*ADULT SUPERVISION & PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT ARE REQUIRED WHEN UTILIZING THE TOOLS, PRODUCTS & TECHNIQUES DESCRIBED HERE ON OUR BLOG TO CREATE STAR WARS CUSTOMS.
Rebelscum forum member Darkstryder has been teaching himself to 3D model by designing and printing 3.75" Star Wars droid action figures that have never been released in stores. He posts most of his models on Thingiverse under the username Isotelus. The photo above are just some of the figures he has posted so far. He has had a pretty positive reception so far, and he's taking design requests!
Are you as excited as we are? Well if not, then take into consideration that the figures in the photo are his designs from only the last two weeks. The possibilities are endless, and from what it looks like from where we're standing, plentiful. The designs printing time is only about 2 hours per droid.
Oh, and did we mention that the models are available to download for FREE?!!!
When Bad Batch Customs started this project, we had no idea we would eventually be working on it ourselves. It all started when Bad Batch finished their LAAT-C. As soon as they wrapped the project, they asked for some input on what to tackle next. Dad chimed in that if you are going to make a Clone Wars vehicle it had to be the vehicle we all begged Hasbro for, but never received...the Z-95 Headhunter. Bad Batch didn't back down from the challenge and got to work. Their fearlessness is admirable. Like all their previous projects, we got to watch the build as it progressed from its earliest stages; straight through to its completion. We watched the LED lights get installed, and the magnets get attached to the landing gear. We observed panels being cut from plastic Chinese food containers, and some Bondo applied to smooth out the lines. We just gazed on as we watched this labor of love take shape.
"PHASE II CLONE PILOT - HAWK" created by Elias of "Customs for the Kid"
When the project was nearing completion, Bad Batch asked me if I could make a "Clone Pilot Hawk" to man the ship's controls and sit in its cockpit. I got right to work and had the figure completed 24 hours later. We shipped Hawk off in the mail right away to his final resting place at the home of Bad Batch Customs. We just love how this project turned out, and we can't wait for you to lay your eyes on it. It was so much fun to be a part of. So, without further ado, hit that play button on the video below and take in all the eye candy!
This morning, we woke up to an email from Jamie Follis aka Sillof to let us know that he just released a new line of creative Star Wars action figure interpretations commissioned by none other than Patton Oswalt in their 3rd collaboration together. Their first two collaborations, Faster Empire! Strike!Strike! and Road Wars were both huge hits! This project, the challenge was to create an action figure line for Star Wars if Wes Anderson had directed the film. Jamie started with a 7-page script that he wrote, and then designed the project like he would do for a movie. He then made eleven 7" scale figures, a 3-story house diorama, a truck (completely from scratch) and created a fictional movie trailer to present it all in such epic fashion!
"Over the years I have had many amazing creative opportunities. More than a few have come because of working with Patton Oswalt. I first heard Patton mention me in a tweet years ago and then later in an Empire magazine article while promoting the film Young Adult. The most flattering mention was when he wrote a post about me on his blog. It is quite surreal when someone who’s work you enjoy so much expresses an appreciation of what you do. Patton first commissioned me to create a line of figures where I imagined a world where Star Wars had been directed by the famous exploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer and all the characters would have their genders reversed. The line was called “Faster Empire. Strike! Strike!” Next, he hired me to create a line where Star Wars existed in a Mad Max-esque post-apocalyptic world. The line was called “Road Wars”.
We had kicked around a few ideas of what to do next and then Patton threw down the gauntlet and said, “What if you did Wes Anderson does Star Wars”. I was simultaneously terrified and excited. I have found that my best work comes when I am intimidated by the idea of the commission. Over the years I have never done a line that has been done by someone else first. I have tackled Samurai, WW2, Steampunk, Western, and Serials. But, to try to combine my favorite films with one of my favorite directors of all time was a quite intimidating. This fact was compounded by the fact that Wes Anderson has one of the most distinctive film-making styles of all time.
This was going to be a real challenge. Many times, when people do these kinds of creations they “mash” things together. That has never been my style and I knew I did not want to simply have the father Royal Tenebaum dressed in black like Darth Vader or do a Bill Murray as Obi Wan. I have worked as a production designer and art director on films, so I decided to tackle this project the way I would if I was lucky enough to work on a Wes Anderson film. I started with a 7-page script that I wrote that allowed me to create a complete narrative with the archetypal characters of Star Wars but in a Wes Anderson style world and story. Once I worked through who my characters where I began to design their look with heavy research on the recurring looks of Wes Anderson costumes but with subtle nods to the Star Wars inspirational characters and colors but muted palette. Patton always likes me to create vehicles, which I did for this line. But I counter proposed an additional idea to Patton that would expand the world I was creating. I pitched the idea of creating a miniature set for the figures to occupy. The sets are as much a character in Wes Anderson films as anyone and his love of miniatures made the idea even more appealing. Patton jumped at the notion and I was off.
The line consists of eleven 7" scale custom figures, a three story diorama, a scratch build truck, and an original movie trailer." - Jamie Follis
Click on the poster imageto read see all the figures, the diorama, vehicle, and more…
This action figure wasn't that difficult to cobble together. It will take you three different action figures for you to create your own version. The entire body is made from the Imperial Scanning Crew action figure. The belt was scaled back and sculpted over with ProCreate to give the jumpsuit continuity in form. The only parts of the body that are not from the Imperial Scanning Crew are the lower legs that come from an Indiana Jones Mutt Williams action figure. The head and accessories are from the "Rogue One" Collection Bodhi Rook action figure. Once the assembly and sculpt were completed, Dad painted the body and accessories and I painted the head to complete the figure.
A big thanks to Star Wars customizer DarthTaterTots for the action figure recipe!
"I have to say, the competition was fierce, and the battle was intense, but thanks to all of you, I was able to walk away with a different view of myself than I had before the competition. I have been customizing for over eight years now, since I was just a little boy, and this unexpected recognition is a true testament to all the effort I put in to become the artist that I am today. When I first was nominated for the award, I thought to myself how could I possibly win against all these talented artists?Now, having won, I realized I had everything I needed. If it hadn't been for the extremely talented artists who have passed down their knowledge, encouragement, and support over the course of my training, I wouldn't be where I am today. Because I was one of the youngest artists in the community, I always wanted to be just as good as the ones I considered "The Masters". While everybody knows no one's journey is ever complete, I am certainly more confident in my skills now because of all your support. I have read all of your comments across social media boards and forums, and I found them all very moving. Especially, those of you who took the time to vote." - Elias
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 "Crisis On Naboo".
Interested in some unique Star Wars swag? Well we are having a giveaway to wrangle up some votes for Elias Fulton in Toy News International's 2018 Toy Awards where he is in the running for "Action Figure Customizer of the Year" so we made some nice vinyl stickers of his best pieces this year, as well as some of our favorites of his to give something back to our fans.
