Customs By "Limited Toys Design" Thierry Raynaud

1- What does the word customizer mean to you?
To make your dream, or someone else’s dream, come true and have a lot of fun to do it.
     
2- How did you begin customizing?
When I was very young, around 9-10 I discovered Spiderman and the Marvel Universe in French comics books. And my neighbour, 3 years older, had some Mego action figures. Unfortunately my parents didn’t want to buy me some, so I decided to do it by myself with color pens and paper. I did the same with Star Wars ships and playset , my friends were jealous because I built 5 X-Wing, 10 Tie Fighter etc etc, I found the way to have all the Star Wars universe in my room. And I don’t talk about quality of my customs but the dreams they gave me. Later, as a huge fan of KISS, I turned my Steve Austin 12”  collection into the 1979 area costumes and stage of the band. I still have pictures of it !!! It’s terrific.
            After I tried to work resin. I had some jobs in French toy companies and I also worked for K’NEX as model builder in France. After I was model maker for architect. I learned a lot during this period and now I make my own little company.

3- As a customizer what do you create?
Now, I’m in the 12” custom figures. I make characters never done before or I complete a team like the JLA and the X-MEN (John Byrne area). I’m also making the Superheroes of my childhood. But I also create a life size R2D2. If a project is crazy and fun and I think I’m able to do it, I run into it.

4- What is your process when you are customizing, from start to finish?
First, I try to find the right body, I have 20 different kind of bodies in stock, it’s precious when you want to make a team and you want all the characters seem different. I add muscles if it’s necessary. I look in my private collection (more than 150 12” figures), it’s help me to find the right way to make the clothes and the accessories. I sculpt the head, the accessories. Sometimes I need to make a mold and cast the head in resin. I paint it. After I sew the clothes and cast the accessories in different kind of resin (soft to hard). Then I leave my work for a time to clean myself and my eyes. After a week I finish it.

 

5- How long does it usually take to make one of your customs?
Between one month to 3 months.

6- Have you ever sold any of your customs, if so where?
I started to give some because I wasn’t very sure of my skill. Now I sold most of them. Most in France because I make famous anime series like UFO GRENDIZER. And some in USA and Europe, Superheroes in this case.

7- What has been the highest price that you have received for a custom?
$400 US dollars

8- Do you get requests?
Yes, it start to come often, the last one I will start is Sylvester STALLONE in ROCKY III. I’ll need to create a body like Hot toys did with the Rambo 12” figure but without the scares.

9- What has been the oddest request?
It wasn’t a 12” figure. In the past, I did a custom of an alien you can see in the first episodes of X-FILES (I think it’s n°2) and a person asked me for a human foetus in a jar.

10- What has been the easiest item to customize?
Superman

11- What has been the hardest item to customize?
LEON the Professional because I did all the weapons and accessories, a lot of time spent to watch the movie and read book. As French, I had the chance to show it to film-director Luc BESSON, he really appreciated it and let me know it was the closest he seen.

12- When you are customizing what are the essential tools one needs?
Nothing special, sorry I don’t know the words in English. And like a lot of artist, I used tools I found one day and I’m always working with. And my eyes and my hands !!!!

13- Who in the customizing world or other has been an inspiration?
I really started customizing 15 years ago. Internet didn’t exist and in France, it was very Military model makers !!! Definitely it was Star Wars and the works of Phil TIPPETS and the guy of ILM. I said to myself “They are so lucky to elaborate all this dream, that’s what I want to do”. In the last years, Randy BOWEN is the best. The Four Horsemen are amazing. Mc Farlane team was but I think the quality is not here actually and I hope he will make the next revolution in the toys world like he did. We also have a lot of talented sculptors in France but they don’t make Superheroes and movies characters, except ATTAKUS.

14- What project would you like to take on as a customizer?
Only on 1/6 scale. Build a X-WING or a ship from Star Wars and build the stage of REUNION tour of KISS. I did the guitars of KISS (1/4 scale) years ago.
 

15- When you want to see other customs is there a place where you go?
On the web !! I like your site and I start to discover a lot of Asian artist. I’m in the C.A.S.E. files of Jin Saotome.  

16- What has been the best creation that you or someone else has made?
I saw some great Star Wars custom but some asian artist make girls (like the COOL GIRL from TAKARA) so beautiful, the paint and all the custom are so detailed, sometimes, I’m afraid of what some are able to do !!! My best creation will be the next.

18- On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate yourself as a customizer?
I think I’m 6. And now all the greeting the people who see or buy my customs help to have more trust in my skill. And when someone said my work isn’t very good, it’s hurt me deeply and the next day I work harder to prove to that person I’m better than he thought.

19- What would you say makes your customs different from others?
I try to make customs never done before. I try to create the most to be closer from the original character or art. And my customs are not perfect, that’s my difference with a factory, the human touch or human mistake is still here.

20- Why do you think people started customizing? And where do you think customizing will lead to in the future?
I started customize because I didn’t find in the regular market my heroes. And now, as a craftsman, I see people wanting to have their heroes. Even you are the only person on earth who really loves a character, someone is now able to build it for you, as you really want to have it. All the good customizers can make your dream come true. Sideshow or Mc Farlane will never produce all the heroes, and the bad guy or the good guy you want in a range, only a customer will do it for you. We grew up with a lot of heroes and arts, dreams. Now as adult we need to have a link to our childhood, customizing is a good way to capture our souvenirs, and this generation and next generations will need more this link.

21- Do hope to create your own toy line like McFarlane?
No, I just produce really limited edition and one of kind. It’s more interesting to change every time. It’s push me to learn and to do my best each time.

22- Do you also collect toys or artwork perhaps for inspiration?
Oh yes, 12” figures now. I try to have a sample of all the different companies produce in the world, even they die the newt year. And the Batman Animated series, the best cartoon version ever done. And the toy line made by Kenner was so great.

23- Any advice for anyone looking to get into customizing?
Work, work, work!! It’s impossible to have the skill of BOWEN or MOORE in one year. When I started, I made shit, now I start to be proud of my work. Always learning and when you seen something beautiful , never say “I can’t do it”, always say “One day, I will do it and I hope better !!”