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Custom “teen beat” Boba Fett by John Culqui The artist noted that the “head sculpt is from Scoundrel Stocks and the figs used are Bohdi [Rook] and Book of Boba Fett Tython” See more from the maker: https://www.instagram.com/johnny_osage_ave/

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“You know who I am. You know how this ends.”

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Happy 1-year anniversary to this blog!

The Jaded & the Devout

When the Mandalorian Chirrut Îmwe discovers a powerful Force-sensitive child hunted by Imperials, he takes the child as his ward and sets out to find the boy a connection to his past and his people. He arrives back on his own ravaged homeworld of Jedha— a nexus of the Force and home to the destroyed kyber temple— in search of answers.

Having tracked down the Mandalorian in possession of his scavenged cuirass to a familiar world, legendary mercenary Baze Malbus reclaims his armor just before a firefight outside the temple forces himself and Îmwe to team up to protect the child. Despite their efforts the child is taken, and to repay the Mandalorian, Malbus journeys with him to Morak where they hope to find more clues.

The mix and match series was started just by swapping out clothes, faces, and accessories of different characters to see what new characters could be created or improved upon. There’s not always an intended story behind the choices— More often than not I just want to see what looks like it fits and looks cool. Here I thought there were some fun parallels between both sets of characters and wanted to highlight their similarities.

Baze Malbus

Head: Baze Malbus, Force Link series

Body: Boba Fett on Morak, Vintage Collection

Rifle: Cara Dune’s heavy blaster, Vintage Collection

Chirrut Îmwe

Head: Chirrut Îmwe, Vintage Collection

Body and cape: The Mandalorian, first armor set, Vintage Collection

Bow: Chirrut’s lightbow, Vintage Collection

Staff: Rey’s staff, Vintage Collection

Grogu: Vintage Collection

Backgrounds

Jedha Temple, pg 96, The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Art by Will Htay.

Morak, pg 202, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2. Art by Erik Tiemens.

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Side by side comparison for those who didn’t want the whole how-to post in the way. Ezra from Prospect (2018).

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Ezra (Prospect 2018) Custom Figure

Calling it a custom build is somewhat of a misnomer as I didn’t really craft any of the pieces, I just found the right ones and put it all together; 90% of the pieces come from Marauder Gun-Runners, an action figure company that specializes in customizable figures you can order and build to your specifications. Personally I think the pieces look better in person than they did on the website. The sculpt, tooling, and quality are comparable to the Star Wars Vintage Collection line.

I was going for accuracy in replicating the look of Ezra’s movie costume as closely as I could. I scoured the site for something that would be a good recreation of the helmet (or at least something that would give me a base to build onto myself), but I didn’t find anything I liked so it’ll probably be a project for another time.

Main Body

• Body (without head) ($11.99)

This body is a good base for the torso, hips, legs, and upper arms with a color that is easiest to match other body pieces to and feels closest to Ezra’s suit. The elbow pads, knee pads, and spots on his biceps and calves where pouches could go all went into my decision to get it.

• Vest ($3.49)

Getting the vest gives him more of the spacesuit silhouette without being overly bulky, the lined over-the-shoulder padding and black line down the right side of his chest roughly matches his costume in the movie, and it provides more places for accessories to be slotted into the front.

• Forearms, from elbows to wrists ($1.99)

I got the unarmored cloth forearms for accuracy’s sake, but if you don’t mind him having the black armor shown in the full figure link above, you’ll save some money

• Hands from the wrist joint down ($1.99)

I got these because the lined padding on top of the hands matches Ezra’s gloves in the movie, but the figure already has black gloves so they’re not necessary if you’re not looking for exact accuracy and you’d rather save some money

• Boots from the ankle joint down ($3.49)

Same note as the gloves; the laced top of the boots is what Ezra wears in the movie, but the figure has the black boots shown in the link

Accessories

• Green backpack ($2.49)

The backpack has a long peg to go into the back of a figure; even with the added depth of the vest it was still too long to sit flush to his back so I snipped it down with some wire cutters

• Tan belt and holsters ($2.69)

I got these to match the look of the straps/harness that runs between his legs around his thighs, in addition to providing his belt and somewhere to put a gun. Two birds with one stone.

