STYLE > substance

Everything starts with an idea. My career as a customizer did! This little guy up there, that funky Cobra Commander, was the first figure I ever customized. Way, way, WAY back in 2010 I've been internet friends with a guy called LuXuS, who was a badass customizer with a very pronounced dark style. He was also a full time ToyBiz truther, not being able to open his mind to the possibility that Hasbro could make good Marvel figures - but, to be fair, it really didn't look like they could back then! Admiring his figures, and those of other legendary customizers from that time, made me try my hand at it. And 14 years later, well, the rest is history.

One of the most important steps, before I can even start work, is to put on some good music, either on headphones (when I’m not home alone) or on full blast from speakers (whenever I am).

Starting a project, to me, means that I need to know all of the ins and out, that I have to be highly specific on what I want to create. After settling on a character, comes time for deciding on how he/her is going to look. Which outfit is question number one. If I don’t have a look for them in mind already, I’ll go online to hunt down some (most) of their suits be it from comics, movies or games. There are amazing sites like https://uncannyxmen.net/ that break down so many different looks for characters. If that’s not enough, I’ll turn to my favorite comics/media the character comes from. And since comics are drawn by dozens upon dozens of different artists, I can zero in on a highly artist specific detail as well.

Once I finally choose a costume, it’s time to go through official figures and customs that have tried to replicate it. It’s especially helpful when I’m not sure how certain aspects of the costume might end up looking in 3D. I also like to look for general ideas on how to execute something or which fodder other makers have used, though the latter isn’t that helpful because most customizers do their things in 1/12 scale, while I keep to my 1/10. Though, again, the ratios have changed considerably thanks to McFarlane’s DC Multiverse line that brought so much affordable superhero fodder out way.

After I find how I want my character to look, comes time for gathering parts – that is looking through my fodder bags, figures on my shelves, and pictures and comparisons online. If I decide that I need to buy a couple figs that I don’t have on hand, I might do a basic pic bash in

PSP to see how they'd look together.

My most favorite part of customizing is when I finally have my fodder on my desk and it’s time to disassemble everything and then try to put my figure together. On some rare occasions, the parts will fit perfectly leaving me not a lot to do, but most of the time, well, there are battles to be fought. Like, trying to make parts from totally different companies work together, changing articulation schemes of one to fit the other, extending or shortening parts, and, of course, sculpting here and there as well. I’ve never been a gifted sculptor, however. It’s a skill that eludes me and I haven’t been able to learn in so many years, so I try to minimize it as much as possible. Still, I do enjoy matching textures, covering some details or enhancing others, adding facial hair. I’ll sculpt superhero symbols as well. I’m quite okay at the simple stuff.

I think there’s some primordial beauty in an unpainted-yet-put-together custom figure. Seeing the ins and out of everything – this brings me a lot of joy. I always had an eye for recognizing parts usage and trying to get out of the box with mine. Using a surprisingly well sculpted torso that’s hidden under an armor and cape overlay is so much more satisfying than taking the easy route of using an oddly sculpted or badly proportioned one that’s easily available. I think that came with the territory of being a 7” scale customizer pre-McF and the aforementioned lack of obvious fodder.

When it comes to painting, I like to keep striving for realistic colors and shading, which fits well with my approach to parts gathering, too. What speaks to me the most is adding those little unnecessary details that really bring a lot of life and uniqueness to a piece.

What I mean are things like:

• skin damaged by a lifetime of wearing shackles and working on all fours on a former slave

• grime and dirt on a battle weary soldier

  
  

• making “power rings” into little whirlpools instead of just standard glowy spots

• glare from a Ghost Rider’s flame

• lightning not only emitting from Thor’s eyes but also coursing through his veins

• or traces of blood on Weapon X’s outer thighs in spots where his bloodied hands would involuntarily brush against them.

If there's a single thing that one can spend an eternity on perfecting, it's painting headsculpts. I have that thought at the back of my mind every time I approach portraits. And with comicbook characters especially, there's a whole lot of variety that can come your way: young men, old men, female warriors, people with two or more faces, monsters, mutants, and more blue or green skinned beings than you'd think.

When all is done, every layer or paint applied, every shade shaded, some parts sealed with matte, others with gloss. When that custom figure is assembled, posed and posed and posed. Photographed, shared on socials and with the family. After I've beat all the usual doubts that come with the creative process and showed them yet again that I know what I'm doing. When I can finally add that long awaited character to my action figure collection.

For my money, putting together figures in one of the funnest things one can do!

That being said... I think it's time to start another one, no?