*ADULT SUPERVISION & PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT ARE REQUIRED WHEN UTILIZING THE TOOLS, PRODUCTS & TECHNIQUES DESCRIBED HERE ON OUR BLOG TO CREATE STAR WARS CUSTOMS.
This commission only took one base figure to create. We took a Clone Wars Pre Vizsla animated action figure then completely sanded and re-sculpted the body to make it look like Dengar in his Clone Wars appearances.
I sculpted the head in Blender and after I completed my design, I printed the head that I made on our 3D printer.
Unfortunately, our FEP was punctured during the print and we lost our LCD screen in the process. This unfortunate incident will restrict our ability to print again until we can make some repairs. We are definitely going to be using a screen protector moving forward. Lesson learned!
The backpack for Dengar was completely hand sculpted from scratch as was his removable face mask. His gun was made by modifying an IG-88 weapon accessory.
"THE CLONE WARS"
DENGAR
created by Elias
Mask is removable.
Dengar, Latts Razzi, and Marrok created by Elias of "Customs for the Kid". Embo action figure created by Hasbro. Sugi was created by Peak-OB1 Custom Creations.
This commission required me to pull out all the stops. Lately, I have been starting a lot of recent projects asking myself how in the world will I pull this off. Dad is usually a great resource for ideas and coming up with a strategy. He made a few suggestions that were a great starting point.
We started off by using a McFarlane "Halo" Brute Minor action figure as a base figure to sculpt onto for this one. Dad had set aside one of these figures in our fodder to make a Grumgar from "The Force Awakens". Since the Ninth Sister was the same type of alien as Grumgar it was a great suggestion. Normally we try to use all Star Wars parts for our builds but due to the size of the character we had to get creative.
We found a few different kits that were available for the character but when we discussed using them with our client it was decided that utilizing self-made original parts was the best direction for this build making this one a 100% "Customs for the Kid" piece.
The Ninth Sister's head, helmet, shoulder pads and lightsabers were all designed by me in Blender and then printed here at home. I then molded some of those prints and made red-dyed, clear casts of her visor and lightsaber blades.
The details of her body, hands and feet were all hand-sculpted the traditional way using both ProCreate and Aves Fixit. I was really happy how the hand sculpted and 3-D designed elements blended so well together once she was completely assembled.
The soft goods kama was hand tailored then painted both red and black by hand.
All the Imperial symbols were hand painted as well. I strongly considered designing my own water slide decals but when I saw how difficult it is to print white decals, I just busted out my paint brush and did what needed to be done with detailed precision.
This project was great 3-D modeling practice for me. With every new sculpt I get more and more confident making a new part on my laptop. From hand and digital sculpting, soft goods fabrication and detailed paint application, utilizing all the many skills I have obtained over the years really brought this project to life. I was really happy with the final results!
"STAR WARS - JEDI: FALLEN ORDER"
NINTH SISTER
created by Elias of "Customs for the Kid"
We had to take at least one picture before we covered her face with her red visors.
This year was full of challenging projects. Bold efforts that provided fruitful results. For me, it was a year full of commissions. I really feel like I grew as an artist this year in many aspects. As a sculptor, a painter, tailor, and 3D designer. Every commission pushed me outside my comfort zone and forced me to dig deeper to bring all the characters to life. The results surpassed our expectations every time.
Dad took some time out of his schedule to help me out by peppering in some posts on the blog throughout the year. He painted the offerings of our friends as well as third-party sellers showcasing some fun customizing opportunities that are available to the community to help build out our collections quickly and easily. Because Dad had only contributed in making one figure since both of his eyes were operated on in 2020, seeing him tackle several projects this year was heartwarming. It was getting lonely doing the blog by myself so the companionship was welcomed.
We were super excited when a few months ago we had the incredible privilege of being featured in the Artist Spotlight over at YodasNews.com. The website has been popular in fan circles since its inception in 2004. Having Mark Picirilli the founder of the website take the time to share our art with his readers was a real honor.
Another exciting development for us was getting the opportunity to meet actor Amy Allen from the Prequel films. Even though I was the one celebrating another year of life lived, I was the one who came to the event bearing gifts.
I traveled toRedFive Toys & Collectiblesin East Longmeadow, MA. It wasn't our first trip to the store. The Vintage Collection has a heavy presence in this toy store so it's always worth the trip to Massachusetts. As usual, upon our arrival, the pegs were completely stacked with the latest TVC waves. Even more than our last trip toRedFive. The store even had Din Djarin's N-1 Starfighter and Jabba's Palace from"The Book of Boba Fett" complete with the oversized TVC Bib Fortuna available for purchase.
We made the trip for a special event that was being held at the toy store which had Amy Allen the actress who starred as Star Wars Jedi character Aayla Secura in the Prequel Trilogy. Amy was at RedFive and she made herself available to sign autographs and take photos with fans. The event was absolutely packed, complete with a Kylo Ren and Battle-Damaged Darth Vader cosplayers, and the store even raffled off Boba Fett's TVC Slave I from "The Book of Boba Fett".
While at the signing, I had the chance to present the Star Wars actress with a Star Wars custom action figure I made of her character. To make the figure, all that was needed was some additional sculpting on TVC Aayla Secura action figure and a fresh coat of paint.
The day was so much fun. We even had the chance to meet up with Chris Swanski of BanthaSkull.com and John Miko of the SW The Vintage Collection group on Facebook who were also attending the event. Dad came along for the trip and got so busy talking with our fellow collectors that he never took the time to meet with Amy Allen.
We definitely recommend making a visit to RedFive Toys & Collectibles. Even when fun events aren't taking place, RedFive Toys & Collectibles is definitely our favorite toy store in the Northeast!
AAYLA SECURA
custom action figure
created by Elias of "Customs for the Kid"
The Aayla Secura action figure that I made for Amy Allen ended up getting a "Custom of the Week" feature over at JediInsider.com. She was just one of several "Custom of the Week" features that we received in 2023. We express our deepest gratitude to Jedi Insider for the continued kindness they have shown us.
We thank you all for your patronage and hope you will keep coming as long as we keep making new Star Wars customs. Enjoy the video below of all the figures we made this year. Visit our Action Figure Index for the build information for each character. Happy New Year everyone! Let's all make it a good one!
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