Red Hood New 52 Custom Rundown

Oh hey!  An actual custom completed!  A overview to go with it!  Jeez, I might have enough content to have ads on here in about...seven or eight more years..  Let's get to this before I put you to sleep.

Concept:

I hate Robins, let's just get that out of the way.  Batman is so bad ass that he doesn't need help.  Fortunately the people over at DC don't agree with me and I am okay with that.  Mainly because some of my favorite characters evolved from Robin personas ala Nightwing.

The "Under the Red Hood" arc never grabbed my attention more than any other Batman run but DC got it right the second time when they did the movie (awesome flick btw), so a Red Hood custom had to be made.

I usually like to keep my DC characters with DC Universe figures and Marvel characters with Marvel Legends characters but I saw a sick Red Hood made by the customizer Paint Samurai and loved the look and wanted to capture a more angry Red Hood.

Process:

Not too much special techniques or anything here.  The heads were the hardest part of this custom, mainly because I couldn't decide on the overall look I wanted.  All in all, I think I started and scrapped four helmeted heads before I was happy with the fifth.  Same problem with the unhelmeted head but I only went through two before making the final call.

New things I tried with this one was drybrushing with a translucent gray over a black.  Of course the photos really don't show that but I might learn to shoot someday.  

Final Thoughts:

I really liked this one.  I am already in the process of making a more DCUC type Red Hood with some ideas that I had while wrapping this guy up (implementing new things or changing aspects of customs any time after priming is a recipe for disaster), so we will see where that goes.

On top of that, I don't really like the Jason Todd head.  It's not angry enough and, sadly, it is the most angry head I had in my fodder.

Love it or hate it?  Let me know what you think

P.S.  Give yourself a high five if you noticed that I made ANOTHER alteration to my Batman figure.  Will it ever be done?

Top 10! Current Action Figures on my Shelf

The action figure, one of the coolest toys ever created.  If you think about it, most times, it is a piece of plastic that weighs less than a pound and does absolutely nothing to benefit our lives except make us happy.  Sure the dog makes me happy when I come home but I have to walk him and pick up after him but with a figure, I don't really have that responsibility.  In an enlightened rum and diet mind state this past weekend, I decided to bring out a ton of action figures and just inspect them for no reason at all.  It got me to thinking about which ones would make the list of the best of the best.  Now, keep in mind, this is not my all time favorite as, due to moving and life events,  I am missing figures that would EASILY make the cut (I might make an all time list in the future).  To make the cut is simple, do I physically own you.

10.  DCUC Copperhead

Some of you not vast in the comic book knowledge might not even know who this guy is but that is what makes the DC Universe Classics line so great and this figure.  The amount of detail through out the body all the way to the head sculpt is a thing of beauty.  What stands out to me is that the chest piece comes from a previous Aquaman figure and to be able to match the same detail (even though some sort of tool was probably used) for the newly sculpted parts allowing the overall design to flow perfectly.

9.  DCC Trinity War Superman

A simple repaint from DC Collectibles Justice League line, this figure added a metallic look to the new Superman design.  I'm a big fan of Jim Lee and I thought the new costume designs of the New 52 were a much needed fresh breath to DC.  The added points come from the metallic look,which just makes the figure POP!

8.  DC Direct Hush Batman

This guy was my default Batman for many years.  Not only did my man crush for Jim Lee's work make this figure amazing, it was the best head sculpt for Batman that I have seen in years.  So much so that myself and every other customizer out there used this head sculpt for any Batman figure made.  This figure also had a sweet alternative hand that was holding the infamous grapple gun.  This figure was the reason as to why I started collecting full lines (vs "cherry picking" my favorite characters) again.  I really want to rate this figure higher but the short cape just kills me.

7.  Bandai Lion-O

I loved ThunderCats as a kid, so when Bandai made this bad boy, I had to get it.  Again, this figure could have been higher on the list but two things held it back.  One (not pictured), the ankle joints were orange (WTH) and two, I love the six inch scale and this guy is around eight inches.

6.  Playmates 2011 TMNT Raphael

The last of my old school love.  If you haven't been watching the new cartoon on Nick, SHAME ON YOU!  It is a great rendition of my favorite characters and the figures follow suit.  The articulation is just a tad better than the old school figures that I had but the new look is better.  My favorite turtle with an attitude looks like he is ready to dish out a beating and I love it.

5.  Hasbro SDCC Exclusive Archangel

My God!  Someone finally got it right when it comes to wings.  This figure would be so boring without those wings (obviously, it is just their standard body with a new head sculpt).  This exclusive had the figure in the X-Force suit but the vacuum sealed wings are SO pretty and the articulation is even nicer.  You can separate the outside of the wings, flip them around, and get a cool effect where they wrap around the figure.  A true masterpiece.

4.  DCUC New 52 Batman

I really wanted this figure to be higher but it just can't.  Any time a company makes a comic accurate figure of Batman, you can assume that it is going to make my fav list.  The Horsemen have a great tendency to mix a lot of different artists look into one figure in the DCUC line and they continued with this guy.  I see a little Lee, Capullo, and Finch plus a few others wrapped into one figure.  When I saw the prototype for this figure, I was sold.  Sadly, Mattel casted the main parts in a bluish gray, missing the now famous knee pads and that it kills me.

