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Messages - MyenShi

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Thank you all so very much!  Really gives me the inspiration to keep customizing for a good long while. :]

Encore, hm?

I know how much you guys love clones and this new tribute series I'm working on should be just what you guys wanna see!

I hope I don't disappoint!

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Star Wars Action Figures / Re: MyenShi's Customs
« on: December 23, 2007, 05:37 AM »
Thank you both. :]  I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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Star Wars Action Figures / Re: MyenShi's Customs
« on: December 21, 2007, 04:38 PM »
Tutorials

A pair of tutorials that were requested previously on RebelScum.

Basing Tutorial
MyenShi: Hi there!  It's MyenShi here with a behind the scenes look at how these bases are made.  Assisting me today is CT-17861 but you can call him Ruadh-Clone.

Ruadh: You didn't make me a Captain?

MyenShi: I'll think about it.. So anyway,we're going to be using a Protech clear display base because that's all I have on hand at the moment.



Ruadh: You should've ordered black.

MyenShi: I know, Ruadh.  I know.  So after you acquire your base, apply some white glue to it.  Elmers or modeling glue, whatever you have on hand.  After that, just dip the base in some modeling sand and gravel.



Ruadh: Not to be a jerk about it or anything but what the hell is that supposed to be?

MyenShi: Patience.  Now if you want to add details to the base, attach them with super glue.  These pieces are from Games Workshop building sets.



Then repeat the previous step and apply sand and gravel.



Ruadh: You have no idea what you're doing, do you?

MyenShi: Of course I do.  Here is a set of bases I did today. 



Ruadh: You did all these today?  How do you have a girl?

MyenShi: I'm a nice guy.

Ruadh: And she's attractive.  Maybe I'll just go and..

MyenShi: Right.  You have a 3 3/4" scale..* Nevermind!

Ruadh: Hey!



MyenShi: These have now been primed.  I used white primer (because I ran out of black), then went back and did a manual black basecoat.

Ruadh: So how many people do you think will try this at home?  Better yet, I wonder how many people talk to their action figures.

MyenShi: Good question..



MyenShi: ..Anyway.. The bases have been drybrushed with two shades of gray with white highlights.  That's it!  Now they're ready for display.



*Ruadh-Clone, not the real one.



Weathering Tutorial
Okay, here we go.  I did my best to simplify the process and make it as easy as possible without priming or other prep.

You'll need only two or three colors:
Dark Gray: You can skip this if you really want to but I find the stark white armor of the clones clashes too heavil with an all black wash.

Black: Used for to bring out the smallest details and lines of the armor.

White: If you're doing officers, you can weather their rank stripes with white to give them a battle worn and scratched look.

MyenShi: Helping me today will be Commander RT38.

RT38: Hi.  It's nice to be finally off that bloody planet I'owa.  I've been stranded there since the start of the war!

MyenShi: Glad to be of help.  But wait, you don't look weathered enough to have been stranded on a war-torn planet for so long.

RT38: Uh oh..



MyenShi: For this commander, I started by weathering the rank markings with white.

RT38: Gah!  My rank stripes!  I just had those detailed!



MyenShi: Then take the dark gray paint, water it down and wash over the entire clone.  Make sure to get the paint into all the little crevices.  You'll find the plastic on some parts of the clone are more receptive to the paint than others.  It's the different kinds of plastic used.  Just do your best to apply an even coat.

RT38: My.. crevicies..?  What!?





MyenShi: Then take the black paint, water it down heavily and wash over the most detailed parts of the clone like the helmet area, chest, back plate and communications piece on the arm bracer.  Don't over do it, though - one of the secrets of weathering is moderation.

RT38: I feel violated..



MyenShi: You're going to get more paint on the clone than this.  What I do is to scratch or wipe off excess paint.  Figures don't look good if they look like they've just had paint slopped on to them.

RT38: I thought you said this wasn't going to hurt!

MyenShi: Stop complaining.  Remember what happened to the last clone that argued with me?

RT38: ..You used his hands for custom fodder..

MyenShi: Right.  This is basically the finished product.



MyenShi: I didn't want this officer to look too weathered so I took a bit of hand sanatizer and wiped off the paint on the raised areas.  This isn't a necessary step at all, though.. Just figured a Commander would be less weathered on the field than a regular CT.

RT38: You used hand sanatizer?  What are you, a girl?

MyenShi: Don't I wish.



MyenShi: ..And that's it, all finished!

RT38: ..I feel so so very dirty..

