New Customs - Stripp'n Whipid & Whipid Bounty Hunter

Whipid Good! "Den en enna den"...CRACK THAT WHIP! Now whip it, Into shape, Shape it up, Get straight, Go forward, Move ahead...

Ah, the Whipid species, they look like big toothy Walrus Sasquatch Fish faced things. To date, we have been given two Whipid figures in the modern line: J'Quille and K'kruhk. The first Whipid we were introduced to in the SW Universe was J'Quille. He was one of the obscure back ground losers that most people did not even know existed. That is until our insatiable appetites for these little plastic men became so ravenous that Hasbro starting mining the D-list roster of the almighty flanneled One's extensive universe. J'Quille is a pretty uninspiring and stupid alien that resembled an a bald ragged panhandler. So no one was clamoring to see more of these hairy haggered things. The perception of Whipids changed when Jedi Master K'kruhk hit the EU comic scene. We finally  learned that this species were all not lame looking bald big toothy Walrus Sasquatch Fish faced things. K'kruhk is a powerful Jedi warrior that despite his many defeats he kept coming back for more! In fact, when you compare the two Whipids  you can see that time has not been kind to poor J'Quille. He is a mess. Look at him:

Do not despair, he does have something going for him. At least he does not look like the Spider Skunk with moobs TANUS SPIJEK :

When Hasbro showed off the K'kruhk figure fans were really excited to add him to their collections, he looked great! Unfortunately 2009 was not a kind year to the modern line for various reasons. The EU wave he was slotted in was pushed back and eventually became an TRU/E-tailer exclusive. While a little tricky (and very annoying) to track down I managed to buy 5 extras at TRU that I intended to use for customs. In my opinion, he is one of their finest figures in the entire run of the line. He is also really fun to use on customs, which brings me to the point of my blurb - Whipid customs. I have two to share today.

First up is a Whip Bounty Hunter B'Joirk. I had a leftover McQuarrie Chewbacca Body laying around that I held onto for a long time hoping to give it a custom purpose. The time came to pass and he came together very quickly. I bought a parts lot from another customizer and it had a cool pair of goggles that worked very well with him. There was also some sweet Snoova 90's Blaster rifle in that lot that was the perfect weapon for him. (Hasbro should really resculpt Snoova, it was a very cool concept).

Next up is the lanky and lean Stripp'n Whipid "G'Rwoark". I was making a Wookie Jedi at the time so I had an extra Chewbacca body that was a perfect match with the Whipid head, hands and feet. The long arms really looked really funny with his big head but the more I looked at him he resembled the famous Bigfoot in the footage from the 70's. Once I finished painting him I gave him the Uncle Owen coat and he became the stereotypical looking 80's movie streaker.

As always your feedback comments and hate mail are welcome!

Page Update - Conflict on Kubindi EPISODE 1.5 - "THE AFTERMATH"

The final nine & previously unreleased photo novel images of Conflict on Kubindi have been added to the page. These were from late 2007 about 6 months after the floptacular release of the first part of the story. This takes place a few days after the Jedi Peace ambassadors disappeared. This will serve as the set up for the upcoming exciting sequel!!! We are aiming for a fall release. Are you excited?

I will post a teaser pic from the episode...

100% Picture Overhaul on My Collection Page!

It's been two months since I updated my collection room pictures and it's long overdue. I reshot and replaced every single picture on the page! There were so many changes and additions to the room that it had to be done. For those that regularly viewed it it's an entirely a new page experience! I also made the pictures larger so you can really view the details if you click and save. Just zoom in from there. Here are a few of the changes that took place:

- Reprinted/Readjusted Hoth Battle Shelf to accommodate the new AT-AT.

- Reprinted the Tattooine Bounty Hunter Shelf & removed alcove diorama display.

- Replaced Christopsis Cardboard Package Backdrop with a new Printed backdrop.

- Ceated the all new Flying Snowspeeder Assault shelf. (I tried something new by hanging ships within the shelf)

- Began Droid Army Shelfpaper

- Added a ton of figures & vehicles from the Vintage Line. (Jabba/Throne, Jodo Kast, Vintage Wave 1, Retro

  4- Lom/Zuckuss, SDCC Owen Lars, Snowspeeder, Cloud Cars, Two AT-AT's, Cad Bane Bike, Aurra Sing.

- Added several older figures/vehicles not previously on display including another Gunship

- Reorganized several shelves including a complete overhaul to the closet Hanger Bay

- Added a ton of carded figures to the wall.

- 501st & Utapau Clone Troopers have had their DC-14 Blasters upgraded to the Evolutions style.

- All Clone Trooper Saga style DC-15 Blaster rifles with the Brown Butt have been replaced with all black versions.

Your comments are always appreciated and I want to be sure that every time you view this Blog there is always something entirely new! In this case it's the whole page. Here is a preview picture:

Enjoy!!!