3.  DCC Justice Batman

Figured out that I love Jim Lee yet? Kidding aside, this is a great figure.  Nice long cape, colors are what they should be, great sculpted detail.  A true collector's piece.  This could easily make my all time favorite list had it not been severely lacking articulation.  Again, being the current look of the batsuit scores major points in my book (it's a disease, I know).  I love the New 52 designs and Bats is the best.  A lot of people hate that his underwear is not on the outside but I realized how dumb it was the year I put on a batsuit for Halloween.

2. Hasbro SDCC Exclusive Wolverine 

Good old Wolverine is my second all time favorite comic book character but in 2008, when Clayton Crain drew Wolvie in the X-Force outfit, I was blown away.  I loved the black and gray black ops uniforms and the red creepy eyes.  Fast forward to 2012 when Hasbro made the above figure for their exclusive set.  One of my favorite costumes for Logan, incredible articulation, and an amazing head sculpt where he is not screaming like a jackass.  The showstopper is the claws.  Not only are they vacuum sealed in this silver material but they are not warped and bent like every other Wolverine figure that we have every gotten.  But WAIT!  There is more, the claws are removable!  Finally, a bad ass looking Wolverine that is shorter than most figures (the way he should be).  This figure was reused in the latest ML line that came out in coordination with the new movie, but the paint apps were awful.  Truly a shame as that and this costume are my two favorite costumes.

1.  DCUC Custom Batman 

You honestly had to see this one coming.  I know this comes off as being arrogant but this is really my favorite figure, currently.  It is a nice blend of my favorite artists, heck, it is made from two figures that are on the list.  Head, cape, and gauntlets based on Jim Lee art, body based on Greg Capullo (I like the less armor look for the body because Batman is a badass that doesn't need armor).  Any version of Batman in his current costume is a chart topper for me.

Yeah, it is not a retail figure but that is the great aspects of custom.  You get the figure that YOU want.

So there you have it.  Will these figures be on my top 10 all time?  Stay tuned.

Love or hate these figures?  Let me know in the comments below.  Also, I wouldn't mind hearing what your top 10 are.  To each their own!








*Note:  All but one of these photos were not taken by me, but you probably already knew that based on the quality.

Custom New 52 Batman Version 2

I warned you that it would happen.  I just can't leave the figure alone!

So we are currently up to 10 DC Collectibles Justice Batman and 2 DCUC All-Stars Wave 21 Batman figures to make this one guy.  Why 10?  Well, I found a mold error in the DCC capes and finally got a hold of a cape that didn't trigger my anxiety.

So what did I change this time?  Well, I thought the gauntlets were too bulky, and my lady told me to step up the game.  So I trimmed them down, resculpted, and then added some of the pieces from the DCC Batman's gauntlets to not only streamline but also give a techie feel to it.


The final change was the unmasked head.  Since a lot of artist are now drawing the cowl like a helmet, I hollowed out on of the many DCC heads out so it looked like an empty cowl.

So not too many changes this time around but it's the small details that make me happy.

Let me know what you think in the comments below or visit my page at:

www.facebook.com/Truwe316

Masks For Figures, The Action Feature That Never Was

As a customizer, I get some really weird requests.  It's okay, it's kind of the point of customs...doing what the factories can't do.  On one of my commissions, I had the one request that really got me thinking, removable mask.  I am not sure if I should call it a weird request, as it is one of my favorites, but I often wondered why it just never banned out in retail.

Hard Plastic

My first exposure to this (and maybe the start of my obsession with head swapping action figures) was the Bruce Wayne figure from the "Batman Returns" toy line.

As you can see from the pic, the hard plastic just doesn't line up with the head perfectly.  If my memory serves me right, I also believe that the head piece really did not stay on the figure.  Also, it look s like he has gorilla feet and hands with the snap-on gloves and boots.

The Rubber Mask

As technology progresses, we get a tad closer to seeing better accessories in our favorite figures.  The Batman San Diego Comic Con 2012 figure sadly failed in going any better.

This guy is close but there are some flaws.  For starters, we are missing the famous black eye paint which just looks weird in my opinion.  Second, the mask is just too big and makes Bats look like a bobblehead.  A valiant effort from Mattel but we are just not there yet.  They could have made the rubber a tighter fit but it would either have caused the mask to rip when the buyer was taking the mask off or making it next to impossibe to take the mask off.  It really was a lose/lose for the designer.

Pin Head 

Probably the best attempt I have seen still falls short as it causes the dreaded "pin head" effect on the figure.  Marvel Legends Xorn figure (see below), had a nice mask that fit perfectly on the Magneto head (no spoiler alert as you should have read this over ten years ago).

While the Xorn mask looks great on the figure, the Magneto head is just a tad too small giving the pin head effect.  Personally, if I was a toy designer and I HAD to make a figure with a removable mask, this would be the choice I would make as it is not quite as bad as the other two.

The Other Guys

There are several other options out there as far as giving the masked/unmasked effect on action figures.  There was the Power Rangers head flipping toys out there for a while but these guys had box like torsos and it was sort of creepy when their chest and back burst open and their head would spin down as a helmeted head spun up.

Finally there is the best way to do it, the swappable head.  Scroll down to the custom Batman figure (or wait for pics of v1.2 that will be coming up) to see what I am talking about.  I feel this is the best way to go as comic book characters are (usually) shown having the same size head whether they have their masks on or off.  Off the top of my head, Jason Todd as Red Hood is a great example of this (funny enough, he is the character behind this pointless post).  Most artist, whether the helmet is on or off, will draw his head the same size.

