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Post by ptassler on Oct 4, 2005 8:39:01 GMT -5
Just a thought How do you think custom Figures will be though of when they some day are looked at as an un-official vintage toy, Don't get me wrong I love custom stuff more then anything and have an extensive custom collection I can't help but wonder , How will they stand the test of time as far as collectability is concerned Some of these works of art are not cheap ,will they retain that value , go up, down or if you are like me you would never sell them anyway Thoughts? Pete
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Post by martingb on Oct 4, 2005 8:47:32 GMT -5
I guess if the custom is done well it will stand as a kind of 'art'. Difficult to compare custom figures and models to anything that has gone before really as this is like the first generation of customisers. Customs as we kind of think of them have only been around for maybe fifteen years or so I would reckon. There are no 1960s GI Joe, Captain Action or Major Matt Mason customs made at the time which are so good that they look 'official'. Not sure really how they will be considered in the future but good thread. Should be some nice conversation on this.
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Oct 4, 2005 9:48:29 GMT -5
I think it is a bit too early for sure to tell in "the history of toys" kind of framework. I know that ten years or more ago, when vinyl and resin models were a major mainstay of the movie/TV character figure hobby industry, all I saw was recasting of some rare really good art and the rest was basically mass produced non-posable crap, but it was what was out there. And it was fun at the time. I think even though Megos and GI Joes are the "daddy's" of this hobby, that when the Dragon/Medicom type figures came out and military enthusiasts began doing custom Germans or whatever, it was the beginning of seeing lots more kinds of figures customized in the general market. So, I think it is in still maybe in it's infancy. I still see many similar types of customs out now because most folks stick to a fun and familiar format, like the Mego styles or whatever is your thing. Plus, there is the whole hobby support network, such as this very site. But, then, there are the few that are making it into an individual artist's production run sets like Henry or Alex Rojas and others that have broadened the base into a whole wider series of collectibles etc. So, the future? It depends on how long the "official licence" market and their lawyers stay off the backs of individuals making them for a hobby long enough for it to expand into a "valid" and real other source for collectible toys out in the world. My guess is, like every other toy season I have witnessed in my own lifetime, that it will evolve into something else. There may always be "our" kind of customs and customizers out there, just as there is still a huge resin kit market still, but my instincts tell me that a change is coming. Large, small, sudden, gradual, I don't know. But, a change is coming. Like the coming of autumn, I can smell it in the air. My bet Pete, is that you can too, hence your question. But, it simply is too early to really know just yet. I agree with something that Retroprops said in another thread, that in 2244 or whenever, they will still be talking of figures like Henry's Batmans. I just hope there are future Henrys out there then, still kickin' a$$ with customs. That's my best take on it. For what it's worth.
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Post by radioscooter on Oct 4, 2005 10:17:07 GMT -5
Well,
I am happy, proud and embarrassed to say that 2 of my older "Extra Powers customs made it into 7 issues of an actual worldwide released Super Powers price guide back in 1995.
The publisher knew they were customs and after I questioned him about including them he told me that in his opinion, since I had made close o 40 or so of each of the 2 characters that they deserved to be in there. He said if they were going to include foreign released stuff like the Super Amigos then mine should be represented too.
It seemed a bit silly and still does to me. But it's nice to be in there. LOL
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Post by ptassler on Oct 4, 2005 11:21:49 GMT -5
I remember an article years back In Model and Toy Collector( ahh,I miss the magazine) about kids in the 60's Kit bashing their Aurora monster kits, Aurora kinda encouraged this by releasing a series of custom Fodder monster model accessory Kits anyone remember these, How about the monster Scene kits,gruesome goodies etc So maybe Aurora planted the seed I have a friend who used to Shave his adventure team Joes ,Was he an early customer!! I used to tell him he was ruining them , he would laugh at me who is laughing now ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Oct 4, 2005 11:46:15 GMT -5
Ah yes! [glow=red,2,300]Aurora![/glow] ;D And now I understand. Scooter was one of the premier guys out there! It all begins to make sense. And..."Embarrassed"? How come? I'd be nothing but very proud Scoot! That was quite an accomplishment!
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Post by casimir on Oct 4, 2005 15:16:33 GMT -5
Just to give a little more context: "Customizing" of figures as we talk about is only new because we're the first generation who a) admits to liking this stuff as adults and b) don't mind spending our "disposable" income on it.
