AGE APPROPRIATE WARNING

*ADULT SUPERVISION & PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT ARE REQUIRED WHEN UTILIZING THE TOOLS, PRODUCTS & TECHNIQUES DESCRIBED HERE ON OUR BLOG TO CREATE STAR WARS CUSTOMS.

Friday, June 25, 2021

"STAR WARS REBELS" URSA WREN created by @AngryRaccoonMiniatures & painted by Elias

This is another cool 3D print created by Angry Racoon Miniatures that we found in his Etsy store, purchased and painted after it arrived. We bought several of his resin printed figure kits and have been thrilled with the quality of his offerings. The sculpts are phenomenal and they really help to fill out the holes on our Star Wars Rebels action figure collection shelf. We have several more of his resin kits in the pipeline. Between school and experimenting with some potential business models, it is nice to have a project that just needed some minor sanding and a paintjob to add a much desired character to our Rebels display.

Ursa Wren is articulated at the head, the hips, biceps and shoulders. The head and helmet are swappable. We used a small dab from the glue gun in the neck hole to create a tight seal for the head in its socket. We gave a tiny squirt and quickly placed one of the heads in the hole before the glue cooled. We turned the heads from left to right as it dried. After, we cut away any excess glue that squeezed above the opening and she was good to go. Her front kama did crack off as we detached her from the print scaffolding, but we just replaced the broken area with some ProCreate and it was like nothing ever happened. Also with the strength of ProCreate, the kama is unlikely to ever break again. 

We applied a clean paintjob and avoided dry brushing and washes that way she matched the appearance of Hasbro's Star Wars Rebels action figure releases. Overall, we really loved the way she turned out.

Definitely check out Angry Racoon Miniatures Etsy store for a lot more exciting figures that he is selling kits for. 



"STAR WARS REBELS"
URSA WREN
created by @AngryRaccoonMiniatures &
 painted by Elias



















SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER



@AngryRacoonMiniatures


Tuesday, June 15, 2021

CUSTOMIZER SPOTLIGHT #57 - "STAR WARS RESISTANCE" ORKA & FLIX created by THE 3D PANDA

For this year's Pride month, my dad surprised me with a set of action figures from THE 3D PANDA.  Customs of Flix and Orka from the animated TV Series Star Wars Resistance. Hasbro's action figure collection from the show was a bit lackluster and could have benefited from being fleshed out a bit more with some additional characters from the show like Neeku, Tam, and the rest of the Ace pilots. That is why Flix and Orka are such wonderful additions to my shelves.  I always enjoyed the diversity of Star Wars, and to see Lucasfilm actively try to include LGBTQ+ characters in the Star Wars universe is something I greatly appreciate.  As a society we have made great progress when it comes to including minorities, and it warms my heart to know that my favorite Star Wars films, shows, and now my own shelves are no exception.

The figures were purchased from the Etsy store of THE 3D PANDATHE 3D PANDA is a husband/wife team of Norm Wilson and Christina Wilson from Knotts Island, North Carolina who make custom 3D printed action figures, displays, and more! 

Orka & Flix were a "Print-To-Order" listing. Once your order is placed, the figures will be printed and painted. They list their current lead-time on painted, "Print-To-Order" figures at 4 weeks. 

We couldn't be happier with these two custom Star Wars Resistance figures! Lots of bang for your buck in this set. Both action figures came with their own numbered trading card, and if you purchased both figures, you receive an exclusive trading card to complete the 3-carded set. Both Orka and Flix figures exhibited very well thought out designs. We loved how THE 3D PANDA handled the articulation by utilizing well-concealed magnetic joints. The paint was exceptionally applied also. Flix was a bit top heavy and would have had trouble standing on his own, but the artists wisely included two dabs of Blu-Tak to provide him with a firm stance eliminating any display concerns. The accessories included with each figures are pretty fabulous too and fit in the hands with some proper positioning. We highly recommend picking these up if you are a fan of the show or just Star Wars for that matter.



"STAR WARS RESISTANCE"
ORKA & FLIX
created by THE 3D PANDA



A third trading card is included if you order both figures at once to complete the 3-carded set.


Orka comes with a wrench and Flix had a data pad, Orka has an articulating head as well as articulating shoulders and hips. Flix has articulating shoulders.








PRIDE MONTH GIFTS FROM MY DAD


He also got me the Pride Month variant cover for Marvel's War of the Bounty Hunters Issue #1,


As well as Disney Parks R2-RN8W.


