JLW515 Customs UPDATE 01-25-10

[YAK_Chewie]

For the "earthy" jail cell bars, you could experiment with some styrene to make some taller regular walls or something. Just an idea.

[jlw515]

Ok went ahead and deleted the photos. And here are some better pictures.


Bespin Wing Guard

Head - Rebel Endor Trooper
Body - POTJ Bespin Guard
Hands - Staas Allie Speeder Bike


Death Star Trooper soft goods

Body - Saga Death Star Trooper
Soft goods skirt - Count Dooku (dyed black w/ Sharpie marker)


Twi'lek Female

Body - Darth Talon repaint. Not sure if its because of the dark paint, but couldn't really get a good pic without the flash. So, here are pics with the flash.


Bespin Han Solo

Head - Comic 2-pk Han Stormtrooper
Neck post - Snowspeeder Luke from Target Battlepack
Chest & Jacket - POTJ Bespin Han
Arms & Legs - Saga Bespin Han w/ torture rack


Wedge Antilles

Head - Comic 2pk Wedge Antilles
Body - Droid Factory Luke Skywalker
Haven't painted the helmet yet, but I think the head sculpt is a pretty good likeness!


Wedge Antilles Rebel Outfit

Head - Comic 2pk Wedge Antilles
Chest, Arms, Jacket - Biggs Academy
Legs - Ceremonial Luke Skywalker


Mon Cal Rebel Pilot

Head & Arms - Mon Cal Warrior Clone Wars
Body - Comic 2pk Rebel Pilot


Bith Rebel Pilot

Head & Hands - Cantina Band Member
Body - Comic 2pk Rebel Pilot
Didn't realize that the Bith pilot from the comic was a female (never really read the comics). So, now I know what to do with the other female pilot body that I have! LOL!!


Rogue Squadron Group Picture

Not all members are pictured. Wes and Zev, and Herian will also be in my photonovel. Remember my photonovel DOES NOT follow any EU continuity!!

Enjoy, and remember comments are encouraged!!

Jason

[YAK_Chewie]

That's some nice work, I did something similar with a Wedge too, by popping the head onto a snowspeeder pilot.

My favorite though is the Darth Talon repaint, I've been itching to do a repaint of her myself, just haven't gotten around to it. What you've done here though is making me itch to get the ball rolling.

[jlw515]

Well, looks like I'll have to fix these pics AGAIN to resize them!! Can't stand the pics being that big.

<EDIT> Sizes fixed

Jason

[blaster_e11]

cool team
i like your other customs too

[jlw515]

Here are some customs that will appear in Vader's Quest Chapter 4: Shadows. I kind of hate to reveal any of these right now, because they will give away the plot point. However, I was excited to actually get to finish some customs. So, here they are:



Banniss Keeg
head: Ellors Madak
body: VOTC Obi-Wan (sans skirt)
hands: some Nemoidian

Banniss is one of those custom figures I've had on the back burner for a while just waiting for the right body. When the new Obi-Wan came out it gave me a chance to use the VOTC to make Banniss



Cantina Spacer
body: GIJOE Ace

This Cantina Spacer sat on the back burner too too long. I painted the inside of the helmet black because besides Danz Borin all the others have tinted face masks. Easy custom for a background "filler". I trimmed off the shoulder part of the harness, so that the outfit would look more like a space suit.





Guri
head: Deena Shan (Lt. Jundland comic 2pk)
hair, body: Ms. Marvel (Marvel Universe)
arms, feet: GIJOE Scarlet
skirt: Ceremonial Leia (PLC)

When I found the Ms. Marvel action figure, I immediately thought of customizing her into Guri!! Actually, this figure is made from two different Ms. Marvel figures. The upper body is from the modern version, while the legs are from the classic version. I really don't like the yellow/blue outfit, but I made 2 different maroon/grey outfits in the past. So, I decided I would just stick with the cadet blue/grey color of Scarlet's arms. It made for a better combination than the origingal blue/yellow.



Snoova
flat top/eye wear: Snoova SOTE
body: Chewie Hoth battle pack
arm band/leg band/gun/vibro axe: Snoova SOTE
cape: 500th Boba Fett
chest armor: GIJOE Matt Trakker

This was the figure I was wanting to put in the Yakfinities "Shadows" run. I actually had the armor off the old Snoova figure trimmed down to fit, and before I went to glue it to the figure I boiled it thinking it would make it soft, well it just deformed it. So I had to wait to find something else that would work for his chest armor.



Capt. Piett (generic Imp. Officer) soft-goods
head: Capt. Piett (POTF2)
body: Capt. Needa
skirt: Qui-Gon Jin (Mos Espa)

As soon as the new Capt. Needa figure came out I knew I had to update Capt. Piett It is a shame that this guy hasn't been updated yet!! I am a fan of soft-goods. I do not understand why Hasbro would make a figure with leg & knee articulation that cannot even sit down. I painted the soft-goods skirt of Qui-Gon Jinn with some medium grey and it turned out really good. It made the material almost like a heavy canvas. This figure will also be the base for any and all generic Imp. Officers.



