"CUSTOMIZING THE CLONE WARS" - EPISODE 48

Clone Wars custom action figure artists, Peak-OB1 Custom Creations & Darth Daddy of "Customs for the Kid" display Clone Wars custom action figures from Season 3 of The Clone Wars TV series episode "The CItadel".

SUPER-ARTICULATED "POE DAMERON" created by Darth Daddy

This was actually a really easy custom to produce.  Once you get past separating the upper torso of The Black Series Finn figure along the seams to free up both the arms, all you have to do is drill the shoulder sockets of The Black Series Cassian Andor figure to accept them.  Switch the jackets, hands, and remove the holster and then paint the pants and boots before laying The Black Series Poe Dameron head on top of the Cassian Andor body.  Oh yeah we also used a Dremel to hard sculpt the flap of the Cassian Andor shirt to make it look like Poe's. After all that was completed, all that was left to do was the neckline a little lower and add a brown wash to the jacket to wrap things up.

SUPER-ARTICULATED

"POE DAMERON"

created by Darth Daddy

RECIPE

Head - The Black Series Poe Dameron
Arms and Jacket - The Black Series Finn
Upper Torso and Legs - The Black Series Cassian Andor

SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

"CUSTOMIZING THE CLONE WARS" - EPISODE 47

Clone Wars custom action figure artists, Peak-OB1 Custom Creations & Darth Daddy of "Customs for the Kid" return from their brief hiatus to display Clone Wars custom action figures from the Mortis Trilogy from Season 3 of The Clone Wars TV series".

"DEATH SQUAD COMMANDER" created by Elias

Not only is today Star Wars Day, but this year is also the 40th anniversary of Star Wars! To celebrate Customs for the Kid figured we would bring an old Vintage figure to life that collectors are still waiting to see made with some modern sensibilities. Namely super-articulation...

Action figure collectors were really bummed this year when the Death Star Commander was released in the 6" scale by Hasbro in his black outfit rather than in his original Vintage Imperial greys.  So to pay tribute to the figure from the childhood of the OTC crowd we figured we'd showcase a custom version of the character to celebrate May the 4th.  Elias made the helmet a little more screen accurate and gave the figure a much needed paint job to complete the piece.

It was a great way to enhance the our collection here at home and a fun way to pay tribute to our favorite film franchise.  Stay tuned for a lot more custom action figures from A New Hope throughout the year as we plan to continue paying homage to the film that started it all on its 40 year anniversary.

"DEATH SQUAD COMMANDER"

created by Elias

SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER

One figure for inspiration and another for its creation.

"TUSKEN RAIDER CAMP DIORAMA TUTORIAL" created by Elias

So for school, I was recently given an assignment where I had to create a blog explaining the process of adopting a new skill and putting it into practice.  I had hoped I could have written a blog about anything since I had seven years of experience writing this one.  Although that would have given me an unfair advantage over my peers if all I had to do was some copy and paste to get my assignment done. Therefore, I decided to try my hand at something closely related to creating my own action figures, I figured I'd tackle learning how to make a Star Wars diorama.  

You would have thought for as long as I've been writing this blog, that I would have tried it at least once, but we never really had the space in the house to both build and display a large scale piece. Dad once made a small display piece for a few of our Star Wars Rebels action figures, but that is about all we ever attempted and I wasn't even home for that build.

I have a feeling that this may be the only diorama that I do.  Not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I have no idea where I'm going to even put this one now that it is completed.  I probably should have went a little smaller on this build.

Nevertheless, I learned quite a bit making this diorama. By the time I finished, I realized I acquired more than just one skill, but I added several new ones to my skill set.  I learned how to use plaster of paris bandages, installation and utilization of LED lighting in a display, and ways I could create an uneven surface in my display base with a variety of mediums I never used before.

I have to give a shout out to Frank D'iorio's Diorama Workshop website for providing me with a great step by step explanation on how to fabricate the outer shell of the Tusken Raider Hut.  I took it a step further and fleshed out the inside too, complete with tusked supports wrapped in real leather bindings, fur rugs, and a metal fireplace with light effects.

On top of that I had to make my first video tutorial explaining the entire build process in great detail so viewers could recreate my final result.  Dad even taught me a few tricks in post production as I edited what I had filmed.

But enough talk, watch my tutorial!

"TUSKEN RAIDER CAMP DIORAMA"

created by Elias

View inside the Tusken Raider hut. Real leather straps were used to accent the hand sculpted tusks that were painted and then used to simulate the hut's supports.

 A metal electrical fitting was used to construct the fireplace.

 Rugs and wall hangings were made from a furry fabric to simulate animal hides.

SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED

BACKGROUND IMAGE:

_Pixelpiper. Star Wars Tatooine Landscape. Digital image. Flickr.com. Flickr.com, 13 July 2013.   

     Web. 29 Apr. 2017. https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelpiper/9280370598/sizes/o/.