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Unfortunately, I don't have much time for customizing anymore. I used to work on projects constantly, but then "real life" just got in the way. Nowadays, I sit around and talk about figures that I want to make, and come up with loads of ideas, but just never get the time to sit down and actually work on any of them.
Today, I found the Jedi vs Sith Battle Pack, and was excited because it contained a figure that I had wanted for the longest time - General Obi Wan in Clone Wars Armor. But when I took the figure and the parts out of the pack, and tried to put him together, it was just... crap. Horrible. I remember seeing the figure at C3 and thinking it was ****, but hoping that when I actually got it in my hands, it would be better. But - it was worse.
So I decided to make my own, out of the parts that I could salvage from this crappy version (pretty much the head, helmet, cape, and lightsaber) and an extra ROTS #38 Tank Gunner body that I happened to have lying there. I dremeled out the inside of Obi's head a bit since the AT TE Gunner has a looong neck peg, then cut the "armor" from the cape. Put the head on the body, and put the cape over the top - done. The only thing I don't like about it, and I'm trying to figure out a way around it, is the belt that is molded onto the cape part. I'd like to get rid of it, but it would mean breaking the cape ends off, and then trying to fix that would take me another 18 months ;)
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obiclone01.jpg)
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obiclone02.jpg)
Oh, and just BTW - the last custom I made was back in March of 2004, I made this Clone Wars Animated Yoda (http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=3850.0).
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That looks like a good custom to me!
For the belt - maybe you could just trim down the belt on the Tank Gunner's body and then the belt on the robes might not stick out so much? I don't think you would be able to easily cut out the robes without having to do some major retooling...
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It looks great, welcome back to the world of customizing!
Do you have any pics around here of your previous work?
:P
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You know I have this exact custom in mind when I bought the jedi vs sith pack. I was planning on using a #41 clone. I would then cut the front of the cape and remove the molded belt. I could then glue the front pieces back on.
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yah has anyone else noticed the battle pack helmet is jacked up its more material on one side than the other looks really weird so my paints apps are gonna be hard on it casuse of its screwed up shape d@?& u hasbro
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yah has anyone else noticed the battle pack helmet is jacked up its more material on one side than the other looks really weird so my paints apps are gonna be hard on it casuse of its screwed up shape d@?& u hasbro
Please use some commas, periods, and capital letters, in the correct places of course. Your posts are really hard to read... :-\
Jokabofe, it looks great! I planned on doing this as soon as I bought one, I still haven't started on it. ::)
I'd like to see some of your older customs too. :)
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SLC is right Smarty. Just a little better grammar makes it a lot easier to read. We try to be good about making our posts reader friendly. :-*
:P
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Hey guys, thanks for the comments. I'll have to look and see if I have any of my other older customs laying around, or if I have any pics on my hard drive somewhere.
And, just as an update to General Obi-Wan there, it looks like the customizing bug wasn't just a 24 hour bug ;) - I went back tonite and did a little re-working on him, mostly with the front of the cape and the skirt. I took Master_Phruby's little "idea" and put it to work. I cut the pieces of the skirt off, cut the belt off, and then glued the top and bottom pieces of the skirt back onto the body. I'm not crazy about how the top half looks, since it doesn't seem to fit that great (I'll have to go back and do a little cutting it looks like) but the bottom pieces of the skirt look so much better now. I'll see if I can get some pics up later.
And, that's not all... I'm sure you're all sick of seeing Clone repaints (but I'm not, I love those little guys) - but I started doing a few of my own. I did a body swap on a Commander Bacarra using an Ep2 SA Clone, I'm working on an ARC Trooper using an Ep3 SA Clone, and I took all the gear off a Red Clone Commander and did a little redesigning of his armor with some (crappy) paint apps. I'll see if I can snap a few shots of these guys as well.