"Tobias" (off world merchant)
upper body: Jango Fett
lower body: Boba Fett (Sarlac Pit)

"Tobias" is an off world merchant visiting Mos Eisley looking for information about a particular Corellian pirate and his Wookie co-pilot.



Jabba the Hutt
body: Jabba the Hutt (Vintage)
dias: Jabba the Hutt (Vintage)
hooka pipe: Jabba the Hutt (Vintage)
pipe bowl/arm rest: Ultra Jabba (Saga)

I am really happy with how this turned out. I was so afraid of messing up my vintage Jabba. I basically did four things to this figure. 1. I gave the whole figure a wash in brown to bring out the details of the wrinkles. 2. I dry brushed the figure with green. I used a poly-foam brush so I would make sure not to brush in any of the big wrinkles. 3. I used a small brush and painted Jabba's tatoo red. Don't really think it was red in the movie, but just wanted to bring it out. 4. Did a slight wash of milky green around the mouth



Wanted to add this pic of the Ultra Jabba compared with the Vintage Jabba to show how under par the newer Ultra Jabba is compared to the Vintage Jabba. Hasbro really needs to give us a Jabba similar to the old Vintage one. The Ultra Jabba is too short and the head is not the right porportions. Extremely weak compared to the superior Vintage Jabba.

Thanks for looking.

Jason

[jlw515]

By the way, to the forum moderators, my two Jabba pics are cut off a bit on the right side. Maybe the issue is how wide a picture you can post?

I reduced the size of the pics a little, now the two Jabba pics fit just fine. I guess the new forum only allows for photos that are less than 8" wide or it will cut them off.
Jason

[jlw515]

Thanks for the spotlight! I was beginning to wonder if anyone noticed that I posted new pics!

Jason

[YAK_Chewie]

No problem, I noticed and am very impressed! What taking these all in today... so many people have added nice batches lately that I have a lot of catching up to do!

[jedistyle]

hey, you have some great work here!

Baniss Kegg - Duros are one of my favorite spieces and they make grea back round charecters. You did a good job on Baniss, i like the brown wash on the pants.

Spacer - Nice washes on this figure, i like that oyu can really see all the light and dark tones of grey. A belt with holster would really add alot of charecter to this already great figure....

Guri - Im not familiar with this charecter, but the Dena Shann head looks great with the Ms. Marvel hair.

Snoova - Wow, you did an amazing job here, im curious to know how you went about doing the head, its very seamless...the hollowed out leg & arm attatchment look great as well, really a well done update on a cool charecter......well done!

Cpt. Piett - a nice upgrade for this guy and it looks great, i didnt really take notice that it was soft goods till i read the parts list, lol....good work.

Tobias - nice washes, he looks quite gruby, in a good way....

Jabba - Looks great, youve added a nice touch of realism to this figure....

[jlw515]

hey, you have some great work here!

Baniss Kegg - Duros are one of my favorite spieces and they make grea back round charecters. You did a good job on Baniss, i like the brown wash on the pants.

Spacer - Nice washes on this figure, i like that oyu can really see all the light and dark tones of grey. A belt with holster would really add alot of charecter to this already great figure....

Guri - Im not familiar with this charecter, but the Dena Shann head looks great with the Ms. Marvel hair.

Snoova - Wow, you did an amazing job here, im curious to know how you went about doing the head, its very seamless...the hollowed out leg & arm attatchment look great as well, really a well done update on a cool charecter......well done!

Cpt. Piett - a nice upgrade for this guy and it looks great, i didnt really take notice that it was soft goods till i read the parts list, lol....good work.

Tobias - nice washes, he looks quite gruby, in a good way....

Jabba - Looks great, youve added a nice touch of realism to this figure....

Thank you for the nice comments. I am surprised that you know who Snoova is, but not Guri. Guri was Xizor's assistant in the novel Shadows of the Empire.

The way I did the Snoova head is I took a SOTE Snoova and hollowed out the head with a Dremel grinder. Then I carefully trimmed away at the head leaving the eyewear, flattop, and ponytail in tack. Then, I used the Dremel grinder on the newer Chewie head and just removed material until the two pieces fit together. I used some Sculpey on the sides and back of the head to blend the pieces together.

Really happy with how this turned out. Thanks again for the comments.

Jason

[YAK_Chewie]

Ok, review time!

Banniss Keeg - That looks fantastic. The color scheme is striking. I like the weathering on the pants too, gives them depth.

Cantina Spacer - Looks great, I have that same figure and have thought about doing something with it for a while. Maybe I'll get off my butt and do something with it now.

Guri - Probably the coolest version of her that I've seen. Great choice with the hair. This one really ties together nicely. Great parts use, and awesome job on the painting. Wow.

Snoova - I'm guessing some people are more familiar with him than Guri because Hasbro did make a Snoova figure back in the day, but not Guri. Regardless, AWESOME version. I've seen a few of him that are good, others not so good - but this one takes the cake. The head hair sculpting is second to none, but what really sells this for me is the use of the Tracker shoulder armor - it works perfect! I love what you did here. Outstanding.

Piett - Looks great, however I still prefer the plastic tunic. This is a good representation of what Hasbro would do though.

