Thoughts on Customs and Blind Box Toys

I have been trying to work on some ideas for my own toy line. I always have to be working on several projects at once when I work on my own stuff. I sometimes need to stop what I'm working on and step away so that I can go back with a fresh view. I can only do this by taking my focus away for a little while. It's like painting or drawing. Sometimes as an artist, one needs to stop and step back to view the artwork from a different vantage point. That way he or she can see some areas that need work that may not be noticed when he or she is working on that art piece.

Right now, it has been hard to get motivated and work on my own sculpts. It is much easier to practice technique my building customs of characters that I already know. It is much harder to come up with my own characters and designs. I'd like to do this so that I can develop my own line of blind box toys.

It would be a dream for me to work with toys. I also wouldn't mind building models and dioramas of buildings and architecture. I feel that I have the technical skills for this. I have been sculpting and painting for many years. I just need to get my thoughts in order to come up with some original designs.

Lady Cilicia of Spartak

This custom is also going to my friend who will be getting the Shaitan. Cilicia is made from Microman material force, a gashapon figure, styrene, beads, parts from military force and plastic piping.


The boot tops are made from the plastic piping. The rivets on her chest and the side of the boots are made from metallic beads that were cut in half and sanded down. I also used Mod'lers Mastic for the shoulder detail.

I looked through several of the comics and viewed several interpetations of Lady Cilicia when I made this. In some pictures there are two rivets on the outside of the boots like I did here, and in some pictures there was one on the inside and one on the outside.


Here's a slightly overhead view. You can see that the ponytail is long and flowing and not curly like in the comics. She also has silver bands on her thighs. I saw this in one of the pictures and tried it. I like the way that it looks so I left it like that. I hope my friend likes it.

Prince Shaitan of Spartak

Here is a nice little custom that I made for a friend of mine. Prince Shaitan brother to Acroyear is made from paint, styrene, beads, Microman material force and a Palisades Micronauts Acroyear sword that modified with styrene.


Here's another pose. It took me a while to do the boots and I ended up doing the feet over again because I wasn't happy with the results. One of the hardest parts were the abs. In the comic Shaitan has similar armor to the Acroyear 2. Since it is sectioned there on the material force it posed a slight problem.


This is not the best pose, but it does show you the detail of the abs, boots and the circles that Shaitan has on the legs and arms. I used brushed aluminum Bare Metal Foil and a hole punch to create these. I had to paint over a coat of clear coat so that they would not fall off.

My Views on Art Toys and Customizing

I was always the type of child that enjoyed making stuff. If I got a toy or gadget and it had visible screws in it, I would take it apart and put it back together. I liked building models and trying to make them better. I was always curious, inquisitive and most of all creative.

I found some of my mother's drawings when I was a small child and it inspired me to draw. I never really stopped drawing which then lead to painting and sculpting. This is combination with tendency to take things apart lead me to customizing toys and making my own toys.

I tend to combine toys with art and art with toys. I always welcome screws in toys and even if they don't have screws, I sometimes have to dismantle them. I like unique things and I love creating things. While I appreciate designer vinyl and art toys, I know I'll always have to mess with them and create my own. I guess it just speaks to my individuality and creativity. I like mass produced toys, but they just don't compare to the customs that I create that I deem successful.

On Customs and Size Comparison

Bug and Pharoid together to show the size comparison between my Micronaut Microman custom figures and Micronauts released by Palisades Toys. Microman Material Force are slightly bigger but they fit in pretty nicely as far as scale goes.


I recently was told by someone in reponse to a question that I asked in an online group, that they weren't much into customs and that I should make these for myself. I actually do make these for myself, but given the opportunity to make these for others I would. That is if I could make them for what they are worth. They are one of a kind, hand-made customs. Even if I made another of the same character, it would be slightly different.

I understand that some people are into mass produced toys and want their toys to look like one of thousands or millions. I even understand that some people aren't into customs, but to me, being an artist, I need to use this hobby as an outlet for creativity and I happen to like unique things. Whenever I see screws on a toy, I am tempted to take it apart. If I see a blank Dunny, I have to paint it. It leaves me wondering why that person even responed to my post.