Looking at the tank and the treads on the sandscrawler, it looks like there won't be four separate sets of treads. I assume the sandcrawler will pretty much ride on top of the tank. Is that going to change? Due to the weight, are you sure the tank motors will be able to turn with this much payload on top of it?

I am comfortably certain that the RC tank motors can handle the Custom Sandcrawler's weight (approx. 21 Lbs.), but they will be slowed which works out nicely for the scale, size, and apparent locomotion speed of the Sandcrawler as seen in A New Hope.

Also, to be clear:  The Fake "cosmetic" treads currently on this Custom Sandcrawler are being REMOVED and then they are being REPLACED by the treads and motors of the RC tank.  So this Sandcrawler WILL NOT simply ride atop the RC Tank. 

Instead, this crawler will move on four separate motorized sets of double treads "kit-bashed" off of the RC tanks.  That is why I have purchased FOUR of the 1/12th scale RC Tanks shown in the link above (for 8 total treads). This will be a full-scale "reverse engineering" operation on the RC Tanks.  Serious stuff.

It is for this reason that I am confident that the motors can handle the Custom Sandcrawler's weight.  Don't forget: It won't just be ONE RC tank motor pushing the Sandcrawler forward.  It will be four.

The only item from the custom Sandcrawler's original fake cosmetic treads that will be salvaged will be the faceplate facades placed over the modified RC tank treads.  And even those faceplate facades are being re-worked to be more accurate. For example, the three (currently missing) vertical rectangular vent openings are being added to the center of each faceplate.

Holy crap! If you don't mind me asking, about how much does it cost to have something like that made?

Well, admittedly it's pricey!  To have one built normally costs $1800 US Dollars with the shipping coming in around $400.  And that's BEFORE the RC modifications that I'm building into it!

MY custom Sandcrawler cost me LESS, however.  When I contacted my friend in South America about building me one, he gave me the choice of building me a brand new one from scratch (for the prices mentioned above) OR bidding on (and hopefully winning) an already existing (mint) specimen that he had built, and that a friend of HIS was auctioning on Ebay.

I decided to try my luck at the EBAY crawler, figuring that if I lost, I would just have him build me a brand new one at full price.

But as Luck would have it, I won the EBAY crawler for $1200!

This Sandcrawler can now keep the rest of my big vehicles company, including my 6ft long Millennium Falcon!

 Some stats about my Custom-built Sandcrawler:

As I mentioned before, her measurements are 29 inches (2-1/2 FEET) in height, and 61 inches (5.1 Feet) in length. It features a removable side panel for access to the crawler's "ore-processing room", a removable top panel for access to the detailed Main Control Overbridge , a front loading main ramp into the main hold, and working interior / exterior lights.

The treads seen in these photos are NOT the final ones that this custom Sandcrawler will sit on.

These treads seen here are solid, in-articulate prop pieces (just like on the OTC Diamonds Exclusive Sandcrawler). They do NOT roll. There are currently some tiny recessed wheels under the Sandcrawler that allow it to be rolled. But that's it.

However, for an additional fee, I have commissioned to have this toy fully converted into a rolling, functioning, steerable RC toy with working treads! (Just like the Lucasfilm model)

For the conversion, we are using the electronic rolling treads from a 1/10th scale RC german tank as the functioning RC platform. There will be one PAIR of rolling treads at each of the Crawler's 4 corners (that's 8 total).

The final treads and the faceplate housings will also be painted in a darker, grimier color than the rest of the crawler for that desert weather-beaten look.

There were some minor inaccurate detail errors evident in the photos of this custom toy (no square window opening on the side of the crawler, etc.), but I've ordered these various errors to be corrected/re-built before shipping.

In the end, the Sandcrawler that I'll receive in another few weeks from South America will be considerably more accurate than the way it appears in these photos.

This custom Sandcrawler toy is made of 1/4 inch thick hardboard, fibergass, plastic, and metal. It's considerably heavy.

I am simply waiting for all the detail modifications to be completed, and then I'll be taking delivery.

This would NEVER happen.  Nor would that many collectors buy one.  This would be cool, but out of the price range of most collectors and how many would have 6 feet of area to place such a behemouth of a vehicle, much less the space it take at a store... no store would even carry such a huge toy.

NEVER say "never".  The power of consumer demand should NEVER be underestimated.  If ENOUGH people want to see this toy made, it WILL get made.

The folks at Master Replicas are on the ball.  They are producing some HUGE, EXPENSIVE Star Wars collectible pieces, and these items, despite their hefty price tags and size, almost always sell completely out!!

They have recently released a 3 foot long Studio Scale Millennium Falcon at over $2000, and it's a BIG seller!  Imagine a slightly larger (toy) version of that model being offered for only a few hundred dollars!

Or how about companies like Attakus and Gentle Giant. They are doing VERY WELL with their respective STAR WARS licenced products.  In both cases, some of these products are VERY, VERY large... and VERY, VERY expensive, and even in the 3-3/4 inch scale.

