The Imperial Shipyards

Imperial Creative Engineering => Resources and References => Topic started by: smeagol92055 on December 14, 2011, 06:27:48 PM

Title: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: smeagol92055 on December 14, 2011, 06:27:48 PM: Go Native Toys (http://gonativetoys.com/)

Seriously, these things look great! They're 3 3/4", so they should fit in just fine with the rest of your Star Wars collection, and at $7 a pop, they're actually cheaper than the SW figures on most shelves!
I plan on getting a few of these and making custom D&D Eberron figures! I need me a Warforged!

(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/7158/010yd.jpg)

My only complaint with the figure is that, even though it's 3 3/4", it's not quite as tall as standard G.I. Joe figures.
Here you can see the scale issue.

(http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/6430/sandypic010221092407.jpg)
(http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/3184/sandypic010221092415f.jpg)

Alone, the figure is pretty great, though; because of the O-ring style waist, you can swap the torso out with other figures if you like, and it comes with the G.I. Joe style double-jointed knees by default.

(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/599/001vxw.jpg) (http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/973/sandypic010221092411.jpg)
(http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/5159/sandypic010221092409.jpg) (http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6124/sandypic010221092412.jpg)
(http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/3451/sandypic010221092413b.jpg) (http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/3719/sandypic010221092414tp.jpg)

From what reviews I can find of the figures online, they appear to be ever so slightly textured to allow paint to bond to the figure better.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: JediMindtrix on December 14, 2011, 06:32:08 PM: I wonder if you'd be so kind as to pick me up one and send it this way,we could trade or I could send you some money.I am intrested in customizing one of those.hit me up in a PM,thanx.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: smeagol92055 on December 14, 2011, 06:38:20 PM: The Website has direct order! The link's in my original post. ;D
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: ActionFigEmpire on December 14, 2011, 09:29:59 PM: Dang no female bodies... lame
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Silver Rider38 on December 14, 2011, 11:52:10 PM: I immediately thought this was an awesome idea. A few years ago, my cousin and I wished for something like this. I am disappointed that it's Paypal only...
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: smeagol92055 on December 15, 2011, 08:40:14 AM: Quote from: ActionFigEmpire on December 14, 2011, 09:29:59 PM
Dang no female bodies... lame

The FAQ on the website seems to imply that if sales of the Alpha Male figure (the one pictured) can justify it, they'll produce female figures as well. On their Website, you can actually see a group shot of what appears to be several different body styles and colors. I guess the only way to get this done is to buy some figures so they can justify mass producing their entire line! ;D
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Silver Rider38 on December 15, 2011, 12:21:50 PM: They are only $7 each, plus s&h... ;D
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on December 16, 2011, 10:49:09 PM: I just bought three of them - shipping to the UK was $20. Not great but at least at that price you'd expect them to arrive fairly quickly!

I couldn't help myself after looking at the custom Mando on the users gallery page.

My three are going to become custom SW/Centurions crossovers!
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: spudafett on December 17, 2011, 12:28:21 AM: Quote from: Wookie-Balls on December 16, 2011, 10:49:09 PM
I just bought three of them - shipping to the UK was $20. Not great but at least at that price you'd expect them to arrive fairly quickly!

I couldn't help myself after looking at the custom Mando on the users gallery page.

My three are going to become custom SW/Centurions crossovers!

give us a good review of the figs when you get them... take pics if you can, details of their construction, how easy they are to take apart, all that jazz...

i've been saying for years that hasbro needs to get on the ball and offer blank clones/stormtroopers with a paint set... or go one step further and offer blank figures like this for customizers.

heck, even a generic grunt GI-Joe that has swappable parts would be amazing for customizing!
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Tamer on December 19, 2011, 04:18:41 PM: Folks as this is not an actual custom from a member I am gonna move it to the resources and references thread as it seems to be better placed there.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on December 27, 2011, 09:10:54 AM: Blanx Alpha Male figure

First off I only ordered these on 16/12/2011 - the arrived in the UK (From the US) a few days later - $20 for postage, but boy golly it was quick. I ordered three of these figs for converting into custom figures ala StitchFett's Micromen Clones.

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/6f7655eb.jpg)

The good...

The figure is well made, easy to take down and extremely posable. He comes with two heads and three pairs of hands! The plastic seems hard wearing, textured to take paint and the joints have good clearance.

