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Rank: Advanced Bloo Milk Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/14/2010
Posts: 210
Location: Felucia
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Well, I'm not an artistic person at all. I think it is, but is making customs hard? Please comment and tell me.
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Rank: Advanced Bloo Milk Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 8/27/2008
Posts: 990
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Practice makes perfect!
You dont have to very skilled. Simple chop and repaint can be just as effective as a scratch built custom. You'l pick up ways to 'cheat the eye' along the way. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist, but my style is rough and ready, paradox!
Start small, find a a cheap load of duplicates and just try reposing them by cutting off limbs and glueing them in to new positions.
Then pinning and glueing. This will achieve the same effect as the above but it has a lot more durable final result.
Ironlightsaber used to have a great tutorial on this.
I find Gamesworkshop Warcraft paints are the best to use in repainting, but seriosly any acrylic model paint will work as long as use have a good black base coat on the mini you're repainting.
'Greenstuff' my favorite toy! works like modeling clay but hardens into plastic! I've made Toydarians to Sith lords and everything inbetween with this stuff. Sculpting tools are a must for this, BUT i started off just using tooth picks and tea spoons and still got great results!
Care tips...
Knifes are sharp!
Super Glue/Crazy Glue will stick you to the mini aswell as anything else!
Patience, time and practice are what you need more than anything!
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Rank: Advanced Bloo Milk Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 11/14/2009
Posts: 115
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If you're just starting out, try some easy stuff first.
1) Species Changing- Often changing the species of a mini just means swapping the head and hands. Take a common, generic bodied human mini (Rebel Pilot, Human Scoundrel, Bespin Guard, there's plenty to choose from), then cut at the collar and cuffs. You can make a Quarren Pilot, a Kel Dor Officer, a Trandoshan Jedi (you may need to swap the feet too for that last one but you get the idea). Something I do is to visually line up the parts before I make the first cut to get a feel for how the pieces wil fit together. It's that easy, and there are literally thousands of potental combinations.
2) Simple Reposing- The best place to start reposing minis is to experiment with Clone/Stormtroopers. Since they're all wearing the same thing more or less, and there is space between their armor plates at just about every joint, it's easy to swap parts between them. Get a feel for how angling the cut allows you to change the angle of the joint when you reattach. Troopers are also good painting practice. Get some red paint and some Universe CTs, and make yourself some Clone Shock Troopers from RotS, for example.
3) See the Parts- So your one of your favorite EU characters didn't get a mini made. Find a picture of him or her, if there is one, and brake the character down. Is there mini of the same species? Is there one that has similar clothing, armor, weapons? Searched through every SWM and still can't find what you need? Check out the D&D Miniaure galleries for even more parts options. Still stumped? Then start playing around with the green stuff. Where there's a will, there's a way.
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Rank: Advanced Bloo Milk Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 4/19/2010
Posts: 1,029
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Making a custom is extremely easy! That said, making a GOOD custom varies based on how much you want to change, and how well it fits togther (slapping the arms of a T'surr on a Clone Trooper probably won't fit together very well). If you're really unsure of your abilities take some low value commons that you have in excess and practice repositioning/parts swapping with them, just to get your feet wet - you can always scavenge these parts for more intricate customs later.
Contour putty or other epoxy will come in handy for filling holes (and for making those T'surr arms look a bit more "natural" - if that's possible - on that Clone Trooper).
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Rank: Advanced Bloo Milk Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/14/2010
Posts: 210
Location: Felucia
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Lord_Ball wrote:Making a custom is extremely easy! That said, making a GOOD custom varies based on how much you want to change, and how well it fits togther (slapping the arms of a T'surr on a Clone Trooper probably won't fit together very well). If you're really unsure of your abilities take some low value commons that you have in excess and practice repositioning/parts swapping with them, just to get your feet wet - you can always scavenge these parts for more intricate customs later.
Contour putty or other epoxy will come in handy for filling holes (and for making those T'surr arms look a bit more "natural" - if that's possible - on that Clone Trooper). LOL! I can imagine tsurr arms on one. not pretty. lol
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Rank: Advanced Bloo Milk Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 12/27/2008
Posts: 214
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I used to make custom Warhammer 40k figs (not very good ones, mind you) but never really thought about swm until our beloved game got canceled. Now I'm making a custom set with my playgroup, and it looks like some pieces are going to have to be altered. Luckily my cousin is a master painter and sculptor (his 40k pieces sell for considerable amounts) and I'm going to hire him for the few full customs (Sharad Hett, Cilghal, Demagol, Captain Fordo Cassus Fett) , but I figure I can do the simple stuff on my own.
For instance, I'm going to repaint Bespin Guards with an OR color scheme to make Security Coordinators, Weequay Pirates will become Sith Agents, Mon Cal Mercs will become NR Mon Cal Engineers, etc. etc.
CerousMutor is absolutely correct though, practice, practice, practice. Post your work to get tips and pointers, don't be afraid of critique, the community here will help you in any way they can.
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