• Blue pouch on left arm ($0.25)

• Green pouch on backpack ($0.35)

• White hose ($0.99)

The hose attached to the white toggle brick on his belt is the silver ammo belt cut length wise. If you warm up the ammo belt (see build notes below), it can be cut with an Xact-o knife. I wasn’t very patient so only one side turned out right, but if you do it more carefully you could have two “hoses” that have the right look and proportions. I’d like to find something that’s a bit closer to what they have in the movie.

• Tan pouches ($3.29)

This is a pack of about a dozen tan pouches in varying sizes and shapes. Here he has one on the outside of his right boot and a teeny tiny tan plate on the left side of his belt above the hip to mimic the small white device he has in the movie

• Knife and sheath ($1.59)

• Hand scanner ($0.79)

There are several options for tech on the site. My idea with this was to give him something that looked like a handheld GPS or GPR

Total cost for an exact figure (not counting non-Marauder parts, before tax and shipping): $35.39. (You can shave a little off by only ordering specific individual tan pouches instead of the pack, but the pack gives you a variety to choose from)

Non-Marauders Pieces

Head: Cassian Andor (Rogue One) from the Star Wars Vintage Collection line

Brown pack: Accessory for the Vintage Collection Rey figure

Filter (front of vest): It’s the Deathstar plans accessory for the Jyn Erso (Rogue One) Vintage Collection figure. The metal hookup and black hose are part of an old necklace cord, all of it stuck on with sticky tack. Not a permanent piece

Rebreather (around neck): Accessory for the Force Link Jyn Erso (Eadu) figure

White toggle brick (attached to belt above right thigh): Just a quick and dirty Sculpey piece for accuracy’s sake. This one was held on with sticky tack for photo purposes but you could sculpt it around a bit of wire to give it a peg for his belt

Metallic gray box over left thigh: Lol it’s a Lego piece. Ezra has a boxy gray prop hooked to the left side of his belt in the movie but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was and wasn’t going to get overly invested in its function. It’s a small figure with small props, I just wanted him to look like he travels with what he can carry on his person

Handgun: One of my various action figure guns, no idea which figure it goes to. I didn’t find a gun on the site that really matched the angular, differently-futuristic look of the throwers in the movie

Silver tool attached to backpack: Some lightsaber

Build Advice

If you use the full body figure listed above as the base, I recommend moving each joint around to work some of the stiffness out before modding

Vest goes on first, then the head

Each of the modular body pieces will need to be warmed in hot water at the joint for easier removal. (My order came with instructions.) I don’t have an exact temp, but I put a ceramic mug of water in the microwave for two minutes (to about the temp of hot chocolate), put just the joint I was going to pop off in the water for about five seconds, then used a dry washcloth (to protect against the heat and get a better grip) to pull each smaller piece off the main body. Pull them straight off, not at an angle.

It’s probably best to immediately replace the piece you pull off with the one going in its place while the joint is still warm. You’ll hear/feel an audible snap when the bigger pieces pop in place properly. Be gentle with the hands and feet, they may not be as obvious once they slot in place. You shouldn’t have to force anything.

I had to take the legs off at the hip joints in order to get the tan belt and holsters in place. It’ll take some fiddling to get them back on and in the right place: the belt and holsters are snug

The spot of white hair and the facial scar are both just a bit of white cream makeup. It’s easiest if you dab the makeup on, then use a small paintbrush to wipe away the excess, leaving what you want behind (as opposed to trying to paint it on). Any mods I make to my own action figures are ones that can be easily reversed without damaging the figure, and unless/until I get another of the same Cassian figure to use for parts, his head will go back onto his own figure

I used brown eyeshadow dusted on to achieve the textured, somewhat dirtier look of Ezra’s suit. It fills in the shadows, can be layered to add more shadows or distressing, and be easily removed with a mild makeup remover without damaging the figure’s own paint job

Have fun!

