CUSTOM SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW
We got hold of Emlyn “ Darth ” Thomas to discuss being this weeks Spotlighted Customizer.
I'm here with Darth! Welcome to the WGC Spotlight Interview. Tell us a little bit about your work with action figures.
Q. How did you get into the field and what is the attraction to action figures for you?
A. “ Many years back I used to enjoy painting Game Workshop miniatures. I could never be bothered playing the games. Too many dice, templates and rules for my liking. I’ve always been into collecting stuff, from a very early age according to my mum. Action figure customizing kind of combined my love of painting and collecting when I started messing about with my Star Wars collection. It wasn’t until I stumbled across figurerealm that I really got into sculpting and modding. My mind boggled at the possibilities I saw in front of me and it wasn’t long 'till I purchased my first batch of Aves Fixit and started experimenting. “
Q. Customizing usually involves a lot of painting, sculpting, and use of tools to modify or fabricate pieces. Do you have any history in artistic creation or was Customizing more of a learning experience?
A. “ Definitely a learning experience; a fun and sometimes infuriating, learning experience. “
Q. How would you best describe your artistic process?
A. “ Kinda like riding the world's biggest roller coaster without the harness done up. I’m always riding on the seat of my pants with every custom. Not truly knowing how it’s going to turn out or whether something is going to work.
Luckily, if something doesn’t work out I generally manage to put it right; and aside from few early attempts, I don’t think I’ve thrown that many attempts away. “
Q. What types of paint, sculpting media, or special tools do you commonly use or would recommend?
A. “ My paint choice is influenced by two things:
1. Familiarity
and…
2. Availability.
It’s only a matter of time 'till the first becomes irrelevant though being as Game Workshop has rebranded their paints but yeah, they’re easy enough to get hold of and last for ages, (probably why I still haven’t tried the new paint range). For sculpt it’s got to be Aves Fixit! I’ve tried others; plumbers putty, Quiksteel and Milliput but none of them have ever measured up to Fixit. It’s just so easy to work with and holds detail brilliantly. Special tools, Dremmel, not rotary tool… Dremmel! I believe you pay for quality and they’re really not that pricey. The trusty hair dryer, I’m almost as bald as Lex Luthor but I’d be lost without it. Last; but not least, my sculpting tools with a variety of ends. Mine are metal but I really want to get some plastic ones too for when I’m sculpting over magnets. Oh, and how could I possibly forget the ever faithful sandpaper in a variety of grades ranging from 100 to 600, ( it can really fix a variety of errors ). “
Q. Being in a unique position as one of the moderators on arguably one of the most popular custom action figure sites on the net, how do you feel that affects you as a Customizer?
A. " As a customizer I feel it helps me to gather ideas and inspiration. I see a lot of customs every day through the approval process, so, whilst they may be characters I might ignore whilst flicking through the showcase, I have to look at them to approve them. Sometimes giving me new ideas to work with or inspiring me to try a certain character that I might have forgotten or would have no interest in otherwise. "
Q. What inspires you on your designs?
A. “ For my personal collection it’s generally cherished childhood memories, running home to watch He-Man or Thundercat's and play with my figures. As well as the obligatory role play! Many a stick was turned into the sword of power or the sword of omens and of course whatever I was wearing could easily act as a make shift sheath. So I mostly go for characters I love. I like to try to add a bit of my own spin on most of my customs. Sometimes, just sometimes, a custom can be influenced by a single piece of fodder. My Monkian is a prime example as I had the shield and built the rest around it. “
Q. Is there a scale or toy line you prefer to work with and why?
A. " 6” scale for me; although, my earlier works were all done on the Jakks Deluxe Aggression wrestlers which are about 7”. I have also done some 3.75” customs. I tend to use them as a little light relief whilst working on bigger projects. “
Q. Are there any particular references you use more than others?
A. “ Aside from good old Google images, figurerealm is probably the reference site I use the most. Whether it be using the checklists or searching the customs for inspiration or ideas on how to utilize a base figure. “