The fact of the matter is STAR WARS collectors shell out big bucks for single collectibles EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Just browse through e-bay to see what I mean.

And I'm not opposed to Hasbro farming out the development and production of this large Millennium Falcon toy to another company.  They've done it before.  They could even offer this toy as a limited edition or exclusive to help keep their production numbers and costs down and their profit margin higher.

You know, all of this reminds me of the Millennium Falcon ExtraordinaireToys R Us store displays from 1997.   In many ways, those store displays prove my point.

You see I'm a proud owner of a mint Millennium Falcon Extraordinaire.  At 6 feet in length, they are slightly larger than a correct-to scale toy Falcon needs to be. 

Now only about 600 of these were ever made, so they ARE pretty "rare". 

I don't mind telling you that I consider my "Extraordinaire" to be the "official" Falcon of my collection... even though I also own the previous toy releases.

Why?

Because ONLY the "Extraordinaire" looks DECENT (scale-wise) among the closer-to-scale X-Wings and Tie Fighters that Hasbro has produced in recent years.

As it stands now, the toy Millennium Falcon we currently have available is virtually THE SAME SIZE as the newer Large-Winged Tie Fighters.

Blasphemy.

The big Millennium Falcon Extraordinaire TRU store displays are sought after by collectors who are willing to pay a hefty price for them because there IS a demand for a larger Millennium Falcon that is closer to correct scale with the 4 inch action figures.

In the latest catalogue from Brian's Toys, there is a mint Falcon Extraordinaire being offered for sale for $2,300!  And you'd better believe that they will sell that Falcon with no problem!!  They've sold others like it in the past that were priced similarly.


Clearly, there are those who feel that they wouldn't have the space in their home for a large toy like this. 

Perhaps not. After all, not everyone's space availability is the same.

However, I am of the opinion that with a little creative thinking, collector storage space for this big vessel doesn't HAVE to be an issue.  For years, I displayed my 6 foot long MFE standing against a wall of my (then) tiny bedroom in my small apartment.  It literally took up LESS space than a large stand-alone book shelf case!




Moreover, I disagree with your assessment that this large Millennium Falcon toy would be "...out of the price range of MOST collectors..."

That may have been true years ago, but the fact is, there are MANY Star Wars collectors out there NOW for whom money is not an issue.

STAR WARS collectors shell out big bucks for single collectibles EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Just browse through e-bay to see what I mean.

If offered something like this, high-end collectors Would CERTAINLY BUY IT without even thinking twice!   And I propose that even many other more budget-concious collectors would save up their pennies too so that they could eventually purchase one of these cool ships for THEIR collections. 

You know, I recently read a thread on another forum where posters discussed how much total money they spent on Hasbro's (just recently concluded) SAGA II Collection.  Some of those amounts were in the thousands!

STAR WARS toy collectors WILL SPEND TONS OF CASH on the stuff they like.

Would I purchase one of these proposed (near) correctly-scaled Millennium Falcons, for the cost I mentioned?  Brutha, in a heartbeat!!! 

Hi Guys!

Thanks so much for the kind comments and the words of support!

Your friendship and compassion has made this painful situation FAR more bearable and tolerable.

As I'm sure you can all imagine, ALL SORTS of horrible things run through your mind when you are suddenly confronted with the partial destruction of your beloved STAR WARS toy collection (well... the BOXES anyway).  When you discover 30 years of history and personal memories all soggy like that, it seems that leaping off the nearest bridge is a VERY viable option.

But as I've said before, being a part of this wonderful STAR WARS customizing community has been such an inspiration to me, that the "creative juices" began flowing  almost immediately after witnessing the disaster.

I actually asked myself, "What would a true CUSTOMIZER do in my situation? Would he give up?  Would he simply shrug his shoulders, sell off what he could of the collection and never look back?" 

HECK NO!!!!   

I quickly realized that it is in the SPIRIT of a true customizer to sometimes create unique pieces of fine art (yes, I said ART!!) out of less than NOTHING!  All of us here on these boards have seen some of the FINEST custom action figures and dioramas created out of discared toy parts, ordinary household items, plain ol' trash", and yes, even out of... bad situations.

Other collectors and customizers have gone through far WORSE than my little flood.  They've lost much more, and have still come out okay. 

Daigo-bah's run-in with huricane Katrina comes to mind.

After I was done feeling sorry for myself, I saw that I had NO RIGHT to call myself a "customzer" unless I could use my creativity to turn this situation around. After all, the toys themselves were not damaged.

Unless I could correct this (relatively) minor incident with my God-given customizing abilities,  had NO BUSINESS in counting myself among the proud ranks of customzers like Chewie, Daigo-bah, Findswoman,  Master_Phurby, Owen Driscol, Sith fire-30, MK17, Alex Newborn, Dan Curto, Glassman 6, Master Gunzz, EU CustomMan, Herb, Beedo, Rick UK, Bantha 5, scoobacca, DarthJace, and Darth _Deastron  (just to name a few.  I love ALL you guys, even the ones I neglected to mention.).

Less than 24 hours later, I was hard at work on the computer creating my first box design.

