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.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

DARTH DADDY's CUSTOMIZING CORNER: "CAPTAIN REX's AT-TE" by ERIC BERRY aka HOLE IN THE GROUND PRODUCTIONS


This Rebels version of Captain Rex's AT-TE is a custom that many artists wanted to build ever since season 2 of Rebels premiered. Yet you need more than just desire to make it happen. Probably the coolest custom I came across since the start of the new year, Eric Berry's Rebels AT-TE has all the add-ons that give an already large vehicle an even bigger presence. There’s so many delicate parts and an abundance of details crammed into this lush playset. Eric admits that he had to “split the difference” on some things, as the toy is close to 80% in scale to the figures. As a result, some things like the cannon are somewhat bigger than they should be, even after compressing the parts in size. For example, he stated that you can’t pivot the cannon too far or it eventually hits the antennae. Most of it was scratch built. Lots of tiny little parts and details. Other cool features are a working rear door, cranes that rotate and pivot, and a folding rear ladder. My favorite part of the build was the work he did on the interior. He made only one bunk since they’d sleep in shifts, on the floor, or in hammocks in the command center. Then he tossed in a couple chairs, and a dejarik table. Opposite the bunk is a small galley and up on the wall they have a mounted battle droid head, “Clanker”, as a joke from their former days in the Grand Army. Other features inside include a rifle rack, welding gear, and storage above the bunk. Almost all parts are plastic except for some cargo boxes that were wood and skinned in styrene. 


This is one beautiful piece. Museum worthy. I hope one day he offers casts of all the accessories he created for this piece so he can make AT-TE conversion kits for sale in his diorama parts webpage so we can make our own at home. 












































Thursday, January 12, 2017

CUSTOMIZER SPOTLIGHT #48: "X-Ray R2-D2" by BARBARIAN RAGE TOYS

Scott Cherry aka Barbarian Rage Toys has been making toys for over a year now.  We were fortunate to come across his toys on Facebook and when we heard about the limited edition launch of his "X-Ray R2-D2" action figure, we were probably the first person to make a purchase when the figure was available for purchase.  Since the figure's launch there have been several variations that were released from a bloody version to a glow-in-the-dark internal skeleton figure. All of them were eye catching. Barbarian Rage Toys continues to release these limited edition runs of unique retro figures from franchises like Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, and other influences from the 80s - early 90s. His figures are all hand painted and sculpted.

We recommend frequently visiting his Facebook page or Instagram to see what he has in store for us all next. Also be sure to check out his comic strip!



"X-Ray R2-D2"
created by BARBARIAN RAGE TOYS















Monday, January 9, 2017

Clone Wars "Jocasta Nu" created by Customs for the Kid

This was a figure we knew we wanted to make for a long time now.  We had a plan for execution, but we also had to follow through on it.  As the project progressed, the plan was modified to produce the best possible outcome.  Originally, we were under the impression that all we had to do was make the CW Darth Sidious headcast from our mold, sculpt some hair onto it, and then add it to the Brian's Toys "Jocasta Nu" exclusive action figure.  

While we did do just that, we learned very quickly that there was too much of "Palpatine" in the headsculpt, and we needed to do more to the face sculpt than we had originally anticipated. By the time we finished the figure, we had resculpted the entire head except for her nose.  We sunk in the hollows of her cheeks, accentuated her prominent cheekbones, refashioned her chin to remove the cleft, thinned her brow, and make the chin more pointy to reflect her on screen appearance.  In the end, we couldn't be happier. She looks great on the shelf alongside the other Jedi.  We dedicated this figure to the actress who played Jocasta Nu in the Prequels, Alethea McGrath, who died last February at the age of 96.


CLONE WARS
"JOCASTA NU"
created by Customs for the Kid









PURCHASE HEAD HERE



SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED






Sunday, January 8, 2017

"CUSTOMIZING THE CLONE WARS" - EPISODE 35



Celebration Anaheim featured Clone Wars custom action figure artists, Peak-OB1 Custom Creations & Darth Daddy of "Customs for the Kid" display some more Clone Wars custom action figures when they kick off Season 3 of The Clone Wars TV series with the first episode "Clone Cadets".





"JAWA with PALM LEAF FAN" created by Darth Daddy

It's always fun to add to the Jabba the Hutt display in the Star Wars showroom and this is an embellishment we have been wanting to add for a long time now.  We can't say why it took so long. It was probably because we were always busy working on some other project, but we didn't want to procrastinate any longer. We took an accessory from the Boushh Leia and sculpted a palm leaf out of ProCreate onto the end of it.  After that we just painted it green.  It is a quick and easy custom that can help you really enhance your own Jabba diorama at some point.  We're curious to see if Hasbro ever gives us this version of a Jawa down the line, but with new movie releases coming ever year, it isn't very likely.


"JAWA with PALM LEAF FAN"
created by Darth Daddy






SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE