GLADIATORS

After Dad finished making me the Gamorrean Gladiator he decided that to get the most use of my Geonosian Battle Arena playset, he should make me a few gladiators to really get the games going. Unfortunately, the figures are all work in progress figures, but a few look good enough to show what we have so far. Hopefully we can show you all the finished pictures when he's done. In the meantime check out what he's got.

"LANNIK GLADIATOR" 

created by Darth Daddy

Dad feels close to finished on this one. He just wants to add facial hair with Apoxie Sculpt so he looks less like the Even Piell action figure that he came from.

"TANK"

created by Darth Daddy

This action figure just needs some detailing on the paint applications finished up and Dad needs to take pictures that illustrate how the top part of the figure separates to become a flying vehicle and tank.

This character was nothing but a torso after his last battle in the arena. This droid has been fused with numerous gladiators throughout its history. Anytime a gladiator loses a leg or two in battle, it's very likely that you will see them appearing as Tank at a future event. Geonosians get their moneys worth from their gladiators.

The Tank's side guns are removable.

Tank can get airborne when he launches of his tread base.

"BLADE"

created by Darth Daddy

Only a few little touch-ups are needed to finish this one up.

COOL EBAY AUCTION FROM PEAKOB1

Hi everybody. We were talking to Peakob1 recently, and he informed us that he is slowing down his collecting and customizing to a snails pace due to an upcoming move and he will consider selling any of his customs to any interested buyers. He has always been a favorite customizer in our house and we recently acquired some of his customs for our own collection. We can say if any bids are placed, they can be made with confidence. You are truly getting a superior product as far as as Star Wars custom action figures go and his body of work is about as cool as it comes.

Check the link below to see a collection of his work:

http://www.yakfaceforums.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5631

Here's the link to his first ebay auction for Durchee the Ewok:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170685791313?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

LAST DAY OF CHARITY AUCTION

This auction closes up today, so if you were planning on bidding, now's the time. Click on the image above to bid on this action figure.


100% Proceeds to benefit the family of Michael Martinez of Mercury Art Studios.

ONE COOL CUSTOMIZING FAD

At the beginning of this year we saw a lot of customizers taking advantage of combining the Vintage Gamorrean Guard with Marvel Universe Series 3 World War Hulk Action Figure. Both JACKOFTRADZE and Von Reinhardt put out variations on the figure and we know there were several more customizers who tackled the project also. When we saw fellow customizers results, we knew we wanted one too.

Knowing that the Vintage Gamorrean Guard was hard to come by this year, Dad didn't have the heart to cannibalize the figure to make his custom Gamorrean Gladiator action figure. He did have the heart to use parts from the POTF version though. Dad cut off the head of the figure and used the Dremel to make a hole in the head to make it ball jointed. All he had to do from there was paint the head to match the body.

GAMORREAN GLADIATOR
created by Darth Daddy

Click on the pictures to zoom in.

His first time in the arena, this gladiator is about to earn his first battle scars.

If he lives that is...

Dad painted the back of the action figure's head with a chainmail colored paint to make his headwear appear metallic.


I bet you Marvel collectors are hating us Star Wars customizers for the reduced number of World War Hulk figures on the pegs.



Guess he's going to have to wait until his next challenge to earn those scars.



OTHER VARIATIONS.....

Rancor Slayer created by Von Reinhardt.

Rancor Slayer created by JACKOFTRADZE.

The first Gamorrean Gladiator custom action figure I ever saw was created by customizer Dan Curto which also used the head of a POTF Gamorrean Guard action figure with the body of an EXTREME SOLDIERS action figure.



PRESS RELEASES

Dad's "Gamorrean Gladiator" featured in Echo Base News' "Customizer Spotlight!"



Dad's "Gamorrean Gladiator" featured on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.

"Martinez Family" Benifit Auction: "McQuarrie Concept Arctic Rex" created by RUNDOWN

"McQuarrie Concept Arctic Rex" Custom Action Figure
created by RUNDOWN

Click the photo to go to the ebay auction.

100% Proceeds to benefit the family of Micheal Martinez of Mercury Art Studios

For those of you unaware, we (the customizing community) lost a great friend and fellow artist, Michael Martinez, on July 2, 2011. However, a mother, fiance, and children, also lost a great father, friend, and future husband. Michael is survived by a young daughter Mikayla, a finace' Hollie, and an unborn child. We as a community have come together in their time of need to see what help we can offer them, and all proceeds from this auction will go to the family. Other groups such as the ImperialShipyards, and Echobase forums, are also doing their part to help the cause.

