New Custom Mara Jade

 So with a new, and so far definitive ROTJ/Mandalorian Luke Skywalker Vintage Collection figure added to my collection, it caused me to put aside another figure that I had come to love, a custom Mara Jade figure with a swapped out head that belonged to a GI Joe Rise of Cobra Scarlett head that was paired well with my own custom Luke Skywalker figure. However, my custom Mara was taller than the new Luke figure (not by much, if I could have found some feet to swap out it might have worked, but I hadn't). So what was I to do but make another custom Mara Jade.

I had found 2 3.75 Black Series Mara Jade figures, one I got for MSRP, and another I bought on the cheap because the card was heavily damaged. The 2nd figure and accessories were near pristine, although the lightsaber had a bent blade. On a hunch, I swapped the lower legs of the 2007 comic pack Mara on my spare Black Series Mara and it was a perfect fit! And then I left it in my spare parts container, never to see the light of day. To be honest, based off this picture I thought of doing a head and hand swap on Jyn Erso since it looks like Jyn's Rogue One look was based off this outfit Mara wore in the New Jedi Order book series:

Now, I needed to find a head. Since I had a spare Shae Vizla, I took her head and placed it on Jyn, and that didn't work. However, when I put it on my spare Mara buck, the head actually fit! Although not as perfectly as I hoped, but the head doesn't fall off easily, so that's a plus! My only problem was now Mara's purple boots. So I painted them gloss black, followed by a coat of clear gloss paint. I use acrylic paints because it's not only easier to clean but once it dries it looks neat. If you use enamel paints it takes longer to dry and is quite messy. I didn't paint her knees black because I didn't want to keep constantly painting them, and when she bends her knees you can't tell anyway. It was common in VC 1 Era figures (2010-2012) to have some mismatched joints (CW Ahsoka, Nikto) so I continued a tradition.

I'm not saying my new Mara is perfect. She can sit down and fit in any vehicle, which is good. But she lacks ankle articulation so she can't be posed, which is a problem. But, I can live with it 

So why Mara? For starters she's been my favorite Expanded Universe/Legends character since I first read her debut in 1991. Now that's a long time to like a character! I had been fortunate enough to find her 1st official figure in 1998, and later got the comic pack and 3.75 Black Series figure. I am waiting on the Sixer (Black Series 6 inch) Mara Jade, as I had another GI Joe movie version of Scarlett I was going to customize for that scale. But also, Luke and Mara have played a big role in some of my favorite post ROTJ stories. Now to find a suitable Ben Skywalker to go with his mom and dad....