Army of Two Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios Custom 3 3/4" Figures

Army of Two is a third person shooter video game developed by Electronic Arts, released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, focusing on two mercenaries fighting through war, political turmoil, and a conspiracy from 1993 to 2009.  Jin Saotome has done a fantastic job translating the characters that appear in the game into 3 3/4″ (1:18) scale figures with his Custom Army of Two Rios and Salem figures.  I am not sure if this is a coincidence or not but the figures from the game fit perfectly in the GI Joe Rise of Cobra line.  The figures are made with such detail and depth that it is hard to tell they are only 3 3/4″ tall.  They also look like they are plucked right from the game.  To place a bid and view more photos of Jin’s Custom Army of Two Rios and Salem figures, head over to eBay!

I haven’t had inspiration of late to write about custom Star Wars figure but Stocos28 has given me reason with his Custom Sith Lord from the Old Republic video game.  Not only is this figure not being produced, Stocos28 got the idea for the figure from the Old Republic trailer.  My favorite part of this figure is the breathing apparatus is it is reminiscent of Darth Vader himself.  Who knows what this figure will be called but rest assured you can own it today by heading over to eBay and checking out this Custom Sith Lord figure.

Jin Saotome is beefing up the Halo army with his Custom Halo Recon Spartan figure.  Halo was a game that made me buy an XBOX so it is great to see Jin paying homage to this great game in this way.  Here is more about this figure:

“This auction is for a custom made 5″ tall Spartan with removable Green USNC Recon armor, magnetically attaching battle rifle, Mauler, and grenade. He has all the great articulation of a regular Halo 3 figure and will fit right in with your current collection.  It’s rare, it’s cool, and it’s sought after by every Halo gamer out there. It’s Recon armor! This is a set that attaches to your Halo 3 Spartan figures, but you get more than just the armor in this auction. You get the figure as well! Precisely hand-painted in a tan desert ‘USNC’ numbered theme, this Recon Spartan has all the equipment necessary to complete any mission. All weapons attach with the M.A.P. system (magnetic attachment points) and if you have any of my earlier customs those weapons are interchangeable too. The armor of course is removable and can be swapped between your figures. So, need to equip your soldiers with the rarest armor?”

To army build a one of a kind figure, head over to eBay and check out Jin’s Custom Halo Recon Spartan figure.

Kyle Robinson pays homage to the great Ninja Gaiden 2 character with his Custom Marvel Legends Ryu Hayabusa figure.  It is great that people bring these figures to life as you will only see them in the game but Kyle has given you the chance to display this figure next to all of your Marvel Legends figures.  The head sculpt is awesome as there is so much intricate detail to it and given that there is not much face shown, he does a great job drawing the eyes and making them engaging and believable.  Kyle makes customs of all genres so head over to eBay and check out his Custom Marvel Legends Ryu Hayabusa figure and his other Custom Marvel Legends figures.

Always ahead of the curve, Jin Saotome has a treat in store for Killzone fanatics with this Custom Helghast Soldier from the upcoming Killzone 2 video game.  This figure is made from GI Joe 25th Anniversary line and I guarantee that you will never see anything like this come out of that line with this level of detail.  Since these figures are in 3 3/4″ scale, it is really difficult to get very detailed with these figures but Jin manages to pull it off with ease.  Let’s hear more about this great figure from Jin himself:

“Straight out of the upcoming Killzone 2 game comes the Helghast soldier, your basic trooper in their war against humanity. This trooper is painted with an exceptional level of detail such as deep shadows, grimy highlights, and metallic battle weathering. Equip this fellow with his rifle or have him fight it out in melee combat with the trench knife, this soldier is ready for any mission.”

If you are looking to add a unique video game figure to your 25th Anniversary GI joe collection or your video game collection, head over to eBay and bid on Jin’s Custom Helghast Soldier figure.

I remember wasting countless hours (and quarters) playing Street Fighter when it first hit arcades back in the late 80’s.  I used to work in a Bowling Alley as a teenager and when my shift ended, I would basically deposit my paycheck into the large glowing box they called Street Fighter.  Ashkanls has done an excellent job capturing one of the characters from this ground breaking game with his Custom Marvel Legends Street Fighter Ken figure.  The smirk on Ken’s face pays a great homage to the great warrior with the Shōryū-ken, Rising Dragon Fist punch.  This figure also comes complete with a fireball and from the looks of the photos, this is a great rendition of this classic character.  I have to admit that I was the recipient of that on many occasions and countless battles and time was spent trying to perfect those moves.  For all of you Street Fighter fans out there, head over to eBay and check out Ashkanls’ Custom Marvel Legends Street Fighter Ken figure and own a piece of video game history!

