1- What does the word customizer mean to you?
Anyone who applies their creativity towards toy making or toy modification is a customizer in my mind... a customizer is an artist.

2- How did you begin customizing?
It is now fall 2005 - I began customizing three years ago, in the fall of 2002, not long after the launch of the New Masters of the Universe figures.  I had already been sculpting and creating figurines of my own creatures and characters - but I didn't realize at the time that people were out there doing this sort of thing with action figures! When I saw some of the great custom work being posted at the He-Man.org forums I wanted to create some custom figures of my own - and so it began

3- As a customizer what do you create?
My Customizing repertoire is mainly limited to Master of the Universe figures.  I've done a few other custom figures and a variety of articulated sculptures, lots of static sculptures... but Masters of the Universe is my primary focus when it come to Action Figure customization for the time being.

4- What is your process when you are customizing, from start to 
finish?
Hmm... well that depends.  But generally speaking I get an idea of what I want to do and start making a mess! I'll gather together the different parts I plan to use -  start chopping and cutting - assemble the pieces in a very rough fashion to determine how to create a figure of the intended character. This phase usually goes by rather quickly, but I find it to be the most fun - it's the real problem solving part of the process. The next phase is usually to set the figure aside and start on another... LOL!  I seldom finish one figure and then move on to the next - Instead there are usually quite a few figures on the table that are in various stages of completion.

Often times after setting a figure aside for a while, I come back to it with new ideas on how to handle specific aspects and details and start tearing parts off and reworking it. Setting a figure aside allows me to really get a good idea as to whether I like the direction I am heading in; and it also gives me time to digest what I've done and approach the final stages of completing a figure with a refreshed vision.  The final stages are the more tedious aspects. Although I still find these parts enjoyable, they're not as much fun as the initial "figuring out how I'm going to do things"of the early phase!   These final parts of the process involve adding the finer details and sculpting... and ultimately the paints.

5- How long does it usually take to make one of your customs?
Days, months... sometimes years! As I mentioned I often set my figures aside for a while after starting on them - sometimes I set them aside for much longer periods of time and don't get back to them for what seems like ages!  Other times I'll get cracking on a figure and have it finished in a matter of days.   In terms of how long it 
actually takes me to create a figure... Omitting very real and inevitable gaps of time a figure may be set aside for - I would say on average a figure takes me a few days to make... but it seldom occurs that I create a figure within the span of just a few consecutive days.

 

6- Have you ever sold any of your customs, if so where?
I have sold a few through private sale in the past. My current policy is that I do not sell my custom figures.

7- What has been the highest price that you have received for a custom?
I'd prefer not say.

8- Do you get requests?
I do get a number of requests....  Although I do not do sell figures I still like to hear what sort of customs people are interested in seeing from me.

9- What has been the oddest request?
The oddest request was to make a He-Man figure out of meat.  I have yet to attempt this seemingly impossible customizing challenge!

10- What has been the easiest item to customize?
Faker was probably the easiest - for the most part he is a repaint.  I had to make him a little more difficult for myself by changing his arm position... and swapping heads... and giving him a classic styled power-sword... but I'd say he was the easiest thus far - aside from a few simple repaints of some other figures that I have done.

11- What has been the hardest item to customize?
Spikor. An Evil Warrior from the classic Masters of the Universe line who is covered in spikes.  There has been no official design presented for the  recent relaunch. I'm modeling him off of a terrific design created by illustrator Andrew Cramer.  The figure is not finished yet and I've been working on him for some time now - a testament to how difficult he's been to make.  This figure is a complete sculpt.

12- When you are customizing what are the essential tools one needs?
Razors (or ExactoKnife), Super Glue, Acrylic Craft Paints, Sculpting Tools including Paperclips, Pins,  a few dental tools (which come in very handy), Goggles (eye protection), Super Sculpey, a Pot for boiling water and dipping/curing Sculpey  and a heat gun (very practical for softening plastic and for curing Sculpey).

13- Who in the customizing world or other has been an inspiration?
Everyone out there who is creating something and sharing it on the web and elsewhere is an inspiration really.  I'd like to thank all of the folks over at He-Man.org who have been especially supportive of my custom creations. Many of them have been a spectacular inspiration to me and continue to be very encouraging to me and my custom work!

