Help! My son has asked Santa for a custom made action figure!

[Debragombert]

My son who is 7 writes his own comic books.  "Ninja Pooh" is the main character and "Ninja Vampire" is Pooh's nemesis.

Carl is asking Santa for Ninja Pooh and Ninja Vamipre action figures.  (Since, he reasons, Santa can make anything...) I do have ample drawn examples of the characters...
Carl commonly plays with Imaginext action figures which are about 3" tall, made of hard plastic, and can be viewed here:
http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/Images/FP_ImaginextFigurePoster_tcm169-22379.pdf
I would likely buy one of these as the base for the vampire.

I found a Winnie the Pooh figure which is probably plastic, although I don't know what type of plastic...
http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Figurines-Winnie-Pooh-Tigger/dp/B000WG1Q6E/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1351965955&sr=1-6&keywords=Winnie+the+Pooh

BUT NOW WHAT?!  Ninja Pooh looks like Winnie, but he has a headband and black karate belt.  Ninja Vampire has fangs, a cape, and a black karate belt.  Whatever I do, it has to be sturdy because all of my son's "guys" engage in battles in which they jump, dive, and survive explosions.

Felt? Paint? Some kind of plastic material? What kind?? Where to begin? 

I can knit, but I cannot draw and I am *NOT* crafty. Not at all - I am a bit overwhelmed at the very idea of making or modifying a toy. I have never used a glue gun or any kind of paint beyond water colors and finger paint! I am a *complete* novice at this sort of thing.  I really don't know what to do once I purchase the guys.

Any / all help and suggestions are most welcome!
Thanks so much,
Debbie

[Blacksmith]

For much of it I would advocate using resin, 2 part epoxy, and a dremel.
Basically I'm suggesting you do thin layers, then use the dremel with an engraving bit to refine the forming work.
Believe it or not I think this is a good choice for a first project in 3d. I love taking on stuff I have no idea how to do.

The reason I'm suggesting you do layers over casting the whole thing is that doing a detailed mold for resins and plastics is even MORE difficult.

Oh, and you can tint fiberglas resin (just the resin mind you, not the stuff with fibers in it, most auto body shops carry it).
Take a look at the following website for ideas for what you can use as a colorant for the resin:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/other_materials.htm

[LimeRiot]

Your son sounds like a very clever boy!!

Given your self-confessed lack of craftiness, I would suggest trying paint. You can find some info on painting plastic at the link below but since it's such a small object, I'm not really sure that all of the sanding steps are really required.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4500402_paint-plastic.html

You could also give Etsy a shot. You might be able to find someone to do the crafty dirty work for you.

I found this too. The link looks questionable but it's a site where you can build your own action figure .

http://www.vicale.com/maleondemand/

[Yaqulek]

Your son sounds very creative



The simplest thing to do, would be to paint figures, and use a bit of fabric for the Vampire figure's cape.

Here is a tutorial for painting action figures

http://www.figurerealm.com/viewcustomtutorial.php?id=33


Or if your feeling a little more adventurous you could try sculpting the headbands and belts

Here are some basic tutorials that show how to add some customizations to plastic action figures.

http://www.figurerealm.com/viewcustomtutorial.php?id=31

http://www.figurerealm.com/viewcustomtutorial.php?id=38

(The tutorials don't seem to mention it,  but it is a good idea to lightly sand the action figure in the areas you plan to customize, before you apply the epoxy so that it adheres better.)

I think 1/4 lb is the smallest quantity they sell but, you can buy Apoxie Sculpt in black so that you wouldn't have to paint it after adding the headbands and  karate belts.

http://www.avesstudio.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=28&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1



Also you could try posting on an action figure forum, I am sure that people with customizing experience would be happy to offer advice or answer any questions you may have. Or you find someone who you could pay to customize the figures for you.