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/50936e88.jpg)

The figure has a nubbed neck on a ball socket - making for a good range of head movement. The legs have the SA double jointed knee, in a similar style to most modern Joes. The legs attach to the pelvis in the same manner as a Joe and the Blanx figure also has the old fashioned O-Ring torso. The torso is easy to take down with one screw.

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/a23ae61a.jpg)

The not so good?

This guys is a little short. Here's a comparison with a couple of other figures...

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/5f79b2a0.jpg)

And here he is with a Joe head

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/02ff7d98.jpg)

We all know that the Avatar figures were a little shorter than 3.75" it would appear that this guys is a little off as well. Not as much as my Avatar figure, but he is short compared to other SW figs, let alone modern GI Joes. Also his shouder joints are a little bulbous, his thighs are a little weird too.

HOWEVER those niggles are minor, over all the Blanx figure is great and has a lot of potential for yarders, the plastic is good quality and as a base figure he offers some great possibilities for customizing. This figure will make a great base for some SA custom Mandos / Clones / Armoured figures - I can't wait for my dremmel to arrive so I can try and take my customising to the next level...
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: smeagol92055 on December 28, 2011, 06:53:04 PM: Thanks for the review and for taking one for the team and ordering this guy! I'm really chomping at the bit to get my hands on a few of these as well.
I'm going to make a couple of my D&D characters out of them! One of them will be a warforged, so that will be interesting to work around the height issue.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: spudafett on January 06, 2012, 01:41:57 AM: meh.... the scale issues and the weird shoulder-hip size ratio is just killing it for me. those hips look FUBAR...

Do something for me wookie-balls, see if the ball joint at the hip on the Blanx will accept a gi-joe thigh... the longer joe legs might make up for a bit of the height issue, but then of course you loose those nicely sculpted legs.

Like I said, if the torso was sculpted a little better, with better proportions, I might be more atuned to getting these.

I'll keep my reservations about a female version... if that were made available I'd probably get a bunch of those! there aren't enough 1:18th scale female figures.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: smeagol92055 on January 09, 2012, 02:44:50 PM: Quote from: spudafett on January 06, 2012, 01:41:57 AM
meh.... the scale issues and the weird shoulder-hip size ratio is just killing it for me. those hips look FUBAR...

Do something for me wookie-balls, see if the ball joint at the hip on the Blanx will accept a gi-joe thigh... the longer joe legs might make up for a bit of the height issue, but then of course you loose those nicely sculpted legs.

Like I said, if the torso was sculpted a little better, with better proportions, I might be more atuned to getting these.

I'll keep my reservations about a female version... if that were made available I'd probably get a bunch of those! there aren't enough 1:18th scale female figures.

For me, the weird proportions don't kill this for me at all. If anything, it gives a nice clean, uncluttered base to build on with epoxy and other sculpting materials. Gives a lot of room for clothes/armor/robes to go smoothly over the top without bulking out the figure, and since most of us are going to swap the legs out anyway, that should go quite a ways towards fixing the height problem. I intend to get a few of these soon.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Tamer on January 09, 2012, 03:51:55 PM: I would like to get Dayton's take on this figure as it would seem to fit his style of whittling the figure down to nothing and then rebuilding it. Perhaps taking this to our facebook page is in order.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on January 09, 2012, 04:10:22 PM: Excellent idea Shawn!

I'm in the process of cutting out sections of the limbs and replacing them with parts from older, less articulated SW figs (such as the first ARC trooper) this will keep the blanx articulation but also help in both the height and 'naked' thigh issues with the stock figure. Other parts will of course be supplied by Clint's awesome castings...

My hope is to create three super-articulated Clone Wars figures inspired by the classic 80's cartoon "The Centurions.'

I'm taking WIPs as I go along, and once I have a figure completed I'll post him up!
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on January 11, 2012, 03:45:28 AM: Well here's my first effort at using the blanx figure as a donor...

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/3428a97a.jpg)

There are a couple more pics in my customs thread...after grunting, cursing and teddy-throwing at my work station I'm even more in awe of StitchFett's custom work now!
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on January 11, 2012, 05:07:46 AM: (http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/d6e5c677.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/b705a486.jpg)
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Tamer on January 11, 2012, 08:35:07 AM: Wow, that pretty daggone awesome to me. On the front page.

