It’s well documented that George Lucas aspirations for Star Wars extended far beyond the confines of silver screen. Akin to another of his creations, Indiana Jones, Lucas embarked on his quest, the rarely trodden trails of film merchandise.
With Star Wars merchandise traversing a spectrum from cookie jars to curtains, arguably, the most popular of which, was the action figures, which were imagined in the lesser used 3 ¾ inch scale.
Featuring a central cast of heroes and villains, ably supported by a wide and varied array of background denizens, Star Wars provided a rich catalogue of characters to make the transition from film to figure.
Whilst many characters and variations have been realised across both Vintage and Modern figure lines, including some fan voted for figures, however with such a wealth of material to draw from, inevitably some characters have yet to make their own transitional journey, leaving some fans thirst for a particular favourite somewhat unquenched.
How to satisfy this demand with no supply? You could wait, however with new episodes and stories to come, delving into Star Wars character back book could be slower than another harvest on Tatooine. Well, as our beloved Princess Leia would say, ‘there is always hope’. Nostalgically paying homage to Star Wars origins of scratch building or kitbashing, you could consider action figure customising.
Creating a figure based on an unreleased character, enhancing an existing figure or using your force by imagining your own fantasy character, action figure customising provides an opportunity to satisfy supply and demand gaps. You can also create a personalised figure for a friend, by providing profile pictures, with some firms provide head printing services. It may end up looking like Darth Tyranus has followed Darth Mauls cybernetic example, but it’s the gesture, right?
Unlike some creative endeavours, action figure customising is not defined by any one craft discipline, while it can be as simple as swapping a figures head, it can also be an encompassing craft for more demanding projects, incorporating several arts such as sculpting, moulding, painting and sewing, naming but a few. In addition to these artful force skills, the arrival of affordable 3D printers further enhances customising potential.
Customising can be enjoyed as a Do-it-Yourself project, or as a shared activity, such as the talented father and son team, Brian and Elias Fulton of Customs for the Kid Alternatively, you could contract the services of a professional customising artist.
If you are interested in action figure customising, there are many dedicated websites each offering helpful insight, hints and tips. There are also several Facebook groups with members who are friendly and always willing to share their experiences, ideas or support. You can even register to become a member of the voluntary Customs Coalition which promotes a culture of nurturing and support for new customisers.
Even Master Yoda would agree, when it comes to the practise of action figure customising, while there is a ‘do or do not’, there certainly is a ‘try’.