Monday, May 31, 2021

CUSTOMS FOR THE KID - ELIAS' SENIOR CAPSTONE PRESENTATION



Last week, I gave a presentation at my school about the "Customs for the Kid" blog, discussing what this blog is about, some of the milestones associated with our ten year tenure, the basics of custom action figure creation, the design of my business plan as an artist who does commissions, as well as how I plan to expand our brand going forward by integrating CAD modeling and molding and casting some of our more unique items.  The audio isn't wonderful, but it is passable if you want to give it a listen. We figured we'd post it for anyone who has an interest in what was said.


WORK IN PROGRESS - CAD MODELS





Friday, May 14, 2021

CUSTOMIZER SPOTLIGHT #56: TCW “MSP80 PTEROPTER HOVER POD" created by Joseph Glidden aka MOFF GLIDEON’s CUSTOMS

Instead of a new custom from us, we will just provide you with a Customizer Spotlight post featuring something new we just added to our own collection...an installment from Moff Glideon's Customs. Moff Glideon's Customs is relatively new to the scene, but his 3-D printed customs have caught the eyes of many collectors and his offerings have received much fanfare.

His 3-D printed Trandoshan Hunting Pods are what attracted our attention. We liked that Moff Glideon's Customs presented the option of a do-it-yourself kit for $60 or a painted version for $100. We went for a finished painted piece in our purchase. The vehicle arrived in a well packed box and the plastic it was composed of was nice and sturdy for a 3D print. The paint was well applied throughout and the lights of the vehicle are done in glow-in-the-dark paint which was a really cool detail that we enjoyed. We also really liked that the rotary gun was attached with a magnet and could move from left to right.

While we purchased a less screen accurate version of the hunting pod from Lucasclones back in 2014, we really liked how well the 3-D printed version was captured in this newer edition. The new vehicle is going to look great posed with our Clone Wars Ramy and Trandoshan Hunter action figures by Peak-OB1.



CUSTOMIZER SPOTLIGHT #56:
THE CLONE WARS
“MSP80 PTEROPTER HOVER POD"
created by Joseph Glidden aka MOFF GLIDEON’s CUSTOMS











Posed with Hasbro's TCW Bossk action figure.




Monday, April 26, 2021

"SINTA NUTUNA" Action Figure created by Elias

This was almost a 100% sculpted action figure build that used the body of a Vintage Collection Aayla Secura that was sanded down to produce framing to be sculpted onto and the head of the 3.75" Black Series Ahsoka Tano that was also sanded away to make room for the new sculpt. Most of the head of the Ahsoka was removed completely before being sculpted onto. In the end both figures became skeletons used only for their joints. She required about 35 hours of labor, but by the time she was completed, only the boots of the original figure were visible. Even the legs had to be sanded and resculpted to remove the fabric texture that was sculpted into the original figure.

Sinta Nutuna was a female Twi'lek smuggler known for many crimes as part of the Nutuna Gang. She was wanted by the Inquisitorius and pursued by one of its vengeful agents. Born in 30 BBY and hailing from the sandstorms of Ryloth, Sinta Nutuna gravitated towards the galaxy's lawless sectors and led the Nutuna Gang. She operated on the fringe as a criminal, gangster, and smuggler during the age of the Galactic Empire. She became known for her deadly and illegal activities, conducting crimes including larceny, distributing holopornography, and multiple instances of soliciting on street corners in the Outer Rim Territories. Many Outer Rim hookers and gigolos considered her a prize client for her full bust and shapely figure. Her ribald rap sheet also included murder and the smuggling of illicit contraband. A bounty was placed on her head, and Nutuna was wanted by the Inquisitorius, which dispatched one of its deadly agents to track down Sinta and her gang. The Inquisitor pursued her with a vengeance in an effort to bring her in for her depraved crimes.

Sinta Nutuna was created by erotica artist Miravi in his Twi Wanted artworks. Miravi later revealed that he created the name "Sinta" for the character, though sculptor Dayton Allen (alias Sith_fire30) used the name "Nutuna" in reference to the character while creating a custom action figure sculpt based on Miravi's design. Both names were later used for the character in the 2012 Legends erotic fiction "Twist of Fate: The Quest for Camie" by Shabby Blue and Das Flute. Sinta Nutuna was introduced into erotica canon with an inclusion in Kooriv's 2019 reference work Star Wars Erotica: The Visual Guide, appearing on its cover and an inside page.



"SINTA NUTUNA"
created by Elias















SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED


The original depiction of "Sinta Nutuna" by erotica artist Miravi.