Peter's Customs

[pawcanada]

I've been toying with getting into custom mates for a while. The idea seems really appealing to me, allowing me to build my collection with characters, both established and personally created (I have about a dozen or so I'd love to create). However I am a notorious procastinator. I've been meaning to build a website to catalogue my collection and learn ASP.NET, only I've not made it past chapter 1 of the .Net books in my posession.

Still, perhaps by making a thread and showing off my first frankenmate might encourage me to actually get the job done.

Armoured AIM Soldier

Yes, I'll admit this custom was inspired by the one Boyd made. I saw his, and was so impressed I toyed with the idea of taking the Vault Guard armour and putting it on my (only) spare AIM Soldier. Though the colour scheme is off, I'm really pleased with the results. I'll also admit I haven't quite mastered the art of taking minimate photos. Hopefully I'll have that fixed next time.

I've toyed strongly with painting the armour black so it suits better and gives it a more completed look. However, being an indecisive man, this is also my only spare AIM Soldier (though I managed to get my hands on some more since making this custom) and once the armour is painting, I can never give it back to the Vault Guard. Still I feel further down the road I will be more likely to commit to finishing it. I'm also keen to get my hands on some more armoured parts to create a few more variants.

Edited December 7, 2010 by pawcanada

[Bob Harris]

I know how hard it is to paint parts you don't have several of. It's always a tough decision and for me it always depends on how much I like the original look or whether the custom might totally be worth it.

Anyway, nice job on your first quick fixed custom, Peter. Looking forward to see more.

[pawcanada]

Thanks Bob

Necro posting

I've been collecting a lot of spare and scrap parts recently to give me more to work with. So far I'm focusing on making a Mon-El custom (need to paint him and MAYBE look at doing a decal), throwing together any armoured based pieces i get to see what I can come up with and collecting the various parts I need to create my various original characters, two of which I've succeeded in making below:

Giomitri Pepin

Uncle to my main OC and all round badass, Giomitri was one of the first I wanted to make due to him being one of my favourites. He was pretty easy to put together though I was hesitant to use parts from an army builder instead of one of my dupes, but it fits in well with his character. Plus he has an awesome goatee, like me I have toyed with panting his trident blue (he forms it from water) and maybe his pants black, though I do like having them blue as it keeps to the water theme he has going.

Reilly Pepin

Yes that is USAgent's chest on backwards . I wanted some chainmail due to him being a nobel hero/leader/knight like character. I used movie Deadpool for the face, which worked pretty well IMO as I view him as a serious character. The sword was a trimmed broad sword I recently bought from Luke (though it doesn't look too good in the photo), the cape from Gamora and the rest of the body from various bits and pieces I have lying around. I do like the platinum blonde hair he has but I may change it further down the line

[pawcanada]

I've been working on a couple of wips and quick customs recently.

First Apperance Sentry:

I pretty much followed MsMarvel fan's recipe, with one minor change - I used a random waist from my parts box instead of the one from Captain Mar-vell. Colour wise I felt it fitted in better and also...

Unmasked Mar-vell:

I pretty much a head swap between him and DR Sentry, I felt the new face really worked and was hesitant to give the waist over. It's simpel simple but I think it works well. The glowy hands come from the Beyonder minimate, whom I got loose but to be honest regretted it a little.

Current Booster Gold (wip):

I'm loving the current run on Booster Gold and after looking at a duplicate in my collection I realised I could make a quick custom. The arms come from Spymaster, the hands from Blue Beetle and the head from Wave 20 Hawkeye. I'm likely to paint the arms and hands to match the yellow and blue on the original minimate and maybe print off a decal so I can get the blue that goes around his neckline.

Mon-El (wip):

I really liked the costume Mon-El wore during the New Krypton storyline and like with Booster, after rummaging in my parts box I realised I had the necessary parts to make a custom. This is going to be a lot of work, but the pay off will be worth it. Finding the right shade of blue and red has been a pain, as different artists seemed to depict it with different shades. Heck, I made my avatar using the shades from a picture of the Mon-El shirt, only to get it and noticed the blue and red were both a little bit lighter. Naturally the chest will need a decal, and I need to re-paint the blue on some parts (it's the first time I've ever painted a minimate and I didn't leave the cape to try properly, resulting in me having to rip off some of the paint to detatch it from the board I left it on to dry.

