Rebels Customizing Challenge Continues

Last month, Yakface.com and Imperialshipyards launched a joint Star Wars: Rebels customizing event – and so far, they’ve had several great submissions, which you can check out here.  But the clock is ticking, as entries will only be accepted through the end of April! So if you’re interested in taking part in this customizing challenge, head on over to the forums for all the details.

My Yoda entry was featured on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.

STOP MOTION STAR WARS VIDEOS by Nivrerex

This week, we were contacted by YouTube filmaker Nivrerex about commissioning Dad to make him some Clone Wars custom action figures.  This Mexican director has made some of the coolest Star Wars stop motion videos we have ever seen and we knew once we saw them that we had to share them all with you.  I'd love to see some of Dad's Clone Wars customs appear in his films.  Below are three of his videos.  Hope you all enjoy them as much as we did.

The Realm Recap: Episode #10 - We're Gonna Need a Better Box

SUPER-ARTICULATED "CLONE WARS DARTH SIDIOUS" created by DARTH DADDY

After I finished making my two custom "Clone Wars Chancellor Palpatine" figures, I found that I now had two "Clone Wars Darth Sidious" action figures in the house and I only needed one.  I had a collectible that was displayed on a shelf in Elias' room, and I also had one that I bought to create head casts of so I could create new figures. I recently bought the second one, so I didn't have to rip the hood off of the head of my collectible.  He's a super rare action figure and I didn't want to damage my only one, just so I could create a mold of what was underneath. Once I made a mold of the head underneath the hood, I was able to cast new heads for my customs and I was really thrilled with the results.  

It all worked out great, but unfortunately, now the resale value of the figure I used to make my customs wasn't as good as my collectible because I hacked the neck off of the figure right at the shoulders so I could mold it at the same time as the head to speed along my customizing process.  After the mold was made, I re-glued the neck back onto the figure, and reattached the hood and the head. Luckily, the cut in the neck wasn't visible, because the hood and soft goods hid all the damage I did to the figure.  

So now what to do with it?   

I knew I couldn't get the money I invested on the second one back now that I cut the neck off, and then glued it back on.  No one would pay a premium price for that. While the figure later did pay itself off through other means, I still had an extra figure I didn't need, and I had to decide what to do with it.  

I figured why not make a super-articulated version of Darth Sidious, giving the action figure both ball-jointed hips and knees.  Originally, Hasbro's version had only a swivel waist and his legs were just one solid piece of plastic with no articulation anywhere at all.  I decided to give the second figure more range of motion.  First, I cut the knees out of the legs and replaced them with two Revoltech joints we had in fodder. I then cut the legs off where they attached at the groin.  Afterwards, I created two ball sockets inside the groin with my Dremel and then made another recessed set of sockets at the top of the thigh to accommodate the the ball joints I stole from the elbows of the first Clone Wars Cad Bane action figure which proved Sidious the joints needed for his ball-jointed hips.  

I stole the hands of the second figure earlier to make one of my customs so I replaced them with two Palpatine hands that I found in the leftover parts I used to make my Clone Wars Palpatine figures.  

I finished the figure off by adding a floor length soft goods skirt from a Vintage Barriss Offee action figure to give him a more screen accurate look.  I will most likely give the figure new feet with ball-jointed ankles once I find something appropriate to use.

SUPER-ARTICULATED 

"CLONE WARS DARTH SIDIOUS"

created by Darth Daddy

Hidden under the skirt is all the articulation you would desire.

SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

CLICK THE PHOTOS BELOW TO SEE "THE CLONE WARS - CHANCELLOR PALPATINE" CUSTOM ACTION FIGURES IN GREATER DETAIL:

My super-articulated custom Darth Sidious action figure was featured on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.