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| CUSTOMIZING IS AN ART. |
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Let's face it, customizing is truly an art. People who have no idea about the hobby can argue otherwise, but those of you who own a 12 inch figure by BBI or Dragon is probably nodding your head right now. I've seen figures that absolutely drop my jaw at first glance and I'm sure most of you have as well. When your mind starts to ramble on "how did he do that" or "I gotta try that out," you know you're on the path of customizing.
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| THE TWO GODS OF CUSTOMIZING
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You can argue with me all day long that there are other good customizers out there, that they do great military bashes and can weather a tank
so real your head would spin. That's nice and dandy but it's not my cup of tea. Granted, there are some
very talented military kitbashers out there. You'll see quite a few in
the customizer links I've put up. But in my book, the following two customizers have my utmost respect when it comes to customizing 12 inch figures.
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| HIYASHI:
GOD OF THE EAST |
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Hiyashi is the best customizer east of the border. The figures he has produced are absolutely
mindnumbing. I would give my left arm in exchange for one of his works. Check out Hiyashi's site when you get a chance. Be sure to put on a neckbrace before you do because your jaw
will drop.
 
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The figures you see here are created by Japanese figure sculptor Hayashi. You're
trying to tell me that 1:6 scale figure making is not an art?
These figures are completely scratch built. Heads were sculpted and
painted by Hiyashi. Sword and weaponry were all made with either letter
openers or stainless steel and I think he even sewed a lot of their
clothing. Any one who can produce figures like these deserve the title of
God of Customizing in my book any day.
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| JIMBOBWAN:
GOD OF THE WEST |
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JimBobWan is a madman. I mean that figuratively of course. JimBob earns my highest respect for his dedication to the hobby for several reasons. The figures that he makes are truly, truly unique. I have spent a great deal of time looking at his figures on JimBob's site to get some inspiration and believe me, I've had plenty. JimBobWan's site is a necessity if you want to get into customizing 12 inch figures.
It's funny that I've been told by many newer collectors that my site
was the one that started them into customizing figures. Truth
be told, Jimbobwan was the one who started me into customizing my
own figures and if someone else is getting the same inspiration and
knowledge that I got from Jim's site, my goal is complete and I'm
happy to be able to return the favor to Jim.
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One of the main reasons JimBob earns my respect is that he never gives you the direct way of doing things. He'll hint at how it's made, but doesn't tell you exactly the way to go. I think part of it has to do with the fact that a lot of other customizers take the knowledge he shares and then try to produce a cheap knock off and then sell them on
eBay. If you take a careful look at JimBob's figures, there is no way in the world you can duplicate his work. Another reason, I think, is that JimBob tries to get your creative juices flowing. He'll give you an idea by looking at his stuff, but it's up to you to implement that idea. For that reason, JimBob deserves his title as the God of
Customizing.
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The reason why I called JimBob insane
was that all of his figures are produced with intricate detail. He
links chainmails by hand. If you can imagine linking a few thousand
tiny rings together to make a piece of armor . . . uh, enough said.
His armors are scratch built, piece by piece, with real leather and
stainless steel. Browse around Jim's site and you'll see why
this guy is a God in my book. Although Jim has slowed down
quite a bit from the hobby (primarily because he's found another
love - his music), he hasn't forgotten about it so check his site
for updates every now and then and you're sure to find some good
inspiration. No matter your level of customizing or doing 1/6 scale figs, there is always room to learn. As I mentioned before, there are so many different aspects of the hobby that not everyone is perfect all the way around. A few people I know excel at certain things like sewing or painting, but not sculpting or weathering. It's up to you to learn and practice it. With this hobby though, you won't succeed without trying. So don't give up and give it your best. If you fail the first time, you might fail again the second, but you will succeed somewhere, right?
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