Sandor Jeney's custom figures
I proudly present Sandor Jeney's custom collection on CustomStarWars. His handmade figures are sorted in many color variations, these are very special modifications, and he has a full custom army with many several trooper services. I haven't met a so big custom collection so far, and this is the first huge custom collection on CustomStarWars (not including mine) - so I decided to make an interview with Sandor this time. I do not just write a comment under his photos, I wanted to give you a closer look on his work. You'll see how much previous planning, how much searching, how much money, how much work hours is needed to create a custom collection that he has. CSW stands for CustomStarWars in the interview, and JS is the monogram of Jeney, Sandor. Please meet Sandor
Jeney, and his great custom collection!
CustomStarWars: Let me greet you on aboard
CustomStarWars Sandor. It is an honor for us that you share your custom
figures with us!
Sandor Jeney: I appreciate the possibility to be here.
CSW: How long have you been a Star Wars fan?
JS: I am not a Star Wars fan. Imagine how much figures I
would have if I would be a Star Wars fan. (he smiles) When the film and the figures were released I
immediately started collecting these things, but Star Wars is just the fourth, or the fifth amongst my hobbies. I prefer the medieval
knighthood, the armors, the art of war, and the real, the REAL space research. There are some element all of these in Star Wars, but mainly
in stupid and not real concepts. I wanted to make some kind of logic in the
original ideas, which were not real, or practical. Nobody can walk in the
space in a single face mask, and the ROTS clone pilot can not survive without
a face mask, as his air tubes pump oxygen in his OPEN helmet, that is no use
of that, as the oxygen comes out from his helmet.
CSW: You are absolutely right. So that was the reason and
that was the time when you started your customizing?
JS: Nope, it was well before. I started it in my early
childhood. We have been modified the figures from that time. Sometimes I did
not liked a figure, so I changed some things on it. Like I gave him an other
cloak, or an other weapon. Some decades ago the figures were quite static, I
mean you couldn't articulate them. So I cut off their limbs, or the head,
inserted a stift, and attached the limbs or the head back, and I could
articulate them, I often made variations from those figures, which I liked,
too. But in that case I bought an other piece of the same figure, and kept it
unmodified. I follow this method since then, so the recent Starwars customs
also have some original, and some modified pieces.
CSW: How long have you been modifying Star Wars figures?
JS: From the Kenner era. I have been started collecting
them since that, and that was the time of the logic.
CSW: What does your logic mean?
JS: The rebel and the imperial forces often fight each
other in the Star Wars movies. I mainly concentrate on those scenes. I wanted
to build an army for each battle events, like on aboard the Tantive IV, the
Battle of Hoth, the Battle of Endor, the skiff scene of the Return of the
Jedi, or the firefights on the Death Star. I wanted to face the opponents like
in the real world, on the real battle fields. There are more services. Since I
like the armored units the most, my logic was built around them. But the
imperial forces have more armored units, so I designed the same kind of
armored services for the republican forces.
CSW: Could you tell us some words on your services?
JS: There is the basic figure. That often remains
unmodified. I make a light armored version of it. It means the soldier has
only chest armor, and a (mostly open) helmet on his head, the limbs are
unprotected. The next service is a kind of heavy armored trooper.
They have armor on the limbs, too. The last class is fully armored, and their
helmet is absolutely closed.
CSW: Very clever. And why I can see so many duplicated
ones?
JS: Because when Hasbro started to release the old Kenner
figures newly designed, I found out to build up the whole army from ONLY
Hasbro figures. But there were some figures, which were only released by
Kenner, and there were only Hasbro ones. I don't often make a Hasbro inspired
figure to my Kenner line, maybe there are four of these, I usually make Kenner
inspired figures to my Hasbro line. I have some very unique Kenner and Hasbro
variations, which still not exist, or there are some which I had earlier then
the factory figures have been released. But I had them earlier.
CSW: What about the vintage items?
