To kitbash/customize, or simply buy it from someone else?

[sparkstron73]

As I mentioned earlier, I own a few "high-end" figures, that were quite expensive ($350 and up). I did not buy these as "celebrity artist" pieces (though I too have observed that). I bought these because I loved the characters depicted and the movie in which they appear. I have no intention of selling them.

Do I love to kitbash? Absolutely! If I can do the work myself, you're darn right I will. Half the fun is hunting down pre-existing clothes/accessories, then modifying them to make them more accurate. Personally I feel this is all part of the fun of collecting (especially 1/6).

Artists like Seb are incredibly inspiring (as all great artists are). Will I ever be as good as Seb? Probably not. "Do or do not. There is no try".

Agree wholeheartedly with that sebs work is jawdropping alot of the time and keeps me wanting to try new customs all the time.
If you don’t try how do you know if you can do in the first place?
Yoda talks bullishI was trying to bash a tech noir terminator for ages before hot toys released theirs.
Inspired by the customs on here.
Got as far as the head and painted it fairly poorly then ht released theirs and just pieced it together from ht parts mostly.
No fun at all and not really keen on it now.
Point being ht do watch customisers and collectors to see what is a good potential seller.
Easier to wait until they release a figure which is "perfect" then put the effort in.

 

[galactiboy]

I think people have been spoilt or put off trying as the standard is getting ridiculously good with the figures about now.
Also people don’t give each other support or encoragement enough for their efforts and maybe some give up or fear riddicule for not being up to scratch.

I think this is part of it... years ago the custom section was more of a supportive place and there was more encouragement for people to try their hand a different aspects of customizing.

Now it's mostly about buying and selling, if a piece is shown and well received it's only a matter of time before someone offers to buy it, or asks for a run to be done. And more often posts are made and it seems no one even bothers to comment.

 

[sparkstron73]

Yeah my thread has a few tumbleweeds most of the time.
Not crying about it but have noticed that around in general alot.
Don’t like to comment for the sake of it or leave neg opinions on someones work as that is a bit disheartening.
But even constructive critique is better thsm nothing.
Way she goes.

 

[MANDO]

Artists like Seb are incredibly inspiring (as all great artists are). Will I ever be as good as Seb? Probably not. "Do or do not. There is no try".

Not everyone who picks up a guitar is going to be Hendrix. You gotta find your own sound and just roll with it.

Yeah, I think for a lot of collectors at the end of the day most figures are just not worth $400. And honestly with these small run companies they are increasing their numbers with every release so at some point I believe the "exclusivity" is going to wear thin.

I can personally understand paying extra for a "celebrity" as there is a cool factor in owning a piece from an artist that you like/respect. But with the smaller run companies you are getting a hole in your collection filled, but you're paying 2x what a licensed figure would cost and it's essentially made in a small factory. I even wonder if the term custom really applies here

It doesn't. Not when there's a workforce or a sweatshop behind the production of it. Its no different than Art Figure, or Head Play, or BBK etc.

I think this is part of it... years ago the custom section was more of a supportive place and there was more encouragement for people to try their hand a different aspects of customizing.

That's how I see the SW custom section and to a lesser extent the Joe section (all eight of us ). The SW custom section has become a sort of brotherhood although it lacks any sort of social exclusivity. The guys in there are just down to help each other create. There's a share and share alike mentality. No ones competing with the guy two threads down. They all love SW and they all love creating customs, and that common gorund fuels the whole section.

 

[galactiboy]

That's how I see the SW custom section and to a lesser extent the Joe section (all eight of us ). The SW custom section has become a sort of brotherhood although it lacks any sort of social exclusivity. The guys in there are just down to help each other create. There's a share and share alike mentality. No ones competing with the guy two threads down. They all love SW and they all love creating customs, and that common gorund fuels the whole section.

Agreed... those sections are what the main one used to be more like. People bouncing around ideas, sharing work and honestly having fun with it. It feels very different now than it used to.

 

[thenammagazine]

Agreed... those sections are what the main one used to be more like. People bouncing around ideas, sharing work and honestly having fun with it. It feels very different now than it used to.

So does the entirety of SSF.

 

[krec9]

Honestly I love doing customs just tired of camping on sites to get items for the custom and lost interest in the hobby to much of the same thing going on .its alot of work to complete a custom most some rather buy it completed.seems to get more attention that way.

