Kenner Cantina Creatures & Death Star Droid (1978)

As I began collecting a few 3.75" Kenner Star Wars figures awhile back for the first time since childhood, these four denizens of the Mos Eisley cantina were a priority in my book; I had them all as a kid, and they were some of the 2nd wave of Star Wars figures released by Kenner in 1978. I bought the Mos Eisley Streets backdrop from Cardboard Galaxy of eBay- it's somewhat flimsy for the expense and took the seller over two weeks to finally mail it out, but I like how it flattens out for easy storage and shipping here in the U.S. was free.

 Bespin Han Solo isn't really the correct match to do battle with Greedo, but he'll do...

Walrus Man's fate when facing Obi-Wan Kenobi is the stuff of legend! I have two vintage samples of the famous Jedi Knight, this on sporting a reproduction telescoping lightsaber, which I mad for!

Like Greedo and Walrus Man, these newly acquired Snaggletooth and Hammerhead figures are much cleaner samples than my well-loved childhood figures, which I sold many years ago now...

My childhood friend had this Death Star Droid, while I had C-3PO- was fun hunting one down as an adult. While this one has missing black paint in one eye, it's in relatively good shape and has tight joints. I put him in front of my Cardboard Galaxy Death Star Hallway backdrop I picked up the Mos Eisley Streets backdrop.

I couldn't resist throwing my Power of the Force 2 Darth Vader and Stormtroopers in there while I was all set up. I didn't have any of these '95 POTF figures back then, but I find them charming...

But if I understand correctly, the "Death Star Droid" was really the RA-7 Protocol/Inventory Droid was first seen in the original Star Wars movie aboard a Jawa sandcrawler in this reflective finish. So for my childhood memories he belongs on Tatooine, but I digress. It's fun going back to some of my earlier childhood action figures- Star Wars was everything to us back in the '70s!

More Later- May the Force Be with You!

Five Below: Mini Vending Machine, Gremlins Mini-Pops

Five Below often has some miniature item I can use in my dioramas when photographing action figures, like this mini vending machine that will fit great in my "arcade setup, in which I often pose Marvel Legends figures. The front of the box shows the machine stocked with small charms, but on one of the side panels shows it filled with Tic-Tac shaped candy, but I dumped in sixteen rails of Pez instead. The Pez capsules will dispense, but it can get jammed due to their size. Still fun!

Below, Lynx plays Dance Royale in the arcade, while Meowscles gets some Pez from the vending machine... take note of the Duck Launcher I also picked up at Five Below. So great! The Stumble Guys at the top/left and Care Bear to the right also came from Five Below...

I also found these two brightly colored Gremlins Mini Pops at Five Below that I could not resist! I almost picked up the exclusive Gizo figures, but these weren't that cheap at five bucks a pop. The store I was at had the entire wave pictured on back of the box. But these two will make great background figures on their own, in their neon-bright, blacklight colors- the perfect addition to my 1:12 arcade!

 

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Brutalist Concrete Wall Diorama

I wanted another backing panel to get more use out of the base I made for my recent Dojo diorama build, and settled on a sort of "brutalist" distressed concrete design. While working through ther various staged to give it a realistic patina, I decided to update the base, putting more of a natural color to complement the wooden planks. I put magnets in backing panel to attach to the existing magnets in the Dojo diorama...

Below, Masterverse Emperor Hordak and his Horde Troopers on the diorama ...

This could also be used for a Thundercats architectural background... 

Below, my Super7 Mumm-Ra, Lion-O, and Cheetara...

And finally, my 5.5" Super7 Vintage Collection Conan and Funko Primal Age Wonder Woman..

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Dojo Diorama

I've amassed enough ninja-related action figures to warrant my crafting my own "dojo" diorama, so I threw together this 2-piece dio that is vaguely oriental in design, but could be thematically transformed by changing out the banner in the middle that's connected by magnets. The tiny gong was a Five Below purchase that really sells the aesthetic- it's construction matches the minimalism of my design well. I just used a fifty-cent piece of felt for a rug, though I could acquire a proper dollhouse-scale rug to strengthen the illusion. 

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I purposely chose to hand paint the characters on the banner as opposed to printing out more traditional Chinese calligraphy- it's angular style fit my futuristic/comicbook design. It's a Google-translator approximation of "Super Duper Toybox"...

The base and floor panels are joined by magnets, like the banner. I made a dungeon/fantasy diorama of similar construction just this February. With either, I could easily change out the back wall for an entirely different feel- a project I may focus on next time I'm feeling crafty.

I made this with 1:12 scale figures in mine, but it's big enough to comfortably accommodate my 8" MEGO G.I. Joe Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes ...which look to be a nearly perfect match! You'll be seeing more of this diorama in upcoming posts featuring G.I. Joe Classified figures soon.

More Later- Make It FUN!

Dungeon Diorama

It had been a while since making a diorama for my action figure photography, and I'd been wanting a new background for the MOTU Masterverse figures I've been collecting. This is the simplest diostructure I've made, I just wanted a sizeable, but simple "fantasy" background. Like the others I've produced, this setup is collapsable, held together with magnets imbedded at the base.
 