New Custom - "Bespin Battle Luke Skywalker"

The new Vintage line is absolutely amazing, the figures truly have reached a new level of detail that is sure to please collectors and fans alike. With that said, it's time to start using these great figures with my customs. The new Bespin Luke is a really killer figure with so much potential for reuse in future waves. I can see how Hasbro can retool a few parts to make new versions of ESB Luke. I took a stab at showing how versatile this figure can be with my ultimate "Bespin Battle Luke Skywalker". Using the 2004 OTC Dagobah Training Luke and the new Vintage Bespin Luke you can create a really awesome figure, or should I say figures! The OTC Dagobah Training Luke was such a great figure for its time and the sculpt still looks great including the ahead of it's time head sculpts it sported. The only thing is missing on this figure is articulation, that's where the new Vintage Luke can help out.

Another worthy figure of note was the 2003 Bespin Duel Luke, that figure was worse for the wear coming off his epic duel with Darth Vader. This figure featured bruises, a removable bloody hand, adirty wash deco and a really cool weather vane accessory! I wanted to bring some of that figures deco details to my new custom. The new Vintage Luke upper torso can pop off fairly easily so you can remove his belt. I then cored out the 2004 Dagobah Training Luke torso so it could fit over the super articulated lower half of the Vintage Bespin Luke. I added some paint washes to the hair and mouth of the OTC heads to bring out the missing details. The head deco resembles the 2003 Bespin Duel Luke, which to this day still looks great! Take a look and LMK what you think of my kit bash! BTW - Hate mail is always welcome!!!

As always your feedback comments and hate mail are welcome!

Archives of Awesome Page Update

I have added 4 new customs to the Archives of Awesome. These 4 start the 2010 selections with plenty more on the way. In the mean time here is a teaser pic:

New page added! - Conflict on Kubindi

To kick off the August Blog overhaul I have opened a new page that will be solely devoted to a photonovel from 2007 - Conflict on Kubindi! This page showcases the biggest eBay custom crossover flop of 2007! It purposely featured some of worst customs to ever grace eBay! The Photo Novel is so bad it's spawning two upcoming sequels!!! Click on the logo to the right side of the Blog to begin the adventure!!!

Here is a teaser pic to entice you:

Custom Flashback - Conflict on Kubindi 7/07- COMING SOON!!!

Get ready for the biggest custom figure crossover flop of all eBay time! It was so bad stocos28 and I are planning a sequel 4 years later!!! The Photonovel event of 2007 is coming to my blog on it's own dedicated page to display the adventure of the finest crappy customs the eBay Galaxy has ever seen! I will also be including 12+ never before seen images (Not that anyone remembers the original story.) Until then, enjoy the promo from 4 years ago...

Custom Flashback - Cad Bane (5/09)

This particular custom flashback may not be the most exciting to many of you as two figures of this character currently exist. But this Cad Bane custom was made the day after his first appearance on the Clone Wars cartoon well before any official figure of him was released. I used what little reference was available at the time and stills from the show to make him. I think he turned out great and this custom was actually spotlighted on Actionfigurecustoms.com the weekend I posted him on eBay. I thought he was cool enough to share and he still stands up as a solid custom. I also needed to update my Blog as I have not posted a lot in the last two weeks. I love this character and I would love to see Hasbro release a realistic style Cad Bane one day. (Hint! Hint!)

 It's worth noting that the new Cad Bane with Pirate Bike is really superior to the standard release. He is much larger, more realistic looking and even more articulated, he passes enough to blend in with your movie style figures. His only downside is he does not have a trench coat.

New custom - Cantina Patron Arleil Schous the Deffel

I am always honored when someone asks me to do a commission but to be honest they are a bit of a pain. While I am very appreciative of the request I like to freestyle customize. When I "have to" make something it takes out most of the spontaneity of the hobby and makes it feel like work to me. I am not opposed to commission requests but I prefer not to do them. (I also tend to be slower fulfilling them.) There was one recent request that came in that I was intrigued by, the Deffel from the Mos Eisley Cantina. I never made one before nor have I ever seen one in the custom world. I am 100% sure there are some out there, I just personally have never seen one. I accepted the request and once I looked at some character reference I had an idea on how to execute one.

The perfect base was defiantly Voolvif Monn from the 30th TAC line. I like to keep my customs super articulated so he was a great choice. I had to really rework the head by cutting down the snout and reattaching it. I then I sculpted over it to get a look that was close to the Deffel. If you look at the reference pictures above you will see the SW miniatures card art has a different face and really long arms. I did not like that face but I really liked the long arm look so I went with that. It makes him look like an Monkey-Bat thing and if real life tells us anything it's that a Monkey makes everything more fun! So take a look at the outcome and LMK what you think!

As always your feedback comments and hate mail are welcome!

The Little Differences - Ultimate Sailbarge, Jedi Knight, Final Duel Luke Skywalkers

This weeks "Little Differences" is all about making three perfect Jedi Luke figures that Hasbro seems very reluctant to do. I am making up for missing last weeks Little Differences by showing you three easy mods to satisfy your collection until Hasbro does.

