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.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

CHALMUN THE WOOKIEE created by DARTH DADDY






"CHALMUN THE WOOKIEE"
created by DARTH DADDY



Chalmun was the Wookiee proprietor of the most popular spacer's bar in Mos Eisley, Tatooine, the eponymous Chalmun's cantina.






Chalmun was rarely seen in the main cantina; instead spending the majority of the time in his back office. Many who saw the Wookiee there mistook him for a bouncer, owing both to his formidable appearance and his tendency to physically remove anyone who caused trouble. Of course, owing to his history, he also admired people who caused trouble with style, which also meant that making friends with him was a tightrope walk.

Chalmun remained the owner of the cantina when it was visited by Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, and Chewbacca shortly before the Battle of Yavin.

Dad modified a Chewbacca with Apoxie Sculpt to create Chalmun. The upper legs were from an Indiana Jones action figure that Dad can't remember off hand.




Chalmun was a street fighter for a long time.


SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED




Dad's "Chalmun the Wookiee" was featured on the Front Page of Imperial Shipyards when it was a work in progress.



Dad's "Chalmun the Wookiee" was featured on the Front Page of Imperial Shipyards.





Sunday, July 3, 2011

TRAGEDY IN THE CUSTOMIZING COMMUNITY


Michael Martinez of Mercury Art Studios and his fiance Hollie.



This holiday weekend the customizing community suffered a great loss. Saturday night Michael Martinez of Mercury Art Studios was killed in a head on collision with a drunk driver leaving behind a daughter and his pregnant fiance, Hollie. The 27 year old from Georgia wasn't just one of the coolest customizers out there, he was also a good friend. When Dad first started customizing, Mike and Dad would spend time chatting on Facebook about customizing and the joys of fatherhood. He would share stories of his little girl holding a Dremmel to action figures and making the appropriate sound effects as she imitated her dad. He would always speak about his family with great adoration. Mike was always so generous and eager to share his wealth of customizing knowledge and help Dad out with tips or parts for a new customizing project. It was Mike who recommended Dad use Animoto.com to create the videos we feature in our Customs I Wish I Owned. To Dad, Mike was truly an inspiration. I think at some point or another, all customizers have often dreamed about what it would be like to earn a living solely from the toys we produce. Mike was doing just that. Mike told Dad he was able to support him and his family by making just ten custom action figures a week and selling them on ebay. We've loved his customs ever since we first saw them on Yakface.com and couldn't tell you how saddened we are by the loss of one of the greatest talents within this community. Just Thursday night we sat and listened to him express his enthusiasm for the customizing hobby that we all share when he was interviewed on Custom Action Figure News by Lucasclones and Tamer not knowing it would be the last we'd ever hear from him. We offer our condolences to his family and all his loved ones. Mike you will truly be missed.

MERCURY ART STUDIOS



Click any of the three links below for more from Mercury Art Studios:








Saturday, July 2, 2011

Custom Action Figure News - Episode 11: Michael A. Martinez aka Mercury Art Studios

Get ready to listen to the latest episode of the podcast Custom Action Figure News with hosts Lucasclones and Tamer from Imperial Shipyards. Their special guest this episode is Michael A. Martinez aka Mercury Art Studios.





http://echobase.d2i.net/index.php?topic=631.0






Go here to listen to the Custom Action
Figure News podcast: 


 http://www.imperialshipyards.net/cafnpage.html


If there is anything you would like them to feature on a future podcast be sure to let them know at:



Wednesday, June 29, 2011

FIRST COMMISSION





Back in February, Dad was approached by James Robert Neff to create a Mandalorian custom action figure on a commission basis. Dad had never been asked to do a commission before and he was hesitant to take on the project due to his demanding work schedule. He explained to James that he worked anywhere from 70-80 hours a week and still had to take care of me when work was over so it could take a while for him to make the action figure because he still had to make an action figure a week for "Customs for the Kid". Dad was truly flattered by the offer. Especially when our blog featured so many incredible customizers that James could have asked. For a while it seemed as if the project may not happen. Dad had asked James to track down the parts he wanted used and hadn't heard from him for a while. Other requests for commissions came in, but Dad was starting to get overwhelmed with all his responsibilities and couldn't take on any projects. Then recently, he heard again from James and the project started to move forward again. Dad had never made a custom Mandalorian before, so he was a little intimidated, until he realized James had provided the exact specifications that he wanted. So without further ado, here is the Mandalorian designed by James Robert Neff.



James Robert Neff's Mando Design
created by Darth Daddy




BACKSTORY
by James Robert Neff

"A former Jedi knight operating under the name Calus Ordoan, Calo Ordoa turned his back on the Jedi after the end of the Clone Wars and went back to his roots as a Mando'ad. Apprenticed by Jedi master Coleman Trebor, Calo's skills with his unique orange Lightsaber were most impressive, having fought opponents such as General Greivous, Pre Vizsla, and Asajj Ventress. After the end of the Clone War, Calo served as a bounty hunter with many beings, such as his modified CZ secretary droid, his friend Zaron Diin, and many others."