 

[C-Phan]

That's why I stopped posting here. Tired of seeing 50 messages of : "Whoa awesome custom !!!" but what did you do except paying ? Buying a heasculpt from him, then send it to this painter, order a set of clothes from this guy, etc.... in the end, of course you got a amazing custom but you didn't do anything.
And the thread of a regular guy who spend a lot of time even if his work is not 100% top notch will drown under the 50 congrats messages.

 

[pixletwin]

That's why I stopped posting here. Tired of seeing 50 messages of : "Whoa awesome custom !!!" but what did you do except paying ? Buying a heasculpt from him, then send it to this painter, order a set of clothes from this guy, etc.... in the end, of course you got a amazing custom but you didn't do anything.
And the thread of a regular guy who spend a lot of time even if his work is not 100% top notch will drown under the 50 congrats messages.

Dead on.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

That's why I stopped posting here. Tired of seeing 50 messages of : "Whoa awesome custom !!!" but what did you do except paying ? Buying a heasculpt from him, then send it to this painter, order a set of clothes from this guy, etc.... in the end, of course you got a amazing custom but you didn't do anything.
And the thread of a regular guy who spend a lot of time even if his work is not 100% top notch will drown under the 50 congrats messages.

Same here, it's just become a place for professional artists to sell their wares. People are more concerned with being best buds with the artists, and "customizing" by proxy.

The only thread I really check regularly is Elvis 1976's, that's a guy who is still doing real customs, his own work, by hand. You don't have to read through 500 pages of people dictating to him how his work should look.

 

[Voorhees27]

^ I couldn't disagree more.

 

[thenammagazine]

That's why I stopped posting here. Tired of seeing 50 messages of : "Whoa awesome custom !!!" but what did you do except paying ? Buying a heasculpt from him, then send it to this painter, order a set of clothes from this guy, etc.... in the end, of course you got a amazing custom but you didn't do anything.
And the thread of a regular guy who spend a lot of time even if his work is not 100% top notch will drown under the 50 congrats messages.

Easily resolved if the Admin would only listen to Galactiboy, King Darkness, Evilface, Myself and many others who've suggested time and again that either threads be combined for the small businesses who've taken over the customs section with their dozens of project threads, or they be moved into a subsection. Sadly those requests always fall on deaf ears.

 

[pixletwin]

Same here, it's just become a place for professional artists to sell their wares. People are more concerned with being best buds with the artists, and "customizing" by proxy.

The only thread I really check regularly is Elvis 1976's, that's a guy who is still doing real customs, his own work, by hand. You don't have to read through 500 pages of people dictating to him how his work should look.

Um no. He is a more of a basher than a customizer.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

Um no. He is a more of a basher than a customizer.

Oh god, we have to debate the terminology now? Yeah, I think I'll just go back to lurking.

 

[siquisiri]

Except for a few, im done with boxed figs. How hard is it to buy a boxed fig and throw it up on the shelf? Wheres the fun in that?? It take NO skills whatsoever. Im focusing on kitbashing/customizing my own figs from now on. This is part of the hobby which i love. To create something, sew, dye, paint sculpts, etc...

 

[pixletwin]

Oh god, we have to debate the terminology now? Yeah, I think I'll just go back to lurking.

Sorry but this isn't splitting hairs. There is a big difference between the two and a distinction should be made. If that offends or frustrates you, I have nothing to say.

 

[siquisiri]

Sorry but this isn't splitting hairs. There is a big difference between the two and a distinction should be made. If that offends or frustrates you, I have nothing to say.

Whats are your definitions?. Just to be clear.

 

[pixletwin]

Basher: Uses existing parts (either pieces/modifies together directly, or via someone else) to create a figure.

Customizer: Creates their own figures from scratch.

 

[galactiboy]

I'd disagree with that... a kitbasher is someone who takes pieces and assembles them into a new figure w/o any modifications, or maybe very minor ones.

A customizer is one who alters existing items (ie customizes them), or creates new in order to make a new figure or enhance an existing one.

 

[C-Phan]

Mmmmh to me Elivis is a true customizer. Of course most of his work use a lot of existing parts but if you sculpt, sew and of course paint, you are a customizer.
He's not playing Barbie with adding clothes on a body.