"MELAS - CFTK Version #2" created by Darth Daddy

We really hate doing this, but in this next post, we will be revisiting a character that we created once before at Customs for the Kid.  We personally don't like making more than one version of the same character, unless it's when the character appears in a different outfit, or the figure specifically references another point in the character's timeline in their fictional journey spanning all available Star Wars content. Originally Elias made an action figure of this Cantina denizen, but sold his version to someone after he found a photo of Melas that showed the character wore a skirt below the waist and not pants.  

Our second version of Melas is what we have on our collection shelves today and we feel it is a bit more screen accurate than what we previously made. This time instead of using the 2001 Power of the Jedi Ketwol action figure for the base figure of Melas like Elias had, I used only Ketwol's cape and head.  On top of that, I substituted the body in my recipe for a 2010 Darth Sidious (Palpatine) (REVENGE OF THE SITH) VOTC #12 action figure. I sculpted the upper torso, as well as a hat onto the back of Ketwol's head. The hookah I assembled from an assortment of random fodder that I had laying around.  The skirt I used was also from unidentified fodder. 

I personally like the paint job on Elias' original figure much more than my own. I may have to spend an extra hour or two on this paint job one day down the line in an attempt to try to equal what Elias did on his Melas' head.  

"Melas was a Sarkan exile who traveled from planet to planet. Unlike most Sarkans, he was short, with bright blue eyes and short claws. 

Melas' exile was not due to his appearance—rather, it was due to his gregarious nature. Melas enjoyed the company of Humans and other non-Sarkans, and often ignored the complexities of Sarkan rituals when socializing with them. He was forced to leave Sarka because he violated the strict laws of Sarkan protocol on numerous occasions.

Melas greatly missed the natural beauty of his homeworld, but exile was not an insurmountable hardship. He managed to smuggle a fortune in precious metals and gems off Sarka before his exile. Melas traveled across the galaxy, sightseeing and meeting as many different alien species as possible. Naturally, he found himself in Chalmun's Cantina when he visited Tatooine. He was present in the Cantina on the fateful day Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker hired Han Solo.

Melas became fond of smoking an Esoomiangruu pipe during his exile, and was rarely seen without it."

"MELAS"

created by Darth Daddy

SKILL LEVEL:ADVANCED

"MELAS - CFTK Vesrion #1"

created by Elias

LIRIN CAR'N created by Customs for the Kid

Lirin Car'n was a Bith musician and professional kloo horn player for the popular Jizz band known as Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Along with his band mates, Lirin was a registered member of the Intergalactic Federation of Musicians (IFM) in good standing. Like many Bith, Lirin possessed a highly evolved brain, which allowed him a special acuity when it came to analyzing and relating to music. As such, his talents helped to greatly enhance the quality and popularity of the Modal Nodes' music. Lirin wasn’t always a musician. Prior to taking up the kloo horn, he worked as a mercenary and was a close associate of the Abyssin known as Myo. In between jobs however, Lirin would find time to perform as a backup player for the Modal Nodes. Lirin Car'n  was present at the eponymous Chalmun's cantina the night when Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi entered the cantina seeking a pilot willing to ferry them to the Alderaan system. 

This figure was  a team effort.  I did the build using a recipe given to me by Star Wars customizer Peakob1. I used a Pons Limbic (Brainiac) torso, legs, and upper arms with the forearms of a Vintage Qinlan Vos, and the head of a POTF Cantina band mail away action figure we had in our fodder.  Dad cleaned up all the joints for painting and hard sculpted the torso with a Dremel.  Then it was my turn again and I primed the entire figure with black paint.  After the figure dried, I drybrushed the entire figure.  To finish the figure, Dad painted washes on the head and painted a gloss sealer on the eyes.  I'm trying my best to fill out my Cantina diorama.

Lirin Car'n 

created by Darth Daddy & Elias 
aka Customs for the Kid

 

SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Lirin Car'n in Star Wars: A New Hope 

Work In Progress
PICTURES

 I'm hoping to have another cantina character on the way to add to these last two I just finished.

Our custom action figure of Lirin Car'n was featured on Imperial Shipyards.

Our Cantina Aliens were in Yakface.com's Customozer Spotlight!

MELAS created by ELIAS

So summer is here, and that means that I get to make all the customs until school is back in session.  Dad is hard at work on his own projects and while he is keeping himself busy, I am making a couple of cool figures of my own.  My latest creation is a figure we wanted to add to my Mos Eisly cantina diorama for quite a long time now.  

Melas was a Sarkan exile who traveled from planet to planet. Unlike most Sarkans, he was short, with bright blue eyes and short claws. 

Melas' exile was not due to his appearance—rather, it was due to his gregarious nature. Melas enjoyed the company of Humans and other non-Sarkans, and often ignored the complexities of Sarkan rituals when socializing with them. He was forced to leave Sarka because he violated the strict laws of Sarkan protocol on numerous occasions.

Melas greatly missed the natural beauty of his homeworld, but exile was not an insurmountable hardship. He managed to smuggle a fortune in precious metals and gems off Sarka before his exile. Melas traveled across the galaxy, sightseeing and meeting as many different alien species as possible. Naturally, he found himself in Chalmun's Cantina when he visited Tatooine. He was present in the Cantina on the fateful day Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker hired Han Solo.

Melas became fond of smoking an Esoomiangruu pipe during his exile, and was rarely seen without it.

To make Melas, I used a cast head that was created by Star Wars customizer, I-AM-BOBA-FETT with a POTF Ketwol body.  I switched the lower arms out for Obi Wan Kenobi forearms and used Embo's hands to complete him.  Then I just painted him to look like he did on screen.  

The great thing about this Star Wars character is that you never see him from his chest down so customizers can get as imaginative as they would like with Melas south of there. I have seen a million different custom versions of his lower half, so I felt pretty comfortable winging it.  I figured since Melas was wealthy, he was most likely well fed and kept him looking plump.  

"MELAS"

created by Elias

Movie still frame.

SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

 

My Melas custom action figure was featured on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.

Our Cantina Aliens were in Yakface.com's Customozer Spotlight!