Q. Is there another Customizer who inspires or inspired you when you began Customizing?
A. “ I have quite a list of people who have influenced me and continue to inspire me. To me, that’s the great thing about this hobby. It’s kind of a never ending circle where people inspire me and I believe and hope I inspire some people too. I’ll start with the names that first got me into customizing; Dr. Nightmare (seriously just check out how many tutorials he did over on figurerealm), Madtinker, Crisco, Boskoes, there’s probably more but I forget it’s been over 4 years now. More recently, I’ve taken inspiration from many more names. Such as; Cosmic Fantasy Customs, Redmist, NeCrollector, GlennWebb, Warrack, and of course the amazing RedRebel. Once again I’ve probably forgotten people but chances are if you’ve heard a name I’ve taken some kind of inspiration from them along the line. “
Q. It’s an honor to receive a mention in there among so many talented people Darth. I hope it wasn’t just because I am doing the interview? Back to you. What is your favorite Custom Action Figure made by someone else?
A. “ Man, that’s such a difficult question, I guess it would have to be Madtinker's anthropomorphic Battle Cat and Panthor, I loved those guys when I first saw them, also a big fan of his Wolverage custom. “
Q. Given that you are well known for using unconventional pieces in your custom builds, can you describe a situation in which you overcame a difficult problem with incorporating a piece? How did you do it?
A. " Haha, thanks......... I think. Well I wasn't aware I was renowned for it but I suppose the one that springs to mind would be my Sin-Biote (Four Horsemen) custom. I used a few odd bits on him and the bit I remember most were the nails I used for his spikes on his arms and legs. Mostly the leg ones, I tried to just glue them on and hope they'd stay.....nope they didn't, so, I used the trusty Fixit to keep them in place. I always remember this one because that figure now rattles due to a couple of nails falling in and being stuck inside the leg. "
Q. Do you have a personal favorite of your own work?
A. “ Am I allowed two? I really like my Panthro “ The Walking Weapon” and Clawful . “
Q. What about it made it stand out for you?
A. “ Panthro I like because he just came together really well. It wasn’t easy but it all worked out great. Also because he had a fully original head sculpt ( my first one). Clawful was a real exercise in patience turning a static statue into a fully articulated action figure. “
Q. What was your biggest learning experience you've had while customizing that you're comfortable mentioning and was there something you'd do differently now?
A. “ My very first attempt with Aves Fixit, I tried turning a massive Batman figure into Panthro. I tried sculpting the entire thing……. I most definitely tried to run before I could walk . “
Q. Do you do mostly commissioned pieces or make whatever characters are inspiring you at the moment?
A. “ Recently I have taken a few commissions. It’s something I’m slowly getting into but having two kids I can’t take a whole lot on at the moment. Before that it was always for my personal collection, things I love MOTU, Thundercat's, TMNT and I’d love to expand my Bucky O' Hare custom collection too. “
Q. Where's the best place online or locally for fans to see more of your work? (Include website addresses and contact information here).
A. All my work can be seen on figurerealm.com
Links-
I also have a WIP's page where I like to show some of the process involved in my
customs
Or on Facebook where I generally upload the most pictures of my customs
Q. What would you say is your greatest area of strength as a customizer?
A. " I NEVER know when I'm beaten! Haha! If a custom is proving too difficult or I'm running out of ideas, I won't give up1 I'll keep trying different things till the job gets done. "
Q. As a part of the Customizing Community are there any tips, techniques, or words of wisdom you'd like to pass on for those starting out?
A. “ Well, let me start by saying I don’t claim to be an expert but if I had to say one thing it would be don’t give up. If a custom is proving too frustrating or difficult just start something else. So what if you have a WIP graveyard the size of England! You never know when you might find the inspiration needed to carry on. That and sandpaper is your friend. “
Q. Before we go, are you currently working on any customs that we can watch out for you'd like to mention to the readers?
A. “ Always chipping away at my MOTU customs that I like to refer to as “ The collection ”. Working on a few commissions; Toxin, Scarlet Spider and a new headsculpt for the classic TMNT figures. I’ve also just completed the Trigon CnC figure which I want to do something with. Should my boys ever give me the chance! “
Well, that's it! Thank you DarthThomas for taking the time out of your schedule to answer our questions and help us get a better view of the Customizing World. As always Customizing fans, thanks for listening! Come back often to get more insight on the inner workings of a Customizer!
No comments:
Post a Comment