Changing the Game

Action figures have been around forever, and it seems like model kits have been around even longer, so it was just a matter of time before the ideas of both would find themselves in the same place. I suspect most of us have tried to put a model kit together at least once. As a kid, I vaguely remember trying to put one together myself, but either failing or losing interest (maybe both?) Many years later, circa the year 2000, while I was going to Art School, prodigy comic book Artist Todd McFarlane changed the action figure market forever, in similar ways to how he changed the comic industry years prior.

Gone were the small, low detail, barely recognizable glossy plastic toys that we had as kids. McFarlane’s figures we were incredibly detailed miniature statues which demanded to be displayed and admired. They were an instant hit. He smartly expanded to license all walks of popular culture such as movies, TV shows, video games, and of course sports.

“CUSTOMS”

The collector community was huge around this time, and their desires were diverse. McFarlane produced a specialty product; each line of figures, or series, took a lot of effort and time to produce because of their quality, so on average they would only release 6 figures at a time — and maybe 2–3 series a year. For sports fans, especially those of smaller market teams or lesser popular players, this meant the chances of them making a figure for you was very slim. What were you to do if you really wanted one of these beautiful works of art to represent your favorite team or player? Well, that’s where people like me came in. At first I began doing it for myself, but once I started sharing the pictures of them, I started getting commissioned to make them for others.

So, what is a “custom?” At least in this context, it’s when you take an existing statue or action figure and turn it into something (or someone) else. The methods for making a custom always include a custom paint job, but it can and often includes sculpt work as well. How much sculpt work that is determined by what you are making, how similar your starting piece is, and how capable the artist is. I know many customizers who are wizards with a paint brush, but won’t touch a custom sculpt job. I prefer to do both.

The next question has to be asked: “Why not make it from scratch?”

The answer is, well, sometimes I do. With my Morgan Yu figure, I started out intending to just do a quick custom job, but ended up resculpting the entire figure top to bottom. I just used the original as an armiture. But, other times there are many reasons why it makes sense to start with an existing sculpt. For one, it’s faster when you can start with something in the ballpark of what you want to make. Another reason might be because you are making it for someone who wants to display it as part of a series and it’s a sure way to make sure your work matches the ‘official’ one that the patron is trying to match. It’s definitely not because it’s easier or that custom artists have less talent; making sure a custom that has 25%-50% new sculpting details matches the original is an incredible amount of work and requires a sharp eye to remain seamless with the rest of the figure/statue.

Morgan Yu — Nascar driver?

Because I know most people who clicked this article just wants to see the “making of” my Morgan statue/figure, let’s get to it.

It begins with knowing what you want to make. And about 2 weeks before Prey shipped, it occurred to me that a figure of Morgan Yu would look awesome on my desk at work. I hadn’t actually made a custom in years, but it took no time to remember my old ways. First, I know that Morgan’s suit is reminiscent of a racer car driver’s suit in shape and form, which is probably why we partnered up with Nascar to advertise for PREY on the hood of a car. Because of my experience with McFarlane Toys, I remembered they once made a successful line of Nascar figures. That’s where I would start.

Searching the internet for all the figures they made throughout the years, I decided to choose a Jimmie Johnson collector’s edition figure from Series 2 (2004.) First, I liked the pose. Second, it came with a stand and backdrop which reminded me of the Neuromod display stand you first encounter in the first level of the game. I knew I would be able to replicate that scene from the game which would elevate the entire figure. I found one on Amazon for about $12, so I ordered it.

McFarlane Toys Jimmie Johnson, series 2 (2004) — this would be my starting point.

Once the figure arrived a few days later, I cracked it open. The sculpt was beautiful, just as I remembered McFarlane Toys to be. Unfortunately however, I realized quickly just how different Morgan’s suit actually is to this one. Like, 100% different. But the pose is strong, and the backdrop/stand was as perfect as I had hoped. So let’s get to work.

Breaking Down (in a good way)

The first thing you have to do is break the figure down into pieces. Boil a cup of water for a few minutes in the microwave then dunk the figure in it for just a minute or two. The hard plastic becomes soft and rubbery. You can usually just start pulling away at the joints until the parts come apart. These figures mostly used ball and socket style joints for connections.

I didn’t take a picture of the Johnson figure at this step, so here is another figure I worked on once which shows this step. Here, I used an exacto knife to shave off the heads of the ball joints so I could slot them back in with superglue later.

Once the figure is in pieces and still hot from the water bath, I like to grab the exacto knife and start cutting off any details that I just don’t need. I’m usually loose here because I can always sculpt back when I cut off. Doing it with a hot figure let’s the blade cut through like butter. It cools off quickly, making the cuts harder though, so be careful. I cut myself 3 times pretty deep working on Morgan when the blade slipped. Ouch.