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

[Hidden Jitsu]

I think what it boils down too is the cost of the item.
Before is started collecting and building 1/6 figures I was buying collecting and painting resin model kits now these can be bought for say $120.00 for a full resin model , which is the price of a head in most cases.
But in all honesty if I knew the cost of this stuff I may not have bothered myself.
As I bought boots for one of my figures and they were £25.00 which is not a massive amount of money , but when you look at the fact that full size 10 adult boots can be bought for this price it puts it into perspective.
I also think that an item is valued at what the customer I willing to pay and how badly they want it.
Some people have massively deep pockets were they must sit on eBay and Google all day just looking to buy stuff for customs Elvis must be a millionare
And some people just buy collect and never display just to take advantage of actuall collectors and charge a premium as it is a so called grail.
Then some people will only buy hot toys bodies and never touch the cheap bodies thought they are of similar quality but a lot cheaper.
Not person right in the head would jump on a forum and say oh that 1/6 figure/ ken doll is worth well over 1k.
Unless the figure was limited edition of say 2 and that is it then that is considered a grail and not a figure with 20 that some greedy person has no interest in and held onto for a while and then ask astonishing amounts of money , that is just greed.
I can't understand how some tailors charge $400.00 for a clothing set when the same can be made for $80.00 and I know this for a fact.
Just because people get a name for themselves they think it is right to rob people of there hard earned cash.
As if this hobby had not have took off in a big way then they could not give the stuff away.
Also if I were to make a custom exactly the same quality as say , rainman and tried to sell it I doubt I would get my money back.
But once you add a certificate in limited numbers and a known name the price shoots up.

 

[siquisiri]

Ive never understood paying $75+ for a n HT body that is hidden under a suit. For figs that you see the arms, legs and neck, i get it, but not for clothed figs. I use the old DML or SS bodies on my clothed figs. Cut them up if i need to, and i save mass cash.

 

[Hidden Jitsu]

Ive never understood paying $75+ for a n HT body that is hidden under a suit. For figs that you see the arms, legs and neck, i get it, but not for clothed figs. I use the old DML or SS bodies on my clothed figs. Cut them up if i need to, and i save mass cash.

for instance the hot toys TTM18/19 some people sell for £80.00
When you can get the custom narrow shoulder body basically the same for £15.00 straight to your door.
People bang on a about pose ability and what not but whom sits there and plays with the figure?
I just put them in a neutral pose and leave them be and like you say , you would never know.

 

[karamazov80]

I think part of it is, the figure just feels like it's a more quality piece when you've got a Truetype under there. It's akin to wanting a Sideshow statue to be less hollow and heavier. But then, you also get more natural looking proportions than with lots of other bodies (depending on the body type you are going for). At least, that's how it is with me. Old Sideshow buck bodies. . . *shudder*

 

[thenammagazine]

Ive never understood paying $75+ for a n HT body that is hidden under a suit. For figs that you see the arms, legs and neck, i get it, but not for clothed figs. I use the old DML or SS bodies on my clothed figs. Cut them up if i need to, and i save mass cash.

I think it completely depends on the figure. I wouldn't throw a standard TrueType under Arnold's T1 clothes. Nor would I use a standard TT under Thor's armor. Sometimes it's entirely up to the physicality of the character as you need that essential silhouette to make them look accurate.

 

[automaton]

in some cases, something as seemingly simple as a flexible neck joint can make all the difference in the world. the ANH Obi Wan for example... the character really comes to life on a Truetype thanks to that moveable neck.

 

[Hidden Jitsu]

Ok so we all have our favourite artists mine being Johnny Cheungkinmen I think is amazing and own a few of his painted headsculpts.
But I would only buy figures I like for instance certain film and video games which he has done both

Yeah I do realise about the feel of the item , like a solid resin kit and a hollow vinyl kit. , the rest just feels better.
I have an enterbay Bruce lee body and it is pretty heavy.
But I bought that as it had to be an Asian body for my old boy custom.
I understand it for some figures but not all of them.
For instance people swear by the ACI Christian body , I bought 1 recently and I hate it compared to the hit figure body and the torso hardly moves and the joints are really tight meaning it is a pain to put clothes on them.

 

[Hidden Jitsu]

in some cases, something as seemingly simple as a flexible neck joint can make all the difference in the world. the ANH Obi Wan for example... the character really comes to life on a Truetype thanks to that moveable neck.

Sorry to disagree but I can't see how?
Unless you move the neck around?
I just position the heads as your whole neck does not move anyway it is mainly your head.
For instance your Adam's apple is always in the middle of your neck no matter how much you turn your head.
I think it matters when the neck is exposed as I hate those remove able necks but if the head has a neck sculpted then your left with little choice.

 

[karamazov80]

The admin is planning some changes to the custom section, by the way. I'm not sure what they will all be exactly or when they might take place, but I think there is a recognition on his part that things have changed pretty drastically over the last few years. Beyond some forum restructuring, certain forum policies as described in the FAQ are outdated and need to be revised/clarified considering the new state of things IMO.

 

[siquisiri]

I think it completely depends on the figure. I wouldn't throw a standard TrueType under Arnold's T1 clothes. Nor would I use a standard TT under Thor's armor. Sometimes it's entirely up to the physicality of the character as you need that essential silhouette to make them look accurate.

I think with bulkier figs, you might have to go with HT,but even then, you have ACI and others as alternatives.