Ahh, it feels good to be back :P
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Alright......got it
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So I was able to do a little more work on a few more figures. Click on the small pic for a larger one:
Commander Baccara: took the Commanders head, skirt, and pauldron and placed them on an Episode 2 SA Clone body. The head actually wouldn't fit right with the pauldron, so it had to shaved down just a bit on that side. The Baccara body has to be one of, if not the worst, I've ever seen from Hasbro. God, it sucks. I think this works 110% better. The only problem I see is that the plastic from the helmet is just a tad whiter than the plastic on the body. Some weathering and dirtying up should fix that.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/baccara_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/baccara.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/baccara2_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/baccara2.jpg)
I took one of my Clone Commanders and stripped him of his gear, and tried to paint him up a little different. I'm not 100% happy with the way this turned out, it just looks... blech. I'll tell ya, painting them Clones is not as easy as it looks.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/clone_red_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/clone_red.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/clone_red2_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/clone_red2.jpg)
An update to my Clone Wars General Obi-Wan Kenobi. Seperated the rest of the molded in armor from the cape, and then cut the belt parts off as well. Glued the cape and skirt pieces back to the body where they belong. Looking at these pics it looks like I need to go back and clean up the inside of the cape around the chest are just a little bit more.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/general_obi_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/general_obi.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/general_obi2_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/general_obi2.jpg)
And finally, a little WIP of a SA ARC Trooper that I'm working on. I'm still trying to decide if I want to give him the Episode 2 helmet or the Episode 3 helmet. I can't make up my mind. I'm leaning a little more towards the Ep3 helmet only because I kinda painted his armor a little differently than the ARC Troopers from the cartoon and comics. And the one thing I absolutely hated about the ARC figures was the fact that Hasbro completely skimped on painting the belt and pouches area on the figure, so I went ahead and took care of that. He's not done just yet, hopefully this weekend.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc_front_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc_front.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc_back_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc_back.jpg)
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I'm liking the ARC trooper so far. The soft goods look sweet, and are a very nice touch. Personally I'd go with an EII clone head for him. But thats just a personal preferance. To me thats a ARC trooper. In any case which ever head you use it should look awesome. BTW you shouldnt down yourself about the red clone, I think it looks pretty good myself.
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cool arc. What did u use for the gauntlets?
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I'm liking the ARC trooper so far. The soft goods look sweet, and are a very nice touch.
There are no soft goods there. I just re-painted the skirt that came with the ARC already ;)
cool arc. What did u use for the gauntlets?
They are from the Clone Wars Anakin figure, or the Mace... one of them. I just repainted them in "Mithril Silver" from Citadel.
Thanks guys ;D
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Are you serious from here they look like cloth. Excellent job.
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Personally I'd go with an EII clone head for him.
Yeah, that's most likely what I'll end up doing for him. I've got the ARC head dremeled out to fit over the large neck-ball-thing so that it has the articulation of the newer SA style troops. I'm still working on the paint for it though...
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Jokabofe, for the Bacara you could use a #41 ROTS Clone body rather than an AOTC Clone body. I believe they are more white and the color would be a closer match for you.
:P
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Good stuff, that ARC is going to be one of the best yet. I would definitely use the Ep. II style helmet.
As for your repainted red clone commander, I would reduce the red paint on his torso - I think he has too much coloring. Maybe some 501st style chest lines or paint him how you painted the ARC trooper's torso (below the pectoral armor).
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So, I got a chance to finish up my SA ARC Trooper this evening. After hearing Darth_Ennis' comments about soft goods, and there not being any... it gave me an idea. I had a few of the Darth Maul capes from the Episode 1 Accessory packs, so I cut one up. I cut off the skirt from the belt that was on the ARC and glued on two small strips of the Maul cape in their place. I'm kinda digging the way it came out.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc001_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc001.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc002_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc002.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc003_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc003.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc_back_done_s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/arc_back_done.jpg)
click to enlarge
I thought about painting the edges of the skirt in the blue to match the helmet/armor, but after testing it on a scrap, the blue I used is pretty dark, and you can barely notice it was there. I also ended up painting the visor on the helmet in silver, because you couldn't even see the black that was there after I added the blue trim.
Let me know what you guys think.
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WOW! that's freakin' awsome! :o. Cool usin the soft goods and I like the paint scheme.