Final Thoughts

It just doesn't work.  I really don't blame toy companies as it would either cost way to much money to execute masks at a small size or the material would probably rip the first time customers tried to use it if they went with a rubber like material.  The "pin head" effect works too but us fan boys will bitch too much.

What are your thoughts?  Did I forget to bring up an action figure that executed the removable mask?  Let me know!

Ben Affleck IS Batman

Everyone and their mother that knows me on a personal level knows that I am a Batman Fanatic.  Hell, some have called me a Batman expert.  This will be more of a personal post because after the article below (or some version of it) hit the web, my phone, e-mail, and Facebook has been flooded with messages from friends and family.

http://variety.com/2013/film/news/ben-affleck-is-the-new-batman-1200586881/

To give visitors a 1% understanding of my Batman knowledge, I have read every single issue of Batman from 1989 to current.  Before digital, I had roughly eight to ten large plastic totes of Batman comics.  In every house I have lived in, I have had a Batcave of some sort where I work on customs or display some of my stuff.  My mom is still pissed that the basement of her garage is full of Batman stuff that people have given to me over the years, it is even rumored that she might have to move it to a hayloft.  Long story short, I know Batman and in the upcoming Superman movie Ben Affleck will be Batman and I am okay with it...for now.

Let's start off by saying I am not an Affleck fan.  If I made a list of my top ten actors, he would not be on it.  I can't even tell you the last time I saw one of his flicks in theaters. 

I have seen his movies, though, and I do know that he can play the affectionate asshole like my dear Bats.  In "The Town", he was a great anti-hero. Shit, his best friend is (and I dare say) a bigger Batman fan than me, Kevin Smith.  Hopefully he has enough sense to ask Kev for some tips to playing the Dark Knight.

Look at Heath Ledger.  I was pissed when I found out that the singing high schooler, and poor knight was going to play my favorite villain of all time, the Joker.  What were they thinking?  The bank scene in "The Dark Knight" had me thinking that he might be an okay choice.  Heath wasn't good with that though.  He did the little magic trick in his next scene and I KNEW he was the Joker.  Remember the scene where Gordon gets promoted and the Joker started the creepy slow clap?  That was not in the script, it was all Ledger.

But we are talking about Afflect here.  So what good point can I bring to this casting choice?  The movie will be Man of Steel 2, so if he flops, Warner Brothers did not dedicate a whole movie to him.  If he is really good, we have our new Batman for a few movie.  If he does good but you just don't like him, you will see a new Batman sooner or later.  Just realize that Batman is Warner Brother's version of James Bond, the actor can be replaced at any time and the fans will still go.

I say let's give the guy a chance.  Worse case, he screws up a Superman movie, so what do I care?  Best case, I get to see a good Batman hit Superman in the face.  In the long run, I win!

Batman: Arkham Origins - The Only Preview Most People Should Need!

It's no secret that I am a Batman fan.  I have a room full of Batman stuff, merchandise that I either bough or, more importantly, friends and family purchased because they know how much I love Batman.  A background information, I used to work in the video game industry.  My only dream was to one day make a Batman game that didn't suck (this is pre-2009) and that would be my homage to the Batman legend and giving Batman fans a reason to cheer.  Then, in 2009, Rocksteady took my dream from me but in a good way with Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Fast forward to today, August 20, 2013.  There was Asylum which was followed by Arkham City.  Both games are the top of my list of all time favorite games.  It doesn't hurt that they are both games based on Batman but its how they presented the idea of Batman.  Every second that I played these games, I honestly felt that I was Batman and I had to figure out how to save the day.  To engulf a player like that is the pinnacle of what makes a great game.

In two months, WB Games, not Rocksteady, will be launching their prequel to the series with Origins.  I was hesitant about this at first, but after seeing what is on the internet, I can honestly say that I am pretty stoked for this game.  Why?  Because, if the previews hold true, I get to do the one thing that the first two games missed.  I get to navigate around the FREAKING Batcave.  Arkham City teased me when they added the DLC for Challenge Maps within the Batcave but that was not good enough.  I want to roam around, press buttons on the computer, analyze evidence, make a new gadget...well, you get the idea.  While I am sure that not all of my hopes and dreams are going to be in this game, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

I say this is the only preview that you will need because, let's be honest, you are only going to play this game if you played or heard about the first two.  I have friends that consider themselves gamers and they have never played the Batman games.  I try to be okay with that but they are really great games and Origins looks to build on what Rocksteady did great but also adding their own flare to the game.

Do I have concerns? Sure.  It will kill me if the gadgets in the game are more high tech than the ones in Asylum and City because technology does not devolve.  Sure we are not talking about the gaps in time where it would be using lasers in the 1900s but I don't want Batman running around with tech better than what he will have in the future.  Kills the whole mindset of engulfing me into believing the story (it's those minor details that make good games great).

So, will I be happy after Origins?  Will all of my wants and dreams of playing Batman games be fulfilled?  Hell no!  I want to drive the freaking Batmobile!  I want to go to the Watch Tower and punch Superman in the face!  I am just going over the top here, but I honestly hope they just keep pumping these Arkham games out, do spin offs of them (I predict a Green Arrow appearance in Origins since the bomb Deathstroke uses has a Queen Industries logo on it #geekknowledge) of other DC character.  Build up to a Justice League game (I doubt this will happen).  Batman has such a rich history that theses games could go on for as long as the fans buy them.

I will be pre-ordering this game, the collectors edition as a matter of fact, soon.  The only reason as to why I haven't yet is because I like to see what retailers offer what with their exclusive DLC.  You can be assured that there will be a review of this game as soon as it comes out!