Tobias - Excellent painting, however I don't like the Jango head being played off as a different character. Unless he's a clone... is he? Still looks great though either way.

Jabba - I have to agree, the vintage sculpt is great and really captures the feel of Jabba - and your paint scheme is gorgeous - wow! I am a little pissed that Hasbro hasn't done this too now.

[jlw515]

Thanks Chewie for the wonderful comments. I really take them all to heart!

One thing I didn't mention about the Guri figure is that the skirt is split on both sides like in the Hildebrant paintings. I tried using the skirt off of VOTC Obi-Wan and trim it thin like in the painting but I messed it up. So I used the skirt from Ceremonial Leia, colored it blue with a Sharpie marker and put two splits in it.

I'm pretty happy with the way Snoova turned out also. The Matt Trakker armor was a blessing in disguise!!

Now, concerning "Tobias" being a clone, hmmm... Not exactly sure how to answer that one, but you're fishing in the right pond so to speak.

Gonna start snapping photos for the next chapter of the Vader's Quest this weekend. So, you'll find your answer soon enough.

Thanks again!!

Jason

[jlw515]

UPDATE!! Some of these customs are very simple, but effective. Enjoy.


Zuckuss
Body: Zuckuss
Skirt: ROTS Saesee Tinn
I am a big fan of soft-goods, but hated the split in this figures "skirt". So I swapped it out with the one with Saesee Tinn; trimmed it and gave it a wash with black to "weather" it.


Sai'torr Kal Fas
Body: H'rchek Kal Fas
Gloves: POTF2 Wedge
Boots: ROTS Count Dooku


H'rchek Kal Fas
Body: H'rchek Kal Fas
Gloves: ROTS Clone Pilot (black outfit)
Boots: Lt. Sunber (comic pack)


Henry "Indiana" Jones
Body: KOTCS Indy
Belt: ROTLA Indy
simple boil and pop to give Indy both a removable hat and a working holster.


VOTC (Kenner) Luke Skywalker
Head, chest, tunic, belt, feet: VOTC Luke
Biceps, forearms: Comic pack X-Wing Luke
Torso, elbows, thighs, knees: TESB Medic Frigate Luke
Calves: Floppy hat Luke
I wanted to make a tad-bit taller Luke than the VOTC. Well, I had cannibalized my VOTC figure for another custom (see below); so when I got the Med Frigate Luke I decided to make my own Kenner-esque VOTC Luke.


Grey Squadron Y-Wing Pilot
Upper body, helmet, boots: POTF2 Y-Wing Pilot
Legs, straps: Zev Snowspeeder pilot
I borrowed from Diago-bah's recipe. I dyed all the parts black and drybrushed grey onto the figure. Interesting note, although this helmet is in the Star Wars Chronicles book, it is NOT seen in the film; so this guy is more of an "off-screen" figure.


Nien Numb
Head: POTF2 Nien Numb
Chest: VOTC Greedo
Arms, Pelvis, Legs: ROTJ Legacy Nien Numb


Commander Luke Skywalker - Rogue Leader
Head, neck post - Lt. Jundland comic pack
Chest, pelvis, belt - Comic pack Luke X-Wing
Arms - VOTC Luke
Legs - Mon Cal femal X-Wing comic pack
Not an original idea, I've seen others do something similar; but where mine is different is the head reflects more of a ANH/TESB Luke (which fits my photonovel). With the exception of cutting & glueing the ball joint for the head, everything was a simple kit-bash with no painting. I did give the hair a bit of a wash. This is probably my favorite Luke custom. He will be used several times in my photonovel!


Rebel Technician
Body: KOTCS Russian Soldier
Head: Capt. Needa
Hat & radio (on back): Animal Planet figure
Headset: ROTS Pilot Obi-Wan
Not as "movie accurate" as Diago-bah's but I really don't like those "all seeing eyes" on the guys hats in ROTJ


DSII Luke Skywalker
Body: ROTJ DSII Legacy Luke
Biceps: Juno Eclipse
This is the obligatory Juno bicep custom to rid DSII Luke of those awful ball joints. I particularly don't think that this outfit is as iconic as others make it out to be, so with the exception of the ball joint, I think its a pretty good figure. Also that weird hand sculpt is great for posing Luke like Joe Cocker playing the air guitar!!


Yellow Spacer aka "Cantina Dude" - man this guy needs a real name!!
Helmet: BoShek
Body: VOTC Bosskk
Cloves: some random Darth Vader
Boots: Biggs Darklighter X-Wing Pilot
The VOTC Bosskk is way out of proportion. The thighs are really long. So instead of making the calves look short by cutting down the boots, I opted to just make the guy kind of tall. I think I may go back and trim the inside of the helmet to make it sit lower.


Ceremonial Luke Skywalker
Head - VOTC X-Wing Luke
Body - Ceremonial Luke
This is probably my favorite outfit of Luke, and it was only briefly seen in ANH and the Holiday Special Cartoon. Simple head swap did wonders for this figure. Had to trim down the ball joint to make it work.

As always comments are encouraged. Thanks!

Jason

[DanOfTheDead]

Lots of cool stuff, but that Snoova up there is so awesome!