Jin has the ability to take you back in time with every custom he makes and these pair of twins is no exception.  Contra is a game that I wasted several weeks of my life playing and these Custom Contra Twins Mad Dog and Scorpion capture the period of time in my life when I had the Contra music running in my head 24 hours a day (those who know the music know what I am talking about).  One the coolest weapons to have in the game was the Spreader and if you got a hold of that baby you were invincible.  To get a peak at the Spreader and to view more photos of these awesome customs, head over to eBay and bid on Jin’s Custom Contra Twins Mad Dog and Scorpion figures.

Fallout 3 takes place in the year 2277, 36 years after the setting of Fallout 2 and 200 years after the nuclear war that devastated the game’s world.  The game places the player in the role of an inhabitant of Vault 101, a survival shelter designed to protect a small number of humans from the nuclear fallout.  Jin Saotome has filled the void of video game figures with his Custom Marvel Legends Fallout 3 Power Armor figure.  Looking at the concept art for the game (see below), Jin does an excellent job translating the art to a figure you can be proud to display in your collection.  Let’s read more about this awesome figure:

“In the future man’s ability to survive will be tested. The vaults will be opened and it will be time to reclaim the earth. Where will you stand? What will you use to protect yourself? Enter the Power Armor, your last best hope to survive in the wasteland that was once earth. This Power Armor has been meticulously painted with tons of weathered shading, rusty detailing, oily splotches, and metallic shading. This is the figure that’s featured in my new Metallic/worn armor painting guide on my site as well. There’s hand sculpted detail all over him and you can pose him on the battle-ravaged display base with his battle rifle in hand. This is a one-of-a-kind figure never to be made again and will show up in a future issue of Playstation Magazine.”

If you want to own a piece of history and have a chance to display a custom that will be featured in a ‘to be determined’ issue of PSM, head over to eBay and bid on Jin’s Custom Marvel Legends Fallout 3 Power Armor figure.

Inspired from the Capcom game, Darkstalkers, NTT has made this unique rocker come to life with his Custom Lord Raptor figure.  The flaming blue hair and the way the eyes are done are some of my favorite parts of this custom.  He painted the eyes asymmetrically, which gives the figure that rocker attitude, like he is right in the middle of a killer solo.  The smallest of details make a big difference to collectors and NTT added gold accents to the belt and it looks like he is using actual steal cable for the strings of the guitar.

“This figure stands 7.5 inches tall and features multiple points of articulation (including head, arms/wrists, torso and legs). Parts of this custom was sculpted with Aves apoxie (very durable) and completely hand painted in acrylics.  Inspired by the Capcom video game Darkstalkers, this Lord Raptor figure comes complete with custom made toy electric guitar and a whole lotta attitude! This variant is an original design and was made as fan interest.  He can be posed and handled without damage by an adult collector.”

Head over to eBay to view more photos and to place a bid on NTT’s Custom Lord Raptor figure

I love when BoskoesToys goes 80’s and we get things like this awesome Custom World of Warcraft Lion-O Thundercats figure.  I don’t come across many videogame Thundercats crossovers but BoeskoesToys has the ability to make the two worlds come together.  The paint aps on this figure are impecable and the way they are applied makes the plastic look like metal and the flesh tones look like skin.  A few noteworthy aspects of this Lion-O include an exchangeable left hand and removable claw shield, both long and short versions of the Sword of Omens, and a super vibrant paint job.  There are more photos to view over at eBay so head over there and check out this blast from the past with BoskoesToys Custom World of Warcraft Lion-O Thundercats figure.

