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

A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 211 - Lady GaGa Meat Dress figurine

7/31/2015

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This is merely a statue made in 6 inch scale. There are zero points of articulation but so far is the only rendition of GaGa in 3D form and nothing says Pop Culture in the 2000's like a Lady Gaga figure.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 210 - Scarlet Witch Minimate by 4:F

7/30/2015

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Wanda was recently upgraded by Diamond Select Toys. Her P-Funk hands with spell effects and added definition to her legs and torso made her look more like a current Minimate. Where they dropped the ball was her hair, the newer hairpiece didn't have her signature curl that falls over her mask so I swapped it out with the original release's hairpiece to make the perfect Scarlet Witch.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 209 - DC Universe Classics Stripsey by Optimusleo

7/28/2015

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Stripsey was another eBay buy from Optimusleo. Wanting to build up the Seven Soldiers of Victory, I picked up him and Star Spangled Kid. I'm holding out in hopes of DC Collectibles making a Vigilante and Shining Knight. The Crimson Avenger is going to need to be a custom, I'm sure they're never making him.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 208 - DC Universe Classics Teen Titans Argent by 4:F

7/28/2015

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Argent is a straightforward DC Universe Classics Katma Tui repaint. I used one of Livewire's power effects. I used a white pearl for her skin but didn't use a white base coat so she photographs silver. I still need to do her leg bands. Some day.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 207 - Young Justice Wolf by 4:F

7/26/2015

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An Imaginext black wolf figure painted glossy white. His eyes were also painted to match the cartoon's design. I left the trigger on his back that gives him his "biting" action feature because why not. He fits in well with Superboy.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 206 - Outback X-Men Adult Storm by 4:F

7/25/2015

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Storm was a simple head swap. I used the head and hairpiece from the recent Brotherhood wave on the Outback body.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 205 - Me by 4:F

7/25/2015

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Today is my birthday and what better way to acknowledge it than with a custom figure of me. I have 3 figures of myself; a Minimate which I shared in March, a customized groom from my wedding cake and this one. The head is a 3D print from MyFaceOnAFigure.com, the likeness is eerie. The body is a Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm in 6 inch scale so I can be displayed with all of my favorite DC Universe & Marvel Legends figures though I'm primarily displayed with the Outback X-Men.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 204 - DC Direct Star Spangled Kid by Optimusleo

7/24/2015

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I'm not sure whose body Optimusleo used to depict Star Spangled Kid but his scale works perfectly. The stars are notably hand painted.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 203 - DC Direct Liberty Belle by Optimusleo

7/23/2015

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I have her listed as a DC Direct figure when in fact she uses a Kroft Superstars Electra Woman figure made by Living Toys as a base. Since the pose is odd, she is suited for a DC Direct labeling. This piece was one of a few commissions that I had done by Optimusleo. His eBay auctions are a better value but I wanted the character so I went with it.

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A Custom A Day.... 365 days of custom figures Day 202 - DC Universe Classics Mr. Terrific by Optimusleo

7/21/2015

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DC Direct focused on the Justice Society a lot in the early days of their figure lines but slowly shifted to more modern costumes. I purchased this figure via eBay from Optimusleo. The lettering is perfect so he blends well with the rest of the team.

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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!!!

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  • Pop Up Paint Night Parties
  • Murals
  • The Artwork
  • The Toy Collection
  • Contact
  • Colorin'
  • A Custom A Day.... 2015 365 days of custom figures
  • Arthur Adams’ Art