Kurenai

Head: Star Wars- Dark Woman (starwarsgeek cast)
Chest/back: Star Wars- Princess Leia (Ceremonial outfit)
Neck: 25A Destro (IG uniform)
Waist, legs: Star Wars- Rystall
Upper arms: Star Wars The Clone Wars- Anakin Skywalker
Lower arms: NS Bombstrike
Lower leg wraps, boots: NS Storm Shadow
Loincloth: Star Wars- Captive Leia
Sword: ???

Mayumai

Head: NS Scarlett (ninja uniform)
Chest/back, skirt: Star Wars- Princess Leia (chillin' w/Ewoks outfit)
Arms: Star Wars- Princess Leia (Death Star outfit)
Legs: Star Wars- Princess Leia (Bespin outfit)
Sword: ???
Work table: Playmobil ??? set


Design:

Hasbro released two figures, both inexplicably named Vypra, in 2004. The figures were head-to-toe Jinx repaints, just like the 1998 Vypra was. The first Vypra isn't the same character as either of the 2004 Vypra figures. Stupid Hasbro. Why the 2004 Vypras were even called Vypra?- and why they didn't have their own distinct names- is beyond me.

In fairness, the 2004 figures were clever in that they both featured micro-printing and skirts to effectively disguise the fact that they were head-to-toe Jinx figures.

Here I've made two customs, each with unique parts, but renamed them as Mayumi Onihashi and Kurenai Onihashi. No ninja masks. The filecard reads that they are the twin daughters of Onihashi, but it doesn't say that they're identical twins, so I made them look different. The last time pop culture featured twins who weren't identical was in Valerie/The Hogan Family, circa 1986.

Hasbro's approach was that both Vypra sisters were swordsmith/guardians. Mine is that the Onihashi sisters certainly overlap in their skill sets, but Mayumi is the builder and Kurenai the fighter. Because Mayumi is already a static figure, the inclusion of the work table with her lends to the idea that she's the swordsmith of the two. It was a last minute addition to give an environmental piece to offset the lack of articulation.

Kurenai's flowing skirt front/back create some motion, making her the guardian of the two.

Mayumi's body uses a salad of Princess Leia parts that more or less look like a layered, heavy robe or a gi over a short frame. The figure is essentially a statue, with only the arms being posable at the shoulders. With this figure, I've used the last bits of a classic Star Wars Princess Leia figure, spread across three different customs. It's the small victories that make customizing fun.

Kurenai's body uses mostly Star Wars and New Sculpt parts that look a bit more dynamic and statuesque.

Colors & Paints:

When your base figure is a Jinx body, don't paint it red, Hasbro. But since these aren't Jinx bodies, I stayed with a dark red, plus black and purple accents. The faces were also good places to show off the personalities of each sister. Mayumi's makeup is subtle and natural. Kurenia's is more pronounced and exaggerated.

If I had a way to mimic the great micro-printing of the 2004 figures, I would have. To get some of its vibe as best I could, I added decorative tape. It's at the edges of Mayumi's sleeves and along the center of Kurenai's front skirt piece. I taped the decorative tape over solid white paper, so the color wouldn't be lost, and then glued the white paper over the figure parts. The glue spots darkened the tape/paper combo. To disguise this, I painted white lines over the pattern to make it appear that it was still visible.

To make the work table look like something that could be centuries old, it got a weathering treatment. A black wash, then white drybrushing, then a coffee brown wash, then some medium brown drybrushing, and finally some light grey drybrushing.

Sculpting & Modifying:

Mayumai:

The Bespin Leia legs/waist were cut from the torso. The legs/waist were glued together to make a solid piece (no need for articulation for this character), which was later wrapped by sculpted skirt. The neck wrap is epoxy. The sash at the waist is made from wrapped wire.

Kurenai:

The head is a cast (by starwarsgeek) and the neck is also cast. The shoulder interiors were reworked with epoxy to accept the Anakin Skywalker upper arms. The bunched-up sleeves are epoxy sculpted onto the lower arms. The midriff is also epoxy sculpted. The Rystall feet were removed and replaced with the Storm Shadow ones. The loincloth was cut into parts and glued in place. The neck wrap is epoxy.

Thanks for looking.

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