All of the customs in these auctions are brought to you by folks that do this for a living, so you can be assured you will receive a unique and quality piece or pieces for you contribution.

I thank you in advance for your bids and contribution to this worthwhile cause, and would be happy to answer any questions you may have with regards to the cause, or how you may otherwise contribute directly. Thank you and happy bidding!

Item Description

This Star Wars Custom "McQuarrie Concept" Arctic Captain Rex action figure is fully articulated and includes the pictured Gatling Gun and Pistols! Additional weathering for a realistic look. High quality Citadel Paints used.

Take a Close Look at the Details!!

Over 200 Custom figures sold. Buy with Confidence.

Check out additional pictures of this figure and Rundown's other Customs at http://sanitariumcustoms.blogspot.com/

JACKOFTRADZE CUSTOMIZER SPOTLIGHT: UPDATED

JACKOFTRADZE is a professional Toy Designer who has been working in the industry for over 10 years designing real toy products! He has been a very committed 1/18th scale Star Wars collector since 1991! He collected when no one cared about Star Wars and has been with the line ever since. He recently created a blog and as you read his blog you get the unique perspective of a Toy Designer and a Collector. He has been an active eBay member for over 10 years and for over 4 of those years he has been creating custom figures to enhance his collection. He has a lot of cool customs and insights to share that I think you will enjoy.

Since our previous Customizer Spotlight on JACKOFTRADZE, we have acquired several more Star Wars custom action figures and we decided to use the slideshow format to showcase them all just so we could save on space. Check out the newest JACKOFTRADZE additions to my collection!

JACKOFTRADZE CUSTOMIZER SPOTLIGHT:
UPDATE

Click the graphics below to check out JACKOFTRADZE's blog & his Sunday night auctions on ebay.

JACKOFTRADZE "Jedi Master Count Dooku" featured on Action Figure Customs. Click image above to read the article.

That's My Face.com

Click the photo to get to the website.

In early July, Dad checked our email for the blog and we got a really cool email from one of our readers named Mary Shummer. She told us about a really cool website where people could obtain a super-realistic doll head of just about anybody if you provide them with just a photo. You have the ability to get a head sculpt of yourself, your kids, your boss, ANYONE!!

Apparently they make the heads in many scales to fit Barbie dolls, 12 inch figures, 3 3/4" action figures and more. Thanks Mary for the information!!

Dad apologizes for being so slow posting this. He read it one day while he was at work and planned on posting it that night, but never had the chance when he got home. Better late than never I guess.

"Martinez Family" Benifit Auction: Star Wars Custom "Twi'lek Smuggler" by INCOM Customs

Bid on this action figure before it's too late!!

"Twi'lek Smuggler"
by INCOM Customs

100% Proceeds to benefit the family of Micheal Martinez of Mercury Art Studios

For those of you unaware, we (the customizing community) lost a great friend and fellow artist, Michael Martinez, on July 2, 2011. However, a mother, fiance, and children, also lost a great father, friend, and future husband. Michael is survived by a young daughter Mikayla, a finace' Hollie, and an unborn child. We as a community have come together in their time of need to see what help we can offer them, and all proceeds from this auction will go to the family. Other groups such as the ImperialShipyards, and Echobase forums, are also doing their part to help the cause.

All of the customs in these auctions are brought to you by folks that do this for a living, so you can be assured you will receive a unique and quality piece or pieces for you contribution.

I thank you in advance for your bids and contribution to this worthwhile cause, and would be happy to answer any questions you may have with regards to the cause, or how you may otherwise contribute directly. Thank you and happy bidding!

Item Description

Up for auction is this custom made, hand painted, one-of-a-kind TWI’LEK SMUGGLER action figure.

This figure stands 3 3/4" tall and features a carefully modified head, two blaster pistols, one of which is a custom made double barreled one and has 14 points of articulation. Painted with Reaper, Vallejo, Games Workshop and Tamiya paints and sealed with matte and gloss varnishes.

IT'S THE B'S KNEES!!

B as in Barriss that is, or Bane if you consider the source of this modification. One night while talking to Luke Sprywalker on Skype, Dad mentioned that he wanted to create a more articulated Clone Wars Barriss Offee action figure and Sprywalker mentioned that Cad Bane's elbow joints would be perfect for her knees. The advice was so cool that we thought we'd share it. It takes only an Exacto knife and the small drill bit set for your Dremel. Just cut out the knees of your action figure, use the 1/16" drill bit from your drill set to go the desired depth into her thighs and calves then reassemble the limbs using the elbow joints on the Cad Bane. We still have to use some Apoxie Sculpt to smooth out the rough edges and paint her, but we thought a lot of our readers may want to tackle this one so we thought we'd show you this WIP action figure.

