A favorite character of many is the legendary adventurer and archeologist Indiana Jones. Conquering ancient mysteries, defeating traps and foes, and unlocking lost secrets Indiana Jones is one of the most favored custom action figures. Part of this is due to the history of the hobby. In the late 1990s a company called Toys McCoy released a licensed Indiana Jones action figure. Because of the attention to detail and the quality of the materials on this figure, it became highly sought after and soon extremely rare and expensive. The Toys McCoy Indy also opened a lot of eyes to what is possible with one-sixth scale figures.
Select an image to view details and notes on the one-sixth scale Indiana Jones action figure.
After seeing the fabulous headsculpt of Harrison Ford by Lonnie Hale, I knew I had the perfect start for this Indy. I slowly began assembling parts from all different figures often replacing and upgrading things. I have 4 or 5 different Indiana Jones style shirts before selecting the one that had the look I wanted for this figure. While in school, I had a packaging project and I thought this would be the perfect compliment for an action figure like this. The deadline of the project also gave me a lot of motivation to finish this figure!
A few accessories I made for Raiders of the Lost Ark are: the Chachapoyan temple map, a sand bag, the Fertility Idol, the mischievous monkey (from an Ultimate Soldier Navy SEAL figure), and the bronze headpiece to the staff of Ra. For The Last Crusade accessory set I made the grail tablet, Henry Jones' Grail diary, and the Holy Grail. Eventually I would like to make some items from the Temple of Doom as well.
Inside temple-like box, Indy is suspended on a rope between two pillars with a machete in hand ready to ward off his foes and capture another prize for archeology.
Part of the project also involved related packaging, in this case, accessory sets.
My Indiana Jones recipe is:
Headsculpt and Hat: Hero Heads by Lonnie Hale (soft hat version)
Jacket: modified Dragon A-2 Flight Jacket
Shirt: modified from an Ultimate Soldier German Officer Uniform (Cassino)
Bag: Sideshow French M2 gas-mask bag, added leather strap. This is not film accurate but I felt this bag had the perfect shape for an adventurer.
Gun Belt, Holster, and Whip Holder: handmade from Leather
Gun: I chose a Dragon Enfield Revolver but I think this is relatively unimportant. Indiana Jones seems to go though guns like they were candy.
Whip: Dragon Danger Girl Sydney Savage
Belt: Dragon in Dreams Charles Winstone
Pants: They are from a Dragon WWII US figure, I chose them for their color when compared to the shirt and jacket.
Shoes: Dragon in Dreams George Puller, they not 100% film accurate but they match the character very well.
It is important to point out Indiana Jones' costume varies slightly from movie to movie. You make like the design of a particular sequence or photograph as a good starting point.
I sculpted the grail, tablet, headpiece, and the golden idol despite them all being available on the aftermarket. I felt the existing golden idol was too small and it also gave me a chance to try out something new. I did a lot of research, checking the movies frame by frame and also looking at examples of props and replicas. It took a few tries to get each piece to where I was satisfied with them.
It was great fun putting this figure and the packaging together. The box was a great challenge, getting two columns inside of a sloping container with enough room for a figure was no small feat. I am grateful for my friends for their knowledge and insight into helping me flesh out the mechanics of the packaging and gracious encouragement. A big thank you goes out to Calvin whom demonstrated and explained existing packaging ideas and also Nan and Tung of Echobase Toys who provided me with all the current action figure packaging I could handle. If you choose the quest for your own custom Indy, may you find as good of fortune.
Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.