For a better written preview and more images like the one I stole, head over to Comic Book Resources.

Happy Day Customs' Deadpool Review

Let's get this out of the way first, I hate Deadpool customs.  There are a dime a dozen and everyone has made one, myself included.  I understand the appeal of making a Deadpool figure though, they are ridiculously fun to make.  There are only certain amount of costume details that DP needs and after they have been met, a customizer can go hog wild with their artistic styles to get a more diversified look.  Weapons, details, more weapons...er...I digress.

As part of the World's Greatest Customizers site, Happy Day Customs has asked yours truly to review his custom Deadpool.  So here we go!

The Good

HDC picked a great base here.  Yes, it has been a used a million times, but it is the best base in my opinion for Deadpool.  The paint is clean with the right amount of shading.  I love the shade of red that he picked as the shade REALLY complements the black here.  It is not overly contrasting and it doesn't get lost in the black shading as well.

Accessories!  Deadpool needs lots of guns.  BANG!  BANG!  There are a lot of weapons here and they work well.  DP is not getting lost in a cluster of weapons and the subtle grenade on the chest strap complements the figure well.  The straps and holsters are really well done here.  I like the idea of removeable guns and somewhere to put the weapons when they are not being used.  There are a lot of holsters but there is not too many that takes away from the figure like I have seen on other Deadpool figures.

The Bad

I was really hoping to get an easier custom to review here, something to rag on.  I'm suppose to be a hard ass, dammit!  I have to point out that there is a paint chip on the right chest.  I noticed it in a few photos and it was not in a few other.  It is hard to rag on a customizer for this, as I have done it before, and you really don't notice something small like that until the camera blows it up.  My guess is that HDC fixed it , so it was a good catch on his part.

If you have read this blog before, you know I am big on comic accuracy when making comic figures.  I don't like the boots.  I can't think of an artist that draws DP with those big boots.  Doesn't mean there isn't an artist out there does, but it is not the iconic look that comes to my mind.  The fact that this is my biggest complaint here says a lot as this is a personal preference vs just a flat out flaw in the figure.  There are people out there that might like this look and good for them.

Recommendation Changes

I really wish there would have been some seams sculpted on the costume to match the seams on the mask.  This would create a nice flow of consistency through the figure.

Lastly, a black wash over some of the weapons would have added to the overall effect of the figure.  The basic silver of the gun just makes me realize that I am looking at a toy and not a real person (don't judge my craziness).

Final Thoughts

This is really a great figure.  I am a little ticked that there was not much for me to nit pick but that is a good thing as customs are designed to pick up the slack that the factory figures ignore.  Happy Day Customs made an awesome figure here and it speaks volumes that most of the "flaws" that I mentioned were actually more based on my preferences for how Deadpool should look.  I am not sure if HDC sold this figure or not but whomever has this figure is probably happy with the figure.

To check out more of Happy Day Customs, follow the link here.

To have your figure reviewed, contact me by e-mail or PM through the WGC.

Custom New 52 Batman figure

AAAHHHHHH!!!  I can sleep at night now because he is FINALLY done!  The crown jewel of my figure collection.  How can I call myself a Batman fan without having MY ultimate version of Batman?  Here is an honest review of the figure that I created for myself and my thought process along the way.

The Beginning

I hate making customs of Batman.  You think making a guy that is mainly three colors would be easy, but for me, he is not.  On top of that, being such a huge fan, Bats needs to be perfect.  Any slight flaw is unacceptable making this an even bigger pain.  I was so intimidated by this figure that the base figure that I purchased for this custom sat on my desk for a year.  A freaking year!  Well, after some time, I grew some balls, bought the rest of the parts and materials, and started on this project.  Every aspect of this figure had to be perfect for me and to show you how obsessed I mean, it took five figures to make.  While the head, cape, belt and hands all come from the same figure, each figure had a flaw on one of those items, so I took the perfect aspects of those items and used them for this custom.  Yes, I know that I am crazy.

Original vs Custom

So what can I do to make the custom better than the original.  If you read my review of the retail 52 Bats (which is the base figure for this custom), I stated some of the aspects that I didn't like.  I thought the gray of the suit was too dark, not a fan of the utility belt,  head was too small, etc.

No, he is not taller than the original base figure, the custom is on a stand.  Yes, the pic is crooked because my photo skills still suck.

So here is all that I did before final paint was applied:
      Filled in peg holes:  I hate peg holes.  Both for how they look and for what a pain they are to fill in.
      Resculpted the waist:  Since the new utility belt that I was going to use had more of a dip in it, I          needed to add some sculpt in the waist so I wouldn't see the gap left behind from the old belt
     Swapped the hands:  I hate the half open hands of DCUC so I removed them and used the hands          from the DCC figure.  Since the articulation is missing from the DCUC figure, I added a screw            from where I cut at the wrist and hollowed out the gauntlet to fit the screw.
     Added the knee pads:  I think this is one of the coolest parts of the new costume detail, so I had to        add it to the custom.

Paint

Arg, this was the biggest pain.  I decided to airbrush the gray on since it is the primary color of the figure.  Airbrushing is tricky, well for me, because light colors will look differently when applied with an airbrush versus a paint brush.  Meaning?  Mess up on any part of the paint process, and this guy is getting returned to step one and being painted again (this happened three times).  I also chose not to add any sort of shading to the figure because I felt that the new etched in costume details show off shadows really well and I didn't want to lose that.