14- What project would you like to take on as a customizer?
There are a couple of larger projects I'd like to take on. First, I'd like to make some Army-Builders for the Masters of the Universe World of Eternia.  Skeleton Warrior troops for Skeletor's evil forces, more reptilian warriors for the Snakemen ranks, create some soldiers and troops for the various hero groups... and then take it even further. There is a lot of diversity in the Masters of the Universe world so there is room for quite a few troop builder types for the various different "Armies of Eternia". I'd also like to make a Modulok figure based on my own re-design of the classic character.  Modulok was the "beast of a thousand bodies" and had interchangable parts. I'd like to create a custom that has the same 'modular' feature -  which makes Modulok especially complicated.  Hopefully I'll get to completing both of these ideas soon!

15- When you want to see other customs is there a place where you go?
Typically I'll check out Raving Toy Maniac for general customs updates, and He-Man.org forums for Masters of the Universe customs of course...I love Animated styles customs and have toyed with the idea of breaking into that area of customizing as well I really like visiting Casimir's Inanimate Objects (pilliod.net) which he frequently updates. I've got my eyes all over the place though and I am always coming across artists and works that are totally new to me.

16- What has been the best creation that you or someone else has 
made?
That is a tough one.  The best custom creation?!  There is so much incredible stuff being made by so many talented and creative customizers and artists out there... honestly I am overwhelmed by the diversity of excellent work out there!

17- On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate yourself as a customizer?
My wife says 10...  I say 6.5, maybe a 7.  I've learned so much about Action Figure Customizing since I began three years ago... and I am constantly learning new techniques and honing established skills. Lately I've noticed a lot of improvements in how I approach a project and I intend to keep at it. I feel there is a lot of room for growth and development as a customizer still ahead of me. I'd really like to tackle a few custom projects involving play-sets, dioramas, more complete sculpts, and I would also like to become more adept at casting and reproducing parts and maybe even reproducing entire custom figures - these are all things I am working towards - in addition to simply getting better and better at what I'm already doing.

18- What would you say makes your customs different from others?
What makes 'em different?  I suppose what distinguishes them the most is their consistency in terms of fitting in with the MOTU toy line as well as each other... this includes clean details and simple crisp paint applications.  Part of my goal with each custom figure I create is to make it look as if it could be part of the actual action figure line and have come from the same toy shop as an actual figure; if I have created that illusion with a figure I consider that custom figure a success.

19- Why do you think people started customizing? And where do you think customizing will lead to in the future?
I think it's an inherent part of being human that we all want to create, although what it is we want to create varies from individual to individual. As far as customizing goes, I think people (or big kids rather) start because they remember the feeling of looking at a toy as a kid and thinking, "gah!, it's not right, this or that thing is lame or way off...if only I could make it as cool as I know it could be! " I think customizing is wonderful creative outlet and really satisfies the wish to transform, to make and have a toy that is just as it "should" be. I think the future of customizing will involve, in part, a large 
crossover into art, and ultimately a crossover into art/action figure toy-lines produced in small manufacturing runs... there are already a number of artists out there who are out their selling their own toy creations, and I believe that the access to this sort of manufacturing will only become easier and more widespread as time goes on.

20- Do hope to create your own toy line like McFarlane?
McFarlane is like a Toy Empire... I wouldn't mind something more along the lines of a Toy Village or Hamlet though.. sure.

21- Do you also collect toys or artwork perhaps for inspiration?
I do not really have much of a toy collection. I do go through phases where I will gather up certain types of toys for customizing and/or artistic reference  - but I usually don't hold on to them for long and sell them or donate them. With my customizing and other art work there is already enough clutter!  I do have an ever expanding art  reference library - fortunately for me in my ongoing war against accumulation, much of that has become digital. This reference library is filled with all sorts of inspiration gathered up from all over the place... I find that in artwork and life in general, the best ideas come from some of the most unexpected of places - inspiration really is all around us.

See more of this artists great work at his website http://www.jsunscustoms.com