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I’ll post the 360° shots of Ezra sometime this week to show off the details and add the links and some notes for how to make him yourself. Most of the pieces come from Marauder Gun-Runners

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Lost In Time and Space

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Master & Apprentice

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A Star Wars sequel trilogy AU: Same actors, totally different story

Five unlikely heroes are embroiled in the conflict between a criminal gang and decommissioned Imperial troopers when a package is mistakenly given to Rey, an unassuming mechanic, instead of its correct receiving courier. When she’s targeted by the syndicate for its disappearance she stows away to the system the package was sent to in an effort to retrieve it, further entangling herself and the crew of the ship in the web of conspiracy and black market dealings that starts to unravel around them.

The ship Rey steals away on is manned by a crew of cutthroat bounty hunters now targeted by the pursuing gangsters, who reveal a hostage in the form of Paige, sister of the bounty hunter pilot Rose Tico. In order for Paige to go free they must retrieve the package from the planet it was sent to, in a territory ruled by ruthless magistrate Finn and his closely guarded community of guerrilla fighters.

Finn, a strategic and calculating leader holding a longstanding grudge against Imperial troopers, reluctantly agrees to aid Rey and the crew of the Mardji in their search when he realizes the now-missing package puts his people at risk of being targeted by the encroaching Imperials-turned-mercenaries. However, before the package can arrive in port the ship goes down over the wilds of Takodana; Finn, Rose, and Rey are forced to set off in search of the downed ship when they realize both the syndicate and gang of mercenaries are now in pursuit, and either of them retrieving the relic is recipe for disaster.

In the catacombs of Takodana, Poe Dameron searches for answers that will explain his mysterious past when he is led by a prophetic vision to an artifact deep beneath the ruins. When he touches the artifact it binds itself to him in a brilliant flash of light and shows him a vision of his old friend Paige in grave danger: Paige, longtime treasure hunter and con artist, had discovered the other piece of the artifact now bound to Poe’s wrist and intended to steal it en route to a crime syndicate before it was mistakenly sent to Takodana. Though Paige thinks she’s outwitted the criminals by allowing herself to be held ransom, Poe now knows the extent of the relic’s power and what it will be capable of in the wrong hands if both pieces are brought together. It isn’t long before those searching for the same relic begin to close in, and Poe must now contend with the powerful artifact and the effects it has on him.

The adventure that follows brings together allies old and new, forcing them to race against the clock to save kin, community, and their comrades-in-arms.

And I think that’s a wrap!

I started this series as an exercise in character design, swapping out action figure pieces to see who worked best with costume changes and what kind of characters or story I could come up with based on those characters and their potential interactions. The story pitch developed as I came up with each new character and idea, the aim being to find a plausible Star Wars movie idea that was entirely separate from the Skywalker lineage, Jedi, and Empire storylines while still using the same actors in different character archetypes. I’m satisfied with the end result 😊

Some director’s cut notes:

I wanted to elevate Finn’s character to one of an established leader and make him the most community-focused/connected of the group, in addition to being the most cerebral and strategic. I kept the flavor of being in opposition to the remnant Imperial troopers based on what he may have experienced personally in his youth regarding them, with the backdrop of Tatooine’s concept art circa The Mandalorian’s timeline providing the tone.

Finn’s jacket here is actually the vest portion of Cassian Andor’s figure from Rogue One! Finding a different costume or silhouette for his figure was difficult as most pieces didn’t fit or look right, so I went with the altered jacket and color scheme instead. His sleeves, which were not removable, have been dusted with eyeshadow to match the coloration (Eyeshadow can be layered better and in finer particles than paint, and is much easier to remove without ruining the paint job of the original figure)

Rey’s still a mechanic and still has a staff, but her changed character allowed for the staff to serve a dual purpose in that it’s a mobility aid as well.

