Custom Link with Deku Shield!

Yup, I had some body parts laying around so I decided to make a Link, not based on any costume, I just think it looks pretty nifty! The Deku Shield I sculpted and painted completely, I love making these things! I'm working on a Mirror Shield next. They're also up for sale if anyone is interested

Here's my Deviant Art page, lots more customs on there and some drawings of weapons! http://darktailss.deviantart.com/

Here's the link (uh, is that a pun?) with lots more pictures of Link! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=290334671557

Also, if anyone can help me out, please let me know if there are any places where I can see all of Link's weapons in detail, thanks!





And some of the work it took to make the shield:

WOW.
The shield alone is amazing...my goodness. O.o The wood looks real, it's gorgeous! <3

And for Link you just had action figure parts lying around? That's awesome! xD Very neat take on Link. It's really nifty and refreshingly different. Have you made other figures?

I'm a bit curious: how much of him is altered by you and how much was just the parts as they were?

Yarrrr! Thanks!

I used Lord of the Rings body parts, the base figure was an Aragorn, then I ground that down to almost nothingness so I could fit Legolas's tunic over it. The legs were from Legolas too but I had to transplant them to the base-figure with screws (so the legs can still move), basic customizing. The head was also Legolas, but I transplanted it to the new body, then I sculpted the cap. The chainmail on the arms had armor that I had to remove, which left holes, so I filled them in and re-sculpted the holes to look natural. The skirt was so annoying! I ended up using a combo of tape and glue so the skirt wouldn't limit the movement of the legs too much.

Lol, then I repainted most of the figure except for the flesh-parts because the figure already had Link's pale complexion. The weapons are just basic stuff I found from a Boromir figure. I hate to see the Deku Shield go I think I'll make a lot more of them, in all sorts of different shapes.

I'm going to make another Link for myself, more accurate to the Twilight Princess version, this one is more like when Link just started out, no Triforce weaponry yet, lol.

I have a bunch of random limbs and bodies lying around, left-over parts from other custom action figures I made. Check-out my Deviant Art page for a lot of my other stuff! I'm now working on 2 versions of the Mirror Shield. But I'm happy with this work-in-progress, it's an original character, like a female reincarnation of Link, I also completely sculpted the shield she has! Checkout the concept art by TWULF at DA!

http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs46/f/20...o_by_TWULF.jpg

Are you using sculpey to make all the custom stuff?

Wait, this has got to be the coolest thing ever...how did you get started in this?
Do you just buy oodles of action figures and fiddle around with them? I've never really seen this sort of thing before (so please excuse all my questions Dx), but I think it's exceedingly cool.

I love the concept your working based on, and your figure thus far looks amazing. The shoulder armor is especially neat. I can't wait to see it with the skirt! The shield is awesome, yet again. How long does it generally take you to sculpt and paint them? Sounds like you put a lot of work into Link...it must have taken quite some time. O.o

Also: Do you do commissions?

I used to use Sculpey when I was starting, but that stuff is waaaay too brittle. I use Apoxie Sculpt now because it's rock-hard when it cures, and it's self-hardening. With Sculpey, you have to put it in the oven and that usually melts the figure a little. >_<

People usually get into customizing their toys because companies haven't or refuse to make certain characters. Or, the ones out already aren't satisfactory, lol! They're going to vary obviously, in how long they take to make, but it's usually a couple of hours. The only waiting time is when you're waiting for Apoxie to harden or paint to dry before you add another coat. If you didn't have to wait for any of that stuff, you could make a custom in like an hour! Then, you could sell your stuff, maybe for an average of $40 a figure. That's around $35 to $40 an hour if all your stuff sells! But you obviously have to be decent at it, you can't just spit paint at a toy and sell it for $50.

Link took maybe like 4 hours, most of that time was spent fiddling with the skirt and waiting for the cap to harden. I swear, the Deku Shield took like an hour to make! The wood-texture is easy to make, you just press the thing against some real wood to imprint the pattern, then make some heavy grooves so it looks like planks of wood together. Then make lots of gashes with a razor in the same direction as the planks are running to add more realism.

And yesssss! I take commissions, it just depends on whether I think I can actually create the character well enough. Did you have anyone in mind? If you want, I can just go ahead and try to make a character you want, then I'll put it up on Ebay for bidding.

Here's an original character, I made, Samurai Granny. I just had extra pieces lying around so I threw them together and repainted:

http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m...inja%20Granny/

Why does DarkTail's Link look like David Hasselhoff?

What, you got something against The Hoff?

*puts on red speedos and glowers*

sweet

That's pretty amazing stuff, you should keep at this!

Whoa, JVB is here, small world! I fav'd some of your stuff on DA recently!

And thanks for the encouragement everyone!

WIPs of a Hylian Shield and a Mirror Shield. The MS is based on this person's original concept: http://mumu-chan.deviantart.com/art/update-113316317

Yeah the HS looks a little crooked, I'm gonna make another more perfect one to cast and mass produce.

I'm not sure if I should be amazed... or scared.