To me, this image of Luke is the most iconic of him as a Jedi Knight. The Sailbarge scene was my favorite sequence of ROTJ. I remember the first time I saw that picture, I was 6 years old. That image made we want to swing a Lightsaber and fight Jabba's goons along side him. I actually did swing a green wiffle ball bat Lightsaber and defeated goons (Pillows, lamps and my older brother, who eagerly kicked the crap out of me afterwards).

While we have had several modern Jedi Lukes before we have never had a dedicated Sailbarge Luke figure. Hasbro released an excellent Sandstorm Luke figure in 2008 and the head actually has the look of this image I referenced. In addition to a great head sculpt his skin tone was a lighter, he had shiny black boots and a final duel belt for a more accurate look than his predecessor, the 2007 TAC Rancor Pitt Battle Luke. That previous 2007 figure was not a bad one but was far from perfect. It suffered from a dark tan skin tone, an awkward cloth robe, dark gray boots and no alternate non blasted hand . Of the two, the Sandstorm was way better and improved many of the flaws. So Hasbro was making progress, right?

Well lets move along to the almost all new 2009 Final Duel Luke. With this release Hasbro actually took a step back as things got worse. He sported a mediocre head sculpt, broad shoulders and narrow legs with a flat inaccurate belt. Good in concept but not in execution (I did like the switch out vest idea). All was not lost in 2009, that year did give us another Jedi Luke figure, the Endor Luke from the Battle Back.  There are a few interesting things going on with that Battle Pack figure, he will be essential to complete this weeks mod customs. Underneath that Luke's poncho is another layer of soft good robes. These robes look so much better that the 2007 inaccurate neck wrap. In my opinion, I thought this one was much better than the single carded Final Duel one. If you take several of the previous Jedi Luke releases and combine them together you can make some great combinations creating near perfect Luke figures for your collection yourself. At least they are more perfect than what Hasbro conjured up to this point. (Technically they conjured up all of these but they did not combine them right.) Take a look to see what I created and the formula breakdowns so you can too:

Sailbarge Battle Luke

2007 TAC Yavin Luke right hand. It matches perfectly!

2008 Sandstorm Luke figure minus the Belt. That was removed so the robes sit better.

2009 Final Duel Luke Lightsaber (They did add some paint details for more accuracy.)

2009 Legacy Endor Luke Soft Good Robe/Belt

Final Duel Luke

2009 Legacy Endor Upper body/head

2008 Legs/Belt from the Sandstorm Luke.

2009 Final Duel Luke Lightsaber

Jabbas Palace Luke

2003 Jabba Palace Luke Cloak

2007 TAC Yavin Luke right hand. (This picture does not reflect that. Oops)

2008 Legs from the Sandstorm Luke.

2009 Legacy Endor Upper body/head + Soft Good Robe/Belt

2009 Final Duel Luke Lightsaber (They did add some paint details for more accuracy.)

These three combos look great and in my opinion better than what we got so far.You can get that essential Endor Battle Pack Luke fairly cheap so you should not have an expensive time making these mods. Please note to disassemble the Luke figures without breakage use the boil and pop method. It's the quickest and safest way to swap parts out.

Worthy of note is there is a now confirmed all new Jedi Luke figure coming in the Vintage line this year that supposedly fixes the issues with the 2009 Final Duel version. Until I see that Hasbro truly perfected Jedi Luke I will be using these three mods as my signature Lukes.

As you can see the "Little Differences" can make a big difference to your figures! Until next time!

Custom Flashback - Gothika, Sith Witch of Dathomir 9/09

Like, get ready to feel the Darkside and stuff! 

Are you ready to check out a Goth inspired Sith Witch that hates conformity so much she will not even conform to the order of the Sith? I made this custom last year after watching the movie Legend.(Have you noticed I have two customs inspired by that flick?) There is a scene where Lily gets seduced by the Lord of Darkness's evil sorcery. He entices her to wear the dancing dress to bring her into his dark embrace. Once the enchanted dress takes hold of her she gets the appearance of some kind of Hot Topic Goth Bride. I thought that was a good look for a Dathomir Sith Witch so I wanted to make something along those lines. Dathomir is an interesting & vastly unexplored planet home to the vicious Rancor beast. The planet is also home to a clan of Witches who are Force sensitive beings who have enslaved their male population and have become a dominant force on the planet. Wasn't that a plot line from a lousy Nic Cage movie? Basically, these Witches are like the local mall rat Goth girls merged with a Sith. So here is a rendition of one that I made to share with you! I wish I took a shot of her riding the Rancor, the next time I make here I will have to do that.

Like, what do you think? Does she conform too much or does she have real Goth cred? Like, hate mail is welcome!

New page added - The Archives of Awesome

I have opened another new page section on the blog! It is still under construction but there is enough content to open it up for you viewing displeasure. This page showcases my off the wall favorite customs that I have made over the past few years! Most are not front page worthy but they should still be seen as they have a nice range of variety and detail. The majority of them are more on the humorous side with some serious ones sprinkled in. Click on the right hand side to begin the tour!