I almost didn’t have Paige Tico in the story until I remembered her (I’ve only seen The Last Jedi once) and bought the figure on a whim. I was very satisfied with her costume swap as I think it makes for a realistic and fun adventuring outfit combining elements seen in westerns with practical climbing gear, and the ‘escape artist’ part of her new backstory is an allusion to her being able to escape dangerous situations when all hope seems lost. While in canon she was unable to survive, in this universe it is implied that she always will.

Paige and Rose shoot with opposite hands so when they stand together side by side, they’re able to shoot together

The name for Rose’s ship The Twin Mardji comes from a Vietnamese folktale of the Trưng sisters who led a rebellion against Han Chinese authorities in Jiaozhi, going into battle on the backs of war elephants. Veronica Ngô and Kelly Marie Tran are both Vietnamese, the term ‘twin’ is just meant to refer to Paige and Rose being sisters, and Mardji was the name of the Asian elephant that portrayed the bantha in the original trilogy. In this universe my idea was that the ship belonged to both girls, they were forced down different paths in life, and now Rose has a debt she has to work off to her crew. Paige intended to pay that debt with the money she received from fencing the Macguffin

Poe was the most difficult character to come up with a costume for just because his head was disproportionate on a number of other figures and I really wanted to find a different character type for him outside of the typical roguish adventure hero since the Han Solo types were the only bodies that really fit. While I still wanted his character to have some sense of action to fit in with the story, making him the Force-sensitive/magic user/sage and researcher helped me play around with some more ideas outside of the adventurer archetype and I think Bib Fortuna’s cloak realy helped change his silhouette and make him different than what his character is/was characterized as in both canon and fandom. I think it’s fun to cast against type and it forces me as a writer to get more creative and see how I could make a convincing, fun, and unique character that could be played in an interesting way by that same actor. (I also wanted to find a character type we don’t typically see a lot of Latino men playing in movies or shows, especially considering part of the stereotyped backstory they gave Poe’s character in the later sequel movies.)

I had Takodana in mind while browsing some of the concept art early on anyway and I think the architecture and flavor of Maz Kanata’s castle makes for an interesting backdrop with a lot of opportunities— It was only after I did some research did I find out Takodana really is a nexus of the Force!

This concept art backdrop is taken from The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 1

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POV: You’re about to have the worst day of your life

Boba Fett, notorious bounty hunter for the Hutt Cartel, was taken in by Kaleesh warriors after clawing his way out of the Sarlacc on Kalee. Now joined by six of his deadliest allies from across the galaxy, he aims to exact his own sense of justice against those unfortunate enough to have made him their enemy.

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The Escape Artist

Gunslinger Paige Tico has more than a few tricks up her sleeves, and once the criminal gang she fooled into taking her hostage makes landfall on Takodana, she aims to collect the very artifact they seek for herself. Once she sells it on the black market she’ll have enough to pay off her sister’s debt to her crew, and the two of them can make their own way together again.

Little does she know, her old friend Poe has gotten himself a bit… tangled up in the relic’s unnatural powers, and now there are more than few surprises awaiting them both on Takodana.

The fifth and final profile in a series of characters for an alternate universe of the sequel trilogy

The mix and match series was started just by swapping out clothes, faces, and accessories of different characters to see what new characters could be created or improved upon. There’s not always an intended story behind the choices— More often than not I just want to see what fit and looked cool.

Paige Tico

Head: Paige Tico, Force Link series

Body: Val, Force Link series

Hat: Cad Bane, The Vintage Collection

Gun: The Mandalorian’s blaster, The Vintage Collection

Backgrounds

Jedha exterior, pg 120, The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Art by Matt Allsopp.

Main deck of the Slave I, pg 184, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2. Art by Ryan Church.