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Star Wars Action Figures / Re: MyenShi's Customs
« on: December 21, 2007, 04:37 PM »
Hey guys.  I was recently directed to this forum and I thought I'd share my work here, too for anyone that hasn't seen it yet.  For those that have (hey Chewie) thanks for your continued support. :]

I've been working on miniatures for the past few years but got into doing Star Wars customs a few months ago when I got back into collecting during the summer.  I had taken a break from figure painting for a year or so but got back into the game with a number of clone customs for practice.

I've since moved on to greater projects.  My main project is currently recreating Rogue Squadron from the X-Wing novel series (along with a couple of smaller side projects).

A roster of the Rogues I'll be doing:

Rogue 1 - Wedge Antilles (Corellia)
Rogue 2 - Tycho Celchu (Alderaan)
Rogue 3 -
Rogue 4 - Derek Hobbie Klivian (Ralltiir)
Rogue 5 - Wes Janson (Taanab)
Rogue 6 - Gavin Darklighter (Tatooine)
Rogue 7 - Myn Donos (Corellia)
Rogue 8 -
Rogue 9 - Corran Horn (Corellia)
Rogue 10 - Ooryl Qyrgg (Gand)
Rogue 11 -
Rogue 12 - Inyri Forge (Kessel)

3, 8 and 11 were "expendable" characters in the last Rogue Squadron book so I won't make them.  I want 3 and 8 to be females of my own creation to give the squadron some diversity.  Rogue 11 (shown below) is Kristan Hi'ran, another character I've made up.

Thank you for any comments and questions.  :]  I look forward to sharing customs here in the future.

Rogue 9

I didn't really have a clear picture of what I wanted to do for his fighter so I just dove right into it.  It started off with the single stripe on the wings, then painted around the cockpit and then went back and painted the quad cannons because I wanted the colors to balance out across the fighter.  The darker cannons are also a bit of a nod to the vintage X-Wing.

There's a reference to Corran's fighter in some comic that has his fighter bright green.. But as you may know, I'm not a fan of candy colors in the used universe of Star Wars.  I went with a dark hunter green because I wanted the X-Wing to be intimidating.  It's CorSec, after all - the policing power of the Corellian sector.  I guess I wanted it to have the same effect as having a police cruiser pull up along side you.

Weathering as usual with a bit more refinement.. And yes, inside the wings are weathered as well.























Rogue 4
This is Derek "Hobbie" Klivian's Rogue 4.  Same methods used with Tycho's Rogue 2 with a bit more refinement and a little less weathering. With Hobbie's knack for getting his fighters into accidents, I figured he'd have a relatively new ship compared to his squadron mates.

That's why I gave him the most "factory fresh" R2 unit I had because he's probably been through a lot of those as well.

I added a bit of extra damage to one of his wings - escaping a lucky shot sort of thing. It's a bit hard to tell in the picture but the damage was sculpted on. I also took some artistic liberties with his red elite stripe. It's located on the sides of the cannons whereas Tycho's are located on the outer ends of his wings.















Derek "Hobbie" Klivian, Rogue 4

Death to the Vander mold!



Head swap with weathered helmet and jumpsuit to dull the "Alliance orange" color like the actual figure.



He's so happy to be articulated - he's dancing!  And the best part?  He can.







And that brings us to my next figure..



Rogue 2
As fun as it is seeing a large number of clones, the OT and EU are my first love. The EU has a special place in my heart, especially the New Republic era and the Rogue Squadron stories.

Assembling Rogue Squadron has always been my main "army building" project goal. What better time to start than with the release of Tycho and Hobbie?

Tycho is one of my favorite characters so I gave him the honor of having his ship immortalized first (though if there was a new Wedge, his would have been the first).. Ah well! 1 down, only 11 to go.

This was originally a TSC Dagobah X-Wing. I'm mostly satisfied with how it came out. Tycho is an awesome character and a reliable pilot. I thought heavy weathering would be appropriate since he'd have the same X-Wing for a while.

These are actually older pics and I have touched up certain areas of the fighter.  I'll post new pics as soon as I get my Tycho within the next couple of days.













Before and After Shots:









Colonel Tycho Celchu, Rogue 2



A-Wing Tycho repaint with swapped shins, life support piece and custom helmet.  Hardest part was matching the harness and flightvest colors.  And yes, he is supposed to be in black - that's how Stackpole describes him in the novels.  He wears orange in the comics but I'm re-creating Rogue Squadron from the novel series.

The harness, vest and belt colors were my choice.. Nothing about them in reference materials as far as I know.  I wanted him to look like an Imperial pilot, though.. Because of his story and career.  I figured that was part of the connection Stackpole was trying to establish anyway with his choice of black for Tycho (and/or mourning for Alderaan/his time in Lusankya).











