Customizing Indy Figures

Cool use of those Logan figures, Dark Horse! How much modding did you have to do on those?

The other figure look great as well!

Charlemagne said:

Cool use of those Logan figures, Dark Horse! How much modding did you have to do on those?

The other figure look great as well!

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Thanks, mate. The W:O figures only needed a little bit shave off the back of the neck to allow a good range of movement for the head. The ToD head needed a bit of filling as it's a bit loose without. I sculpted the inside of the head, but if you smear a bit of vaseline over the neckball, add a bit of hot glue to the head hole and push it on (then trim off the excess after it has dried), that works just as well.

Nice Indies!, they look like they were drawn by John Romita jr., more pulp than film.

Great work Dark Horse. I like the Logan body but it is a different style to me. I wonder how it looks with the other figures? It does look like it would be great for action shots. Can you hook us up with a few?With a few other figures in there?

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Just a quick update with all the figures in the diorama. Still not done, I have to finish the new floor and a few new details I noticed in this scene.




















This as a new version of Baranca commissioned by a board member here..

^^^Sweet

Great stuff as always, DH!

That set is really coming along Luke! And I'm thinking I may have seen and/or commented that priest custom before, but he's still definitely worth noting. I hope the eventual official version looks that good!

Thanks fellas. Here's my Mark VII again -























Ok, how about the action features?

Rolling treads -




Removable top section -



Removable unditching beam (front and left side)-



Periscope -





Functional chains -



Cockpit -



Weapon crate -



Revovable functional kit bags (both sides and top)-




Removable weapons (both sides) -



Removable jerry cans -



Detailed interior -





Removable barb wire (both sides) -





And what toy could be complete without an escape hatch!







Big thanks to tnswman for telling me in another thread how poor my "customs" were and how " your (my) eyes are wider than your (my) talent. " Way to go, champ.

I have seen this many times but it will never get old. Amazing construction and details. I see a few new details as well. The pin ups are the best, also the rope with hooks and a few other small things. Did you make the driver or is that a stand in on that first shot...if not make the driver!

Dark Horse said:

Big thanks to tnswman for telling me in another thread how poor my "customs" were and how " your (my) eyes are wider than your (my) talent. " Way to go, champ.

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*sigh* Anyone who takes a knife or a paintbrush to an action figure has a talent that deserves praise and nurturing, no matter their standard (we all start somewhere). I thought this was that kind of forum.

I hold you in high regard as a customiser Dark Horse, no matter what TheRaider's resident trumpet-tooter might say

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I agree with Inky completely. Even making an LBC is worthy of praise - and if sculpting or painting is used on a custom then it becomes art, no matter who terms it crappy or whatever.

I'll be making the crew soon. Should be pretty easy - the Hatayan's uniforms look almost exactly like the KotCS Russians.

Na, I think it is great!

inky_skin said:

*sigh* Anyone who takes a knife or a paintbrush to an action figure has a talent that deserves praise and nurturing, no matter their standard (we all start somewhere). I thought this was that kind of forum.

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Hear! Hear, Inky! The on-going display of craftmanship and tip-sharing here has blossomed into one of the coolest things at The Raven and one its most successful threads. Community building at its best.

Dark Horse said:

I'll be making the crew soon. Should be pretty easy - the Hatayan's uniforms look almost exactly like the KotCS Russians.

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So yooooou're the one who did the Arctic Indy! Someone provided a link to that last year and I could never find it again. It really fired my imagination and would be suitable to post in the thread below. Looking forward to your dio-story.

Idea for a snow-bound "Indy 5"

Anyway, welcome to the board, Dark Horse. I'm not a customizer (nor a figure collector for that matter) but a big admirer. The only figure I ever customized was Boba Fett when he first came out but used to build of lot of military models as a kid and am just freaking out over your tank! How big is that sucker? I agree, the pin-ups are great touch and the functioning periscope & tackle are really creative. AMAZING detail! (I was going to mention the only thing missing was the crew but you appear to be on the case.)

@featofstrength: Your Dee-Sea Indy turned out really well. Unique! If you're going to paint the suit up, the "Shrine of the Sea Devil" colours would be perfect. I also LOVE your mini-peace pipe from "Mystery of the Blues"!

Dark Horse, your tank is an absolute triumph. A towering achievement.

It's extraordinary.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is an "LBC"?

Lazy Boy (or Bastard) Custom--when you just switch parts, without any painting or sculpting.

Thanks again for the positive comments!

Here's the construction thread in case anyone missed it and would like to have a go at making their own Tank -

http://threads.rebelscum.com/showfl...ge=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=93&fpart=1#3444935


Here's an Indy in German disguise I just made. I added the ankle articulation (feet are from W:O Logan - they are a perfect style and colour match!)

Dang these are good. (Would it kill hasbro to make a "G.I. joe Cobra desert tank" or something?) I'll have to read through these threads before I attempt my Venice Indy and Fez Sallah!

Kevin said:

Lazy Boy (or Bastard) Custom--when you just switch parts, without any painting or sculpting.

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Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I actually take offense to that term...I much prefer "kit bash", though I don't really consider kit bashing to be customizing, so I guess I see the point.

But honestly, if you can swap parts and come up with a nice looking figure without having to paint or sculpt then how is that being lazy? I think that half of the talent in customizing is finding just the right parts from the myriad of figures that are out there.

Those are good points. The grandfather of customising - Evilface - coined the phrase LBC. It's just a convenient term of reference and not an insult. If anything, he was poking fun at himself when he invented it.

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, I have seen some lazy "customs" in my day. The infamous "Spew-Bacca" comes to mind. Some guy took a vintage Chewbacca figure, splashed some white out on it, and called it a "Hoth Chewbacca"

I guess my point is, finding the right limbs, head, whatever, to kitbash a nice looking figure that doesn't require painting or scultping is quite a daunting task. I've seen some sweet kitbashes where people have used parts from the most obscure sources that no one else even would have thought of. But yeah, plopping a Crsytal Skull Indy hat on RPG Indy's head and calling it a custom figure really doesn't qualify.

Don't get me wrong though, the painting and sculpting that people put into their customs is the real talent in customizing and I consider myself a fair hand at painting, but have never tried sculpting. I pretty much just dabble in customizing anyway, but have a true respect for all the fine work that is out there.