EDF custom dolls

Besides cosplaying, I have several hobbies: drawing and painting, playing video games, cooking, writing, listening to music, and recently I’ve been having fun building scale models.

I’m a huge fan of the Earth Defense Force video game series, and I consider the Air Raider my “husbando” :°D Especially his appearances in EDF 5 and EDF 6.

One day, while I was in a toy store, I noticed two dolls similar to Barbie and Ken, dressed as members of the Italian Army. As I observed them in their uniforms, a lightbulb went off in my head: they were perfect for customizing into the outfits of the EDF 6 characters. So, I bought enough of them to recreate my favorites (and I plan to make more over time).

The italian army raider doll turned out to be perfect for adapting into the EDF 6 Air Raider’s look, and it was the first one I worked on. The base uniform was already almost perfect; I only had to modify the color using fabric paints and craft all the accessories, belts, and pouches with foam. Modifying the helmet was challenging—I had to cut through some hard plastic—but in the end, the result is very cute and faithful to the original! I love this doll’s posability.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough references to faithfully recreate the weapons from the game, so I relied on what I could find online. As for the Wing Diver, I had to use a bit of imagination—but let’s consider it one of her plasma cannons. I also added a communication radio, and the accessories can actually be held in the doll hands. <3

As for the Wing Diver doll, I encountered more difficulties. First of all, the posability of the female model is much more limited compared to the male one, which is a real shame. Customizing her outfit was also problematic because her camouflage was dark and wouldn’t lighten even with bleach. I had to paint her white-and-blue camouflage with acrylics; as a result, the fabric became stiff and no longer allows for much articulation.

I also had to modify the shoes by raising them, and the helmet didn’t turn out exactly as I had hoped. However, overall, the “wow” effect is definitely there! Her hairstyle was already very similar to that of the Wing Diver. The work on her jetpack took a long time, and I drove myself crazy trying to reproduce the details by staring at the game screen X°D. Everything was made with foam, with only a few parts crafted using Milliput.

Creating these dolls has been incredibly satisfying, and I can proudly say they are one of a kind: I’m truly happy with them! I can’t wait to start working on reproducing the Ranger and Fencer classes as well. <3 Enjoy the gallery here!

Jen