CW BARRISS OFFEE
with ARTICULATED KNEES

Work In Progress Picture
If you use the elbow joints of the 1st Cad Bane action figure, you can use the joints to create articulated knees in the CW Barriss Offee action figure.

SWK KUSTOMS (kr2700) VIDEO UPDATED in "CUSTOMS I WISH I OWNED"

Kevin, or SWK KUSTOMS / kr2700, is a customizer we introduced you to in our Customizer Spotlight #3 with his Vergere action figure. When he sent us some more images of his custom action figures, it was only natural that we feature him on our Customs I Wish I Owned page as well. He started making custom Star Wars figures in 2007. He said his wife Lynn bought him a Han Solo figure as a birthday gift. “You should always get at least one toy on your birthday,” she said.

His own collection started shortly after. He thought about making a battle mock up of 100-200 Jedi and Sith, a scene that he imagined would be in the Clone Wars! The prequels went down a different path however…

Soon he had around 50 custom Jedi & 50 Sith (Jedi spray painted black). A few months later he began to get bored with just doing simple figures, so he started to experiment. He went through a phase where he made a lot of alien Jedi . He also did more interesting Sith Lords. Lynn then suggested that people might be interested in his figures, so he put some on eBay and his new hobby started to generate some interest!

Now four years later & around 300 customs under his belt, SWK KUSTOMS specializes in fully articulated figures!

SWK KUSTOMS (kr2700)

SWK Kustoms creates fully articulated and detailed Custom 4” figures. Star Wars, Star Trek, DC, Marvel or anything you can think of. With SWK you can also become your favorite character as well: Jedi, Sith, Storm trooper, Mandalorian and much more. Figures can be purchased upon request. Price is based on how hard the piece is to make, usually between $50-150. All figures come with specialized weapons or gear & name plate stands.

Add an SWK action figure to your collection today!

Visit him on facebook: www.facebook.com/swkustoms

Email him at SWK1138@yahoo.com for a quote.

MANDALORIAN SITH

When Luke Sprywalker announced the Custom Sith Competition over at Imperial Shipyards this month, Dad felt it was the perfect time to pay tribute to Mike Martinez of Mercury Art Studios. For those of you who are interested in participating, the contest begins August 1 and ends August 31 at 12PM EST. It has to be an all new custom made by you and not posted anywhere before. Feel free to use any 3 3/4 inch figure line you like. One entry per person and you do have to be a member over at the Yards. You may submit 5 photos in your post that must state "this is my entry". The photo's can not have any photo shop elements in them that alters your figure. Also feel free to make a small base or customize a small stand but don't allow it to grow into a diorama. If you want to show WIP pics as you go post them in this thread for motivation and discussing ideas. The day that the contest ends there will be a voting thread created and members can vote for 1 week as to their favorite creation. In the event of a tie we will create a tie breaker voting thread. The prize this time is the great feeling we all get when we complete a custom. Also don't forget bragging rights and being held in higher regard among such esteemed colleagues.

Dad will be donating his MANDALORIAN SITH entry the Mercury Art Studios Auction and the proceeds will be given to the family of Mike Martinez. Mike always created the coolest and most unique Sith custom action figures. He is known in our house as the Sith master. Dad thought of Mike when he created this action figure and tried to create a Sith custom action figure that he never saw anyone make before.

Dad created this action figure from the old (head) and the new (forearms) Jodo Kast action figures, a Boba Fett (torso), and a Lord Maleval (everything else). He cut in half and removed the chest armor from the Boba Fett and dremmeled the torso until the chest and abdomen were only as thin as the armor. He then dremmeled the front chest and abdomen of the Lord Maleval action figure and then fused Boba Fett's chest armor to the Lord Maleval with Apoxie Sculpt. Then Dad painted the action figure in colors that he saw in a Mandalorian Sith drawing that some new friends showed him on The Forcebook.

If you are interested in owning this figure, look soon in this post for a link where you will be able to go to the link where you will be able to bid on this action figure on ebay. Dad is going to start the bidding high so Mike's family gets the assistance they need. Dad worked about ten hours on this action figure, so whoever wins it will definitely be getting their moneys worth. Dad never sells the figures that he creates so this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not only will the buyer be getting one cool toy (piece of art), but the money will be used for a good cause.

Best of luck everyone!!

MANDALORIAN SITH
created by Darth Daddy

It's said that he had the personality of an assassin droid.

CHARITY DRIVE

Sponsored by Imperial Shipyards




MANDALORIAN SITH
created by Darth Daddy



MANDALORIAN SITH featured on the Front Page of Imperial Shipyards.


