Ok so I have made more headway on a few of these projects.
So the droid is almost done... He still needs some dirt and grime though. I love it when customs are all grimy and dirty.
I also started in on the seats for the new convertible "Hot Rod" I've been working on.
I fought against it very hard, but ultimately decided to go with yellow for the insides.
I hit a stumbling block with this however, when I was painting the engines (which are from an unusual space station/satellite model kit) the paint I used wouldn't stick. It seems that this thing is coated in a heavy, gloss coat that won't allow paint to bond to it, or it does something chemically... any paint I applied to the painted engine would crack as soon as it dried, and fall and flake off. Very unusual with this brand of paint I'm using... I wish I noticed that it had a semi-gloss coat on it before... ah well, it was pretty easy to fix. I left them soaking in mineral spirits overnight, and almost all of my gloopy paint (and about 3/4 of the gloss layer) came off easily with a toothbrush, gloves, and a little elbow grease. There's still some in the cracks & crevasses, but it should be fine. A quick cleaning and the parts are ready to go for painting again tonight (with more success hopefully!)
I also began working on some panels to cover up the holes left by the removed action feature:
I may scrap this if they look sloppy and go for that "Rat Fink" type of exposed engine look. This is my 3rd attempt at them, for some reason that curve is really tough to duplicate.
...and an engine for the back:
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I wasn't sure where to put these, but here are some custom figures I've made over the last few months. They're pretty much headswaps or painted a little. Hope you like them!
WEEQUAY STAR CAPTAINSHIRA BRIE - ALLIANCE HEROINESUPER-ARTICULATED BIGGS DARKLIGHTER REBEL PILOT(from a quick jackofalltradez recipe)
TIE FIGHTER PILOT ACE(from leftover parts, probably going to sell this guy someday soon)
Thanks for looking as always!