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The Wandering Sage

Poe Dameron has been haunted by unsettling experiences and abilities his entire life and now lives as a nomad, searching archives and locations across multiple planets for answers. His investigations bring him to a nexus of the Force, and the catacombs beneath it reveal more than anticipated.

After touching a strange artifact, Poe receives a vision that reveals not only is his old friend Paige Tico in danger, but that those holding her hostage are after the same artifact that has bound itself to him.

The fourth profile in a series of characters for an alternate universe of the sequel trilogy

The mix and match series was started just by swapping out clothes, faces, and accessories of different characters to see what new characters could be created or improved upon. There’s not always an intended story behind the choices— More often than not I just want to see what fit and looked cool.

Poe’s head worked on very few other figures, and because Han’s outfit is so identifiable the challenge was to find a different silhouette and accessories to reasonably portray a new type of character for him. I wanted something that gave a different feeling than of just another roguish, hotshot pilot.

Poe Dameron

Head: Poe Dameron, Vintage Collection

Body, holster, and sidearm: Han Solo, Vintage Collection

Rifle and scarf: Kuill accessories, Vintage Collection

Robe: Bib Fortuna accessory, Vintage Collection

Backgrounds

Nevarro street, pg 62, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Art by John Park.

Jedha catacombs, pg 121, The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Art by Andrée Wallin.

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The Magistrate

Wary of outsiders due to a longstanding vendetta against Imperial troopers, the sharp and calculating magistrate Finn is reluctantly pulled into the web of trouble his longtime friend Rey has inadvertently caused on his planet. In order to protect his people he must coordinate their defenses and hope his and Rey’s newfound allies can recapture the gangster’s prize before it’s too late.

The third profile in a series for an alternate universe with the sequel trilogy characters.

The mix and match series was started just by swapping out clothes, faces, and accessories of different characters to see what new characters could be created or improved upon. There’s not always an intended story behind the choices— More often than not I just want to see what fit and looked cool.

Finn

Head and body: Finn (Jakku), The Black Series 3.75”

Cape: Greef Karga, The Vintage Collection

Gun: Kuill’s blaster rifle, The Vintage Colelction

Backgrounds

Tatooine, pg 167, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Art by John Park.

Themed Palace Courtyard, pg 70, Star Wars: Complete Locations. Artists not specified.

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The Bounty Hunter

Forger and bounty hunter Rose Tico and her crew are targeted by a crime syndicate chasing a stowaway on their ship, The Twin Mardji. When the crime syndicate reveals a hostage in the form of Rose’s sister, Paige, Rose and her crew reluctantly ally with Rey to retrieve the package on Takodana in the hope that Paige’s life can be saved.

The second profile in a series for an alternate universe with the sequel trilogy characters

The mix and match series was started just by swapping out clothes, faces, and accessories of different characters to see what new characters could be created or improved upon. There’s not always an intended story behind the choices— More often than not I just want to see what fit and looked cool.

Rose Tico

Head: Rose Tico, Force Link series

Body: Jyn Erso, Eadu disguise, Force Link series

Gun: Cad Bane’s blaster, Vintage Collection

Bounty Hunter #1 (From L to R)

Head and body: Qui-Gon Jin, Jedi training gear, The Power of the Force series

Cloak: Darth Vader’s cloak, The Power of the Force series

Rifle: General Grievous (Pre-Cyborg), 30th Anniversary Collection

Helmet: Lando Calrissian’s skiff guard disguise, Vintage Collection

Bounty Hunter #2/Criminal (From L to R)

Head: Axe Woves, Vintage Collection

Body: Cassian Andor on Ferrix, Vintage Collection

Jacket: Cad Bane’s duster, Vintage Collection

Rifle: Fennec Shand’s rifle, Vintage Collection

Binders: Mythrol accessory, Vintage Collection

Bounty Hunter #3 (From L to R)

Head: Aayla Secura, Vintage Collection

Body: Cad Bane, Vintage Collection

Jacket: Cassian Andor’s Ferrix jacket, Vintage Collection

Rifle: 4-LOM’s rifle, 30th Anniversary Collection

Backgrounds

K-2 Surveillance room, pg 68, The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Art by Chris Bonhura.

