Customs – Altaïr (Assassin’s Creed)

It was nearly a year ago when I first got really into Assassin’s Creed and I LOVED IT. I looked for toys, but there just aren’t that many.

When I first decided I was going to do this, make this custom, I knew it was a relatively big fucking deal. No illusions here.

I wanted to push it though, to attempt something that most others wouldn’t do. I wanted to create a figure that simply doesn’t exist commercially (that I know of) and I wanted to do it entirely of extra Joe parts that I had.

Recipe (body):

  • Head – Rise of Cobra Duke
  • Chest – 25th Anniversary Storm Shadow
  • Waist – Ditto
  • Upper arms – ROC Gayass Tornado Kick Snake Eyes
  • Lower arms – ROC Arctic Storm Shadow
  • Upper legs – Resolute Storm Shadow
  • Knees/Lower legs (upper) – Ditto
  • Shins – Pursuit of Cobra Alley Viper
  • Feet – 25th Anniversary Storm Shadow

Note the missing finger that not only allows for ease-of-use with the hidden blade but also is a sign of the Assassin’s dedication (from first game only, Ezio is lucky enough not to have to, even though he’s willing).

Recipe (gear):

  • Hood – Resolute Storm Shadow hood
  • Mantle – RES Storm Shadow gi
  • Belt – POC Desert Storm Shadow
  • Pouches – ROC Paris Pursuit Storm Shadow, 25th Firefly HOH
  • Sword Scabbard – 25th Storm Shadow
  • Knife Scabbard – Ditto
  • Secret Blade Vanbrace – ROC Arctic Storm Shadow
  • Secret Blade – Ditto again
  • Knife – Machete from ROC Jungle Ripcord
  • Sword – $5 Knight from Red Dot
  • Throwing Knives (belt) – Ankle knives from NECA Altair
  • Shoulder harness – ROC Destro’s shoulder harness, 25th Ann Storm Shadow’s backpack, POC Desert Storm Shadow’s belt
  • Robes – ROC Paris Pursuit Storm Shadow
  • Sash – Belt from 25th Anniversary Storm Shadow
  • Stand – $5 Soldier guy from Kmart

The sword and stand are from those random figures you pick up for a few bucks at the shit shops with Chinese crap and I picked up an 8″ NECA Assassin’s Creed Altaïr for $20 from some cheap scumbag on eBay. When I opened the 8″ toy his leg snapped off and his hand did as well right away.

When I wrote the guy and said, “Um, do you know your toys are brittle and weak?” and he was all, “So sorry, I send you new one” so I was happy to cut the throwing knives mounted to his ankle and use them for his half-sized counterpart.

Of course, I never actually got the replacement…

Hardest bit: Consciously deciding to glue all of the parts together before painting. Fuck, sculpting the hood until it was… just… so…

Easiest bit: Plastic welding and gluing his belt together, pouches, medicine kits, scabbards. VERY satisfying.

Biggest Fail: Not gluing his chest properly and now there’s a gap at the shoulder. Also, the paint globbed and cracked a bit around the shoulders and elbows.

Biggest Nail: The paintjob on the belt and legs have really, really pleased me. The leather look on the forearm vanbraces as well.

Somebody on the Tank recently commented that the POC Alley Vipers’ legs were only good for really skinny dudes and chicks. Well, when you hack them off just above the boots, they work rather well. I ordered one of those Sinodolls $6 orange Alley Vipers just for the legs. WORTH IT.

Next version will undoubtedly have removable throwing knives, just like the big version. I’ll make him skinnier too, with more robey robes, instead of looking all… thick.

At first, I had a retractable Assassin’s Blade, just like the bigger version, but it just wasn’t… clean enough. I’d put a shiv through it, through the slot used by the ROC Arctic Storm Shadow on that vanbrace, and used it to slide it up and down but it was just too clunky.

When I made the decision to just make it stick out a bit and use my hand to push it through. Not as cool, but more workable.