And yes Stitch Fett does do awesome work. Thats why I never assume anything when it comes to the things the customizers here create. It is painstaking work no doubt about it.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: darthdaddy on January 13, 2012, 09:18:21 AM: Really love what you have going so far! So wish they sold the female blanx figure.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on January 14, 2012, 12:42:07 PM: Been at it again - much quicker now I've learnt to handle the dremmel!! Both figs are now average SW height rather then too short as per the original Blanx...

Better, primed pics will be up tomorrow...

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/34163d24.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/78588263.jpg)

WB out!!
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on January 27, 2012, 12:58:06 AM: Well my first Centurion is almost finished, 'Bantha' is based on the Jake Rockwell character from the 80's cartoon. More pics are in my custom figure thread...

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/73165bee.jpg)

Just got some detail work left to do on this guy...
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on February 24, 2012, 02:00:17 AM: I thought I'd share a few pics regarding my third and last (for now) Blanx build. This is my third Star Wars/Centurions crossover figure 'Colo' who is based on Max Ray...he has only got his basecoat atthe moment...

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/d20b2c79.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/3e27f584.jpg)

And here's how I built him!

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/b10ddb83.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/4b5fe69a.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/4e686ac1.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/3223e74b.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/03a5e625.jpg)
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on February 24, 2012, 02:07:05 AM: (http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/3e6d7a96.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/4561d16c.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/4455ec34.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/4a15af13.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/8581cafa.jpg)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/9a8b5ca5.jpg)

Over all Ive reay enjoyed working with the Blanx figures - in fact im thinking of buying a few more and carving up some of my old POTF2 figures as doners...Any questions, feel free to fire away!

All the best...

WB Out!!
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Tamer on February 24, 2012, 05:55:45 AM: Wow, looks good to me. I think I liked the look of him all black! Back on the fp.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Clonehead on February 24, 2012, 07:54:38 AM: thanks for all of the breakdown shots. That is quite an undertaking. isnt it?
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on February 24, 2012, 09:51:05 AM: It is a fair bit of work Clint! Without a dremel it would be a real nightmare. But I think he looks ok now...

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z279/red5_album/03d15410.jpg)
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Mandalore_1992 on February 24, 2012, 07:25:01 PM: excellent workl very awesome
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Tamer on February 25, 2012, 08:28:11 AM: Ray, you just seem unstoppable lately. Back to the front page!
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on February 25, 2012, 09:36:13 AM: @ Pablo - Thanks man! Glad you like him!!!!

@ Tamer - I've had a couple of days to myself for the first time in a couple of months so it's been great to chill and and paint ;D
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Luke Sprywalker on March 08, 2012, 12:23:36 PM: Oh wow! He looks great! Again, this is a great "tribute to my old toys" series.
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Tamer on April 11, 2012, 06:16:44 AM: Go take a look at the front page. The company that makes Blanx Customizable AFs has featured over very own Wookie Balls on their front page. Cool Stuff. Congrats Ray!

http://gonativetoys.com/index.html
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Wookie-Balls on April 11, 2012, 07:01:55 AM: Hey Tamer - thanks for the mention on the FP!

I've just received my next three Blanx Alphas from Mike at Go Native Toys and I'm looking forward to breaking out my Dremel on the weekend :)

This time round I'm going try my hand at a small dio. I'm planning on using the Blanx figures to make SA Republic Commandos on desert patrol with a Dewback.

However the sting in the tail is that these guys are now Imperial Commandos post Order 66 - they are part of the "Vader's Fist Program" hunting down former Jedi Knights throughout the galaxy.

The Vader's Fist team will be painted in a similar colour scheme to my Jake Rockwell Centurion but as this is the early days of the Empire they will have upgraded to E-11s and a DLT-19.

Not only will I be taking ideas from StitchFetts great RC builds but I've just got some great scenery fodder from Darth Optimus and I'll be taking on one of Chad's suggestions from our podcast - so this one is shaping up to be a bit of a team effort!

Hope to have some early pics soon

WB Out!!
Title: Re: Blanx Action Figures
Post by: Tamer on April 11, 2012, 07:10:34 AM: Sounds great Ray.

I will also let the ISYers know that Lucasclones is working on getting Mike on for a podcast. I am hoping I can coax WB back for that too.