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That looks great! I really like the softgoods skirt and the silver visor - nice touches!
Those gauntlets came out really well, this is a great custom all around ;D
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That paint looks nice! What kind of paints are those
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That paint looks nice! What kind of paints are those
The Blue is from "Anita's All Purpose Acrylic Craft Paints" and the rest are all from Citadel Miniatures.
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I'm liking the ARC trooper so far. The soft goods look sweet, and are a very nice touch.
There are no soft goods there. I just re-painted the skirt that came with the ARC already ;)
cool arc. What did u use for the gauntlets?
They are from the Clone Wars Anakin figure, or the Mace... one of them. I just repainted them in "Mithril Silver" from Citadel.
Thanks guys ;D
Dang, right when I see this I find ONE of my anakin clone wars gauntlets but can't find the other. Just my luck, eh?
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Nice job on the accessorizing, and the paint lines are crisp and clean. I LIKE this one a lot!
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Nice job on the accessorizing, and the paint lines are crisp and clean. I LIKE this one a lot!
Thanks. A little "cheat" for getting nice crisp lines that I use is this: after the paint has dried, I take a nice sharp exacto knife and scrape away any paint that doesn't belong where it is. It works great, as long as you don't have paint layered over paint, because it will take off both layers if you do. As long as the paint is over the figure - in this case the helmet and armor of the Clone - it works like a charm ;)
And it's much easier to make nice crisp straight lines that way than trying to paint them on nice and crisp and straight.
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WOW very nice on the ARC Trooper Dave *thumbs up* 8)
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Yeah, Dave. Brilliant work! Very detailed.
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Excellent looking ARC Dave!
At first I didn't like the blue on the stomach, but it is really growing on me. I LOVE the softgood skirt. You did a great job fitting it so it is the right size. The back pouches came out a great color, they look really sharp. I really like the silver visor, it makes it stand out from most ARC customs, I've seen. Great attention to detail.
I hope this little "bug" of yours turns into a full born plague. :P
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At first I though he was wearing parachute pants. Then I realized its just the gun in the background. These look nice. I especially like the trim and the gauntlets. Are you going to make a red version?
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At first I though he was wearing parachute pants. Then I realized its just the gun in the background. These look nice. I especially like the trim and the gauntlets. Are you going to make a red version?
Parachute pants? LOL...
As for the Red version? Yeah, I had a blast making this one, so if I can get my hands on the pieces for another, I've got a Red version (and maybe another one if I have enough gauntlets) lined up. Might not be for a few weeks, though, as I've got a pretty full schedule coming up in the near future.
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Using pretty much the same recipe for my Blue SA ARC, I went ahead and made a Red one. Noticeable differences - weathering, use of the Clone Commander's belt and holsters and pauldron (modified), and skirt is made from a Brown Jedi Robe instead of Black. Ripped up a little bit to simulate battle damage.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/redarc1s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/redarc1.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/redarc2s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/redarc2.jpg)
click to enlarge
I don't think he came out as nice as the Blue one, but I think it's better than Hasbro's version, so I'm happy with him.
;D
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Holy Testicle Tuesday! That's one mean-looking mofo. Looks like he's been in a few heavy firefights. I like, I like.
B
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Cool ARC Trooper, I agree that I like the blue one better, but this guy still turned out great.
The only thing that I would change is to reduce the amount of red markings on his face, it seems like the lines are a bit too thick (at least compared to the original and EE clone sets).
I really like your sg kamas, great work there!
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Today's update: another Clone ::)
This time, I decided to make one of Commander Baccara's troops on Mygeeto... this guy was made from:
Saga Snowtrooper head
AT-RT Driver arms, torso and left hand
#6 Clone right hand
Commander Baccara skirt
Clone Pilot legs and feet
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mygeeto02s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mygeeto02.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mygeeto03s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mygeeto03.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mygeeto04s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mygeeto04.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mygeeto05s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mygeeto05.jpg)
click to enlarge
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MAN! THOSE are AWSOME! I'm digging those paints. Especially the red.