There are two shades of black on the figure, glossy for the boots, and gauntlets.  Matte black for the symbol.

Finishing touches

Once all the paint has been applied and sealed with a sealant, I added the cape, belt, and head to figure.  I left the cape unpainted but painted the head and neck piece to match the gloss black of the gauntlets and boots.  All done!  Better paint, better look, and NO articulation lose!

But WAIT!  There is more!  To be my ultimate version, this figure had to go above and be on the standard custom.  I loved unmasked versions of my famous characters.  I have no clue why but I think it is awesome.  I took the Infected Bruce Wayne head off of another figure, sanded the infection off (insert crude joke) and repainted.  Added the mask off of the Unmasked Batman figure from way back and BOOM!  Head swapping power!  Okay, now he is done and goes to my special UV, dust protecting acrylic case.

What I Would Have Done Differently

Nothing!  The guy is effing perfect.  Just kidding.  There is always something I want to improve on.  For Batman, I usually like a leather looking cape.  I used it for the ultimate Pre-52 version that I made a few years ago.  I also wish there was some hand articulation.  I have a ton of gadgets for Batman to be posed with but the one open hand makes it hard to do.  In the Pre-52 version, I had this but it looked horrible when posing a fist, so there is always a trade off.

Usually I try to stay away from artist specific looks since there are a lot of artist that draw Batman.  I had to use the Jim Lee cape, hands, and head this time because I think they are so well executed.  Thankfully, I really don't think the sculpt of the DCC figure really translated that well from the pages to figure.  A lot of artist are drawing old Bats closely to how Lee draws him and the figure's head could easily pass for a Finch and some other artists head.

Next, the cape is a little long because the figure it came from stands about seven inches and I placed it on a six inch figure.  I know another customizer that made something similar to this, cut the cape shorter on the end but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  The cape is so awesome and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Lastly, I feel like it needs some action feature.  I am going to do a write up on how the term "action figure" is being misused but, for now, I will just say that I wish this figure had something.  I wanted to add a magnet somewhere on the belt so I could store a gadget or two on him (in the back so the cape would hide it.  I tried this with a custom Robin I made once and it just looked like garbage.  Granted, I was pretty new to customizing but once you add a magnet to the belt and one to the gadget, it really takes away from the realistic look.

Well, that is it.  Feel free to leave a comment or two and let me know what you would have liked to see in this version of the Bat.

Tips on Buying a Custom Figure

Commissioning a customizer can be a tricky processes.  Heck, even buying one off of eBay is not always to easiest as well.  There are A LOT of customizers out there and, sadly, there are a few that will try to rip you off.  The customizing community is very important to me and I would like to see this community grow and continue to bring in new talent and fans.  If you are looking to commission a customizer, here are some tips on finding the right artist to get your dream figure.

Find the Right Customizer

Step one is always the easiest.  There are a ton of sites out there such as Figure Realm or The Fwoosh have a TON of customizers out there.  Take some time to look over all the different galleries and find a customizer that creates a look similar to what you are looking for.  For example, I try to create customs that (hopefully) look like they came from the factory.  A fellow customizer (and a good friend of mine) Fast Freddie has a paint style all of his own by using shading techniques to create something that looks better than a factory release.  So what is your collection looking for?  Something to blend in with your current purchases or something that will "pop" on your shelf?  This is something you need to figure out.

Find Reference Pictures

I don't know how many times I get the classic "I want a figure that looks like [insert artist's name] version in that one book."  Don't bank on a customizer to know what artist based look you are looking for.  There have been too many times where I just google the artist and the character and base my work off of that.  Most times, the customer is happy with the final product but sometimes colors or looks can be off.  I like happy customers, so I will go back and fix it but it puts a strain on the relationship with that customizer in the future if you want more figures.

Long story short, take the time to find pictures to send to the customizer so you can get the look you want.  That is the point isn't it?

Ask Questions

Of a customizer is not willing to answer your questions, I would suggest not doing business with them.  I have purchased a few customs from some of the bigger names out there and they always have taken the time to answer my questions.  By the end of the process, I received the EXACT figure that I wanted and that should be the case since a custom costs much more than a retail figure.  Which brings me to my next point...

Know Your Price Range

Customs are not cheap.  You are paying for someone's time and materials.  At the same time, you are getting what you pay for.  Someone that charges more for a custom than the next customizer might have more talent and use better materials.  Also know when you might be getting ripped off.  It is okay to ask several customizers for a quote before you commit to one.  I once had a guy quote me $500 to make a figure and another customizer, who was WAY more talented than the first, quote me $150.

Get a Time Frame

Another great thing to establish with the customizer that you decided on is the time it takes them to complete a figure.  Some guys can have a figure done in a week, some might take a few months to a year.  Know when you want to see a figure completed so you are not left in the dark.  

At the same time, don't email the customizer every day asking for an update or to inform them that they missed their deadline.  For most customizers, customizing is just a hobby.  These guys have full time jobs, families, and other priorities.  Also, things just come up.  For example, I wanted to have a commission done a month ago but I had to unexpectedly move across the country and then I had to get into an eBay dispute with a seller that tried not to send me the parts I ordered to complete this figure.  Thank God, my customer is a very patient individual and has not let this effect our customizer/customer relationship.

