Monthly Customizing Challenge - Previous Months

[The Professor]

I really like that Baktoid mining droid, CHEWIE.  It captures the Star Wars look perfectly.  It looks straight from the movie.  The wires are a nice touch and the paint job is great as usual.

[Gregorbian]

Darth_Ripley - great 12" astromechs!  The colors match perfectly and the lines are all very crisp - nice job!  Did you prime the figures before you started painting them?  I bought a 12" R2-A6 recently with the intention of customizing him and I wasn't sure whether to prime him (and lose the chrome dome) or just paint over his green parts; what do you recommend?

It's always great to see some new customizers!  All of my first customs were repaints - I think it's a great way to start out.  Of course, my first customs astromech repaints come nowhere close to yours - I can't wait to see you try some other customs

[Ryan]

Fabulous customs ripley! The lines are so perfect, they look factory painted. I really like how you added the wires. Don't sell yourself short these weren't just repaints, you did something else to them. Even if you didn't, I love the paint app, the black is so smooth and glossy. I am attracted to shiney things easily. Welcome to the JD customizing community! Keep with it, and I'm sure we'll see many more great customs from you. I added your entry to the image thread.

[Gregorbian]

Oh yeah, I overlooked the adding of the wires!  Looking at my R2-A6 - your wires look fantastic - a huge improvement!  I think that, whenever I get around to painting that guy, I'll probably copy your idea and add some "real" wires. 

[darth_ripley]

thanks for the nice welcome and comments everyone 
its great to hear comments from others. my husband always has very encouraging and great things to say, but its nice to hear from "impartial" sources.

Gregorbian, i didn't prime the droids, i sanded them down, cleaned them with alcohol and got the surface nice and smooth and then spray painted them with Krylon Fusion Gloss Black spray paint. Fusion is the spray paint that will bond to plastic. i got it at Wal-Mart for $3.99. it sprays easily and does not bubble, crack and all that other nasty stuff. i highly recommend it. btw, my R2-Q5 started out as an R2-D2 with all the attachments and i just painted over his chrome dome 

i'm currently working on a 12" Grievous repaint now along with a 12" Biker Scout. i'll post some pics once they are both finished. i got tired of doing different 3 3/4" clone repaints and had to move on to something more fun 

-ripley

[Gregorbian]

Cool, thanks for the head's up on your astromech painting technique 

What are you going to do to the 12" Biker Scout?  I love hasbro's version so I'm interested in seeing you put theirs to shame   

[Jayson]

here are some custom droids I did a couple years ago for the SAGA X-Wings that came with that lame cardboard artoo unit.


And my custom LIN-V8K droid from Tatooine

[JediMAC]

And my custom LIN-V8K droid from Tatooine

Man, that's sweet, Jayson!    I've been waiting quite patiently for years now for Hasbro to finally pimp us one of those (along with the orange Treadwell).  I'd take yours any day though!

What'd you use?  Just half of a styrofoam ball?  That'd be my guess there...  Should it be a little darker though?  I can't recall too well, but I thought it was closer to black when it was next to the Sandcrawler (or is that a different one?)...

- Matt

[Jayson]

It is actually made from half a plastic sphere that you can buy from your local craft shop. The antenna is made from one of the thousands of bending twist ties that come with 12" figures or vehicles that attach it to the box. I then just used parts from weapons from the 1000's extra greeblies in my customs bin. Painted it flat black, the spattered light brown on for the dusty/dirty look. Added a few silver dry brush strokes and wholla - custom junk droid!

[The Professor]

darth_ripley, jedijaybird, those are some very clean and sharp customs.  I'm always amazed by how people can be so precise with their painting.  It's something I'm always challenged by in my dioramas.  Keep it up.  I'm really liking what's coming out of this month's challenge.

[CHEWIE]

Those black droids look just like movie props.  Wow... I'm stunned at how realistic they look!  Totally awe-inspiring.

The other X-Wing astromechs look great too, but the LIN droid is outstanding.  Now I need to update mine - yours is one of the best ones I've seen.  I've always wanted to add some sort of treads to mine, but yours looks great without them.

 

[Daigo-Bah]

Those are some fantastic droids!  This is my attempt at Red Leader's droid; Iwasn't brave enough to paint the sliver/white lines that frame the black marks, but I'm pretty pleased with it.  By the way, the bottom half is not painted, and the feet are cut off for a deeper fit in the socket.

[Jayson]

Some shots with Red Leader & in the droid socket.

[Gregorbian]

great astromechs jedijaybird!  I really like that red leader droid - very crisp paintjob 
Is that yellow R5 droid an original paintscheme?

[Jayson]

great astromechs jedijaybird!  I really like that red leader droid - very crisp paintjob 
Is that yellow R5 droid an original paintscheme?

Actually he (R5-A2) has a couple brief appearances in ANH on Tatooine.



I have some weathering to do on them yet but it's a start.