Orange Lantern Lex Luthor (wip):

I like the Orange Lanterns and after obtaining a duplicate Lex Luthor, realised I could turn him into his Orange Lantern self. Granted I'm not sure what to do about the OL emblem on the armour. I've thought about just painting over it or using some Apoxie/Fixit/Super Sculpt to cover up the emblems that are already on there then maybe make the OL logo with more Sculpt and putting it on top. The body is from a dupe Sabertooth as he's orange so I thought it would help get the ball rolling.

White Lantern Deadman/Boston Brand (wip):

Like a number of other people, I took one look at bobafett's quick custom and realised I needed to make my own. I used a Multiple Man jacket instead of Kyle Reese (and now have a Multiple Man with Kyle's jacket) but I felt his hair looked more black than brown, so I took a spare Extremis Iron Man hair piece. I also obtained a dupe Sinestro (going to look at turning him into White Lantern Sinestro further down the road) and will paint his battery white, as well as adding a white blob on one of the hands (some issues show it as being on the left, others as being on the right).

Any critasism/general advice/suggestions are appreciated. I hope to submit some updates on them at some point in the future

Edited August 21, 2010 by pawcanada

[MiniFiend UK]

I like the FA Sentry. First time I've seen it done and its a nice recipe. Also like the Mon-El, always been a fan of the classic LoSH costumes and always wished that they would have come along if the DC line continued.

[minimateman]

White Lantern Lex Luthor (wip):

don`t you mean boston brand?]

Edited August 21, 2010 by minimateman

[pawcanada]

I like the FA Sentry. First time I've seen it done and its a nice recipe.

I agree it works well. Granted the head is a little lighter than the blue on the Sentry (the waist I used was a bit darker so it fitted in better) but it's a minor thing.

Also like the Mon-El, always been a fan of the classic LoSH costumes and always wished that they would have come along if the DC line continued.

I prerr Superman to Batman so I'd have liked it if we saw more of his allies and rogues. Both Mon-El and Superboy were ones I wished were made and I hope to eventually make as customs.

I am actually going to make the "Inverted Superman" costume for Mon-El, but I've toyed with putting the classic look on the otherside of the chest piece so it can be flipped around.

don`t you mean boston brand?

WHOOPS! That ahs been fixed. Thanks for pointing it out

[dj87]

very nice work, i'd certainly like a Mon El myself, very visually appealing costume, looking forward to seeing him done. whose face did you use? is it Decker?

thanks for the mention pal, i must spray mine a nice shiny lantern tomorrow!

[pawcanada]

thanks for the mention pal, i must spray mine a nice shiny lantern tomorrow!

No probs mate. I couldn't really take all the credit

very nice work, i'd certainly like a Mon El myself, very visually appealing costume, looking forward to seeing him done.

I agree. I really like his costume and I'm really fond of the "inverted Superman" look he had during New Krypton, though I get the feeling I'm the ONLY fan, lol.

whose face did you use? is it Decker?

Yes, though I had to double check. I won a lot with about a dozen or so Star Trek mates in. I've never followed Star Trek so I never bothered with the mates on their own but they have been useful for parts. I have thought about using a different face, but so far not really found any in my parts box.

Just a quick update; while looking at various minimate sites, I realised wave 31 Mar-vell's blue and red pants would save me a lot of work on painting Mon-El, so time for a quick upgrade. This does mean I'll need to re-paint the cape to match the blue on the pants (though as you can see from the shot, the paint has been chipped off. I was an idiot and didn't leave it to dry properly, causing it to stick to the board...). Finding the right shade has been a pain (especally when it seems to be light blue and scarlet in one comic, then darker red and blue in another) but I really like the red and blue on Mar-vell. Any tips on how best to go about getting the right paint would be appreciated. I also picked up a second Battle Damaged Superman so I could give Mon the correct belt. It will need to be painted and this being my first custom minimate, I am a little scared to do it as I don't want to ruin the belt. Fortunatly my best friend collects Warhammer, so I'll ask him for advice.