Final payment

Know what the final price is before the project starts.  List out what you want and find out how much it is going to cost you.  Also know that if you request changes mid-project, that is probably going to cost you more than what was originally quoted.  Find out if the change is going to cost you more before the customizer changes it.  If the new price is reasonable to you, have them make the change.  If it is not, well, I really don't know what to tell you.  Ideally, know EVERY aspect of what you want out of the customizer and the figure you want before they send you a quote.  That way these mid-project negotiations so not come up.

Cover your butt when you make a purchase as well.  Most customizers ask for a down payment before they start, usually half of the final price.  This is fair because you don't know who you can trust on the internet.  By paying half, the customizer will be able to recoup their time and materials if the customer doesn't pay when the figure is done.  For the customer, you are not out the complete amount if the customizer never finishes the figure.  Also, DO NOT gift the payment when using Paypal.  Most customizers will hate me for saying that but you need to cover your butt as the buyer and if they are too cheap to pay the fees, then they should have factored that in for their final price.

Finally, PAY FOR THE FIGURE IN FULL!!!  Customizers talk to one another.  Their are so many dead beat buyer lists out there, it is not even funny.  So if your name pops up on one of them, good luck having anyone make you a figure.

eBay

This last point is short and sweet.  When bidding on a custom figure and you lose the auction, it is okay to contact the customizer.  Each customizer has their own way of handling this.  Some won't answer your e-mail, some will tell you they don't take commissions, some might say "sure".  For me, I am going to charge you more than what the auction went for.  That is fair to the person that put the most money down on the table to win the auction because that is what I feel is fair.

There you have it.  This might be missing some detailed points but here is the basics.  I am trying to quickly write this over my lunch break so feel free to ask me to elaborate more in the comments.

Dear Mattel and Hasbro, You Failed!

Mother of God, I hate big business executives.  Too be fair, I hate the executives from companies that I used to work for.  One company completely destroyed a great story on one of the games that I worked on and had a hack of a Hollywood writer make a HORRIBLE story line.  Game did horrible, and after a few more bad executive decisions, the company filed for bankruptcy.

That is in the past and we are here to talk about action figures.  The point of this post is to highlight the failures of Mattel and Hasbro.  These two companies have the rights to make figures for two of the greatest comic book companies' characters ever.  I, for one, am tired of their bullshit excuses as to why we can't get the figures that the fans (aka the people who are providing the money that fill this morons pockets) want.

Hasbro:

Oh Hasbro, talk about being handed a genie bottle and throwing it away.  Toy Biz handed (metaphorically) you a great franchise and you just fumbled it.  I give Hasbro credit that they took a lot of slack from fans when they released the first Return of Marvel Legends (ROML) line.  This slack was really unfair in my mind as they added some of great new characters and they did it fairly cheaply by using a lot of old molds from Toy Biz.  Fans could see a continuation of improvement in each series that followed (rocker ankles, hell yeah!).

Failure comes in the sense of your business tactics.  I want to give you my money, but I can't find your damn product anywhere!  In store, online (I am not including the heavily inflated eBay prices), no where.  My business sense is I can't make money if I am not providing something to my customers.  I take it these execs must of missed that Econ class.

Now, as of 2013 SDCC, Hasbro has announced that the ROML is done and fans can only get characters in 6 inch form if there is a movie closely related to those characters.  What?!  For a fan such as myself, this will not really effect me.  Wolverine is my second favorite character and with the Wolverine movie and X-Men movies coming out in the future, that is two toy series that I will get.  Are you a Fantastic Four fan?  Good luck seeing any characters in the near future because there is NOTHING slated for them.  That has to hurt some of the profit margins for Hasbro as FF fans might not be a majority, they still buy figures.

Mattel:

Mattel, I saved you for last because you are the biggest offender.  You have almost 80 years of DC history.  Comic book characters change outfits almost as much as I change underwear.  On top of that, you have four to five generic body types that easily fit over 90% of the body types of the DC characters.  Yet fans have to pay to be part of a club and some of those costs go to tooling new body parts.  I didn't realize that new head sculpts and other little parts cost so much.  I honestly don't know the costs but they can't be so much that they can kill a whole line.

The funniest part is that you guys greatly use the Build A Figure (BAF) to near perfection in the past.  Take wave sixteen (http://www.itsalltrue.net/?page_id=8934) for example.  I am a modern Batman fan, meaning that I like the dark brooding asshole that he is.  I hate the idea of Robin (though I love that Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin evolved into respectable characters after leaving the side of Batman).  I hate the campy old silver age costumes.  I hate the Knightfall series because Bruce Wayne is the only person that I want to see in the Batman costume.  So what does this have to do with anything?  For starters, I hate every character that is in this wave and the voice in my head says that I should not buy a damn one of them.  But that Bane BAF is so effing amazing (even though he is too tall for scale) and I would buy every one of these figures just to get Bane.  Hasbro does the same thing and I feel it is a great strategy to get people to buy characters that they would normally ignore but Mattel, you are making BAFs of amazing characters and you still have A LOT of opportunities for more!  If it aint broke, don't fix it!

Mattel are also great offenders of the distribution.  Why can't I find your figures?!  I have lived in the Midwest and now on the East Coast and I still can't find your damn figures!  I live in the third biggest city in New York!  There are four TRUs, three Wal-Marts, three targets, and dozens of comic book stores within ten minutes of my house, so there is no excuse here.

