Imperial Shipyards - No Paint Kitbash Contest 2014 Entry

Imperial Shipyards announced their first custom challenge for the New Year! The idea is to get everyone thinking about what parts look good together without painting anything. This is open to any toy line and any scale you choose. The best part is that you can enter up to ten figures! The NPKB contest has always had a lot of participants and stands to be one fun event.  Click on through and read the full details and see what fabulous prizes await.  We already entered a figure.  Dad made a quick generic Clone Wars Weequay pirate for Hondo's gang to get things rolling. This one takes only a few seconds to create with a heat gun, I only had to swap out the lower arms and pop him at the waist to add the cumberbun.  I used a scissor to modify the jacket by cutting along the gold line.

CLONE WARS NPKB WEEQUAY PIRATE

created by Darth Daddy

Head, Cummerbun, and Lower Arms - Clone Wars Shahan Alama
Upper Arms, Torso, Gun,  Modified Jacket, and Legs - Clone Wars Hondo Ohnaka

 You could paint it if you want a more unique looking pirate.

 A close up picture of the painted version that we entered into Yakfinities #51.

SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Dad's Weequay Pirate was featured on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.

Our Weequay Pirates were featured on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.

Colin's World Tour

We've introduced you to the work of prolific Star Wars customizer, Colin Hobbs aka Colins Customs, here on the blog before, but we thought it would be really cool to show you how we participated in Colin's World Tour over our holiday season.

Who would like to help Colin travel around the world? Colin's been thinking of doing this for some time! If Colin can't travel the world then maybe his mini Colin can. If you would like to take part then Colin will send the figure to you and you take a pic of him at some great event or landmark.  Just tag Colin in the pic then forward on to the next person. This could be great fun with maybe a 2-year world tour for Colins Customs!

We had Colin over the week of Christmas.  While with us Colin took a trip to the Empire State Building, Grand Central station and Times Square.  When we got back home, we let Colin participate in our Christmas morning traditions, took a few photos of Colin's custom action figure with Rebekkah, the first Star Wars custom action figure that we ever made as well as photos with a few other parts of my collection.  Colin left our house earlier this week and is off to his next destination. We're looking forward to seeing where else Colin visits while on his tour.

 Colin's Visit with Customs for the Kid

Colin's World Tour on Facebook

CUSTOMS FOR THE KID: 2013 VIDEO RECAP

Happy New Year everyone!  Another year behind us.  Well 2013 wasn't the most productive year we've had at Customs for the Kid.  In 2012, we created 2 vehicles and over 70 action figures.  In 2013, we only made 40 Star Wars custom action figures here at home.  Furthermore, we tackled about only half of the projects we had hoped to take on. That said, we definitely don't see our lack of productivity in a negative light.  

Part way through the year, Dad made a decision to stop creating fan fiction characters and wanted to only create Star Wars characters that never made it to plastic.  As a result, Dad's  action figures took longer than one day to create with sculpting factoring into his projects more than before, but he added molding and casting to his toolbox this year so I'm curious to see how that adds to his repertoire.

Customs for the Kid also hosted our first Star Wars custom action figure contest with RebelForce Radio that promoted the Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit radio drama.  It was a lot of fun and maybe Customs for the Kid will try and do another custom action figure contest in 2014.  

On Sunday, April 7, 2013, Customs for the Kid brought their traveling museum of Star Wars custom action figures to the Star Wars Spectacular event in Woodbridge, NJ.  It was our first ever Star Wars event.  Attendees were treated to an exhibition of Star Wars custom action figures created by talented customizing artists such as: Stronox, Sillof, Luke Sprywalker, Chewie, Wraithnine, Hangarbay94, Peakob1, SithHappens, Omar Rivera, Incom aka Mr. Black's Customs, Lucasclones, Stocos28, JACKOFTRADZE, Darth Daddy, Elias, and more.  Also on display were video tutorials and slideshow videos that are featured on our blog.  While there we had the opportunity to meet up with Star Wars customizers darthstreams and Dave Castle aka StarWarsGeek. The display table stayed pretty packed throughout the day, and brought attention to the blog's online museum of Star Wars custom action figures and the featured artists we help promote. We were really impressed with the crowd turnout, and loved the reaction of all the attendees to what we had on display.

Customs for the Kid also had an opportunity to see some awesome Star Wars custom action figure art created by one of the most talented customizers out there today, Luke Sprywalker. Some of you may know L.E. Spry aka Luke Sprywalker from the Celebration VI "Star Wars Custom Action Figure Panel" that was held in the summer of 2012.  Luke Sprywalker was a speaker at the panel along with Star Wars customizers Sillof and Sith_fire30.  Dad and I had the opportunity to visit Luke Sprywalker's home, affectionately dubbed Sprywalker Ranch while on a trip through North Carolina on our way to visit family. Getting to hold some of my favorite custom action figure art in my own two hands was a real treat.  I thought the photos of his work were cool, seeing them in hand was just mind blowing.

The highlight of this year for me as an artist was creating seven Cantina aliens for my display. Dad said his highlight was finishing the Clone Wars General Pong Krell custom action figure collaboration with Hyperdrive.  

Definitely a year to be proud of.  Here's to making sure 2014 brings some memorable moments as well.  Hope you all enjoy our video of what was made here at home in 2013.

CUSTOMS FOR THE KID: 2013 RECAP

Star Wars Custom Action Figures created by Elias & Darth Daddy 

Our video was featured on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.

GLORBES added to "Customs I Wish I Owned"

Glorbes has been customizing for just under ten years, but he can remember fashioning crude representations of Star Trek and Star Wars subjects from cardboard as a child in the 80s.  The idea of modifying existing figures never occurred to Glorbes until he stumbled upon several online customzing sites, and was primarily spurred on by the works of Iron Cow and Doubledealer, who specialized in super hero customs in 6” scale.  Over time, Glorbes began experimenting with several methods, and eventually embraced mixed media, combining sculpting compounds, plumber’s epoxy, fabric, and leather.  He eventually developed a signature style that evoked elements of old sci-fi and horror movies, lurid pulp fiction covers, and ‘diesel punk’ aesthetic, giving classic character designs a bizarre, but familiar twist. 

By 2007, Glorbes began making vehicles for 6” scale figures, starting with a Flash Gordon rocket composed of large juice bottles.  This transitioned into some crude styrene creations, and then things went crazy from there.  While action figures are what got him into customizing (and he still makes them!), creating custom vehicles and props from scratch has developed into his passion.  Having kids has also emphasized the importance of creating quick, cheap, and sturdy builds that look good and can be played with, which has led Glorbes to trying his hand at using various types of cardboard as a medium.  His cardboard Star Destroyer and Jabba's Sail Barge are two must see builds.  He now builds most of his stuff with his kids in mind, which has made his projects even more fun.

Glorbes

You can find more of Glorbes work at his blog:

 http://glorbes.blogspot.ca/

 

CAFN: EPISODE 64 - HOLIDAY SPECIAL

CAFN - EPISODE 64

CAFN has been trying since last year to get their families on to give you their viewpoint on Lucasclone's customizing and Tamer's collecting through a Q & A Session with their significant others. CAFN wants to personally thank Lucasclones' wife Amanda and his daughter Emma along with Tamer's wife Laurie and daughter Evie as they let their family give their audience the full uncensored scoop when it comes to dealing with collectors and customizers. CAFN also got to talk about "Whats On The Pegs" and previewed their "Top Five Toys of the Year".

If you haven't seen the brand new and improved CAFN Page yet, be sure to give it a look.

 

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

chad.cafnpodcast@yahoo.com

tamer@imperialshipyards.net