 

[siquisiri]

Ok so we all have our favourite artists mine being Johnny Cheungkinmen I think is amazing and own a few of his painted headsculpts.
But I would only buy figures I like for instance certain film and video games which he has done both

Yeah I do realise about the feel of the item , like a solid resin kit and a hollow vinyl kit. , the rest just feels better.
I have an enterbay Bruce lee body and it is pretty heavy.
But I bought that as it had to be an Asian body for my old boy custom.
I understand it for some figures but not all of them.
For instance people swear by the ACI Christian body , I bought 1 recently and I hate it compared to the hit figure body and the torso hardly moves and the joints are really tight meaning it is a pain to put clothes on them.

I agree, I have a ACI Christian and it looks good, but it has horrible mobility. My favorite is still the the early Kaustic Plastic. If its clothes figure, the SS is still one of the best for a neckless , mid size, sculpt

 

[automaton]

Sorry to disagree but I can't see how?
Unless you move the neck around?
I just position the heads as your whole neck does not move anyway it is mainly your head.
For instance your Adam's apple is always in the middle of your neck no matter how much you turn your head.
I think it matters when the neck is exposed as I hate those remove able necks but if the head has a neck sculpted then your left with little choice.

the Truetype allows for subtleties... it provides the nuances of posturing that the Buck cannot.

 

[thenammagazine]

the Truetype allows for subtleties... it provides the nuances of posturing that the Buck cannot.

Wasn't AOTC Obi the last figure released on the Buck waaaaaaay back in 2009?

 

[Doom Saber]

While I don't think the "high-end" custom figures are to blame for high prices in general, I do think many new collectors are simply not aware of what options are out there for assembling a figure.

Just the other day in the "Bad Science Teacher" figure thread there was a discussion about costs of head sculpts and painting services and it seemed the general consensus was that $150 for a repaint was the norm

It's kind of funny how 8 or so years ago bashing a figure was generally about the same cost as buying one at retail... or maybe just a bit more. Now it seems common that many are buying just a painted head for close to what a base level HT figures costs and paying that much or more for a few pieces of clothing.

I don't think high end customizers are the only problem. I apologize if my comment sounded as it were. However, they're prices do play a big part of how much, we as a customer will pay for a 1/6 part.

Let's not forget that companies like Hot Toys and Enterbay, and the secondary market play a big part in it. Of course there is also the impulsive consumers who would drop a lot of dough for a small piece of clothing.

Before Kato came into the scene, buying a $20 dollar belt was unheard of. People were wowed by his artistic skills that they quickly signed up for his wares. Nowadays, it is common to buy small article of clothing for that much if not more.

As for the repaints, I agree. Back when I was started in collecting 1/6 figures when the norm was $40 and buying a $70 dollar import was considered outrageous, a repaint would cost $50 dollars. Now it has risen to $150.

 

[Doom Saber]

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".

I honestly don't think it is wrong to buy a "high-end" figure by a "celebrity artist" if you truly want the character in 1/6 scale and keep it. However, some collectors buy a figure because it is made by a "celebrity artist" and resell it a few months later once the hype surrounding the figure vanishes.

I noticed that the small Chinese companies pay close attention to this forum because a lot of times when a classic character becomes a popular 1/6 custom, a HK company will make a retail version. Case in point are the AMC Walking Dead figures and Hot Toys constant releases of Heath Ledger's Joker.

 

[siquisiri]

I love katos stuff, but would never buy from him. I can see spending $400+ on a whole figure, but not ONE jacket. Theres just no way.

 

[Doom Saber]

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.

Yeah, the forums have become such a place even though mods and other staff tried to prevent it at the time. I actually started going here when the forums were starting to become a place where people started doing head sculpts because they see it as a business opportunity. It was during the C Howes incident. For those who do not know about this incident, C Howes was a professional toy sculptor who took on every run that people started on the forums. At the time, the forum allowed sculptors to take deposits up front, which were anything from 20 dollars to 50. C Howes must have made a fortune doing this since after a while, he made excuses why a sculpt wasn't finished, yet he would take on more work. Eventually, he was banned. As a result of this, the buy section of the forum was removed and is now replaced with an interest thread and threads of people showing off their finished headsculpts to get buyers via pm (this is why there are now comments from members asking a sculptor if the head is for sale.)

 

[automaton]

Wasn't AOTC Obi the last figure released on the Buck waaaaaaay back in 2009?

i had mentioned the decision to port the ANH Obi to a Truetype on the previous page...

 

[Doom Saber]

I love katos stuff, but would never buy from him. I can see spending $400+ on a whole figure, but not ONE jacket. Theres just no way.

I love his stuff too and I think he is a very skilled seamstress. However, should a 1/6 belt cost as much as a 1:1 belt especially if it is made very similar like any other 1/6 belts out there? The other garments he makes are nicer than a lot of 1/6 stuff out there, but I think there is a problem if a collector has a 1/6 figure that has a more expensive suit than him.

 

[Doom Saber]

There is a huge difference between someone who takes a bunch of pieces of something someone else made, does some alteration, and calls it new and someone who sculpts, sews, and paints something on their own from scratch. That may rub a few hides a bit raw, but thus it is.

A DJ can call himself a musician but ultimately they are mixing other people's work. Calling him/herself a musician does not make it so. Though the ignorance of others may play into that perception.

The distinction between DJ and composer is as important an distinction as basher and customizer.

Anyhoo, agree to disagree on this one I suppose.

I agree if all the kitbasher did was to put different parts together and he is called a genius for doing such a thing.

It reminds me of a friend of mine who made a 1/6 Hitman figure years ago. His figure was featured on Raving Toy Maniacs? as custom of the month I think. I shrugged my head since all he as to take a BBI Cody head, a HT TT body, a 1/6 Clinton's outfit, and a custom decal.