Believe it or not, Mattel, you have a great advantage over DC Collectibles.  I love the style of your designs.  The Four Horsemen do such a great job of mixing up great aspects of DC artists and pump out beautiful generic characters.  I have every single Batman Hush figure from DCC (DC Direct at the time) because they are based on Jim Lee's (remember, my favorite artist) art.  Unfortunately, the figures lack articulation (a must for me) and I will not get other characters that can stand next to them because most lines are so artist based that they would look out of place next to my Hush figures.  Now DCC is adding a ton of articulation (finally!) and the Capullo Batman looks amazing.  Sooner or later (hopefully WAY later), Capullo will leave for another book and a new artist will come aboard.  I don't want to have to wait a year or two while the new artist's rendition of the figure is made.  I want to look at my generic (yet awesome) DCUC Batman that embodies all of the great Batman artists in one figure.  Okay, you already made that figure (see my first review) but there are other characters out there that I would love to see this with and I know I am not the only fan that sees that.

Closing Thoughts:

Hasbro and Mattel, stop failing us.  Yes, I realize that tooling costs and production fees are eating into your profits but something tells me that if you actually made more figures, had better distribution, and better quality assurance (I did not touch this topic as it is well documented on the net already and you will also seeing the same mistakes over all my reviews) you would make more money.  Yes, maybe you only make half of what you have made in the past but I guarantee you, if people can walk into any retailer or visit their favorite figure site, you guys would not be posting profit losses.

Econ lesson 101:  Supply and demand.  The demand is there (and it is overwhelming), now where is the supply!

Wave 21 (All-Star) Batman

aka the New 52 Batman

First and foremost, I apologize.  I would like to tell you that I have an older SLR camera and that is because of the poor photos.  The fact is, I have a lot to learn about taking photos, posing figures, and patience.  Hopefully as this blog rolls on, the skills will improve.

First off, as a retail figure, this is my current favorite retail made figure.  I know a lot of fan boys will trash this figure or mention that there are a lot better figures out there, and they are probably right.  This is MY favorite because it has a majority of what I look for in a figure.  I like my figures in the six inch scale, a great blend of excellent sculpt and great articulation.  Lastly, it has to be comic accurate (or as close as possible), something that is very hard for toy makers to pull off.  It also helps that Batman is my all time favorite character.

My buddy Shane and I have had conversations way too long about how I feel that comic characters should be drawn and Shane feels that artist should be allowed to be creative.  The best part of the New 52 is DC artists are expected to maintain a certain level of consistency with the look of the character.  The Four Horsemen hit this sculpt out of the park.  While I feel that Jim Lee draws Batman the best, he is not drawing him all the time and I love owning figures that are a great blend of multiple artists and this is what makes this one great.

Pros of the figure:

Obviously I already raved about the sculpt that is well deserved.  Pretty much all the parts are new to the DCUC line.  I believe only the shoulder and bicep parts are previously used.  I am a big fan of the New 52 costumes, especially Batman's (you really start hating the outside underwear after you have to put them on as a costume).  The etching in the costume looks great on the top of the figure.  Both Batman and the Superman figure share the same lower torso but it works better for Batman here.  The raised bat symbol looks great and is a nice blend of Lee and Capullo (another one of my favorite artists) and is perfectly sized for my liking.  The head sculpt is a nice blend of various artists and I love the stern look on Batman's face.  I always hate the teeth bearing faces on figures because it looks like they are holding in their bowels.

The cape here is the best cape I have seen on a Batman figure by Mattel and that includes the capes from DC Superheroes line.  Instead of the neck of the cowl being part of the figure and being painted, the cape starts at the neck and is one piece.  On top of that the shading in the cape is great as well.  Subtle shading that is not overdone to the point that it looks fake.  Below is a heavily flashed picture to give you a better idea of the shading on the cape.

The articulation is great as well but is really not a highlight on the figure since it is pretty standard across the DCUC line.

Cons of the figure:

Even though this is my favorite retail figure, there are some flaws.  As I mentioned before, I want the most comic accurate representation of Batman.  One of the new costume details is knee pads that look like bats.  If you told be this was an added detail two years ago, I would have laughed and said that it was stupid.  For some one known reason, I love it and it looks great.  Unfortunately, this detail is missing from the figure.  They have something there on the bottom portion of the leg as far as etching, but there is no top half of the pad and there is nothing that represents the bat look of the pads.

The famous utility belt is not bad but it is not great.  Pretty much every artist is drawing the pouches with no spaces in between, but this one has spaces.  The new look also gives me the impression that the pouches are more metal than cloth and the sculpt gives me the impression that pouches are a cloth type material.  I also like the Jim Lee look of the slight dip of the buckle but this belt is straight across.  Not a deal breaker but it doesn't help.

The other complaint is that of the retail curse, paint and coloring.  I was extremely lucky with this figure by the fact that the paint on it is very solid with only minor slop.  There is a part his exposed face that paint is missing from, but I will just boil and pop a head off of one of the figures I used to make a custom on.  The only other fact is I am not a big fan of the gray color of the suit and the lack of shading.  The gray is a lot darker than how most colorist are portraying Batman in the comic and, while it is not a deal breaker for me, it looks nothing like what I was promised in the preview pictures (below).  To top it off, they used the preview picture on the back of the packaging to show you how great this figure could have been.  From what I can tell, there is no shading on the gray portion as well and that makes me sad after seeing the preview pics.  Finally, most artist draw the belt all one color but the buckle and pouch snaps on the figure have a bronze paint app.  I realize they are trying to break up the color and not have a monotone color but I would have liked to have seen all gold with some shading. 

