More Building the Beast

More of the building of the beast...the Cantina

Rahm Kota, Scarred Jedi

I titled this one scarred Jedi because that's what he is. Alright, the pictures don't pick up what was exactly tried here. I was trying to accent his scarring to make it a bit more video game accurate before he takes a dive. I used my "normal" scarring technique of deepening a slice with a hobby blade, than filling in with pink paint with a 00 or smaller brush.

Obi Wan Kenobi, Clone Wars Armor

This was a rather simple custom. The head comes from the Obi-Wan Kenobi/ARC Trooper Alpha comic pack. That's it. The lightsaber effect was done with LS Maker.

Cartoon Accurate GI Joe Firebat

The Firebat is perhaps my favorite jet in all of GI Joe. The Cobra Command vehicle was first scene in the cartoon as early as the pyramid of darkness. It wasn't until 1986 and the terrordrome that I finally got one. The ebay market on these have been ridiculous. The 25th Anniversary edition is welcomed. It is the same exact mold. In the cartoon, the jet is initially gray!







First, removed the labels/stickers, guns, bombs and cockpit canopy. I used Walmart Gray/Primer spray paint. Using small brief passes, added 3 coats all over the jet. AFter drying, reapplied the stickers. Than I took the cannons, and used a small drill bit to hollow them out to give the allusion of a barrel.

The Cantina: Building the Beast

So I'm unemployed, looking for things to do. Interviewing at various labs every other day, applying to schools. I decide to take on something. My parents, who agreed to take me in provided I do look for work/apply for schools, encourage me because they figure they can allow me to screw up on this before letting me loose on the house.










I have no budget. Can only use scraps and all I have is a magazine article with very few dimensions. The rest is all up to me and my mind. I borrowed a neighbor's jig saw.

Grand Moff Tarkin

If there has been one thing Hasbro did right early on with their Power of the Force 2 line was release and nail the likeness of Peter Cushing's Gov. Tarkin. What they have done wrong since is the color scheme of the uniforms. There seems to be 2 distinct colors. We'll call a greenish/brown as shown on the first Death Star and what I attribute to the Imperial Army. Than there is the more grey style which are more Imperial Navy. I've tried to make the more grey version of Tarkin released in the Death Star Briefing room pack its original color and use the original head and not the Revenge of the Sith version played by another actor.

The Guns and Accessories of Kyle Katarn

So there's a few things going on here. First, this is the Expanded Universe Kyle Katarn figure from the original Dark Forces game. Kyle eventually becomes a Force User, Master, than forsakes it all, only to be drawn back in, only to train Mara Jade, only to have her save him from the Dark Side??? HUH??? Let's just keep him as a mercenary with Rebel leanings who's only really working so he can get into the pants of his contact/pilot/Rebel operative Jan Ors.

I did not do anything to Kyle but his previous owner (I aquired him via trade), did try something with the holster. What I did was work with his accessories. First I dyed some 25th Aniversary Cobra Officer Webgear in black RIT dye. Next, I painted brown on the Bryar Pistol. Finally I painted everythign a clean yellow, added some red dots, black line, and than weathered the rail gun before painting the handle area.

25th Aniversary Roadblock

Well if you read my other blog you know that I don't have many 25th Aniversary figures. I wouldn't even have this one were it not for the DVD packs. But the head on this one never looked quite right. So after I finally getting a Valor vs Venom Roadblock head, I drilled a hole to convert him to this figure. I did have to back fill with sculpey (modeling clay). That's all I did and swap out his web gear with Stalker that came with another DVD pack.

Cobra de Aço

I went on a kick of doing internation varriants based off Snake Eyes. This one is supposedly a version of a Brazilian mercenary Cobra de Aço that translates to "Steel Cobra". It again uses a Hulk figure that was based on a Zap/Grandslam figure for the Valor vs Venom/DTC lines. The chest is painted yellow, the heads and various parts were primed and than painted using ENAMEL silver. Yep, I used enamel and not acrylic as is the normal because it maintains its luster, no need for sealant, and it was already primed, so no fear of sticking. The head is a Comic Pack Snake Eyes that is based off the v1 Snake Eyes. I did use the drafting pen to trace around the visor/breath holes of the mask.

GI Joe SWAT/Steel Brigade Team

From Custom

This is a 3 person team that consisits of Shockwave, Bulletproof and Sure Fire. The primary ingriedient is a Hulk epic Tunnel Clash 3 pack since they are just Shipwreck/Footloose figures in a different color that have the same heads but Convention/Steel Brigade helmets glued on. the helmets can be removed if you boil some water and than pull them off. The heads are useless for good parts, but can be used as junk figures to practice painting or give to kids to practice painting.

Bulletproof

From Custom

Bulletproof is made by swapping out the lower arms of the figure with Valor vs Venom GI Joe Duke. He's than painted using a mix of brown, flesh, white red and black skin tones. His helmet was RIT Dyed. The weapon is also a custom.
The gun comes from a bbi MP5 with Marauder Inc Scope and double clip.

Shockwave

He's made from teh same base again. The head this time comes from a Chap Mei figure (I believe). The lower arms are also from a VvV Duke. The gun is made by taking a Marauder Inc HK-36C and cutting off the clip and slightly into the gun, than trimming the connecting tab of a Marauder Inc double drum Modular M4 clip, gluing them together.

Sure Fire

Same base again (big suprise). This time with a Han Solo Power of the Force 2 head.

We'll see how this goes

I have already a more new/politics/free thought blog. This one will be entirely devoted to my hobby of customizing. What is customizing? It is the art of modifying an exiting toy by changing it's parts, paints, and appearance (but not its accessories) to make something new that doesn't work.

Why do it?

Because, I'm into Star Wars. There are 1000s of named or pictures characters in the novels, comics and movies who'll never be made into figures. The ones I find interesting and play a major role in my view of the Star Wars Saga will be made by me. As to GI Joe figures, if it was the most racially and physically diverse toy line, it needs to reflect that. Also, there are plenty of characters who I lack who I can make at least as good versions as Hasbro has made.