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was spend hours and hours playing the original Nintendo system (NES).  The game that stole many hours of my childhood away was the Legend of Zelda and Grinmankey has done an excellent job creating this Custom Marvel Legends Legends of Zelda Link figure.  The head sculpt really brings out the character of the figure and the ears and the hair are of special note.  Let’s learn more about how this great figure was made:

It’s LINK from the extremely popular video game “The Legend of Zelda”! This particular version of Link is how he appears in the newest version of the game subtitled “The Twilight Princess”. Link is one of my favorite characters of all time and I love making figures of him. This is my second (and MUCH better) custom of Link and it hurts to sell them. With this figure you’ll get everything shown in the pictures. Both sword and scabbards are included and are interchangeable with the mounting on Link’s back. The highly detailed shield is also included. I use citadel brand paints for all my painting needs and Aves Apoxie sculpt for the sculpted details. The figure itself is taken from Marvel Legends figures, SOTA figures and other random fodder. This would be the perfect addition to any video game fan’s action figure collection. It also fits in with the Marvel Legends and DC figures in scale

Ginmankey’s Custom Marvel Legends Legends of Zelda Link figure is up for bids on eBay so go check it out!

To ring in the upcoming launch of the new Capcom game, Bionic Commando, Jin has diligently replicated one of the coolest video game figures in Marvel Legends style with his Custom Bionic Commando figure. There are a few aspects about this custom that make this outstanding! First, Jin was able to sculpt the hair and facial features in a very realistic way, which is a tough thing to pull off on a plastic toy. Second, the way the bionic appendages flow into the body looks like these were surgically implanted into the figure. He has achieved an awesome bionic look and feel with the way the machinery is sculpted and painted. The flexible piping and cords add to that realism and also give the figure the ability to aim in any direction you like. I threw in a reference picture from game as a comparison:

Jin goes on to describe this great figure in more detail: “Bionic Commando is back with an all-new look! This figure is based on Capcom’s upcoming remake of Bionic Commando. He has a super realistic paint job with faded cloth colors, deep shadows, tanned skin highlights, and some great metallic features on his arm and legs. Check out his facial features and the tiny logo on his t-shirt, all painted freehand. His bionic arm features flexible piping and cords so you can aim his arm all different directions. Attach the bendable grappling cord and he can grab on to things or hang from objects. The clawed fingers move individually as well. This figure is scaled 6″ to match your existing Marvel Legends figures, not 7″ like the Player Select figures.”
This awesome Custom Marvel Legends Bionic Commando figure can be yours by heading over to eBay and placing your bid! Don’t miss out on this one!

Bigtado has recruited an ace in the hole to join to the fight for freedom with his Custom Splinter Cell GI Joe Sam Fisher cross over figure. This figure is very nicely detailed and the signature night vision goggles add the realism to this classic video game character. For those not familiar with Sam Fisher, here is a little more background: As a covert agent of the government, Fisher approaches his target objectives in a gruff, no-nonsense manner, but maintains a light-hearted relationship with his colleagues and even with his momentary hostages (even if he is going to kill them) . Fisher has little patience for government bureaucracy or political maneuvering.

Bid on bigtado’s Custom Splinter Cell GI Joe Sam Fisher cross over figure on eBay today!

TheFlesk’s Custom Samus Master Chief Metroid/Halo crossover figure brings 2 great classic gaming icons together in one awesome figure! First released in 1986, Metroid was one of the first NES that sucked all of the time from my adolescent life. Fast forward to 2001 where Halo makes gaming history and once again sucks all of my time, now, from my adult life. This figure is nicely done as it blends both aspects of Samus and the Master Chief. Combining the classic colors of Metroid with the fighting armor of Halo makes for a custom that I am sure will be very sought after.

Bid on TheFlesk’s killer crossover custom on eBay today!

Having a spouse that works in the video game industry, I have an affinity towards video game customs. This week, somakustoms brings to life a Final Fantasy character with his Custom Cloud Strife figure from Kingdom Hearts 1. Let’s read how he created this great looking custom:

“The cape was taken from a Berserk Guts figure. I added on to it using hot glue and shaped it with the lowest temp wood burner I could find. I cut a fodder wing to make a general shape and used Apoxie to sculpt over it. The 3 belts hanging loose from his hips were made with hot glue. I wrapped the sword with a strip of a cotton shirt I cut up. The thing wrapped around his left hand was made with rubber bands and plastic strips I cut up from one of the toy packaging laying around. The claws on the left hand were sculpted with Apoxie.”

Somakustoms Custom Cloud Strife figure is up for bid on eBay so head over there!