JS: I don't really like them. I have some from the
Empire, like 10-12 pieces. I made an interesting vintage shadow trooper from a stormtrooper, and I have a vintage shadow biker scout. I have mostly closed
helmet imperial figures from the vintage era, but not too many.
CSW: I also make custom figures, so I know how much time
and energy is needed to make custom collection, like yours. But anyway, could
you share your thoughts with the readers of CustomStarWars on this?
JS: Certainly. A simple modification is no more then a
half an hour. Not every custom figure needs carving. Sometimes a new cloak, or
a new weapon makes the figure different, but still homogeny with my logic. But
the bigger works needs 4 or ever more hours. And I don't paint them like you
do, except some exceptions.
CSW: Yes, indeed. The painting often needs the same
amount of time like the assembling. I have some custom figures that was
finished in 12-16 work hours. And I don't add the time that the invention
needs before the whole work.
JS: That is true. That invention needs much time, you gotta find out the concept, you gotta plan how many, and which figures should
be bought, and several other things well before the work.
CSW: How many figures do you have to buy to make one from
them?
JS: It depends. The average is two, but three is needed
occasionally.
CSW: Well, in that case you can tell – that is not a
cheap hobby!
JS: It is not! Sometimes the remaining accessories, and
body parts can be used for an other project, but often you can not use them
for anything else. In that case I like to assemble them for a figure, that is
not what I planned, but anyway, sometimes there will be a pretty good figure
from the remaining, too. I keep the better ones, but what I don't like, I get
rid of. I trade them, or sell them to lower my costs on the planned ones.
CSW: What other conceptions do you have?
JS: I like the custom figure color variations. I have
several variations sorted by their color. Also, I have some special shadow
variations, for example I have a Kenner Shadow stormtrooper. I don't make a
Shadow Sandtrooper, as there is not a black sandtrooper, as there is not black
sand, and there won't be a black snowtrooper neither, as there won't be black
snow. At least there is not black snow yet, but who knows, the climate is
changing. J But I have white Death
Star trooper, and I have a full evolution of them. I have Boba Fett's white
and black bounty hunters. I have white and black Kenner pilots, with open and
closed helmet for both. Of course I made a facial oxygen mask for the open
helmet pilot to make it more realistic. The white closed helmet Kenner pilot
was made from an AT-ST driver, but I carved his shoulder armor, and the
oxygen tubes enter the helmet front. The black closed helmet pilot's helmet is
removable. By the way, that is also a conception, part of my logic. I have
many removable, and many non-removable helmet figures. For example I have a
white and black removable helmet Kenner gunner, too. I have a Hasbro removable
helmet Tie fighter pilot. Don't miss it, that is different of a Baron Soontir
Fel, which I also have, but I modified him, too. It had not a acceptable leg,
so I replaced it with a better one, which even more looks like the one in the
comic book. The one in the comic book did not have arm armor, neither! But
that one had a pair of gloves, so I changed his hands, too. This one was not a
good figure, so I did not keep the original one, however I like to keep one
piece unmodified, but since with this original Baron Fel figure I was not
pleased, I only kept the modified custom figure, and did not buy an original
second piece. It looks like the one in the comic book, and also, I like mine
better.
CSW: OK, so you have been collecting and customizing your
figures sorted by their color, their armored grade, and by the removable and
fixed helmets?
JS: Yes. First I only collecting, and customizing the
clones by their color, but after the Hasbro first released some clone
commanders, that haven't got "skirt", shoulder armor, or helmet binocular.
This gave me the idea to make some new variations. Now I have many colors with
binocular-shoulder armor-skirt, binocular-shoulder armor, and only binocular.
Also, there are some variations without any accessories. What shall I say,
that required a LOT OF clones to buy...
CSW: Amazing! Do you have a favorite out of these many
beautiful custom figures?
JS: Well, I can't decide. I like the gunner and royal
guard formations, but it is a difficult question for me. I like the biker
scouts, too. For example I like that BARC trooper which was sitting on a BARC
speeder, it could not be articulated, only in that funny sitting posture. I
modified it so much, that his leg is normal now, moving, and straightened.