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Im really diggin the Mygeeto Clone. Well done!
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As I said on the NJ board, great work on this Galactic Marine. I love the choice of parts, I think they work very well.
For the backpack, I think you could use some of those pouches that come with the BBi Elite Force figures that Toys R Us sells. I think the big rectangular one with a little tweaking would work fine.
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Looks outstanding! Kind of similar to the ones that I made too, but I think I prefer the legs on yours over mine.
Well done, and thanks for showing this!
:P
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Sweet clones man, I like the marine a lot.
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Today's update: Another Clone ::)
Sorry, I'm just not sick of making them yet, and I'm not sure I ever will be. The possibilities are endless...
Anyway, this is kind of a FanFic Clone - I was working on a Cody Helmet, and then I got a chance to purchase one from Bantha5 (Ryan) so I figured his has to be better than anything I could make, right? So I scrapped Cody, and made this guy... I named him after my best friend who had to be put to sleep earlier this year - Commander Rollins.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins02s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins02.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins04s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins04.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins05s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins05.jpg)
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins06s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins06.jpg)(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins07s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins07.jpg)(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins08s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/rollins08.jpg)
click to enlarge
Pretty much a #38 Clone repaint, but I added the visor which I removed from a POTJ Scout Trooper and modified slightly for a better fit. I used some of the helmet covering from the #38, but not all of it. I also threw a Snowtrooper backpack which I mounted a #41 Clone Antenna on, and gave him an ARC Trooper rifle. He's kinda cool, but he just looks like a Blue Cody ripoff... and I'm really not digging the "clean" look :D
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As I said before, nice job on this guy! The Scout Trooper visor works pretty well, I was pleasantly surprised by that. I would just add a little bit more in terms of legion markings to his torso to tie him more into the RotS color schemes than the AotC color schemes. Cool use of the Snowtrooper backpack too. ;D
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I like this one, it's an interesting paint design. I might add a bit of weathering to him, but just a little.
:P
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I can dig it. I like how he looks like he's from Episode 2 era.
I wonder if anyone has tried to mount that visor (Biker Scout) or the one we got on the Clone Commander on an Episode 2 clone trooper. I think that would look pretty sweet.
I love it!
Kevin
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Damn, I like this clone a lot as well, looks like you have been having a lot of fun!!!
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That's cool. I'd try it but I don't have a scout trooper.
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I'm really diggin those clones, excellent work. I have been planning on a galactic marine myself but college and faulty computer mechanics have prevented this.
you inspire me further for another time.
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A few weeks back, I was cleaning up one of my bookcases when I found a stash of Star Wars Insider mags. I was thumbing through them when I saw the cover for Issue 80:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/edrrak/TOYS/DSC01360.jpg)
I immediately thought about making the Obi-Wan in Clone Gear, since it was a little different from the last one that I made. Then, just a few days later, Tony (Talon Karrde) shows up and makes the exact figure I was working on, and displays it here (http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=9640.msg167523#msg167523) (check it out if you haven't, it's really awesome).
So I kept working on mine, but came to a standstill a few days later when it came time for the cape. He looks okay without the cape:
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-001s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-001.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-003s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-003.jpg)
click to enlarge
But I was kinda unsure how to go about giving him a cape. I tried cutting up the robe that came with the #55 Obi-Wan, but wasn't 100% happy with that. It looks okay from the back, but from the front... ehh.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-004s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-004.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-005s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-005.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-006s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-006.jpg)
click to enlarge
Then I tried making a soft goods cape. The results were, uhhh... let's just say they sucked. I didn't bother taking any pics of that mess. Then I went with the Count Dooku cape. Again, I'm kinda... ehhh about it. It looks okay, I guess, but I'm not 100% satisfied with it. Plus, it has no hood.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-007s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-007.jpg)(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-008s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/obi-008.jpg)
click to enlarge
And that's kinda where I'm stuck. I like the figure, and I want to do a few more of the Clone Wars General Jedi using the same basic formula (Jedi body/head/upper arms/upper legs and Clone forearms/hands/shins/feet) but I'm not so sure about adding the robes/capes to these guys. Any suggestions?
