This is the first custom I showed the world. Only a battle damage prototype of the same figure came before this.
The mentioned prototype and this whole battle damage nonsense I do actually all started by accident in early 2007.
Shortly after becoming a home owner, I put up shelves in a room that was all my own.
I had bought a TRU exclusive GI JOE Night Force Hydrofoil but never took it out of the box where I had previously lived due to lack of space.
When I had finished the shelves I had a whole box of Alts & that Hydrofoil still sealed so I couldn't wait !
After putting together the Hydrofoil I found a spot for it on a shelf, I loved the "hydrofoils" so it was displayed with them down. A few Alts. all around as well.
About a week later I heard "the crash of destiny" (I just made that up) somewhere off in the distance.
Fearing the worst I eventually found the Hydrofoil on the floor (goodbye search light lens, months later I found it.) and off in a corner was my Alt Smokescreen...IN HALF !!!
At first I thought it would just pop back together as TFs usually do but this was not the case.
Nope, this dude was flat out busted in half at the waist.
So I bought a new Alt Smokescreen shortly after,
but what to do with this busted one ?
Having made a few crashed NASCAR models in the past I wondered if I can do something similar with Alt. Smokescreen...like...battle damage ?!
I scoured the net for some sort of tutorial on bd-ing Transformers...NOTHING !
I was convinced it had to be done, what did I have to lose ?(a broken figure - oh no !*sarcasm*)
So I took a stab at it, literally. It came out ...OK.
I had a feeling if I did it all over with another figure I could make a much improved custom, and so I did.
I started buying Alts for cheap and looking for some with condition issues.
When the first batch arrived I re-did Alt Smokescreen, and this is that figure.
This one turned out better than I hoped and when I realized how much better I got with just 2 figures I was hooked !
I sell most of my customs as was the case with this one, I feel selling them allows me to continuously make more thus improving my skills with every project.
Who knows, maybe one day I'll do this full time...?
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