I'm not too keen on the hair or the face but nothing in my parts box seems to match up right. I do have a spare movie Sandman and od feel his hair would work (with a bit of paint) but with the current face, Mon will have a huge fivehead. I have thought about maybe doing a face decal as well as the chest one. Either way, the next setp is to find the right paint and FINALLY look at making the chest decal

Oh and unmasked Mar-Vell doesn't mind his current pants, but would prefer his old ones back.

Edited October 10, 2010 by pawcanada

[dj87]

if you're friend is a Warhammer fan, get him to pick you up an Ultramarines Blue next time he's in Games Workshop... seems like a near perfect match to Mar-Vell's blue

[pawcanada]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll pass a message to him next time he's online (he lives about 160 miles away :/).

If you don't mind me asking, what would you suggest to match the red on Mar-Vell? I picked up some Red Gore last time I saw him, but in hindsight (especally since the switch to Marv's legs) I think it's too dark a shade.

Edited September 29, 2010 by pawcanada

[dj87]

Blood Red? I'd say that very close (just held a pot up to the screen, next to your custom). Put it this way, it comes out the exact same colour as Superman's red.

You're in England as well, so you can always get along here if theres no GW near you...

GW Colour Paints

order 5 paints and its free delivery too.

Oh, I mean no offensive if this is all known/obvious, but there are some people who don't know/use GW... just trying to help!

EDIT - while they're quite good, almost all the paints actually come out a little darker than the picture shown. I do think Ultramarine Blue and Blood Red are exactly what you need (I have them both in front of me)

Edited September 29, 2010 by bobafett

[pioad]

thanks for the mention pal, i must spray mine a nice shiny lantern tomorrow!

No probs mate. I couldn't really take all the credit

very nice work, i'd certainly like a Mon El myself, very visually appealing costume, looking forward to seeing him done.

I agree. I really like his costume and I'm really fond of the "inverted Superman" look he had during New Krypton, though I get the feeling I'm the ONLY fan, lol.

whose face did you use? is it Decker?

Yes, though I had to double check. I won a lot with about a dozen or so Star Trek mates in. I've never followed Star Trek so I never bothered with the mates on their own but they have been useful for parts. I have thought about using a different face, but so far not really found any in my parts box.

Just a quick update; while looking at various minimate sites, I realised wave 31 Mar-vell's blue and red pants would save me a lot of work on painting Mon-El, so time for a quick upgrade. This does mean I'll need to re-paint the cape to match the blue on the pants (though as you can see from the shot, the paint has been chipped off. I was an idiot and didn't leave it to dry properly, causing it to stick to the board...). Finding the right shade has been a pain (especally when it seems to be light blue and scarlet in one comic, then darker red and blue in another) but I really like the red and blue on Mar-vell. Any tips on how best to go about getting the right paint would be appreciated. I also picked up a second Battle Damaged Superman so I could give Mon the correct belt. It will need to be painted and this being my first custom minimate, I am a little scared to do it as I don't want to ruin the belt. Fortunatly my best friend collects Warhammer, so I'll ask him for advice.

I'm not too keen on the hair or the face but nothing in my parts box seems to match up right. I do have a spare movie Sandman and od feel his hair would work (with a bit of paint) but with the current face, Mon will have a huge fivehead. I have thought about maybe doing a face decal as well as the chest one. Either way, the next setp is to find the right paint and FINALLY look at making the chest decal

Oh and unmasked Mar-Vell doesn't mind his current pants, but would prefer his old ones back.

You may also want to try using Ma Hunkle's cape for Mon-El. It's the same color blue, however, it is quite big. I also think that the chest piece from the M. Bison figure matches the red from Captain Marvel and has the chest definition.

[pawcanada]

You may also want to try using Ma Hunkle's cape for Mon-El. It's the same color blue, however, it is quite big. I also think that the chest piece from the M. Bison figure matches the red from Captain Marvel and has the chest definition.

Great minds think alike. I considered the Ma Hunkle cape a while back, but was put off by the size. Plus I will need the blue paint to fix the belt as well as the cape. Still, it is a good suggestion and I will consider it.

M. Bison would be PERFECT though. While I am aiming more for the "inverted Superman" look, I have also considered doing his classic look as well, maybe on the other side of the torso piece. Either way I'm tracking down a dupe as we speak so thanks for your suggestion.

