Darth Doomy-Doom's Customs (12/12: Super-Articulated TCW Grievous)

[Lt. Starfox]

sweet mother of mercy, that looks great!

[CHEWIE34]

Very inventive... didn't think I'd ever see anyone do this to a Falcon, but am definitely glad now that I've seen it!  Very refreshing paint scheme for sure and well executed.

 

[Bloodant]

My word its a Seperatist ship!!!!

that is a first for me, never seen a deco like that, very creative and looks like a job well done to me. 

[cuyvaldar]

Love the repaint.

I didn't know it had a different scheme with it's other owners. I knew about the other owners, but not the schemes.

[hemble]

The repainted Falcon looks great, you've done an excellent job with the markings.

Ron

[jedibrian77]

That Falcon is really cool

[Darth Doomy-Doom]

Thanks for the kind words on the Falcon Stellar Envoy, guys. 

If you want a better look, my pictures are also links.

This next batch isn't very original.  I've seen it done before already, but it's still one that I really wanted to do.  K-Mart just put figs on sale for $4.99, so I was finally able to get the necessary parts without spending an arm and a leg.  Without further ado, I present to you my version of...

The Clone Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi, Realistic Style.


The torso and kama are TCW Obi-Wan, the head is from a comic pack, the thighs are repainted from legends Obi-Wan, and the lower legs are from a legends clone.  Even though it's been done before, I still put some unique touches on it: I don't think anyone has used that head mold yet, and I drilled out a space on the belt for a lightsaber.  It's a really minor thing, but it adds to the figure.

And, as long as I had cannabalized a clone, I decided to go ahead and do...

The Clone Wars Mace Windu, Realistic Style


This was a comparatively simple kitbash: all I had to do was switch out the arms and hands.  The hands presented an interesting challenge.  Reference photos show that he wears the clone gaunts, but with the fingers of the gloves cut off.  Now, I could either just leave the clone hands on there, cut off the Mace fingers and add them, or paint the Mace hands.  I wound up choosing the latter.  I think it turned out pretty well.  It's obvious that the fingers are exposed, at any rate, and that's all I really wanted.

Money shot.


And now, I'm fresh out of ideas...and supplies. 

[cuyvaldar]

I have to post my windu, he has been sitting on the desk done for about a month.

Good job triple D.

[Darth Doomy-Doom]

Now, I've had this next project done for a loooong time...pretty much.  There's just a couple of tiny details that keep it technically WIP.  As soon as I saw the holofigs from TSC06, I knew they'd make a good chess set.  When I got my first few, I looked at them and decided they'd look great painted.  Now, this was almost 3 years ago.  Since then, I've seen a chess set or two, and I've seen some painted holofigs, but never have I seen anything quite like this.  Hope you enjoy...(and a big ol' thanks to fishboy, for sending me a bucket of spares!)  Now, since this is such an image-heavy update, I didn't make each image an individualized link...if you want to see bigger pictures (and you know you do), just CLICK HERE.

Star Wars Chess Set



LIGHT SIDE
Since most of the pieces are in pairs, I needed to make them at least twice.  For these, I have placed the original on the right and the improvement on the left.  For some characters, I did each of the two figures in a different outfit (Bespin/ANH Han, II/III Kenobi).  For the pawns, I arranged them in such a way that, hopefully, you'll get multiple views and a real sense of the work that went into every piece; I experimented with some different paints and colors, as well as laboring over those oh-so-tiny details. The "tiny detail" I mentioned that's holding me from completion? Yoda's lightsaber...it's hard to get that green right without looking...odd.



I like the detail on Amidala's front and the somewhat translucency of the orb...things on the bottom of the dress.

DARK SIDE
Boba Fett was the very first one I made (original on blue base, v.2 on red).  I also eventually threw in a Jango, because hey, I've got a lot of these little buggers.  Vader was the very second, and I lost track from there...As you may be able to tell (especially in the first pictures at the top, I tried painting the logos on the bottom too...it was too hard and too messy to do on all of them though.)


