Pictures of the CAB & Tiler menagerie

This is an interesting photo that Calin posted on his flickr gallery. It helps to better understand Christo's bias in the design of his Tauntaun Custom.

On the same image are gathered: The Tauntaun Custom by Christo, the Kaadu of the set 7115 Gungan Patrol (2000) and the Dewback of the set 4501 Mos Eisley Cantina (2004). By bringing the three creatures together, we better understand Christo's desire to produce a custom that fits perfectly in terms of design and style with the official Star Wars menagerie available in 2005.
The legs of the Tauntaun are designed on the same model as those of the Kaadu Gungan, the eyes are symbolized with the same hollow stud and the attachment of the harness is carried out in the same way for the three creatures. 

A custom, if it must be original and creative, must be able to integrate perfectly as here into the range from which it is inspired. Too often, I see customs that do not respect the LEGO "codes", and the quality of the creation is devalued by the lack of consistency with other minifigs or characters in the same range.
Today, we have enough perspective on the evolution of the minifigure over the years to allow each designer to draw inspiration from what has already been done and adapt the design and dressing of his customs while maintaining the LEGO aspect of the final product. A custom minifig, like an original LEGO minifigure, must be kept simple, immediately identifiable, and stylized enough not to be "figurinism"the most primary.