This began with two 24 x 24" pink foam insulation squares, carved with a couple bamboo picks I made back in college sculpture class. The magnets at the base were inserted after priming, then the pieces were painted, washed in dark gray, and finished with two coats of acrylic varnish.

                                                 

As you can see below, a 7" NECA figure is dwarfed by the diostructure's enormous 24 x 24" back wall (the floor is 24 x 18"). I could possibly add some ivy foliage or Coat of Arms shields on the back wall, but I'm enjoying its simplicity for now. See the posts on my Sci-Fi Lab diorama and my Street Scene diorama made in 2018, and stay tuned for my next post on the NECA Dungeons and Dragons Ultimate Warduke!

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Turbo Wheels Dirt Bike Conversion

I saw Mike the Hunter customize these dollar store Turbo Wheels Dirt Bikes on YouTube last week, and set out to make some of my own. After disassembly and sticker removal, I spraypainted the body, adding embellishments with gold and silver paint pens on the shocks, engine block, wheels, brake pads, etc. The final touch on Mike's tutorial was an adhesive backed 3/4" jewel mounted to the headlight base, giving it a semi-realistic dimension that really put the proverbial cherry on the top. Genius!

My colors were based on what was in the studio, but I could see making more of these in different colors, perhaps a green, maybe a Tiger Force striped, orange. Mike intended to use his for his 6" G.I. Joe Classified, a natural fit, but Marvel Legends would also work well of course. I intend to keep an eye peeled for more cheap vehicles/accessories that can easily be customized for dioramas and photography.

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More Later- Make It FUN!

Bratz Rock Angelz Cruiser

 

I believe I saw this being used by more than one person, Shartimus Prime posting a video confirming the use of this Bratz Rock Angelz Cruiser with 6" Marvel Legends figures, and I was pretty sure at that point that 8" Mego figures could be seated in it. For about thirty bucks shipped on Amazon, O received this heavy, rolling car with rubber wheels has a working trunk, doors, and glove box, locking seatbelts, and battery-operated headlights/taillights. The gear stick moves and while it barely turned the wheels, the steering wheel kinda works. After peeling the Rock Angelz sticker off the trunk, you basically have a big red car for your action figures. Check out the video:

The Bratz Rock Angelz Cruiser seats two 8" Mego figures comfortably and makes a great car for Joker and Riddler. My Ultraman and Ultraseven seem like they were made for it! Combined with my NECA Street Scene Diorama, also a very versatile piece in terms of scale, I can get a decent curbside scene with Legends and Mego- two well-tread portions of my collection and photography.

Per example of this vehicle's scaling versatility in the video above, the Rock Angelz Cruiser does accommodate 6" Marvel Legends. Below, Spider-Man intercepts Spinneret's kidnapping by Jigsaw and Scourge ...

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NECA Street Scene Diorama

For some time, I have contemplated purchasing this NECA Street Scene Diorama, popular among action figure collectors and photographers, and I finally pulled the trigger. Packed in a heavy 27 x 14.5 x 4" box, this huge diorama measures 24L x 19H x 12.5W", the night/day cityscape backdrop adding 9" to its height. I've had some success building my own dioramas, but for about $140.00, this sturdy piece is a decent value with a lot of real estate. It also accommodates a range of heights/scale among my collection. 6" figures like my Marvel Legends or DCUC work, as do 7" DC Direct and McFarlane figures. NECA claims it works with 9" figures, but that's not exactly true with a toy like my Hasbro 9" Origins Spider-Man in the bottom right corner of the photo below. If it's an oversized figure like a Marvel Legends BAF or the Marvel Select Immortal Hulk next to Spidey. To my delight however, 8" Mego figures do seem fine on this diorama, helped in part by their cartoony Mego styling. I have plans for more Mego, Marvel Legends, and McFarlane posts, so I'm pleased with the scaling flexibility within a range related to such a large portion of what I collect.

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FEXT System Street Diorama- Set A

I've had my eyes on this FEXT System street diorama for awhile, and finally pulled the trigger on it at Big Bad Toy Store this past week. I liked the FEXT Sci-Fi diorama I picked up in April quite a bit, so my expectations were high- that set was twenty bucks more than this street dio, so I figured it would be a little smaller, but I was pretty underwhelmed after assembling it. Three or four figures really crowd the 14.25 x 11" platform, and the 6.25" back wall looks small with your standard 1:12 scale figure up against it. It really needs to be twice the height for a decent background in my opinion; an additional background board will be needed to make the photography work. Another mild complaint would be the platform not wanting to lay completely flat, which I cannot seem to rectify...

Below, my Marvel Legends Gamerverse Joe Fixit BAF, Captain America, and Iron Man 

crowd the tiny platform of the FEXT street diorama...

Below, my FEXT System Sci-Fi 03 diorama completely dwarves, and was a much better value than the FEXT street dio. For maximum use, I'm of the opinion you need two or three of these street dioramas to combine for a larger background. Or even better, pick up a different set like the railway lobby set, to create a larger background for your figures. I'm unsure if I'll bother doing that, but if you are trying to photograph a group of five or more figures, you'll need the extra real estate.

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More Later- Make It FUN!