A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 365 - Daphne Blake minimate by Psyguy

12/31/2015

Wow, here we are. Finally at the end or at the beginning depending on when you are discovering this project. There's quite a bit of variety contained in this list. Marvel Legends, DC Universe Classics, minimates, playsets, accessories, Justice League Unlimited and Timmverse figures, Marvel Universe and Toy Biz 5 inch figures and so much more. I intentionally jumped around from toyline to toyline to maintain a bit of variety in the selection rather than one category all at once. If there is a specific line that interests you more than other simply use the search function and type in 365 followed by the name of the line. This will help filter out the items you want to see most. I've said it regularly throughout the year that my collection is a mish-mosh of toys created from all types of media. I'm rather proud of what was accomplished over 2015 and the way the project turned out. All things may not be for everyone but I believe there is something nostalgic here for everyone.
Although I plan to continue to showcase any new customs that I make or buy in this blog it will no longer be daily entries. The host that I use for my site has gone through some format changes throughout the year and it has become increasingly challenging to post my daily entries because of a lousy app upgrade. Stay tuned, there are quite a few things in the works. As of this entry I am working with a few different artists to assemble a complete roster of Marvel Legends X-Men from the 60's through the 90's. I am also always looking for quality customizers to help me build my collection. I have a list of about 150 customs that I would like to have made to give my collection a unique feel. I don't call the site Pop Culture Hoard for nothing. Thank you for looking and I hope you enjoy what is here. Feel free to use the contact tab if you have any questions about anything you see here. Well, with the exception of my Pup Named Scooby Doo figures, I receive a lot of requests from people looking to buy them or to contact the artist who made them. Unfortunately they are a one and done item and are not available for sale.

I end with the project with Minimate versions of the Scooby Gang. Daphne was chosen to be last because she is my favorite member of the gang.. As with all of my Minimate customs they were crafted by Psyguy who is a genius at customizing figures. I did dedicate March of 2015 to a portion of my Minimate collection but the Scooby gang was chosen to be last because they were my first love as a child. They spawned several other pet detective teams for Hanna Barbera but none of which have endured the way Scooby Doo has. I would have loved to own toys from Scooby Doo as a child but back then the only options were puzzles, colorforms and coloring books. Figures were made until the 90's. They have more than made up for that shortfall since. I wanted to have a collection of figures that represented all of my favorite pet detectives growing up in one consistent toyline and scale. That has been achieved with Minimates. They are one of my most unique collections and are very special to me.

In closing I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy 2016 and thank of all you who have supported this project and website from the beginning. I've only just begun. Stick around to see what's next!

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A Custom A Day....

Since I began toy collecting as a hobby back in 1990 I have always had a need for custom figures. Toy companies begin action figure lines, begin to release individual characters to create teams and, more often than not leave them incomplete. Many collectors find that custom figures pollute their collection's authenticity by not being mass produced creations from the toy companies that created the preexisting toy lines. I disagree. I feel a quality custom action figure enhances a collection and help create a complete picture.

When characters are chosen for a toy line several factors come in to play. The character's current media relevance (if any), their most iconic look (they may have had multiple costumes through their sometimes vast histories) and gender. Female action figures tend to not sell to parents of the boys who are playing with them so a great many of the female characters are never rendered in plastic in the way the male characters are leaving holes in the collections.

I am a fan of the female heroes primarily so I have purchased and made quite a few "customs" throughout my years as a collector. I find it challenging (ok impossible) to get a smooth, quality finish to my sculpt work, downgrading the quality of my figure's appearance that I create so my custom work tend to be of a Frankenstein type nature where I use different parts such as a torso and arms from one figure attached to the hips and legs of another, and a different head with a full cost of paint to create my pieces. I also struggle with painting facial details on figures. The small areas, the eyes in particular give me the biggest issues. I prefer to reuse another head from a different character that will allow me to not have to paint the facial details since I am heavy handed and tend to paint in clumps rather than smooth, factory produced finishes that many of the customizers I work with can achieve.

Most of the figures that I have in my collection that have intricate sculpting and paint details have been created by other artists from around the world. The UK, The Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and from several states throughout the US through personal communication or via eBay, which can be an outstanding resource for quality custom work. I've had the pleasure of meeting some incredibly talented artists through websites & social media. Over the past two years seeking out quality custom figures has become the main focus of my collection. Which is at over 5,000 loose pieces. As you will see over the course of this year this does not just affect super hero toy lines. I collect different toy lines spanning the 1960's through today covering cartoons, movies and television in addition to comic books. Some of the custom pieces I have had done wouldn't have been made as toys because of lack of consumer interest or based on licensing issues simply cannot be made in to toys. I haven't let that stop me from using several different toy lines to amass a complete plastic collection of all of the media I have enjoyed throughout my life.

I have decided to begin a project called A Custom A Day.... to showcase my custom pieces one a day, every day throughout 2015. If you follow me on social media or on this site you may have seen many of them before but with this project I will give a little background of each figure and its relevance to my collection. So check back daily!!!

A CUSTOM A DAY.... 365 Days of custom figures

A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 365 - Daphne Blake minimate by Psyguy

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A Custom A Day....

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