I like Maul v.1 better...v.2, despite having better tattoos, still looks like a clownfish or something.  Vader v.1 (left) was a little...splotchy.  Vader v.2 is much cleaner and more detailed...look at the helmet and chest box.



Man, those stormies got repetitive...

Let me know what you think!

[cuyvaldar]

My other idea was this as well.

nice triple D

[SHB033196]

My god! I had to read that post three times to get it to sink in that those are the holofigs. What an amazing concept and well exected as well. I can't even begin to imagine how much time was spent painting those little buggers.

[VF]

That has got to be the coolest thing I've seen made into to be a checkers board. Great job bro.

[cuyvaldar]

I have to agree.....

[Darth Depressis]

awesome set, yet again another use for those things.

[hemble]

The clone armour Obi and Windu look great and that chess board mind blowing work well done indeed.

Ron

[Darth Doomy-Doom]

Ok, it's been a while.  Thanks for the feedback on the chess set...it's much appreciated.

I've been working on this guy off and on for a couple of months.  I had a really hard time deciding just what kind of parts and materials to use, and the roadblocks sorta dulled my interest in the project.  I finally just sat down and got some work done, and here we go.  Took me long enough, but I give you...

TCW Anakin, realistic style     (Pics are clickable.)


The body is TAC Darth Vader/Anakin, with the fancy hips.  (The cloth preserves the full range of leg motion.)  The body is stock, save for a slight haircut and a lower left arm from a DSG.  I was going to paint it brown, but then I'd have to match it to the tunic, or just paint the whole thing, and I didn't feel up to it. 

The armor is some Vader (ROTS?) torso, cut and hollowed out.  Anakin's chest was also sanded down to allow the armor to sit a little deeper and look less bulky. (You can kinda see this in the side shot.)  The shoulder armor is...passable.  It's cut, shaped, and painted shoulder armor from the ROTS basic clone...I knew those pointless removable shoulders would come in handy.  It does reduce articulation a bit, but it gets the job done.  The right glove is from comic pack Durge/Anakin, but only because I like the gray better than the brown. 

Finally, the cloth...thing.  I went through a few ideas for it, but wound up using some thin, sort of shiny, almost plastic-y cloth.  It turned out okay, but then I had to go and do the upper part, so it would match.  The edges frayed a bit, so I sealed them with some black paint.  Now it looks like it's got some trim.

I've gone on entirely too long, so let's wrap it up.  I don't think I'll be doing any more TCW customs, realistic, Jedi, or otherwise for quite some time, so this may be the last group shot.


At the moment, I've got no less than four other custom projects in the works, and they're all almost done, so be on the lookout for the next update.

[hemble]

Great work on Anakin, the style really suits him and the cloth work is excellent.

Ron

[Darth Doomy-Doom]

Alrighty, here's the next update.  Remember, pics are clickable for a larger view.

I was never able to find a TFU Shadowguard, and really don't want to pay aftermarket prices (or shipping from a trooper here) for a simple repaint.  I had some royal guard parts in my bucket and bought a spare stormie for parts recently.  I think it turned out pretty well, so see for yourself.

The Force Unleashed: Emperor's Shadow Guard




The torso (and face) is a a repainted TAC Stormie.  I would have preferred a stock shadowtrooper, but I couldn't even find one for the collection, much less for customs.  The upper legs are SAGA Death Star Gunners (are these guys great or what?).  The helmet and lower legs are ROTS Royal Guard.  The lower legs are alright, but there's no parts that really look just right.  I might eventually swap em out with stormies, or Vader, or something.  The skirt was originally from a Vader, but it was too long and bulky, so I replaced it with some more of the material I used on TCW Anakin.  Finally, the lance is a reworked Sandtrooper dewback prod...it seems to look the part.

Next up is another guy from TFU, the Stormtrooper Commander.  Do I even need to remind you of that fiasco?  Yeah, custom time. 