Couple more customs, though these are more me experimenting with my parts box:

Cyborg Thing

I've bought a couple of parts bags from Luke's store and over time built up a collection of classic Cylon parts. I messed around with them and a duplicate Thing minimate and came up with this. It's nothing to special, but I like how it looks. I feel it fits in well with the Things character, as it makes him less of a human and more of a monster.

Civilian Rhodes

I managed to get my hands on a second Rhodes in Mk2/Black Widow pack, as I wanted the armoured parts for my parts box and the web bracelts to modify my Scarlet Spider. However, after arranging a trade with boyd I also decided I could make a "Civilian Rhodes" style minimate. Like Cyborg Thing, I like this mate as I feel it's a good use of spare parts. I have him stand with my other Iron Man movie mates and to be honest I don't think he looks out of place. However I have also thought about making a "Rhodes in Iron Man" style minimate so this may go back into the parts box.

Misc Minimates

While I'll admit I went with a theme for Cyborg Thing and had Civilian Rhodes in mind, these were just made by me messing around with my parts box. Ted is easily my favourite of DC's "Human" superheroes (screw you Batman! I think you're overhyped , and by human I mean people who aren't in some kind of mecha suit but rather have to rely on a few gagets and their own wits and skills to survive), and I feel would work well as a member of the Fantastic Four, should Marvel and DC ever do some kind of combined universe (I always liked those). When I noticed the belt and mask had similar colours to one of my dupe Mr Fantastic minimates, I knew I had to make it. The Superman mate is semi-inspired by the classic scene from JLA/Avengers and the guy on the right is just various parts thrown together, btu I like his look.

And finally:

Fired Up Nova

OK I didn't make this custom. I saw him on eBay about a year or so ago and I've been meaning to post him here so others could mimic him. The recipe is reallt straight forward - everything from the waist down, hands and fireball accessories from Gold Age Human Torch, everything else from Wave 23 Nova. Enjoy

[eclipse]

that Nova is somthing i can see D.S.T doing excellent Nova

[Bob Harris]

Looks like there's a lot of dust where Nova is soaring.

Good idea anyway.

[pawcanada]

Um... Debry from an asteroid

I wasn't sure if it would be best to do this in a seperate topic or part of this one, so I felt the latter would be better 9least for now). I've been working on tweaking my main custom, this Mon-El costume and hit a small stump with the hair piece. I commissioned Luke to make me a Kyle Rayner minimate, which came with a spikey black hair piece, which is idea for the look. However I'm not sure where he got it from. I was hoping someone might know as it's one thing that's been bugging me for a while. I'm also looking to update the face. Currently I have used Decker's as it was the best I had in my parts box, but, much like the hair I am currently using, feel I need to swap it out with a different one. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[youbastards]

Is it the hairpiece from Jigsaw?

[minimadman]

If it's like this one from Luke's thread:

the description says it's from William Adama but if you don't have that something similar would be repainting the one that came with Multiple Man.

[pawcanada]

Ahh yes, that's the one! Thanks (though typically I can't seem to find it on eBay at the moment ).

I'll update my trade and parts tade post in a sec but if anyone has the figure or the hair piece, please let me know.

Edited December 7, 2010 by pawcanada

[boyd]

Did I ever mention how much I love the cyborg Thing you came up with. I should have - there's something really appealing about that combination of parts.

Best of luck finding the Adama hairpiece. I know how frustrating it can be to need just one part and not be able to find it anywhere...

[pawcanada]

Thanks for the compliment on my Cyborg Thing Boyd . I appreciate it. I think part of what works well is how it makes Ben seem even less human than he was before. At least in his rockey form there was the possibility of turning back.

As for the Adama hair, I did find the minimate on eBay for about $12 + $4 S&H to the UK so yeah... Very tempting (I once bought a Superman mate just for the belt) and my best friend once stated Adam as being his favourite in BSG so I could give it to him as a gift (after I swap the hair), but can I turely justify spending that much just for the hair piece...?

[boyd]

I bought the Silence of the Lambs set just for the straightjacket, and haven't done anything with the rest of the set. I'm not the person you want to ask for advice on how much to spend on parts for customs

Though in my defence, I have finally found a use for some of the parts in that set. Hopefully some time in 2011 I can do it...