Custom Corner: POP! Goes the Vader

All around the big galaxy
Master Yoda trained young Jedi
But Anakin feared and gave in to hate
Pop! goes Darth Vader

With the newest expansion of the Star Wars universe, we’ve been introduced to a number of new good guys and baddies, but let’s not forget the original Sith Lord that has filled our fandoms for nearly 40 years or our favorite Jedi Master in all his tiny green glory.  Darth Vader and Yoda, joined together here by Rask Opticon, are depicted in an expertly painted, Star Wars-inspired version of the classic jack-in-the-box children’s toy.  The clever piece, created by Rask Opticon, pulls together light and dark, serious and playful, in one brilliantly balanced custom.

This jack-in-the-box style originated in a painting Opticon had done previously of Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio as the springy childhood toy.  After utilizing the style many times in his paintings, Opticon moved into vinyl territory with a 3D version of his original Pinocchio and Jiminy duo.  As Opticon noted (with a bit of a chuckle) when discussing the style, “I like to think outside the box.”

His outside-the-box thinking is clearly evident in this particular custom, created using a mix of vinyl lines: a MINDstyle Stitch for Yoda and a mouse-eared Vinylmation for Darth Vader.  The combination of the two lends the figure a measure of playfulness that adds to the toy imagery, from Yoda’s childlike sitting pose to Vader’s playful ears and tiny lightsaber.  In contrast, the incredibly detailed painting pulls the custom out of the child’s world and places it firmly in the collector’s grasp.  With customs like these, adding some out-of-the-box thinking to your collection isn’t so far, far away.

To view more of Rask Opticon’s work, follow the links below:

Facebook: Rask Opticon

Instagram: @rask_opticon

Website: DistortionOfLife.com