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.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

"BO KATAN" created by Customs for the Kid & CloneCommanderJay

Bo Katan is a character that really needed to be released in action figure form.  I know we really wanted to have her here at home.  For some reason Hasbro is hesitant to release female characters in their toy line.  Bo Katan was an immediate fan favorite from The Clone Wars TV series. Unfortunately, it appears that she won't be released any time soon , if at all, even though she has a huge fan following.  Especially among the fangirls.  I wanted to get this figure posted after I read an awesome article by Teresa Delgado Lutha of the Star Wars podcast "Fangirls Going Rogue" addressing the gender divide that currently exists in the Star Wars community.  We've been advocating for Hasbro to design their toy line with fangirls in mind for a long time now on our "Customs for the Fangirls" page.  Teresa's article is a must read that I hope results in some Star Wars activism from the fans.  Hopefully one day we'll see Bo Katan on pegs, preferably in a 2-pack with Duchess Satine to make it easier to sell. Unfortunately, at this point in time, making your own is probably your only chance to have her in your Clone Wars action figure collection.

I first saw this action figure on the Facebook page of Star Wars customizer Wraithnine.  It was his friend Jay Butterworth's Bo Katan custom, and the artist was selling the figure.  Jay Butterworth aka CloneCommanderJay was new to customizing and he hadn't yet learned to tackle the issue of paint rub on the articulating joints.  He sold me the figure under the premise that I would fix the paint rub for him.  I used my Dremel to reduce the joints, added some needed sculpting to the helmet and lower torso that was absent. Elias painted a new headsculpt for Bo Katan that we purchased from Audes Workshop on eBay.

Now I didn't do the build on this figure, so you'll have to bare with me.  I will do my best to cover the recipe.  The lower legs are from the Clone Wars Death Watch Mandalorian Commando action figure, the thighs are from the Clone Wars Aurra Sing action figure but have been modified with my Dremel to remove some strapping, the torso was from an Isabet Reau action figure with sculpting on the lower part of her armor under the belt, also swapped out the belt to make it more screen accurate.

I'm not sure what helmet was used, but Jay did the sculpting around the eyes. I did the sculpting along the bottom of the helmet.

Hope this post inspires more versions of this character in action figure form.  This collaboration was loads of fun!


"BO KATAN"
created by Customs for the Kid & CloneCommanderJay
















"Bo Katan" Headsculpt 
created by Audes Workshop and painted by
Elias of "Customs for the Kid"

























SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED



Headcast by Audes_Workshop


This is how Bo Katan looked before Darth Daddy's minor modifications.





Dad's "Bo Katan" action figure was featured on Jedi News.












 This action figure was featured on the "Fangirls Going Rogue" Facebook page.



This action figure was featured on the "FanGirl Zone" Facebook page.












Article about the Great Gender Divide:


Teresa makes an appearance on the Star Wars Report to discus Star Wars Rebels, her article on the gender divide and the marketing of Star Wars Rebels:


Fangirls Going Rogue FB page: 




PHASE II - PRE VIZSLA



Friday, February 21, 2014

STAR WARS REBELS CUSTOMIZING CHALLENGE



Imperialshipyards.net and Yakface.com have joined forces again to bring customizers another joint customizing event...STAR WARS REBELS! The rules are simple - create a custom figure, vehicle, playset, etc., that's inspired by the upcoming STAR WARS REBELS animated series and post your work in their forums. Read the full details here and get your plan together to show Hasbro what a real REBELS Action Figure ought to look like. And you can even make em more than 5 POA (sorry couldn't resist that)!





Custom Action Figure News is back with Episode 67! - NY TOY FAIR 2014



Custom Action Figure News is back with Episode 67!

You knew this one was coming. CAFN did a recap of all the cool things they saw from Toy Fair 2014. They were joined by ISY Roving Reporter Extraordinaire Dan Kosa as they previewed all the new Star Wars Products showcased in NYC with a little Marvel, Transformers, and JOE thrown in for good measure. Hit that play button to see the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. As usual CAFN ran out of time so look for them to finish this up soon!


Wednesday, February 19, 2014

DARTH DADDY's CUSTOMIZING CORNER: ELIAS

Darth Daddy's Customizing Corner featured our resident Star Wars artist Elias in the latest Customizing Corner over at The Star Wars Underworld.