"MANDALORIAN SITH" featured on Ed Johnson Presents: STAR WARS The Clone Chronicles (Webcomics & SW News)



"MANDALORIAN SITH" featured on Echo Base News "Customizer Spotlight!"



To bid on this action figure click here.

Year in Review

So we wrapped up the first year of our blog last week and we figured it would be cool to put together one of Dad's videos to show you all how we spent the first year. We started the video off with the beginning of our journey. Like most customizers, we started off with simple repaints of existing action figures. We then moved onto painting up kitbashes that we had assembled. Dad wrapped the year up by taking a huge leap as he experimented with sculpting his own figures and accessories. It was a lot of fun and we went from being only beginners to starting to become seasoned customizers. It wasn't always easy, but the challenges had their rewards. Hope you enjoy the progression of our craft from its birth to the close of our first year.

Hope you all enjoy our Star Wars custom action figures.

Customs for the Kid
"Year in Review"

Star Wars custom action figures created by Darth Daddy & Elias.

"MAKAZIE ONE" Action Figure

Not sure how many of you are familiar with the Star Wars fan film "Makazie One" written and directed by Clutch. Set in the Star Wars universe during the time period between Episodes III and IV, the story is about an elite soldier that has been sent to track down and destroy a known threat to the Empire through intense ground battles and haunting imagery of death that surrounds the environment. The unsuspecting enemy to the new Imperial order has no idea what he is up against when the two finally meet for an action packed surprise ending. The film won the "Best Cinematography" award at Star Wars Celeberation V and after viewing the movie you will see why. Check out the film before you read any further to avoid any spoilers.

Makazie One - Star Wars Fan Film from Clutch on Vimeo.

"MAKAZIE ONE" Action Figure
created by Darth Daddy


Do not watch slide show before you watch the film.

SPOILER ALERT!!:
Dad saw the film a ways back and ever since he saw it he has been wanting to do a tribute to this film by creating a Makazie One action figure. Yesterday he got around to making it. He used Hasbro's new Vintage Stormtrooper to maximize the articulation of the figure. He then modified a Baron Soontir Fel head from the Comic 2-pack that included Hobbie Klivian and then finished the figure off by sculpting Makazie One's signature thermal detonator lightsaber with some Apoxie Sculpt. Oh yeah and Dad made the kama out of an old dress sock that no longer had it's match. I love the way it came out and it's a great addition to my growing customizing collection.

Dad's "MAKAZIE ONE" Action Figure featured on Ed Johnson Presents: STAR WARS The Clone Chronicles (Webcomics & SW News)

Dad's "MAKAZIE ONE" custom action figure featured on the Front Page of Imperial Shipyards.

"PEAKOB1" VIDEO UPDATED in "CUSTOMS I WISH I OWNED"

Chad Peak (aka: Peakob1 or CAP) is a 35 year old artist in Denver, Colorado and has been a Star Wars fan all his life. He makes customs for the love of the hobby and you won't find a more dedicated fan. He hopes one day that he can have an entire custom collection simply because it is personalized to him and he never seeks financial gain by doing his customs, although he has done a few commissions at reasonable prices. He started customizing in '95. He doesn't count some of the vintage Ewoks that he colored over with black and brown markers as a kid.

He refers to his style of customizing as "hard sculpting" opposed to using sculpy to mold his own figures. He uses bits of existing parts and dremels those down to make a new result. He believes that it makes for a much stronger figure because he's a little like Jar Jar, "hesa clumsy" and often drops figures. Usually they don't break if he builds them properly. He finds customizing very exciting and he has many projects on the horizon.

After Dad finished working on his Ziro the Hutt action figure that was inspired by Peakob1's Ziro, Dad figured there was no better time to update the video he made for the artist. Peakob1 recently added a bunch of really cool customs to his thread including a really killer Dash Rendar you all should check out. Hope you enjoy his customs!

He displays his customs on Yakface, Droids and Ewoks and Jedi Defender.

PEAK-OB1 CUSTOM CREATIONS

For more images from Peakob1 click here:
http://www.yakfaceforums.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5631

here:

http://droidsandewoks.forumotion.com/customs-and-art-f13/

and here:
http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=20796.0

Dad's "Peakob1" video posted on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.

Customs for the Kid's First Birthday!!

That's right everybody, as of today our blog has officially been here for one year. Thanks so much for your visits and your support of our blog. We hope you like what we've been doing so far and we can continue to show you Star Wars custom action figures for years to come!!

Imperial Shipyards wishes "Customs for the Kid" a Happy 1st Birthday.