Rogue 11

This is a character of my own invention - Kristan Hi'ran as Rogue 11.



He's based on RebelScummer RebelTrooper1138, winner of MyenShi's "fill my in-box with as many PMs as possible" contest.





I've also written a story for him:

Kristan can barely remember his childhood on Korriban.  Why his parents disappeared will more than likely forever remain a mystery.  The only thing left of them is a Clone Wars era vioflute from Mawan which he still carries.  All he knows are the streets that raised him.  While life as an orphan is difficult on any world, survival in Dreshdae during the Galactic Civil War was nearly impossible. 

As conflict fully encompassed the new Galactic Empire, Kristan discovered the wreckage of the freighter Jynni's Virtue in the Valley of Golg.  The ship's log accounted the horrors the crew suffered and warned that anyone reading it should get as far away from the planet as possible.  He barely managed to escape the Sith tomb with his life.  Scavenging what he could from the freighter, Kristan was able to scrape enough together to book passage to Taris.

While it had been fairly well reconstructed, Taris still bore the scars of wars long passed.  Life here was little better.  He managed to make a meager living by fixing anything he could get his hands on.  Swoops were always his favorite projects.  He also played his vioflute for a nightclub in the lower city.  His difficult life on Korriban had hardened him and he was determined to find a better life.  He spent most of his spare time sneaking swoops out to practice.  The speed liberated him and he always yearned for more of that sweet freedom that many take for granted. 

An oppurtunity presented itself shortly after news of the Empire's major victory on some ice world reached the Outer Rim.  When rumors of a pirate fleet refueling on Taris reached him, Kristan decided to make his move.  He managed to infiltrate one of their freighters.  While he had contemplated selling his services to them, he instead stumbled upon a prototype X-Wing fighter - one of the originals from the Battle of Fresia.  The unfortunate R5 unit stolen along with the ship related its own tragic tale.

He made his decision.  A life thought lost redeemed in a single moment.

Picking up a nearby helmet, Kristan climbed into the cockpit and stared at the controls.

..He was completely lost.  The only vehicles he had ever piloted were swoops and smaller craft.  He heard voices nearing the hangar so he ducked out of sight.  The R5 unit messaged him over the astromech translator and told him that it would be able to help him fly the fighter if Kristan removed its restraining bolt.

Nodding, Kristan took an apprehensive look around the hangar and unhooked the scratch-built blaster he always carried on his belt.  He turned the blaster to its lowest setting and opened the canopy.  Adrenaline took hold.  He shot one of the guards in the stomach and quickly turned, shooting the restraining bolt off the droid.  The guard recovered from his initial shock and raised his blaster.  Kristan fired again - a kill shot this time on the higest setting - and ended second guard's career as well.

He couldn't be certain - as he didn't speak astromech - but the R5 unit's alarmed tone sounded like a warning.  He quickly sat and closed the canopy.  The hangar filled with pirates as the R5 unit gave him a very hurried crash (perhaps not the best choice of words) course in starfighter controls.

He managed to blast his way out and left Taris for good.  He vowed to return the fighter and droid to their owners when he felt the time was right.  For now, he wanted to appreciate his newfound freedom.  He asked the R5 unit if that was okay and it whistled its assent.  Kristan asked what its name was but it didn't have one.  He named it Jynni.

Wedge: What did he do after that?
Tycho: He traveled a bit from planet to planet doing odd jobs here and there.  He's stayed out of trouble for the most part.  He signed on with the Alliance a little while after Coruscant.  He offered to return the astromech and fighter to the New Republic but they allowed him to keep both.  They had him running missions in the Outer Rim for a while - a lot of it's still classified.
Wedge: I can see why you want him, Tycho.  He's a survivor.
Tycho: I guess the real question is whether or not he'll survive our reputation.
Wedge: We'll see.  At least he gets along with Hobbie and Wes - I think that's a major victory over the stats.

* * *

Kristan: ..And that's pretty much it.  I fix things, shoot pirates, fly like a swoop racer and play the vioflute.
Hobbie: You stole an X-Wing?
Kristan: Borrowed.
Hobbie: How do you steal an X-Wing?
Kristan: Borrowed.
Hobbie: Can you borrow a new one for me?
Wes: So you can crash that one, too?
Kristan: When you're sure you can keep these flying, Major, I'll see what I can do.
Hobbie: I think he likes me, Wes.



Another shot of his droid Jynni.  Basic story for the R5 unit is that she was Incom property who was "stolen" (though she chose to defect) by the Rebels at Fresia.  The pilot she befriended there was killed when criminals stole the X-Wing to sell on the black market.  Rescued by Kristan on Taris and decided to join him on his journey.