Gozanti landing, pg 105, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2. Art by Ryan Church.

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The Unwitting Mechanic

Rey, a disabled mechanic working in a chop shop, is given the wrong package she in turn sends to Takodana at the behest of a friend. When it turns out the identical package she received was actually intended for an underworld gangster, she is inadvertently drawn into a gang war between the crime syndicate and a croup of decommissioned Imperial troopers turned mercenaries. Knowing the magistrate and town she sent the package to are in grave danger, she stows away on a bounty hunter’s ship headed for Takodana, hoping she arrives in time to avert disaster.

The first profile in a series for an alternate universe with the sequel trilogy characters

The mix and match series was started just by swapping out clothes, faces, and accessories of different characters to see what new characters could be created or improved upon. There’s not always an intended story behind the choices— More often than not I just want to see what fit and looked cool.

Rey

Head and staff: Rey (Jedi training), Force Link series

Body and gun: Jyn Erso, Vintage Collection

Enviro mask: Jyn Erso (Eadu disguise) accessory, Force Link series

Blowtorch: Mythrol accessory, Vintage Collection

Additional pieces

Terminal: EV-9D9 accessory, The Power of the Force series

Gonk droid, The Power of the Force series

Backgrounds

Ran’s chop shop, pg 185, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Art by Ryan Church.

Aqualish hideout, pg 112, The Art of Star Wats: The Mandalorian Season 2. Art by Christian Alzmann.

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POV: Start running because you stumbled upon the Djarin homestead unannounced

The mix and match series was started just by swapping out clothes, faces, and accessories of different characters to see what new characters could be created or improved upon. There’s not always an intended story behind the choices— More often than not I just want to see what looks like it fits and looks cool. This was the first figure I swapped out the face for, to see if Cassian’s face would make a reasonable stand-in for Mando’s

Din Djarin

Head: Cassian Andor, Vintage Collection

Body, cape, and rifle: The Mandalorian, first armor set, Vintage Collection

Grogu: The Black Series 2020

Backgrounds

Lah’mu, pgs 34-35, The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Art by Brett Northcutt.

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The Jaded & the Devout

When the Mandalorian Chirrut Îmwe discovers a powerful Force-sensitive child hunted by Imperials, he takes the child as his ward and sets out to find the boy a connection to his past and his people. He arrives back on his own ravaged homeworld of Jedha— a nexus of the Force and home to the destroyed kyber temple— in search of answers.

Having tracked down the Mandalorian in possession of his scavenged cuirass to a familiar world, legendary mercenary Baze Malbus reclaims his armor just before a firefight outside the temple forces himself and Îmwe to team up to protect the child. Despite their efforts the child is taken, and to repay the Mandalorian, Malbus journeys with him to Morak where they hope to find more clues.

The mix and match series was started just by swapping out clothes, faces, and accessories of different characters to see what new characters could be created or improved upon. There’s not always an intended story behind the choices— More often than not I just want to see what looks like it fits and looks cool. Here I thought there were some fun parallels between both sets of characters and wanted to highlight their similarities.

Baze Malbus

Head: Baze Malbus, Force Link series

Body: Boba Fett on Morak, Vintage Collection

Rifle: Cara Dune’s heavy blaster, Vintage Collection

Chirrut Îmwe

Head: Chirrut Îmwe, Vintage Collection

Body and cape: The Mandalorian, first armor set, Vintage Collection

Bow: Chirrut’s lightbow, Vintage Collection

Staff: Rey’s staff, Vintage Collection

Grogu: Vintage Collection

Backgrounds

Jedha Temple, pg 96, The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Art by Will Htay.

Morak, pg 202, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2. Art by Erik Tiemens.