Custom 1/18 Scale Acid Rain World Figures: Aivan’s Smiling Ark

Meet Taiwan based miniature creator Aivan. We are taking a close look at The Smiling Ark, his original fan made expansion of the Acid Rain World lore using heavily modified 1/18 scale figures.

Exploring Aivan’s Custom Miniature World

Today we are stepping away from the factory lines to look at something truly special in the 1/18 scale community. We are focusing on Aivan, a miniature creator based in Taiwan who builds and hand paints incredible custom action figures. In a hobby dominated by mass produced releases, seeing someone take existing toy parts and completely reinvent them into something new is a massive breath of fresh air.
Instead of just waiting for the next factory drop, Aivan builds and customizes these figures himself. Aivan has taken the gritty universe of Acid Rain World and injected his own original characters into the lore. Let us dive into his original faction known as The Smiling Ark.

The Smiling Ark and the Acid Rain World Lore

If you collect 1/18 scale toys, you likely know the Acid Rain World. It is a bleak dystopian setting where the eco-friendly Agurts defend themselves against the mechanized, ruthless Omanga empire. Aivan uses this sandbox to build The Smiling Ark, a tragic family of siblings forced into the Omanga ranks as local forces.
Godfrey, Capheny, and Carine were once star circus performers in the “Ark of Laughter.” Their lives were changed forever when an Omanga bio experiment leak caused a massive fire that completely destroyed the circus. Barely surviving, the dying siblings were taken by Omanga recovery teams and subjected to horrifying cyborg and zombification experiments. Now, they fight on the battlefield as symbols of war, holding onto fragmented memories of their past.

The Character Designs Up Close

Aivan developed an incredibly deep backstory and specific loadout for each sibling, blending military sci-fi with dark circus aesthetics.

Godfrey (The Corpse Plaything)

Originally the circus strategist and an agile acrobat, Godfrey was severely burned in the fire. Omanga replaced his torso with a mechanical central pillar, leaving his spine exposed while retaining his zombified tissue on his head and limbs. Designated OM-ZC-12, he lost his emotions but kept his analytical abilities. His heavily weathered blue armor is covered in chaotic graffiti reading “WHY SO SERIOUS?” and “HA HA HA”. The “WHY SO SERIOUS?” reference is a nod to the Joker from The Dark Knight. His face is a skeletal nightmare with green hair, clearly pulling inspiration from classic comic aesthetics while maintaining that gritty Omanga military feel. He is a master of spreading fear on the battlefield, moving with an uncoordinated but deadly precision.

Capheny (The Puppet Master)

Capheny was a lively clown who was crushed under a steel beam while trying to save Godfrey. Rebuilt as a cyborg puppet (OM-PD-07), her limbs were replaced with lightweight metal and servo joints. Unlike other modified units, she retained her memories and emotions. She fights for Omanga simply because she refuses to lose her family again. She sports a rusted red armor set with a distinct heart motif on the chest. Her dual colored pink and blue pigtails and pale face with delicate makeup lines give her an eerie elegance. She enters combat with a Colored Piercer Modular Rifle and carries a massive, weathered tactical toolbox that doubles as an explosive and repair kit.

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Carine (The Abnormal String)

Carine was Capheny’s personal prop assistant and was crushed trying to save children from the burning circus tent. Omanga used her as a control group for cyborg modifications, fusing a bio virus with mechanical prosthetics. She survives due to her resonance with Capheny. Functioning as a high speed multi-gun combat unit, she uses the Last Curtain Shotgun and twin submachine guns to flip and dive through the battlefield. She rocks sleek dark grey and black armor with exposed bone colored cables in her midsection. Her striking teal hair and the unsettling metallic lines on her face create a sharp visual contrast to her sister. Her ultimate goal is to uncover the truth behind the fire that ruined their lives.

The Customization Process and Photography

Building these custom figures takes time. Instead of using complete toy molds, Aivan builds them like miniature Frankensteins, kitbashing original Acid Rain parts with custom 3D-printed components to get the exact proportions he wants. While the bodies are a hybrid, every character’s head is 100% 3D printed.