It's pretty straightforward, but I had a bit of trouble with the chestplate.  The back is even worse, so no pics for you.  Other than that, I'm fairly pleased with it.  I've still got two bigger projects in the works, but they're gonna take a while.

[Lt. Starfox]

i like what you did on the guard, very nice....the trooper looks good, but like you said, the paint lines on the chest are a little uneven, but the overall look is good dude ! 

[jokabofe]

Anakin looks a little... chunky? Or maybe his neck is just slightly too short? Something just seems off about the top half... otherwise it looks nice. Shadow Guard and the Commander look good too, but the Commander needs the battle scrapes and damages, his armor is too clean! Adding some damages and scraping can sometimes 'disguise' the paint sections you don't like, that didn't come out even, or whatever. But don't tell anyone, that's a customizer secret 

[Darth Doomy-Doom]

Anakin looks a little... chunky? Or maybe his neck is just slightly too short? Something just seems off about the top half... otherwise it looks nice. Shadow Guard and the Commander look good too, but the Commander needs the battle scrapes and damages, his armor is too clean! Adding some damages and scraping can sometimes 'disguise' the paint sections you don't like, that didn't come out even, or whatever. But don't tell anyone, that's a customizer secret 

About Anakin: I couldn't get the Vader armor any thinner without risking a break, and  I couldn't sand Anakin's torso down any more without interfering with arm articulation.  Believe it or not, the "chunky" chest is actually an improvement.  With an unmodified body and armor, the head almost couldn't go on the neck, it was just that thick.  I thought I had some WIP photos that show what I mean, but I guess not.

And the way I see it, maybe the Commander's armor is new.  The stormie armor is white, but maybe the commander markings were painted on the week before the game?  Who knows?    And, he has that force-field...thing.  I don't imagine a lot of damage getting through that...short of an uber-powerful Sith henchman, of course.  I just may go back and scuff him up anyway, depending on what deco Hasbro chooses for the re-release.

Thanks for the tips.

[CommanderNaruto]

great work triple D, i like your shadow guard with removeable helm, blows mines outta the water

[Darth Doomy-Doom]

This has been in the works for a little while now.  I found it in a junk pile at a trade show for...$4?  It just needed a little bit of work, and I think it turned out alright.  Here's Dagobah.

  It looks a bit better in person...the browns and black blend better, but show up really stark in pics.  I took out the foam pit because the 30 year old foam was disintegrating.  I thought about gluing a Dagobah stand in there, but decided against it.  I plugged the hole, but without any scuplting.     It looks kinda like a grimy pond, unless someone stands in it.

See what I mean?  I don't think covering it up helps much.  What do you suggest?

Anyway, picture time!

[Lt. Starfox]

this is really well done on repainting, and like you said the smooth surface sticks out, can you put some texture on it?

[VF]

Thats really really cool, plus thats cool that you found it for 4bones in a junk pile and made it look even better. I'm STILL waiting for hasbro to reissue this myself since I could use one for a dio that I'd love to start.

[hemble]

Man the dio looks great you've made an old toy look fanatastic very well done indeed.

Ron

[Darth Doomy-Doom]

This next one is a minor update, and it's a little...out of the ordinary. 

It's my friend's birthday tomorrow.  I wasn't sure what to get her, but this idea just came to me: she has a Mustang (and is kinda proud of it), so I decided to make a custom for her, based on her car.  It took a while to find Barricade, and it required a little bit of tweaking, but I'm reasonably happy with how it turned out, and I think she'll like it too.




I'm sort of kicking around ideas for my next projects, but I'm pretty ambivalent.  It might be a while til the next update.

[Lt. Starfox]

what a cool and unique gift dude    if she loves that car as much as you say, she will really dig this !

[hemble]

mate this looks brillant and it's a great idea for a bday pressie well done.

Ron

[Darth Spice]

It might be really hard to do Transformers since they are all mostly different from one another. I like the black look but I'm really surprised you didn't put any graphics on the car? I thought you were in California!