Finished with Customs!

I was about to finish my ‘final’ custom project when I started thinking about my Marvel collections. This caused something to occur to me: I wanted a non-powered up Iceman, so I took a small break and made a new custom. (Actually really want a Legends figure with this look.)

I also decided to to get a Legends Kate Bishop. I really liked the dynamic she (briefly) had with Ironheart and Ms. Marvel in Marvel Zombies. I would prefer the trio in 3.75”, but really not inclined to start new projects. Anyway, managed to grab a Legends one for a decent price.

Finally in my little Marvel creative/spending spree, I found out 3.75” Spider-Gwen was a (ready made) thing, so I can finally complete my Into the Spider-Verse lineup.

So after all that, I did actually get on and finish my final custom project - Motaro!!! I completed my MKI/II lineup a little while ago but I had also wanted a few things from MK3 - cyber ninjas (done), Jax with metal arms (done), and finally Motaro. It feels like a suitably large last project - a centaur! I used a Bossfight horse (and human blank) for the base. It has a slightly different anatomy to the in-game appearance of Motaro, which makes it tricky, but think the horse part looks good - maybe a bigger (human) chest could improve it. For the time being at least, I am done!

I’ve now decided to get rid of some of the spare parts/tools I use for customs. I am done with new projects (famous last words) and, sort of, with Marvel.

Just after I started collecting Transformers, Star Wars Transformers came along with their little pilots. I started collecting miniatures of Star Wars and Marvel. But then, Marvel Universe happened (and Wolverine Origins Deadpool and Wolverine). Between official and customs I got a whole load of (1:18) Marvel, Star Wars, and Mortal Kombat. I started collecting 1:12 Turtles and Thundercats (since there were no other options), but then in 2018 I saw Marvel Legends Deadpool and Wolverine (those guys again). I needed them, and so I began collecting Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black (and later Mortal Kombat Klassic).

I’ve long since got rid of the miniatures, but I’ve always been trying to work out the balance between 1:18 and 1:12/1:10 scales. I have finally settled on getting most stuff in 1:18, but my favourite/important characters and teams in 1:12. It’s a tricky balance and one I’ve now spent quite a lot of time thinking about. I’ve now got all the characters I want for Marvel (though I’d like to switch the scale on a few).

At the same time, I’m also just about done with Star Wars Black, Streetfighter, and Real Ghosbusters (long since done with Turtles, Thundercats, and Power Rangers). Bit more to go on Klassic, did get a preorder in for Johnny Cage though.

To celebrate the occasion of getting my last customs done (and because I saw someone on YouTube do it) I thought I might have a go at listing my favourite projects that I’ve done.

I started doing customs in 2006, my first few efforts were terrible, but I learnt from them. Mostly I think I learnt not to bother with Transformers customs, though an honourable mention should go out to my broken G1 Metroplex for being my initial motivation. I learnt how to paint, how to sculpt, and how to make moulds and resin copies. I have since focussed on 3.75” figures, mostly Marvel, but also Batman, Mortal Kombat, and several other interests. These aren’t necessarily the ‘best’, I’m also giving marks for creativity and just trying things. In no particular order:

1. V-Rex: the character is a savage land dinosaur combined with the Venom Symbiote. This is what I spent quite a lot of the first lockdown during the pandemic doing. I think it looks pretty good but it also stands out as one of my most ambitious customs.

2. Groot (Mark I and II): I’ve done three versions of Groot but the third is a completely different figure. The base for the first one was a KO BAF MCU Groot. I found out how to preserve tree branches (well, twigs really) using glycerine and combined the two. A while later I decided I wanted a costumed Groot and so took the head, arms and feet from my initial figure and attached them to a Marvel Legends Star Lord figure. Pretty cool, and I learnt a few techniques doing it. I ended up taking it apart and reverting it to be Star Lord when I started collecting Legends but I remember it fondly.

3. M’baku: doing this was actually an extension of some of the ideas I used from Groot - I made resin copies of bits of a figure (in this case the head, arms and feet from a planet of the apes figure) and attached them to another figure (Marvel Universe Grey Hulk). This is one of many figures that I came up with the idea and then took actual years getting round to it. Working out how to do the head was ridiculously hard but I think it just about works - the difficulty of turning a 2D picture into a 3D object.

4. Ghost Rider: this is quite a simple idea, I bought a 1:18 motorbike, took the wheels off and made resin copies of them, but adding some orange paint to the resin. Turned out really well! I then also redid Ghost Rider himself as I didn’t like the blue that the released figure had.

5. Goro: this figure is at the very top of the list for time taken to get from idea stage to completion. (Mostly complications relating to also getting a Kintaro out of it.) It was actually quite simple in the end but really happy with how it turned out. Generally though, this could just be ‘Mortal Kombat figures’.

6. Buzzsaw: I did lots of Transformers customs in my early days, this was one of the simpler ones but quite effective and one of the few I actually still have. (Weirdly I still have the head from one of my first customs - a Shockwave from Classics Megatron.)

7. Thunderbolt Ross: this was a really simple idea, and probably says more about GI Joe than me, but this was the epitome of finding a good base figure.

8. Grim Reaper: I’m generally happy with all my efforts to make villains from A:EMH but I feel this was one of the better ones. (A bit like Goro this is generally ‘A:EMH villains’ and this is the one I chose.)

9. Raptor: I like how this turned out (it was a ‘Blue’ originally), but really, I like dinosaurs and this was a more interesting addition to my ‘villains’ collection.

10. Iron Man Armoury: I’ve made two Iron Man armouries - one 3.75” scale and one Lego, I couldn’t choose so I’ve gone for both!

I feels like the end of 20 years of learning and getting better. I think my focus now is going to be on Lego (still customs of a sort really) and photography. I’ve got a few more ideas relating to the various (mostly Marvel) modular buildings for Lego, but I also like the idea of cataloging my collection in some way. Going through my figures, there are a few that could do with some tweaks. Perhaps rather than new things, that is what I should focus on.

To carry on with Dinobot month, I’ve got the G2 set. Fizzy pop goodness, and also some Slash(es). I really like the idea of an army of them.

So a monumental month for me but expecting the next one to be a quiet one. My next task is to spend a bit of time arranging my collection boxes. Crazy!