Step 12 - Hats on to you sir!

Slow and steady is the way forward so lastnight I got to painting the cig and started sewing the fisherman's hat. I need to make and add the brim for which I have a nice green fabric for the underside. You can see the hat in the photo montage print-out in the photograph below. You will also be able to spot the acetate sheet ready to be used for his 'Las Vegas' visor.

Step 11 - what's that you're smoking on?

Okay, so after a long break I have returned! Its about time I did some of the more 'fun' elements of the costume so as you can see, the smoke holder is underway!

Step 10 - Booty love

Since the last update I have made and sewn a collar onto Woody's coat. This means that the coat is finally done! It's kinda weird that Raoul Duke wears a coat in Las Vegas - I was always under the impression it's pretty hot there..?

As you can see Woodys cowlick has now gone thanks to some stellar advice from my good friend and doctor, Zung. I have painted his head with a close matching skin tone but alas, its not quite right. I'll have to try mixing in another colour. (been putting this off, big time!)

I used Woody's old cowboy boots as a base for his new trainers/pumps. They have been attached to his legs using cocktail sticks and wire. I have applied some base coats of black and white to add depth and texture. I just need to apply the final finish - exact colour to be confirmed....

Step 9 - Cuff Nuff

The good news is that his jacket is nearly complete. I still have to add the collars but on the whole, its there. The necessary sewing in the project has proven to be a whole lot harder than anticipated! It doesn't come naturally to me so its a slow process. I will keep this in mind when choosing my next custom to undertake.

Step 8 - Jacket'in!

This bank holiday weekend has given me time to get stuck into the most important accessory required for the transformation - the jacket. Raoul wears his jacket for at least 60% of the film. (I know this having had it on repeat all day)! It's a patchy number made up of various shades of beige, red and blue.

I have been sewing away all day and was happy with it until I took this photograph and realised just how patchy its looking. I hope that once I iron all the seams down, stitch it all up and add the finishing touches, it'll look less crap.....we'll see ay?

Step 7

I've gathered the fabrics for his mofo jacket!

Step 6

I went to work on his shirt and have finally made the collar. This was actually quite fiddly and a job that I'm pleased to see the back of. The buttons were taken from Woody's original cowboy shirt and glued back on his new one. Still got to do his cuffs...

I cut up my stankin' old socks to make Raoul's high socks.

With the shirt open at then neck I needed some skin at the neck. So I cut a piece of the felt and glued it over his existing shirt. 

Above shows the oufit that I'm referencing.

Step 5 - Peep what I sew'd

I been gettin' my sew on! This is how Woody's looking lately. I had to figure out what shapes go into making a button up shirt - then make a mini one. As you can see it needs finishing with collar, cuffs, buttons, etc. I will get around to this soon enough but sometimes its more fun doing things out of order.

As the bleach bath failed miserably, I went to plan-B and found some felt  for the legs, in the same colour as Woody's skin. I then cut and sewed this into tubes and pulled them over his floppy legs. I need to sew them on which will create the knee bend.

His shiny blue shorts are also underway. For these I am using an old tie that I bought from a charity shop on the cheap. They still need a fair bit of work, I'm talking edge details and elasticated waist but all in good time.

Right, now your bang up to date!

Step 4 - Ain't nuttin' wrong with pink!

Just found some perfect material for Woody's new shirt, pink with poker dots. Now all I gotta do is figure out how to sew?! The red bandana that Woody wears around his neck will be perfect for creating Raoul's desert-ready look shown below. I will just have to dye it green/grey. How hard can that be? Gulp...

Step 3 - I need your boots, your clothes & your motorcycle

I have now chopped off Woody's feet/boots! I had to use a rubber band as a tourniquet to stop the flow of wool from his stumps. I will keep the boots and re-use them as a base for his new pair of plimsolls. 

Woody then went for a soak in a lil' tub of bleach! I need his pegs to be lighter so that I can dye them a skin tone coz the character of Raoul Duke sports a rather fetching pair of blue short shorts. This stupid bleach bath did nothing but make him stink like swimming pool. So it's back to the drawing board with this one. Any ideas out there?

Step 2 - Boldly Balding

It was time to give Woody a haircut. As you can see from the above images Raoul Duke is a baldy. So it was time to put knife to plastic. I started by removing the top of his hollow head. I then randomly stuffed his empty skull with paper and used mod roc to re-build the surface. After a few days the mod roc refused to dry so I scrapped that and ripped the whole lot out. I'm glad I did this as the paper inside was dripping wet and would have eventually rotted.

With the my previous intervention removed I started again, this time stuffing his head with faux fur which I had left over from a previous project. I need the head to remain light to stop it from falling forward and backward under unnecessary weight. The fur was light and provided a ledge for the next material to sit on. This time I used poly filler to re-build the head. As you can see from the photo below this worked out just fine. It was easy to apply and quick to dry. At a later stage I will sand it down slightly to get a nice smooth finish. I decided to leave Woody's cowlick to keep the essence of Woody alive when he eventually ends up as Raoul.

Step 1 - Get Your Cowboy

Okay, so here's the Woody doll thats down for the chop. I bought him off ebay for about £4 ($7). It certainly feels wrong to be taking a knife to such a loved character, but hey - he'll thank me for it in the end.

There's so much to do to him, its difficult to know where to begin. Like a snake devouring it's prey, the only way to do it is head first. Sorry Woody but your about to catch a serious case of alopecia!

Welcome to The Fear Story project!

Hello! My name in BOS ONE aka Tony Miller. I am a toy customiser / blogger (streetsofbeige.com) from the U.K. I have made such custom toys as 'Tomas' (the creepy kid from The Orphanage), Tyler the Creatoy (Odd Future frontman) and ShadoBot (Shadow of the Colossus). Welcome to The Fear Story! Here you can follow my progress on the making of my latest custom toy. Can you guess what it is yet?!   


So what's the big idea?...Well its quite straight forward really and not that big, but here goes....lets turn the Woody and Buzz Lightyear toys from Toy Story into Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo from Terry Gilliam's 1998 classic, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I have called this project, The Fear Story. Here, I will be documenting the entire process from start to finish. 


Why bother? I hear you ask. Well....umm.???..not sure really, I just have an urge to do it. What I will say is I love Fear and Loathing and grew up with Woody and Buzz - so I can't think of a better cast to work with. I am sure that Woody especially will morph effortlessly into the wobbly, drug fuelled Raoul Duke. I am excited to see the result and I hope you will be too!


You can expect many of the props from the film to accompany the toys. I should also say that any hints, tips, ideas and opinions will be greatly received so please get in touch and join me on this journey to find the American Dream. (thats a lame reference to Fear & Loathing by the way). 


I will finish by saying that sensitive souls out there might find images of Woody and Buzz in various severed states quite disturbing. You have been warned! let the Butchery begin! BOS ONE out.