 





This week I decided to showcase the artwork of one of the youngest Star Wars artists in the action figure customizing community. He is also one of the most active bloggers in the Star Wars community as a whole. For almost four years now, Elias has been hard at work showcasing the art of the biggest players in the Star Wars custom action figure community, all while making some extremely remarkable pieces of his own. He started the "Customs for the Kid" blog when he was just 6 years old, and his blog gets over 12,000 hits a month from over 150 countries throughout the world! Quite an achievement for someone so young!

Already his action figures have graced the front pages of several Star Wars fan sites who were impressed with his artistic skill.  I have collaborated with Elias on numerous projects, more than with any other customizer.  If it weren't for Elias, I would have never become a customizer myself.

You see, Elias is my son.  Back in the summer of 2010, Elias saw a few Star Wars custom action figures for sale on eBay, and asked me if we could make some custom action figures of our own.  Because I never had any experience making action figures, and had only a mild interest in art in my youth, his request seemed like an extremely daunting task.  Had he not talked me into it, you definitely wouldn't be reading this feature right now, and we never would have gotten involved in the fan community at all.  Elias has had a huge impact on the Star Wars custom action figure community and not many people in fandom know the story behind the artist.

His blog features the best Star Wars custom action figure directory with all the information you need to know about the wide assortment of talented artists that make up the customizing community.  His blog features video slide shows of each artist's work, as well as links to where you can find more ways to follow each artist, complete with the contact information that the artist provides.  While at his blog you should also check out the archive page of his Customizer Spotlight showcase that displays custom action figures from his growing custom action figure collection. Elias has many signature pieces from the most talented customizers out there today.  His blog is well known for creating a platform that linked many artists to each other and promoted the art form as a whole.

For all you fans that feel like creating your own action figures is too difficult a task, Elias has a few words for you, "If I can do it, you can too."  I too didn't think I had what it took to make these beautiful little pieces of art.  It was Elias' belief in me that got me started.  When I told him I didn't think I had the skills to get involved in the hobby, he said, "Dad you can do it.  I believe in you.  Just start, and I know you'll finish."  Hundreds of action figures later and a blog with four years of content and counting, Elias couldn't have been any more right in his assumptions.

I can't tell you how cool it is to see the new generation of Star Wars fans aggressively promoting the Star Wars franchise.  Elias has already been interviewed on the Voice of the Republic podcast, Expanded Fandomverse, and Custom Action Figure News, and one day his hope is to be featured in Star Wars Insider for all his efforts.  The coolest part about Elias is that he's not just being featured in Darth Daddy's Customizing Corner because he's my son, it's because he earned his chops in the community.  At 10 years old, he is certainly an artist to keep your eye on.





































Elias' Customs for the Kid blog:


Elias' Custom Action Figure Index:


Elias' Customizer Directory:


Elias' Star Wars Custom Action Figure Collection:


Elias' Clone Wars Custom Action Figure Facebook page:
  








Tuesday, February 18, 2014

CLONE WARS WEEQUAY PIRATE with MASSIFF created by ELIAS

So recently my Dad made a baggie full of kitbashed Clone Wars Weequay Pirate action figures from his own headcasts, Shahan Alama  action figures, and Hondo Ohnaka action figure bodies.  The bag also has an assortment of pirate knives, goggles, blasters, and braids.  You just grab a body and accessorize it however you want.  Every kids dream really. This particular pirate sported the lower arms and braids of a Hondo Ohnaka, while the rest of the body was from the Shahan Alama except the head that was created by my Dad from a cast of his own sculpt.  I added a paint job to the action figure to make him my own unique creation.

My favorite part of this project was the Massiff.  I found him in the fodder, but he didn't have a harness.  I took a run to the nearest arts and craft store and picked up the lather strapping, chain, and silver links and fabricated my own harness.  I love the way that it came out!  Another cool addition to my Hondo Ohnaka gang!

I love making pirates!



CLONE WARS WEEQUAY PIRATE
with MASSIFF
created by Elias



















SKILL LEVEL: ADVANCED




 
 My Pirate and Massiff were featured on the front page of Imperial Shipyards.