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Wow Joke, thats one ipressive obi wan.
I love the character/outfit, so i'm alwasy happy to see these made.
The cape from the back looks great on the first one and from the front looks great on the second one.
I would take the fron of dooku and splice it with the rest of the obi wan cape/robe you made.
Gret figure so far.
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Much like everyone else here now, I am working on one of these Obi-Clone customs too. :P
I was thinking about trying either the CW Asajj Ventress cape (the "movie" one, not the animated version)
http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=clonewars/sw03cwasajjventressright.jpg
http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=clonewars/sw03cwasajjventressback.jpg
or maybe as a back-up, I was going to use a Ep1 Tatooine Maul Cloak (w/ the front half cut-off).
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copycat :P
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copycat :P
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery... :-*
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Looks great. I'm sure you saw my version too, and my similar Ki Adi Mundi -
(http://chewie34.250free.com/ObiWan1.jpg)
(http://chewie34.250free.com/ObiWan2.jpg)
(http://chewie34.250free.com/KiAdiMundiArmor.jpg)
I used the Doctor Doom cape from the Superhero Showdown figure for Obi Wan, and a spare Dooku cape for Ki Adi Mundi. So, you could try that route if you like how they look.
One thing I would personally suggest is some sort of dry brushing to make them look like they've seen a little action.
For a hood, you could maybe cut off a hood from an existing hooded cape and add it on, like I did on these Clones disguised as Jedi -
(http://chewie34.250free.com/JediClone2.jpg)
(http://chewie34.250free.com/JediClone.jpg)
Or even like on this Palpatine I made a while back -
(http://www.thecustomalliance.com/cook/NEWPALPATINE.jpg)
(http://chewie34.250free.com/TRANSFORMATION.jpg)
Don't know how much this will aid you, just trying to help.
:P
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Continuing with my Clone Wars Jedi Generals theme, here's a figure I threw together this evening of General Ki-Adi Mundi after a hard day on the battlefield.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mundi-002s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mundi-002.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mundi-003s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mundi-003.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mundi-004s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mundi-004.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mundi-005s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/mundi-005.jpg)
click to enlarge
I think I went just a tad overboard on the weathering, but I kinda like it. It's not like you can call a timeout and go take a shower in the middle of a battle :P
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Excellent customs! I really must jump on this Clone Wars Obi Wan bandwagon...
oh, wait, I forgot, I suck at customizing!
That Ki Adi Mundi has had one helluva bad day! But it looks great.
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Ki Adi looks a bit overweathered, and Obi Wan looks like he needs some of from Ki Adi. I think somewhere in between and you have two very realistic looking versions of them.
Also on Ki Adi, I might suggest using the ROTS head, I think you used the EPI version?
Very good work though, I'm not criticizing at all, just throwing ideas out there.
:P
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i really like the Obi-wan a lot, it looks very nice, maybe just a tiny bit of weathering on it and i'm sure you'll get the cape worked out. i'm on the bandwagon too on this, but i'm going the soft goods route on the cape, at least i am going to attempt it :P
i like the premise on the Ki-Adi, but its just a tad bit too dirty for me, again not a criticism. if you like it & have a story behind it, please do what makes you happy.
i like this concept for a battle-hardened Ki-Adi myself & hope to get around to doing both of them sometime soon...it might be a cool group project actually in the future.
(http://www.thelightsaber.com/Conceptual/ROTS/PloKi.jpg)
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I have plans to make both of those into figures.
Now, how come no one has painted obi-wans gloves brown like in the pictures?
Kevin
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I dunno... I kind of like the gloves black on him. Guess that's why I left them the way the were.
:P
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I actually have a half completed custom of that Plo Koon on my work table now.
-DD
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hey joke really great customs. they'd make a good addition to anyones collection. suggestion on the cape if you have any saga royal guards laying around if you cut them in the right spot they'd make pretty good cape they're pretty thin not too bulky looking, but once again no hood, another suggestion not sure how this would look but maybe some super glue and some sculpey add the plastic hood from that ultra/deluxe pegwarming obi/sb driod and it might turn out okay.