Also his wrist, his elbow, his knees, and his thigh!
CSW: That is a great work! Please tell us some words on
your plastic containers last!
JS: I bought them to be able to sort my figures in
scenes, in evolution rows, and services. It was important to be able to see
them like in a glass cabinet. I didn't want them to stand on a shelf, and let
the dust cover them. I wanted them displayed.
CSW: You are right, they worth more then be covered by
dust, and they needs to be displayed. There is a perfect occasion here at
CustomStarWars to display this kind of nice custom collections. Thanks for the
interview, and thanks for sharing it with us!
JS: Thank you for the interview, and thanks
for publishing my coll. at CSW.
I built 3 scenes of the New Hope in this first show-case. In the upper row you can see the defenders of the Tantive IV in the left, and the attackers in the right. In the middle row
there is the Tatooine scene, while the bottom row takes place on the Death Star. In general - the good guys, the rebel and the Republican forces are on the left, the bad guys, the imperials, Trade Federation droids etc. are on the right.
All scenes have Kenner and Hasbro variations, the Kenner is above, the Hasbro is a bit lower. I gave names for the upper row rebel services: the first is the original rebel fleet trooper, the second is a "rebel fleet light
armor trooper". The third is a "rebel fleet heavy armor trooper". The fourth fully armored trooper is a "rebel fleet stormtrooper".
KENNER NEW HOPE
VS
HASBRO NEW HOPE
VS
variation of the prev. theme but Han is white here.
Here are some fictionary rebel pilot attackers of the Death Star, and the defending fictionary imperial pilot classes out in the space, and some defending imperial gunners inside the complex. And now we travel into the Empire Strikes Back. The Battle of Hoth is coming, where you can see some Hoth rebel soldiers fighting some imperial snowtroopers. The name of the rebel row: the first is unmodified, the second is a Hoth rebel soldier, the third is a Hoth
rebel trooper, the fourth is a Hoth rebel snowtrooper.
EMPIRE
STRIKES BACK KENNER
VS
EMPIRE
STRIKES BACK HASBRO
VS
VS
The Return of the Jedi scenes. Upper row:
Jabba skiff scene. Middle row: ewok scene. Bottom row: Battle of Endor. The name of the Endor variation row: the first is an unmodified endor rebel soldier, the second is a "Endor rebel light armor soldier", the third is an "Endor rebel heavy armor soldier", the fourth fully armored is a "Endor rebel stormtrooper".
RETURN OF THE JEDI KENNER
VS
RETURN OF THE JEDI HASBRO
VS
Variation for the prev. theme with a open helmet biker scout
You can find shadow squadrons here. For example the rebels have here first a rebel fleet shadow trooper, the second is a "rebel fleet light armor shadow trooper". Third is a "rebel fleet heavy
armor shadow trooper". The fourth fully armored is a "rebel
fleet shadow stormtrooper".
VS
VS
Here you find not facing opponents, only "good" droids, and "bad" droids. In general, their color is becoming darker as you advance to the right, or you can articulate them better.
VS
Some other kinda stuff in these show-cases. There are those vintage customs here, what I mentioned to you, I changed their face, I didnot liked them. The right case upper right figure is the BARC
trooper from the bike, but he is super articulated now.
Shock trooper variations
Red and orange clone variations
Green and camouflaged clone variations
Blue and silver (grey) clone variations
Brown color clone variations
White color "basic" clone variations, and clone pilot variations
Other interesting clone themes, the first in only a new packaging of 3 different clones, but the second Hunt for Grievous set's 4 clone were modified by me.
Royal guard variations were made from Coruscant guard
bodies, but with a modified visor and helmet. Just take a closer look! The droidikas (destroyer droids) are original in the back row, only the first one is a custom. It was that one which fires projectile from under its arm, I
did not liked that. So I changed his torso, and attached the head and the legs to that new body.
Thanks for the pictures!
Check out the other custom figures and custom collections here at CustomStarWars, and send in your customs too!
Commented, and the interview by: Norbert Rostas