However, it's no different than those folks who painted toy soldiers or chess pieces in 1820, or build elaborate scale train setups in 1950. (Both of which still have large groups of practicioners. Bigger than we are, probably.)
The hobby is not new, only the medium and subjects.
C.
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Post by radioscooter on Oct 4, 2005 15:20:58 GMT -5
Agreed. And car, van and chopper hotrodding and a hundred other versions of "customizing" that have also been around forever.
You want to see a well-supported huge bunch of customizers - buy Model Railroad magazine!
-S
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Oct 4, 2005 16:03:23 GMT -5
I agree. The act of "Customizing" has been around for ages.
But, I think that the current trend of toy customs is a relatively new field (last ten to fifteen years or so in a social movement sense) in my eyes. I don't remember toy customs being such a socially active thing or traded thing in my youth.
I know it has been going on ever since there have been toys, primarily on a personal level, but maybe, due to the advent of this very medium we are using, the internet, we toy customizers are finding each other more readily and the very size of the hobby has grown exponentially because of it.
I liken it to cell phones or any other modern developments. fifteen years ago, it just wasn't out there like it is now. I would have been doing it a LOT more or collecting it if it was.
Then again, it could have been a more urban-based movement at conventions and such, way before a swamp boy like me found out about it. ;D
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Post by BlackKnight on Oct 4, 2005 18:49:10 GMT -5
As far as what Place Customs will hold in the future, I have no idea, however with customs & my future I hope one day I have my 500 Superheros & Villian Mego Customs. I't would be cool to see them all together & know that I somewhat made them.
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Post by faithfulbutler on Oct 4, 2005 18:50:57 GMT -5
Looks like we all agree that Customising in some form or other has been around for a long time.Hell,i've been building Models and painting little figures since i was about 7 years old and was always"adding and improving"to them[well in my eyes anyways lol]. As for Action Figure and larger-scale Dolls the Internet is really the motivation for so many to join in the Hobby.It gave a chance for pioneers in this genre like Scot for example to show the possibilities to a broader audience. Hell,i first got the Internet in 1996,but was only really introduced to the medium of customising last year.I had a few years previous repainted and puttied up some holes on a Batman figure and back in the early 80s i modified some Star Wars figures but had no idea others did it.I didn't even know there was a name for it. The Internet has provided a chance for us to celebrate our Geekdom without fear or reprisal as we have found strength in numbers so to speak. As for future value,apart from personal value i do believe as time goes on the worth of so many talented people will continue to rise,be lauded and continue to eveolve as new artists display their personal and unique styles.I see this Hobby go from strength to strength,you only have to look at the rising populariity of events like Customcon to see this will continue to grow. That's enough babbling from me for now.
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Post by aburabusimbutu on Oct 5, 2005 22:41:43 GMT -5
Interesting topic. Cograts on being one of the earliest "recognized" customizers to become part of the "real world" of toys Scot! That is quite an honor really! I think the comments likening this to the tradition of soldiers, trains, cars, and "garage kits" is appropriate. The value of these items will always be relative to the interest in the subject matter I believe. Train enthusiasts are just as likely now as ever to spend some $$$ on a well constructed railroad yard or an accurate Diesel engine. As long as action figures, and the media-related characters that are created in that form, have a collector interest, these customs will likely continue to have some value- the more precise, inspired, or quality crafted they are, the higher the value will remain.
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Post by Figuremaster Les on Oct 6, 2005 10:50:12 GMT -5
Like I said before: "So, the future? It depends on how long the "official licence" market and their lawyers stay off the backs of individuals making them for a hobby long enough for it to expand into a "valid" and real other source for collectible toys out in the world." I offer in evidence, the current fate of Dr. Mego. Sounds like a 40's B movie title, "The Strange Fate of Dr. Mego" Who knows what the future holds. What's that? I hear the clop clop of footfalls in the hall...might it be the cadre of suits come to stop me in my back room of my parent's home, as I finish yet another personalized figure? Who knows? [glow=red,2,300]The Shadow knows![/glow] That reminds me, I gotta make a figure of him!
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Post by BlackKnight on Oct 6, 2005 19:09:47 GMT -5
It Blows ASS what just happened to the GOOD DOC. He is a very kind man, I use lot of his parts for my figures. He's a good man & I hope everything works out for him.
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Post by radioscooter on Oct 6, 2005 20:11:51 GMT -5
Wait - WHAT happened to Doc Mego?
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