My last small gripe is in the form of the sculpt.  While the hands are new (added detail on the back of the gloves), I have always hated the partly open fists of the DCUC figures.  It takes away from a pose as no person punches with their hand half open.  I know some people like to have Batman holding a gadget or something but I am not one of those people.  The other sculpt issue is the thigh piece is shorter compared to other DCUC lines in the past.  This means Bats stands a cm or two shorter than most figures in the line.

The last complaint is the cape is too short for my liking.  I like the bat capes to at least be touching the ground or as close as possible.  I don't look at the figure in disgust, I just like longer capes.

It should also be noted that some reviewers have commented that their Batman has a bobble head effect going on with a loose neck joint, my figure did not suffer from this.

Final Rating:  Must get!

If you are a Batman fan and you collect DCUC then this is great addition to your collection.  The only real deal breaker that I see for certain people is if they are not fans of the updated New 52 costumes.  For me, the new design is a breath of fresh air and the Four Horsemen did a great job of putting the new design in 3D form.

Customizer or Collector?

To be or not to be?  I am a collector and a customizer but, at the same time, I can not be both and it annoys the piss out of me.  I want to be, I can't afford to be and I am not patient enough to be.  To those that can be both, I applaud you.  Either you have pockets deeper than mine or skills that make me look like an amateur.

Why I can't be a pro customizer:

The ebay auctions say it all.  I think I have had less then ten customs that I have made go over $100 in my ebay career.  When you have bills to pay, that is not good for a customizer.  I know my flaws, I have to improve on my sculpting, airbrushing, photo taking skills (believe me, it makes a huge difference), and (most importantly) patience.  I try to find as much time as I can to customize as it is my stress reliever (really depends on the figure) and it is my way to get the figure that I wanted.  Fixing the (my opinionated) mistakes of the company that made the original figure or getting a figure that has yet to be made.  Best part is, I don't have to wait for a new costume to be made and go through all the steps of being produced that a retail figure has to go through.

The tough part is customizing is expensive.  The tools, the materials, and (the most expensive) the figures.  Hopefully this week I will be able to review the Batman figure that I made.  This is the one figure that I obsess over the most.  This is the second version of the figure that I made because the first version had a slight gap in one of the articulation joints.  My girlfriend thought I was nuts when I noticed this but it was one of those things that bugged me for weeks until I just got a hold of a new base figure and made version 2.  On top of that, I want through three DCC New 52 Batmans ($25 a piece, you can do the math) to get the perfect parts that I wanted to add to the base figure.  That all starts adding up as, without materials and paint, is five action figures purchased to make one figure.  So for all you companies out there that want to sue customizers because you are not getting "your cut" (yes, I realize that I have not paid the respected owners of the properties) but if you think about it you really are.  I got one figure, you sold five Warner Brothers.  You win in that exchange but I will leave that rant to another day.  Luckily, I was able sell version one and recoup most of those expenses but damn it sucked.

Why I can't be a collector:

I had this goal to get every Marvel Legends and every DC Universe figure MOC (if you don't know what MOC means, you shouldn't be on this page but if you really want to know leave a comment or email me).  This is a VERY expensive dream.  Current figures run around the $20 mark and older figures can cost you up to $200, so that goal is quickly becoming a dream.

The biggest reason I can never be a true collector is because of that prick customizer mentioned above.  He views EVERY figure as possible fodder (parts that can be taken from a manufactured figure and added to a custom, ruining the original figure).  I wanted to have a MOC DCC New 52 Batman for the future, maybe pass on to one of my future kids, but I noticed a flaw in the Batman mentioned above and the MOC figure quickly became fodder.

On top of that, I think factory figures are great but there are times where I feel that I can add something better and that is why most of the figures on my shelf have some sort of customization to it.  Some mods are noticeable, some are not.

I recently had an unexpected move (don't worry, it was a blessing) that had me sell a good junk of my collection off, so the hunt begins again...slowly.  I am glad this happened as I was starting to lose interest in Marvel Legends (even though they are coming out with some really great stuff) and was coming back to DCUC stuff.  Of course, I am kicking myself for selling the uber rare Lobo and black and gray DCSH Batman that I had MOC but such is life.

So there is my dilemma, I want to be both but I can't.  A flash of Batman Forever came into my head when he is trying to solve the riddle of whether he was Bruce Wayne or Batman.  Do I have delusions of grandeur?  Probably.

Figure reviews soon!

Introduction

This figure sucks!  There it is out of the way.  I decided to start this blog as an outlet for my opinion of certain figures.  It should be taken that way...MY opinion.  I will probably say things that other figure reviewers have already said or things that will counter what their opinions are.

Hopefully this won't be the case and I will add some new opinions on certain figures; maybe help you, the reader, add a great figure to your collection or help you save some money by not adding money to a crap figure.  You will be seeing some reviews on figures that have been out for years and some new figures (if Mattel and Hasbro get off their asses) and will be updated as much as my paycheck will allow.

New to the reviews will be HONEST reviews of my customs (Truwe's Custom Figures).  I have been doing some level of customization my whole life.  I want to say my first figure that I worked out was a Raphael from the 1990 Movie TMNT figure and have tried to grow (and screwed up many times) since.  Whatever line I am currently collecting, I have to have THE best version of that favorite character.  If you collect, you know that buying a factory made figure means that either the paint will be off somewhere and I always seem to notice it.

So this is the beginning.  A bunch of rants from a Quality Assurance Engineer (my day job) that notices flaws (some might not even be there) and tries to fixes them or just yells into the night.   Either way, I hope this will be a fun ride.

Leave comments or e-mail me.

Enjoy!