I hadn't seen Gandalf before. Very clever.

I don't mind the cigar so much, but I feel a pipe would give him that air of eccentricity that people associated with Gandalf (for different reasons) in the source material.

Gandalf is fantastic, but Holy Hand Grenade those Adventure Team dudes are AWESOME!
I especially love the Safari Joe looking guy with the Mindbender head. Seriously thinking about picking a few Kwinn figures to copy this.

I use a Recondo figure as a 'big game hunter' type of guy, and the Mindbender fellow would be a perfect rival for him.

Outstanding use of a very versatile base figure!

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Thanks for the comments again.

Spin, I must not have posted Gandalf here before this thread (I thought I had, but was on FB). I think if you see the walking cane I made for him, using the movie version's staff, you'd see he has that air about him anyway. Having chosen that as the prop to sell him as such, I am reluctant to go too overt, and that's why I'm resistant on the pipe idea. gijoey told me I need to give him a hat too, but I'm similarly resistant. I want the homage to be true but sublime.

Andrew thanks man. I do think this will be one of the AT's "enemies", and I like it more already having decided it as such.

Here is a WIP on a core team member, driving a WIP AT vehicle.

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I really need to get one of those PTE 8-wheelers. Every one I've seen done in AT colors just looks fantastic. What I like about this one is the weathering and aging. It looks like something that has been in the field but still maintained. She ain't pretty but she's got it where it counts.

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This.

So much this, you get it a second time.

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thanks fellas. That was the look I wanted. There's a couple spots maybe I overdid, but other spots I'm thrilled with the rust effect. It's a fine line to not overdo it, and it's so fun to paint this kind of detail you have to really reign it in.

I will admit part of the motivation was that I'm just not a good spray painter yet, and when a bad spray painter paints, you get some flaws. Rusting it up lets you put those flaws to work for you.

The other motivation was a bit of a hat tip to my own childhood - as the few AT items I got were broken hand-me-down toys from my older brother. So having a bright and shiny AT vehicle in this scale just didn't seem right

ANOTHER WIP:
Also, my son has decided he wants a custom set of family figures like I made for myself. First up was a custom of him.

The one I made before is based on a Short Round figure. My boy really digs articulated figures, so I wanted to make something that's a bit of an upgrade for him. So far he's just parted out, and my son has helped with those selections. But I think it's going to be one of my favorites when we're done. The biggest thing is that with those Bilbo hips, he can ride motorcycles, etc... perfectly.

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That is looking great so far.
I think I can place most of the parts, but what is that hoodie torso from?

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ah, yes, the key to the custom. It's from a statue figure - maybe Schleich, but I'm thinking Papo more likely. Pretty sure I got him at TRU either way though. Took some work to mod it for use, but it fits like a charm. I added a waist swivel, and the arms have full range of motion.

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The weathering on the AT 8WD looks great but the WIP Padawanhawk looks like it will be amazing.

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thanks boss!

Oh, some other tips for anyone looking at these parts - after the pic, I swapped the Bilbo hands with the hands from the Anakin figure which was the source of the head (the most recent Padawan version to have hit the shelves). The hands were a clean swap with no mods at all, and the new ones can hold handlebars, etc... much better.

The Short Round lower legs similarly fit perfectly into the Bilbo upper legs. the peg fits perfect, the contours are perfect. Really fun making him. I DID boil and pop for the leg swap, but I didn't have to for the hand swap. The Bilbo arms also came off pretty easy with B&P.

Thinking strongly about using these parts to upgrade my own copy of this figure too. Best part is making use of some of those K-Mart $1 Bilbos I bought.

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Gandalf rocks! He looks like an older gentleman who is deceivingly stronger than he appears, much like the Macbeth character from the old "Gargoyles" cartoon (my daughter loved that show and had me watching it with her when she was a young lass...). I also like what you've done with the AT guys; the Kwinn body... it is so versitile! The 8-wheeler is a pure win, and I could see using that in a number of applications, but I think your choice for making it the AT work horse is tops. Lastly, little Shortpadoodie looks like he is going to be great; can't wait to see him completed...

-Todd
Shakka85

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All of these look great. Cant wait to see the kid custom finished and in some cool action poses. I think that would be the perfect base for a Damian Wayne Robin.

After seeing this I would really like to see you tackle Damian Wayne Robin!

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MORE UPDATES!

Ok, first is the finished version of my son's new figure (of himself). I don't usually move this fast, but with his help, and his prodding (and with the fun of seeing him enjoy it) I really made a point to finish this. To be honest, it was as fun as I've had in awhile, and is probably one of my top 5 favorite customs:




with the first version which was mine (now set for an upgrade too):


articulation, ho!!!!




riding his dad's Hopper:



truth be told, this is a pretty accurate look for each of us...



Now for some better pics of those two AT members who showed up with the 8-wheeler. Both were WIPs, but both are now complete.

Let me introduce you to the Commander of the new Adventure Team, Joseph Colton Jr., and his "kid" sister Jane, the 2nd in command.*

*subject to revision of ranks. Flint still goes here too, in my verse.

Joe:








with Jane:

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Knocked it out of the park again. That kid custom is one of if not the best I've seen in this scale. Your AT customs are top notch as well. If you could just make toys for a living, Id be your best customer.

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