@Jedi Minstrel: Thanks so much! I had a hard time coming up with names for them all. Sometimes I think of a name first and then a character follows or the other way around. They go through lots of edits while I write their back stories and do the photographs.
@Doc: Wow! Really thank you for the compliments! I didn't have time to write a back story for all of the characters this afternoon but Jex is actually a dwarf who suffered from a birth defect. Although a bit older than his sister, his height belies his age. It was really hard to find a suitable dwarfed head, but I settled on the Yavin Honor Guard. I wanted him to look tough, but very short. And Leia's Hoth vest fit great on the Jawa body. Actually it's not a rebel general body at all! It's an Imperial Officer head on--get this! A Bespin Security guard body! Removed the holsters and added Jaster Mereel's cape, and a force pike as a walking stick that's also a weapon, kinda like a cane-sword. I really liked the way it looked like the outfit of a member of royalty might wear. Plain but formal and decorative enough. Neither Imperial or Rebel, so it works very well as an Old Republic era tunic. I can't wait to see your crew! Yeah the Tusken bodies are rare. I've discovered that being a member of the 501st legion has certain figure collecting perks in that many members are always cleaning out their collection and so I occasionally buy from them at very fair prices. I really hope to see an updated Raider some time soon!
@DarthDaddy: Thanks so much! I really try hard to create the most "complete" looking characters. A few here and there are simple head swaps, but mostly I really try to give each one a unique outfit and persona. I guess the first reason I can do them quickly is an overactive imagination haha. I let my creativity build up for a while and then I just go and go. I really find making crews of smugglers and pirates to be the most interesting as I really get to play with different bodies and modes of dress, as opposed to say popping heads on Imperial Officer bodies. Then it comes down to what characters fit with the story. Like for Angkar he's an Indian man (if he were from Earth) but speaks with a cockney English accent and he has a bit of a swashbuckling air to him. I had a vision of a pirate captain with the two flintlock pistols so I added the twin old republic looking blasters from Montross. Next he needed a side holster and a smuggler vest. I opted for a simple soft-goods greedo vest, and the orange fit right in. Lando's General uniform lent the look of an ex-military man who takes his work very seriously, and the mystery of perhaps he's an Alliance officer and a smuggler. Sometimes it comes down to what head fits on what body both physically and aesthetically. There's kind of a formula to space travel adventurers who crew spaceships--not just in Star Wars. You need a strong captain, a quirky pilot, a small alien or robot with some comic relief, maybe a run-away slave, a mechanic, a mercenary, and a healer, and mix that up any which way and you've got some cool characters that fate has thrown together. One character usually inspires the others until I feel it's a complete team. I knew I wanted a strong pirate captain like Han Solo, but different. He's older, but just as head strong, and he's very meticulous where Han is egotistical and brash. Also combining two characters for instance there always has to be a robot and a love interest/seductress/female lead. So ok, I melded the droid and the female lead into one, but she's not totally a robot, but she has a robot body she's ashamed of. Immediately we identify with her and want her to find the love she's looking for. She also can rip your arms out of your sockets and out-shoot an Imperial Sharpshooter. Anyway I could go on and on about this, but instead i think I'll start a new thread about character creation and back stories. Something that really helps me create and gets me inspired (the ones you all write!) to create!
@JediMerc: I loved Morgukai from the minute I first encountered them in one of the Star Wars comics with Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura. "Sleemo Jeedai!"
