Featured Art: Custom Disney Infinity Boba Fett Prototype
The Disney Infinity Boba Fett prototype figure is one of our favorite custom collectibles, and we are pleased to have run across so many fine examples on Instagram by the likes of @captainfett, @beardystoys, @lainey.cat, @grn_i_winter, and @neversharetoyz. We even have the privilege of owning an impeccably painted specimen ourselves, thanks to our good friend @matson23. However, as far as sheer amount of detail goes there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. The honor goes to Michael M. (known by his friends as Xero), a United States Air Force veteran and respected member of the custom toys community.
It was immediately clear to us from first glance that there was something special about Xero’s Infinity Fett repaint. We couldn’t quite put our finger on why at first, but a brief correspondence revealed that there are no less than ten different color paints involved in this “white” figure. This was also not his first custom Infinity project; Xero had previously painted another Boba Fett in a Return of the Jedi color scheme, complete with weathering, and it looks nothing short of spectacular.
LEGO fans will also appreciate Xero’s collection of custom minifigures both in and out of the Star Wars universe. Some great examples of Star Wars minifigures he has worked on include Senate Havoc Troopers, Commander Thorn, Red Mist Squad, White Iron Fett, and our personal favorite: Garindan! Scroll a bit further down in his Instagram feed and you will also find a fun series featuring custom Boba Fett and Boba Fett prototype minifigures on an adventure. Xero was kind enough to share some insights on how he created his amazing custom Boba Fett prototype, his work with custom collectibles, and his plans of putting his wife in carbonite (well, sort of) in his interview with us. Enjoy!
What was your favorite Star Wars memory growing up?
One of my first and fondest Star Wars memories was Return of the Jedi; that whole movie astonished me as a kid! After I saw that one I found out that there were two other movies that came before that one. I was instantly hooked and needed to see them all.
Before we talk about your custom Disney Infinity Boba Fett prototype figure, we would like to first point out to readers that it’s not your first nor most recent project. What first inspired you to start customizing Star Wars collectibles?
I have always been into LEGO as long as I can remember, so when LEGO began making Star Wars sets I was in seventh heaven. Unfortunately I couldn’t get all the minifigures I wanted because LEGO simply didn’t make them, and other people that were customizing them and selling them on places like eBay wanted a LOT of money for them. I’ve always been good at painting 1:24 scale model cars and Hot Wheels so I figured instead of paying a lot of money for an “okay” looking custom I decided to start customizing my own LEGO Star Wars minifigures. This has lead me to be in contact and work with many many big names in the LEGO customizing community and has created a lot of good friendships and custom figures. When I saw the Disney Infinity Boba Fett I was almost sickened at how far off the color scheme was.. I said out loud “Have the people that made this even SEEN Star Wars before?!?!” I knew I had to fix it, immediately.
Which custom Star Wars project has been your favorite so far?
I have TOO many favorite projects. The ones I like the most are the ones that made me challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone. Ones that jumps to mind are the digital camouflage series I’ve put together with my long time collaborator Jared (Fineclonier on Flickr). We came up with a digital camo pattern (additional views of the back) for Republic Commando Captain Gregor from The Clone Wars that totally encompassed every external surface of the LEGO minifigures. It took a lot of planning and measuring to figure it out. The end results were very satisfying. After the print was made we decided to create our own customs using the same idea, such as Skittles Squad.
The two Disney Infinity Boba Fetts I have painted rank pretty high up there. They have set me on a course for newer and bigger projects. I have another one I’m finishing up right now and this has been on my bucket list for quite some time, but I’m probably not supposed to show it off quite yet. It’s part of a project that I worked with Jared for The Brickjournal and want it to be a big reveal in their magazine, but it is DEFINITELY one of my favorites to do. It encompasses a small part of molding along with a ton of painting! It should be coming out soon…
Your custom Disney Infinity Boba Fett prototype is arguably the most detailed we’ve ever seen. How many different colored paints did you use?
There are ten colors on the figure: flat white, gloss white, gloss light ivory, flat black, semi flat black, gloss black, gloss red, copper metallic, silver chrome, and flat aluminum. First, I filled in the helmet dent with modeling clay. I removed the range finder and replaced it with a piece from CloneArmyCustoms.com. I then primed the whole figure in flat white. All the armor was painted in gloss white. The hoses on the arms were painted a gloss light ivory to give some separation from the rest of the arm. The EE-3 carbine rifle was painted flat black. I detailed the foot spikes, knee darts and grappling hook on the jet pack with chrome silver. The gauntlets got detailed with gloss black, gloss red, flat black, flat aluminum, and copper metallic. The T visor was painted gloss black and finally the rangefinder was treated to flat aluminum and semi-gloss black. I then painted the base plate gloss grey and the bottom round piece gloss black, so technically there are 11 colors but the grey is just on the baseplate.
What was the most enjoyable aspect of this project?
I do the majority of my projects for me. Yes, I have done commissions for other collectors but most of the time my enjoyment comes from creating a custom one (or two) off figure just because I can. The other big enjoyment I get is helping others in the customizing hobby. I have written several articles with Jared for The Brickjournal and I absolutely love giving back to the hobby that has given me so much joy. Without others’ DIY’s and tutorials I’ve read in the past I would not be where I am today in skill level, so putting information out about my processes or what products I use knowing it could help other customizers get better at their passion is why I do these types of articles and interviews.
What was most challenging about it?
The hardest part for me was figuring out exactly HOW detailed I could get without oversaturating this figure. I feel like I got the majority of the really iconic details locked down with him and my Return of the Jedi versions. I really would have liked to have added the ‘beach towel’ design to the tattered cape but that is just out of my ability… for now.
Lastly, What is your dream custom Star Wars project?
While working on the RotJ version of my Disney Infinity Boba Fett I realized how much I truly enjoy weathering and making details come alive with depths of layers. This is something that’s very difficult to do with a LEGO figure as I have a finite amount of space to get even the simplest of details into. I have decided I want to build and paint a full size Mandalorian armor set. I have already begun a helmet using a Pepakura template I found on The Dented Helmet forums. Once it’s complete I will design a color scheme for it, paint it, and then weather it. Again, this is a big challenge for me as it’s by far the largest hobby project I’ve attacked as well as taking me WELL out of my comfort zone with the creation of the parts out of cardboard, resin, sintra and foam. It’s been a wonderful project so far, but I’m not even done with the helmet yet. Another BIG project I want to do is a fully custom “Carbonite DVD case”. I have been reading up on life-casting and how to build a carbonite case. I want to take an old shelving unit and life-cast a friend/person/my wife onto the back of it and mount it to my wall on hinges. It will serve as a huge project for me and some friends to do, and a completely one-off wall art piece. Also with the hinges, I’ll be able to swing the carbonite slab away from the wall revealing all my DVDs inside the back of it, making it functional as well! I’ve tinkered with the life casting on a willing friend and I’ve done some woodworking and wiring in my day so I really think I can pull this off. It’ll be another fun one for sure!
About Xero
Michael M. (aka Xero) is a United States Air Force veteran and respected member of the custom toys community. His work can be found on Flickr and Instagram under the username “xero_fett”.