Also.. My Rogue Squadron hangar's current droid pool (still working on Whistler and Emtrey):



Repainted LOM unit.. Just a mechanic (with a sordid history!)



Thanks for looking!



Archives

Delta 7 Aethersprite - Coronet Specter
This is a Delta 7 Aethersprite named Coronet Specter for a future Corellian Jedi I have planned.

It's nothing much - I just wanted to do something different. This was originally the Jedi Starfighter from the Saga line. Repainted, weathered.. Just brush work. Felt like doing something a little more creative than clones and clones.

















New Republic Pilot
Khite Terras, a New Republic Special Ops pilot in the img of Wraith Squadron or NR Intel - something like that.









Parts:
Helmet: Comic Pack Luke
Upper Body: Ilum Padme
Belt: VTAC Leia
Legs: TSC Boushh
Sculpted from GreenStuff: Gloves, boot coverings, vest, environmental control box, straps.



ARC Troopers
I was trying to capture a more gritty and realistic feel to the Clone Wars as opposed to the kinetic energy of the cartoon series and CGI effects of the movies. What better way than through urban combat?

I do like how the bases turned out because I was kind of going with an "unleashed" feel. I tried to make the bases fit well with each trooper without taking away from them. I guess I just wanted them to look like they're more than 3 3/4" action figures.

I'm still assembling parts for the others, but hope to have more soon - especially the Captain.

ARC Lieutenant
AT-077 - Seven

"Jaig eyes..," he thought to himself, "I can't remember how long its been since I got them. An honor, they tell me. All I did was my duty. It feels like we've been fighting in this city forever, though I guess in a way, we have been.."





ARC Heavy Gunner
AT-118 - Joker

"You're not calling your fire team 'exploding droid'."
"But they explode so prettily, chief - don't you think?"
"..You're fire team Xi. Try to remember that."





ARC Lieutenant and Slicer
AT-093 - Horatio

"Alas poor battle droid.."
"..Sir?"
"Nothing, Bones. Dramatic monologue."





ARC Sniper
AT-140 - Bones

"What do you want, boss?"
"2, building to the north. Go."
"Done. Next?"





ARC Demolitions Expert
AT-142 - Pyro

"I need a charge on this door."
"Yes, sir. Want the building blown as well?"
"Just the door for now, Pyro."





ARC Combat Medic
AT-054 - Peri

"Doc? Why is there a pistol in your medkit?"
"I can give you a myriad of answers and none of them would comfort you. Do you still want to know?"
"...Not really."







Clones
I prefer Phase I clones over Phase II. My army will never be as big as others but I'm trying to make up for that with personality.  Custom made bases as always and hand weathered.




















5
Update: January 6, 2008
This is RC-0808, also known as "Rebel".  He's a Clone Commando fighting for the Republic.  He's not happy.



This is the reason why Rebel isn't happy.  This is a Chameleon droid - one of several that have been killing off his brothers in the city.  The Commandos call this Chameleon droid team the "Scalpers".



This is why you don't **** with the Republic.









Yep.. He shot that Chameleon droid and jumped on one of its legs as it fell.  Now he's using that kinetic energy to fling himself towards the next Chameleon droid.  A little improbable but I wanted to capture the kinetic energy of the Clone Wars animated and 3D series which can be difficult to do with static figures.

Details on the victim:









I do have other projects in the works but I wanted to start this year off with something for you guys (and I know how much people love their Clones). 

This is a tribute I made over at RebelScum for the customizing community and the upcoming Clone Wars series. 

Working on this Commando was a lot of fun.  It's nice to put a lot of time and work into a single figure as opposed to doing armies from time to time.

The Commando was originally an extra Scortch I had.  The knees were replaced with ball joints and the backpack modified.  I started with a black undercoat, then painted the parts that I wanted red an undercoat of dark gray.  Then I painted the red, weathered the whole figure and gave the red a wash of chestnut colored ink.  The weathered black areas were given a wash of black to unify the figure.

The Chameleon droid is a repaint.  I gave it a black undercoat, then drybrushed silver, then drybrushed the tin color onto it.  I weathered it with silver, black ink, then gave the mechanical parts and vents a wash of flesh colored organic ink.

I liked how the dark red color on the Commando came out so much that I've decided to do a whole set of all red Commandos.  Each one will be featured on an action packed base like this one.

Oh, and no, the figure isn't super glued to the leg.  He's completely removeable and playable.

Thank you again, everyone!  Here's to another year of customizing!

Questions & comments always appreciated. :]

Follow Up











The actual red is a bit darker than that but I'm having a little trouble atm.  I'll post better pictures when I get more Commandos.

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