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Dave, as I said on the NJ boards - I really like your Gen. Ki-Adi-Mundi figure. I'm a big fan of softgoods so I'm glad to see its inclusion in your custom. Like I said in another thread, I think a small length of chain connecting the cloak in front of the neck would really add to the "realness" of the cloak.
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OK, so it's been like 6 months since I sat down and did any kind of work on custom figures... but tonight I kinda got the "itch" and picked up an extra animated ARC Trooper that I had, re-positioned one arm, and re-painted him blue. I know Clones have been done to death, but I'm just not tired of doing them yet (plus I haven't done any in 6 months). And I'm always jonesing for new animated style figures... I just love this line.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/blue_clone1s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/blue_clone1.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/blue_clone2s.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/blue_clone2.jpg)
click to enlarge
After looking at the larger versions of the pics, I definitely seem to be a little out of practice with the paintbrush. Oh well, maybe I can get back into the swing of things, if I keep at it again.
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I really like the way you reposition the arms. Much better than the original verision! I think you are being to hard on yourself (don't we all) - I think the painting apps look great.
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If I was into the animated line, I'd have to make me one of these and only hope it turned out half as nice. Excellent work, hope you get back into the swing of things customizing. :)
:)
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Very Clean. Very nice work. I've been meaning to make one with this paint scheme too.
Great work.
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(http://www.thelightsaber.com/Conceptual/ROTS/PloKi.jpg)
i was planning on making those also, especially that plo koon.
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jokabofe, i've always loved your customs and your paint applications. wat paints do use again?
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That Plo would RULE!
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jokabofe, i've always loved your customs and your paint applications. wat paints do use again?
Thanks. I generally use either Citadel Miniatures or Tamiya paints. Recently I found a great website that sells Tamiya paints (since they were hard to find locally) and placed a pretty good order - about $190 worth, so I've pretty much got just about every color now.
The Tamiya paints are nice and thin, so they spread quickly and evenly, and dry pretty fast. The only problem is if you're trying to cover an area with a lighter color than the base coat, it may take more than one coat. But I'm really starting to prefer the Tamiya over every other brand.
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Hasbro has not given us a decent ROTS Anakin yet, out of the several variations to be found, which is surprising since this movie actually focuses on him.
A while back when I got the Anakin Evolutions set, I thought it was good. Good, but not great. But not far from great. There were a few things I didn't like, and a few I didn't understand... AOTC Anakin has elbow articulation, ROTS Anakin didn't? ROTS Anakin has ankle articulation, AOTC Anakin doesn't? Didn't make any sense. So, when I was able to pick up an extra of this set (because no matter how bad a figure Hasbro makes turns out, I always need 1 unadulterated version in my collection. What can I say, OCD is a terrible thing), I decided to swap out the parts and make an Ulitimate Super Articualted ROTS Anakin (since I was never found of the AOTC version anyway).
I used the ROTS Anakin head and legs, and swapped out for the AOTC torso, arms, sash, and belt. I cut the right arm right after the elbow joint and added the ROTS glove, and maintained articulation on the elbow joint. There's not much more articulation I could add to this guy - neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles. I had to trim down the AOTC torso neck, it was longer than the ROTS torso for some reason. I still want to work on the cape/robe, and I want to paint his eyes Sith red, but it's too late and I'm too tired for that right now. That will be tomorrow nights project.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/tn_anakin.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/anakin.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/tn_anakin_1.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/anakin_1.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/tn_anakin_2.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/anakin_2.jpg)
click to enlarge
Now, on to Vader. This was another figure that I thought had great potential, but in the hands of Hasbro, we all know what that means. The silver string around the neck? Nice touch, but it should have been shorter than an inch long. The helmet won't stay on for ****. And the head under the helmet? Please...