I am happy to feature Jin’s Custom Kratos God of War figure. In the Sigma 6 style of GI Joe figures, Jin has created a stunning version of the video game character and made it his own in an animated style. Jin continues to go above and beyond when making customs and you know that if you buy anything from him, it will be top notch quality craftsmanship. Let’s hear how Jin has created his latest masterpiece:

“I present to you Kratos from the super popular God of War series! He’s the next figure in my VideoGame AllStars lineup and is done in an ‘animated’ style similar to the GI Joe Sigma 6 figures. Kratos has been painted with various shades, weathered leather and metal armor effects, detailed right down to the scar on his face! He has the body tattoo as well that wraps around his left side and looks quite striking. Speaking of ’striking,’ Kratos comes with the Sword of Olympus and two Blades of Chaos with metal chains that can be wrapped around his arms and swung about just like in the game! Kratos is a good inch taller than normal Sigma 6 figures so he’s scale perfectly to fit in to your collection. This is also the ONLY custom Kratos I’ll be making for my VG AllStars series.”

Jin Saotome has created a dead on Custom Sam Fisher from the video game Splinter Cell from a GI Joe Sigma Six figure. One really cool feature about this custom is the light up goggles, which, if you have played the game, are used quite a bit and cements the look of Sam outside of the video game world. Like all of Jin’s customs, the paint aps look flawless. Another cool aspect of this custom was that is was featured in Playstation Magazine! Nice going Jin! In Jin’s own words, here is how he created this great custom:

“Here’s my take on Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell, covert black-ops agent and all around tough guy. He’s styled to match the Sigma 6 GI Joe theme and is part of my Video Game All-Stars line that will be appearing in issues of Playstation the Official Magazine. Sam’s painted with various highlights, shading, and texture with hand sculpted sections made from Aves Fixit Sculpt, the best sculpting compound on the market. Check out the straps and pouches all over him, who knows what he’s packing in there! But what’s Sam Fisher without those trademark goggles? And yes folks, THEY LIGHT UP! All three goggle lenses were hand-made and have bright green LEDs. Press the button on his back and you can illuminate a dark corner they’re so bright. Batteries are included and can be changed out when needed. So… ready to sneak around your figure collection with Sam Fisher? Know a friend who owns a bunch of Metal Gear figures that need assassinating? Then don’t pass this auction up!!”

You can own this figure by going to eBay and bidding on Jin’s Custom Sam Fisher Splinter Cell or check out the other Custom Video Game figures.

Killzone is a first-person shooter exclusively for the PlayStation 2 game console, developed by Netherlands-based Guerrilla Games and released on November 2, 2004 in North America. A sequel, Killzone: Liberation was released on the PlayStation Portable and another followup, Killzone 2 is currently being developed for the PlayStation 3.

After the blockbuster release of the Halo 3 XBOX 360 game from Microsoft, we are finally seeing custom Master Chief’s showing up on eBay! This spectacular custom is by one of my favorite customizers, Jin Saotome! Like I reported in my blog about the Custom Master Chief Wearable Helmet, my wife got a copy of Halo 3 compliments of Microsoft and my nephew came over that night and we played the game for a couple hours. I must say I was very impressed by the stellar graphics and captivating story line.

Master Chief is back and this time he’s loaded for war! This figure is ONE OF A KIND with hand-sculpted armor sections! I didn’t mold the armor so there’s no more after this one. He features an intricate paint job with airbrushed shading, metallic sections, armor highlights, and a sweet gold-reflective visor! You can pose him in just about any position and he’s eight inches tall, this is not a tiny figure! Master Chief comes with three weapons currently, a pistol, rifle, and energy sword. I will have other weapons for him soon, I just ran out of time and can’t miss Heroes, hah! So keep an eye on the auction throughout the week and you’ll see added pics near the bottom of all the new stuff he comes with. The winner also gets the unhelmeted mystery head that won’t be revealed until after the auction ends! What does Master Chief look like under the helmet? You won’t know until you win! So… want the ultimate, unique, hand-made Halo collectible? Know someone who’s a huge Halo fan and goes to the grocery store wearing a Spartan helmet? Then don’t pass this auction up!!

The reflective helmet gives a very realistic effect to this truly one of kind figure! Go track the progress of Jin’s Master Chief Spartan Halo 3 Custom as I am sure this is going to grab big bucks on eBay! Also, feel free to check out other custom Video Game toys on my ActionFigureCustoms.com website.

Halo 3 for the XBOX 360 has to be the most anticipated release since the PlayStation 3 game system last November. I know this is going to sound strange but my wife brought home a brand new sealed Halo 3 game and we DO NOT have an XBOX 360 (how odd is that)! She is in the video game industry and received a copy as a compliment from Microsoft but I am a PC Gamer so we are giving it to our 14 year old nephew.