Ever wonder why the Kaadu doesn't come with feathers? I did too. I had this figure in the works before Dan put his up. When I saw his I thought, "Well, I guess I'd better hurry." The normal Tarpals can't really ride a Kaadu, which is kind of dumb, because he's on one for most of the movie. I decided to make this modified version.

• Jar Jar Binks (legs)
• Captain Tarpals (everything else!)

Boil and Pop both figures. Keep all of Tarpals and Jar Jar's legs. Throw the rest of the pieces into the drawer where you keep all the other dismembered figures.

Cut Tarpals's legs just above the knee. I cut mine so that he would still have his knee pads, but this makes the articulation very difficult to keep. It's your call. Cut Jar Jar's legs just below the knee. Put Tarpal's lower legs onto Jar Jar's upper legs. Like I said, this was hard to do in such a way as to keep the articulation working well. I found that you can do without this feature, however, and still have a figure that can stand as well as ride the Kaadu.

Position the legs with the knees slightly bent and glue them in place. Cover the gaps in Sculpey and cure. Paint the parts of the legs that were Jar Jar's green (I used Model Master Acryl "Russian Armor Green") and then dry brush the burgundy (I used a mixture of Model Master Acryl "British Crimson" #4609 and Model Master Acryl "Insignia Blue" #4742) mixture over that. Glue Tarpals back together and put him on your custom Kaadu!

Speaking of the Kaadu...

Find pheasant feathers that are the lengths you want them. I used many reference shots and did proportions. Feathers can be bought at most craft and sewing stores like Jo-Ann Fabrics. Ask your mom if you're not sure. Moms tend to go to places like this.

Using a Dremel or other small drill, make holes in the spot behind the saddle but in front of the saddlebag. Tip: use a small drill bit. Put one hole straight down the middle and have the other two on a slight angle. Stick the feathers in the holes and arrange as needed.

Put the clear rubber band around the Kaadu's legs at the ankles so that it will actually stand up. These rubber bands are often found packaged with SW figures, especially when they are packaged holding guns. (Hint: this is also a good way to make your GNK Droid stand up.) Admire your Kaadu.

I know that pheasant feathers are not an exact match for the Giant Goff Bird feathers of Naboo, but they had the right shape and a nice look to them. You can paint the feathers to match, but I found that it is hard to retain the nice look when they're painted. If you find better feathers to use, email me