First thing I did was shorten the silver string. I'd love to swap it out altogether, but I don't know if I have any chain small enough. I think it looks 100x better after being shortened. All I did was cut one end, and stuff it under the helmet collar. The second thing I did was to swap out the head with an extra from a #50 Crispy Anakin that I had. I figured this was supposed to be a ROTS Vader, so he wouldn't be all white under there yet. And, to my surprise, swapping out the head actually fixed the helmet problem. I guess the #50 head is a little wider than the other head, because now the helmet stays on with no problem.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/tn_vader1.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/vader1.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/tn_vader2.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/vader2.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/tn_vader_no_helmet.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/dcastle/vader_no_helmet.jpg)
click to enlarge
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I think that Ultimate Vader came out great. What an amazingly simple but very effective update to a figure that is already pretty great. I'm defintiley going to try this myself ;D
As far as Anakain goes - I'd have to go back and look at the originals to see the added articulation. I honestly don't remember which figure got which joints. Your blending of these parts is top notch so I have to assume this is a huge improvement over any single figure out there :)
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damn me not having a digital camera. I actually did the same thing to my Evo Vader, i just "burned" him more then Hasbro's version. Great Anakin. I've tried something along this line with mine to give him better elbow articulation. can you still twist/turn the gloved part of the arm or did you have to permanately glue it on?
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can you still twist/turn the gloved part of the arm or did you have to permanately glue it on?
No, actually, I opted to just glue it on, since the new elbows have swivel articulation. I tossed around the idea of glueing some kind of post on the stump of the elbow, but that would have taken too long, and I get impatient when I'm working on any kind of figures. :-\
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Patience you must have. ;)
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GReat job on all and especially that ARC. Nice work. I'm impressed with thise gauntlets. I never though that either of those figures wouldever prove useful- I stand corrected. Looking forward to the finished pics
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Great work here jokabofe I always like it when you update.
I personally like the Anakin without that plastic/leather piece a bit more but I still think you made this look outstanding.
It's hard to see what was really done on the Vader with his helmet on since we seem to get a lot of slighltly different versons of him now with similar sculpts but your description shows what great work you did. He looks great and I'd buy this version in a heartbeat.
:)
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I personally like the Anakin without that plastic/leather piece a bit more but I still think you made this look outstanding.
Personally, so do I. The problem that arose from that was that I wanted to use the AOTC Anakin arms, since they had the elbow articulation. For some bizarre reason, the AOTC and ROTS torsos are two different shades of brown, so when I kept the ROTS torso with the AOTC arms, the colors didn't match. I decided to go with the AOTC torso and arms, because I ran into problems with the shoulder joints paint rubbing off. I had already tried to make a ROTS Anakin out of a Red Leader Obi Wan, and when I painted the torso it just came off immediately whenever I would move the arms. So I opted for the AOTC torso and arms, since the colors matched. I'm thinking that I need to go and trim down the sash a little bit, it does look a bit big.
One other strange thing about the Evolutions Anakin torsos - neither of them had a seam on the sides. I tried to split the torsos in half, like I always do, to swap the legs and arms out. But when I boiled them, there were no seams to split. The arms and hip/legs just kinda snap in.
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Great update to your work Dave... I'm liking the "ultimates" of Anakin and Vader...
If you wanted, a 2nd "Sith Eyes" head for Anakin wouldn't be a bad idea for Jedi butt whippings. Maybe a thought if you have an extra one? I dunno. These were hard sets to find for me. The only one I ever saw at retail was overpriced at Suncoast till they went under and I got it on clearance...
I like the fabric robed body myself, my complaint with it though is that, between the two bodies, the ROTS Anakin's is bulkier and more Vader-ish looking while the AOTC one is a bit thinner build.
That said, I like them both, and the poseability of the AOTC body with the fabric is great to me, but that's just my opinion... I like the poseability it gives you, not that the ROTS one is limited really.
The parts swapping on these is pretty seamless Dave, so I think you did a good job overall for what it is. Robe isn't a bad idea... Maybe a little work to make the hood lay down JUST right if you go that route... Otherwise, not much suggestion from my end. Nice work man, and good to see you still in the game.