truck on the asphalt, I’m not buying any. The face is the blotchiest in all of SL. Utterly horrible.
8. Aidan Recreant | March 27th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Thanks, Ryan. I’ve been to FORM (on your rec below) and got some great clothes, but I was unhappy with the skin for some reason that I can’t remember now. I’ll definitely check out the Random skin.
9. Aidan Recreant | March 27th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Just a quick correction: I actually already have a FORM skin , and I’m happy enough with it, except for the six-pack. Oh well. But it’s very well done, and it’s my favorite of the skins that are out there.
10. Feature: Where the Boys A&hellip | January 1st, 2008 at 10:20 pm
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