A Thread For Custom Figures

[roll my blues]

Please take some more of these, showing off other angles and details and stuff.

I'll start doing that.

Good job! What kind of paint do you use?

For me, I use both Delta Ceramcoat and Model Master acrylics. There are benefits and drawbacks to both. The Deltas come in a wide range of colors and are easily obtained (Michaels, etc) but they tend to scrape off easily even after sealing. Most of my earlier figures were done with Delta and they’re still looking great though.

I tend to use the Model Master paints a lot more often now. They come in a great range of colors that are really suited for this type of figure and they go on like butter and stay very well. The only drawback for me is that I’ve only found them at a hobby shop a good hour away from me so I always have to plan my restock runs ahead of time.

[roll my blues]

Yeah, I wanted to ask, too, since I really seem to have to repaint the green spots of the desert camo uniform. There is a shop nearby where I can get the right paint, that's no problem. Just paint it and that's it or do I have to consider anything else? Is there any coating to add afterwards, for example?

Off to read the link now!

Not trying to be a hog or anything but since I'm here I'll keep answering questions as if I know what I'm doing.

As a final coat you might want to pick yourself up a can of Testors Dull Cote. You'd probably find it in the modeling section of a craft store and I'm assuming that its available worldwide.

Overall I've found this site to be very informative when it comes to customizing figures, and of course, all the good folks on this forum.

[GermanAstra]

Since I bought myself a shiny nice digital camera I can now make pictures on my own and do not depend on others (old joke: you guys ask me what kind of camera I bought, and I answer "A red one!" - Olympus)

Anyway, I just ripped off the heads of Angel and Spike, and found that the joints are different than in the Stargate figures. So I found myself with two holes - one in the neck of the figures and one in the head of Jack. So I had to make myself a new joint out of a stick and two pearls:



Therefore Angel's head had a bigger hole and I will need to cut the neck a bit, Jack's head is to high on it yet.

Angel is the same size as Jack, but Spike is much smaller. I think Jack's head looks too big on him. But his abs are nicer



The skin tones don't match, Jack's is much darker. Instead of painting the bodies, I just photoshopped the color of the head and also got rid of the wounds by that. It's not perfect but would you consider this cheating? I'm not sure yet about painting the body(s).

Not trying to be a hog or anything but since I'm here I'll keep answering questions as if I know what I'm doing.

Well, seeing your recent pics it seems like you do! So, if I indeed want to paint the whole upper body, how do I do it? Do I really have to take it apart in pieces? I fear I won't be able to put it together again afterwards. And what about the elbow joints?

[roll my blues]

So, if I indeed want to paint the whole upper body, how do I do it? Do I really have to take it apart in pieces? I fear I won't be able to put it together again afterwards. And what about the elbow joints?

Congratulations on getting the figures.

Bottom line, you do whatever you think works out best for you. There’s a lot of great tutorials and tips on custom figure work out there. Take the best of it, experiment, and do what works for you. Mostly, just have fun with it.

For me, it varies as to how much I take a figure apart when painting. I often find that I get just as much paint rub trying to put the pieces back together than if I left the figure intact. However, if it’s a tight area or I want to protect against a mess I’ll take some pieces apart.

For instance, on the t-shirt Weir I removed the bare arms and painted the torso with the legs off so I wouldn’t accidentally slop paint. But for the Lorne figure I only removed the head and hands, the rest of the figure was in one piece.

As for joints, painting in thin coats generally helps. If you have a really tight joint, sanding can help. These are trouble areas in general so don’t worry.

[roll my blues]

Hazard Suit Jack O'Neill

I used Jack from the Seventh season episode Revisions as inspiration. Even though it is not episode acurate I thought it would be a fun custom.

[nekoi]

I totally love what you did with the helmet!

[Beckmen]

Nice! BSG pilot body/helmet, right?

How did you make that awesome Zat holster?

[replicator79]

Wow! That's amazing roll my blues!!!

[roll my blues]

I totally love what you did with the helmet!

Thanks, that was the last thing I had to finish up and ending up being my favorite piece. I had to experiment with a few different plastics to find one that would accommodate the paint without cracking or peeling.

Nice! BSG pilot body/helmet, right?

How did you make that awesome Zat holster?

You got it! Everything is BSG except for the obvious. The belt/holster is also from the BSG figure. It made the transition to a Zat holster quite well I thought. Unfortunately it doesn't fit on the SG1 figures. One of these days I'll try and make a custom.

Wow! That's amazing roll my blues!!!

Many thanks!

[Beckmen]

Anybody ever try using the Serenity figures for custom fodder? Maybe using a Reaver for a Bolokai or making a Dave Dixon figure with Jayne's head?

[O´Neill]

Holy Hannah
Well, roll my blues..., i was thought that DST would be faster than you and would bring them out in HAZMAT Style..., but your custom beat my thoughts,...

Very nicely done, Congrats...

[GermanAstra]

Well, it's officially now, with that last one you have overdone yourself! Very great indeed! If you ever intend to make a second one... you know where I live


How do you like the little SGC top secret folders I created today? Not sure if Jack's liking what he reads. The folder include several other documents, also:

[replicator79]

Wow! How did you make those?

[GermanAstra]

I once purchased this folder in real size. It includes a destination file (the yellowish one), two letters to General Hammond and Daniel Jackson, and a mission report written by Jack O'Neill.

So all I had to do was scanning these and making them smaller. Pretty cheap, hu?

[roll my blues]

Well, it's officially now, with that last one you have overdone yourself! Very great indeed! If you ever intend to make a second one... you know where I live

How do you like the little SGC top secret folders I created today? Not sure if Jack's liking what he reads. The folder include several other documents, also:

Thanks Astra! I should know by now that you'll like nearly any Jack version, hehe.

Excellent top secret documents there. Great prop!