After assembly comes the paintwork. Aivan paints the 3D-printed elements from scratch and either touches up or completely repaints the original toy parts. The weathering, rust effects, and fine facial details are all done entirely by hand. Since he only works during his free time, a single figure can take up to a month to finish. Under a pair of SmallRig macro lights, that dedication is clear. The paint wash brings out every mechanical joint and battle scar flawlessly.

Godfrey (The Corpse Plaything)

Originally the circus strategist and an agile acrobat, Godfrey was severely burned in the fire. Omanga replaced his torso with a mechanical central pillar, leaving his spine exposed while retaining his zombified tissue on his head and limbs. Designated OM-ZC-12, he lost his emotions but kept his analytical abilities. His heavily weathered blue armor is covered in chaotic graffiti reading “WHY SO SERIOUS?” and “HA HA HA”. The “WHY SO SERIOUS?” reference is a nod to the Joker from The Dark Knight. His face is a skeletal nightmare with green hair, clearly pulling inspiration from classic comic aesthetics while maintaining that gritty Omanga military feel. He is a master of spreading fear on the battlefield, moving with an uncoordinated but deadly precision.

Capheny (The Puppet Master)

Capheny was a lively clown who was crushed under a steel beam while trying to save Godfrey. Rebuilt as a cyborg puppet (OM-PD-07), her limbs were replaced with lightweight metal and servo joints. Unlike other modified units, she retained her memories and emotions. She fights for Omanga simply because she refuses to lose her family again. She sports a rusted red armor set with a distinct heart motif on the chest. Her dual colored pink and blue pigtails and pale face with delicate makeup lines give her an eerie elegance. She enters combat with a Colored Piercer Modular Rifle and carries a massive, weathered tactical toolbox that doubles as an explosive and repair kit.

Carine (The Abnormal String)

Carine was Capheny’s personal prop assistant and was crushed trying to save children from the burning circus tent. Omanga used her as a control group for cyborg modifications, fusing a bio virus with mechanical prosthetics. She survives due to her resonance with Capheny. Functioning as a high speed multi-gun combat unit, she uses the Last Curtain Shotgun and twin submachine guns to flip and dive through the battlefield. She rocks sleek dark grey and black armor with exposed bone colored cables in her midsection. Her striking teal hair and the unsettling metallic lines on her face create a sharp visual contrast to her sister. Her ultimate goal is to uncover the truth behind the fire that ruined their lives.

The Customization Process and Photography

Building these custom figures takes time. Instead of using complete toy molds, Aivan builds them like miniature Frankensteins, kitbashing original Acid Rain parts with custom 3D-printed components to get the exact proportions he wants. While the bodies are a hybrid, every character’s head is 100% 3D printed.

After assembly comes the paintwork. Aivan paints the 3D-printed elements from scratch and either touches up or completely repaints the original toy parts. The weathering, rust effects, and fine facial details are all done entirely by hand. Since he only works during his free time, a single figure can take up to a month to finish. Under a pair of SmallRig macro lights, that dedication is clear. The paint wash brings out every mechanical joint and battle scar flawlessly.

Beyond Acid Rain World

As a toy photographer and collector, it is refreshing to get to know someone who handmakes figures at this level. The amount of detail Aivan paints into these figures is deeply impressive. Honestly, the paint applications are so precise that I think his original characters look better than a lot of the existing factory produced figures out there.
But his talents do not stop at Acid Rain World. He is also a huge survival horror fan. Aivan has built highly detailed custom figures for the Resident Evil franchise, including characters like Leon S. Kennedy, Grace Ashcroft, and Victor Gideon. He is even currently working on a custom Shimizu Hinako from Silent Hill.
The best part is that Aivan actually offered to teach me how to make these myself, which is very exciting. I feel like mass produced figures have always been the norm, and being able to step back and appreciate a fully handmade, custom painted piece of art makes you appreciate the craft a lot more. I am very excited to learn his process and try my hand at this level of customization.

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