3 Months later, I had completed this modest body of work. And there are MORE in progress.

Each of these box designs have fully rendered lids and side panels complete with vintage style Kenner "proof-of purchase seals" !

So far, I have only printed the boxes for the small "accessory"- type toys  (Vehicle Maintenance Energizer, Tripod Laser Cannon, Radar Laser cannon) .

The boxes were professionally laser-printed on flat cardstock (white on the surface, "kraft brown" on the back), cut and then folded into finshed boxes.  The finished boxes look very professional.

I have NOT created cardboard inserts for any of these boxes, so everything is being packed with packing popcorn inside its new customized box.

Also, I have decided that ALL VEHICLES (regardless of size or weight) will be packaged in the heavier, stronger "corrugated cardboard" style boxes...  everything from HUGE AT-ATs to Luke's small Landspeeder.

Therefore, the graphics for these boxes will be printed as flat artwork on contact paper, and then carefully applied to a blank white custom-sized corrugated cardboard box.

 This is different from the vintage Kenner days when smaller vehicles (as well as playsets) were packaged in the thinner "chipboard"-type cardboard boxes.

That Jabba's Palace box is probably my favorite. I recoginze your custom Luke, did you make that Jabba as well? It looks much better than the Ultra version.

Keep up the great work! It's good to see you posting your work here!

Thanks Ryan!

You're a pal ! 

Quite a few STAR WARS friends have reacted strongly to my custom box design for my custom Jabba the Hutt Playset.  I guess partially becuase it is just so colorful and it "leaps" out at the viewer.

This design is one of my favorites from the batch too.   The Jabba The Hutt figure is indeed a CUSTOM FIGURE.  It was sculpted by another customizer (The EXTREMELY TALENTED Andrew Rosario... heck of a nice guy too!!), and then molded and cast as a static white resin kit.

Believe me when I tell you, the level of fine detail of these castings is absolutely SUPERB!  It is a FAR more accurate Jabba sculpt than Hasbro or Kenner has EVER come up with.  I have always found the Episode I / Ultra Jabba sculpt offered by Hasbro to be a bit "off".  He seemed to be sculpted with... well... female breasts!  The Jabba puppet seen in ROTJ always had layered rolls of fat on his upper chest... just like THIS custom sculpt.

I have custom painted and converted this static resin kit into a poseable figure for my custom playset

Anyhow, Thanks again for everything guys. You've made this old boy feel like a real "customizer" again!:D

Hi. The Greenpoint Toy Center is on Manhattan Ave, North of Norman, and close to Meserole.  It's right across the street from Cheap Jacks.

Also, do you have any pictures of your custom figures?  I saw your packages, and they're fantastic.  Do you work as a designer?  ---Mike

Howdy again Speedermike!

Photos of some of my custom action figures can be seen in the first two 2 pages of this thread:

http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=10704.0

Thanks for the compliment on my package designs.  I actually do not work as a designer.  I'm a teacher, and professional musician.

Darklord, great stuff.  Where in Brooklyn do you live?  I lived in Williamsburg/Greenpoint from 1988 to 2003.  I'm now in the Bronx.  Lando the Scoundrel is in Long Island City.  It's good to see another New Yorker out on the boards.

Hah!!! Well, well!!  What do you know?  You used to live in my current stomping ground.  Yup.  You guessed it!  I'm in merry ol' Williamsburg!

Yeah see... most folks don't know this, but... what with my name being Roberto Williams and all,  this ENITRE area was named after my family years ago... hence "Williams-burg".

See, we are a very old and powerful family.  And now I control this entire part of Brooklyn.  People come to my home from ALL over Brooklyn, asking for counsel and for help. 

Some of them even kiss my ring when they see me, and they call me "don" or "godfather".

Yeah, I've been known to do many "services" for these people.   And they know that someday (and that day may never come), I will call upon them to do a service for me...

 

Oh... heh, heh... sorry.  I kinda "geeked-out" a little bit there

Yeah... but anyway... my wife and I live in our apartment here in "Willy-B", Brooklyn.

Hey! Nice to see you over here Darklord! Again, I bow down to you and your collection.

Howdy DA!

It's always nice to stop by.  You guys always make me feel so at home!  Thanks so much for the nice words!

Army building with ships!  Now that I haven't seen before.  Any plans to open the rest to display like the TIE Interceptors?

Well, the Tie Interceptors are only loose because of the flood damage that my collection suffered three months ago.  They were the biggest casualty, so for the moment they are loose.

But now I am hard at work creating custom designed packaging for all the toys in my collection with damaged boxes or no boxes at all.

You can check out my designs in this thread:

http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=14165.0


Besides which, space limitations may certainly prevent my displaying the full Imperial Fleet squadron loose.  And  (don't tell my wife) but I am considering completeing that THIRD Tie Fighter convoy into a full squadron.

Each squadron has 12 fighters in it, so that means I'd only have to get 6 more fighters to complete that half convoy and end up with...  3 full IMPERIAL SQUADRON WINGS.