"CUSTOMS FOR THE KID" 2018 - YEAR IN REVIEW

A rather anemic year over at "Customs for the Kid" compared to previous years here at the blog. Where we formerly made a custom action figure once a week, this year we only had time to make sixteen figures in total. The less prolific output could be due to the incredible amount of work that went into "some" of these customs. Dad didn't put out as many customs as one would expect, and he was really excited to see me make half of the customs produced at the blog this year!

We had the honor of being interviewed a few times this year as well. Darth Daddy got interviewed by ChannelStarWars.com, and later in the year Customs for the Kid was interviewed by both MightyGoods.com and Fantha Tracks.

We also saw the return of our YouTube show, "Customizing The Clone Wars" this year. Due to our host Chad Peak of Peak-OB1 Custom Creations experiencing a tragic work related eye injury in August of 2017, we took a prolonged hiatus from the show that lasted about a year, but this Fall we came back firing on all cylinders. We have already posted up 4 new episodes so if you weren't aware, start watching!

The coolest development for me this year has been my inclusion in the running for "Action Figure Customizer of the Year" in the Toy News International 2018 Toy Awards. Round One of voting is currently active. I'm holding down the fort so far representing Star Wars customizers, but the competition is pretty fierce so fingers crossed. Any help our readers can offer would be greatly appreciated. You can register and vote here, and I thank you all in advance for your support! - Elias

"CUSTOMS FOR THE KID" 2018 

- YEAR IN REVIEW

CLONE WARS "LATTS RAZZI" created by Elias

This is another 100% sculpted custom action figure from Customs from the Kid. For this one, Elias took the challenge of taking on one of the more difficult characters for an artist to bring to plastic form. Her grappling boa has always been a major impediment. Making the figure itself isn't too difficult. The base of the figure is a Clone Wars Aura Sing action figure. The hands are from a Black Series Jyn Erso action figure and the lower legs and feet are from a Clone Wars Mace Windu. Once the skeleton was assembled, Elias got to sculpting. He secured both pig tails with wire for extra strength. The rest of the figure was altered using ProCreate. 

The grappling boa was the most challenging aspect of this figure. To make things easy, Dad created a custom metal cookie cutter of the shape I needed for her boa. The circles I cut into some flattened ProCreate with a coffee straw. The grappling boa can be extended with an attachment that my Dad made that uses a magnet to connect to last link of her boa via a small metal sheet that I inserted between the pieces. Her backpack also attaches magnetically to her back.

Latts Razzi was a Theelin female bounty hunter who operated during the Clone Wars. She was part of a syndicate of bounty hunters that included Boba Fett, Bossk, Oked, C-21 Highsinger, and Dengar. She immersed herself in first class comforts and expensive clothing, which she used her career to pay for. Latts was highly skilled in many types of weaponry. She was said to have pinpoint accuracy with a blaster pistol, as well as being an expert in several forms of exotic unarmed combat. During her job on Quarzite she displayed her self to be capable of going head-to-head in hand-to hand combat with the leader of the Kage Warriors, Krismo Sodi. Razzi was said to charge very high rates, yet had the skill to back it up. Latts weapon of choice was a Grappling boa, which she used as a whip and a lariat against her many opponents. She saw the weapon as stylish and practical, when not in use the Grappling Boa was draped around her shoulders like a scarf.

CLONE WARS 

"LATTS RAZZI"

created by Elias

An extra extended piece was created to connect magnetically to her weapon to illustrate the Grappling Boa in action

Most of the Latts Razzi action figure was created from a Clone Wars Aura Sing action figure.

SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED

"TOBIAS BECKETT - IMPERIAL MIMBAN DISGUISE" created by Darth Daddy

Dad made me this Tobias Beckett figure as a Christmas present to accompany the Val figure that he gave me. He used the chest of a Black Series Stormtrooper Commander action figure that he modified with a Dremel to include the blast marks, and some spare random Imperial body parts we had in fodder. The head of course is from the Force Link 2.0 Tobias Beckett figure that was modified to accept the hat and the holsters were also from that figure. The goggles were modified goggles from the Hoth Han Solo. The jacket was a modified one from the Vintage Endor Han Solo. The collar on his shirt, rank insignia, and jacket were all hand sculpted with ProCreate.

This figure was inspired by a Colin Hobbs custom action figure. We made a few changes to his recipe based on what we had available in parts.

"TOBIAS BECKETT - 
IMPERIAL MIMBAN DISGUISE"
created by Darth Daddy

SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED

Val - Mimban Imperial Disguise

RIO DURANT

Enfys Nest

Tobias Beckett (Kessel Disguise)

Chewbacca  (Vandor-1)

Chewbacca

"CUSTOMIZING THE CLONE WARS" - EPISODE 63

Clone Wars custom action figure artists, Peak-OB1 Custom Creations along with Darth Daddy & Elias of "Customs for the Kid" showcase Clone Wars custom action figures from Season 4 of The Clone Wars TV series episode "Friends and Enemies".

"LAAT/c" created by BAD BATCH CUSTOMS

BAD BATCH CUSTOMS latest completed project is a ship that I think we all wish was released in the 3.75" toy line...the LAAT-C. The Low-Altitude Assault Transport/carrier, known more simply as the LAAT/c, was a vehicle carrier variant of Rothana Heavy Engineering's Low Altitude Assault Transport series of repulsor-lift gunships developed for the Grand Army of the Republic. Beginning with the First Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY, the LAAT/c saw use throughout the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems and in the years afterward. Manned by a single pilot, the LAAT/c was originally designed to deploy All Terrain Tactical Enforcers onto battlefields, though it was soon modified to accommodate a number of additional vehicles as the Clone Wars progressed, using powerful magnetic clamps to hold payloads in place. The LAAT/c shared the same rear-wing configuration common to all LAAT gunships, though it lacked the undercarriage that the more common Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry used to carry clone troopers into battle, and also lacked the heavy armament of its cousins.

This is another ship we were able to watch the build from start to finish. We admittedly thought this was a near impossible ship to produce a custom version of, so it was very nice to see BAD BATCH CUSTOMS prove us wrong. We are very impressed with the way this project turned out too; from the paint all the way to the engineering that was implemented to have their LAAT/c actually carry the AT-TE toy. We especially loved the Rishi Eel nose art on the ship!

"LAAT/c"

created by BAD BATCH CUSTOMS

BAD BATCH CUSTOMS

on INSTAGRAM

"VAL - MIMBAN IMPERIAL DISGUISE" created by Darth Daddy

This is another figure that was inspired by a Colin Hobbs custom action figure. He made a killer version of Val in her Mimban Imperial dress. We just copied his recipe so we could have one of our own at home.

To make this version of Val, we used the Force Link 2.0 Val head, boots, and back skirt, the lower arms, legs and feet of a Black Series Jyn Erso action figure, the chest of a Black Series Snowtrooper Commander, and the upper arms of a Clone Wars Phase 2 Clone Trooper. The soft goods hooded cape was from a Major Panno action figure that was dyed and modified. Some of the details like the scarf, lower arms, and weaponry attached to her belt were sculpted with ProCreate.

We really felt Val was such a cool character that she deserved more than just one action figure representing her.

"VAL - MIMBAN IMPERIAL DISGUISE" 

created by Darth Daddy

Val pictured with Darth Daddy's versions of Rio Durant and Chewbacca.

SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED

RIO DURANT

Chewbacca

Enfys Nest

Tobias Beckett (Kessel Disguise)