2007

I've been interviewed twice this year, at Stunk's Stage and The Fwoosh. Click to see the interviews.

2006

Click to see my BtVSFigs Forum 'Hot Seat' interview, August 2006.

2004

The following questions and answers were written in 2004.

Lots of people ask the same questions and I have done a number of interviews for different websites. I'm including a list of frequently asked questions and their answers below.

How old are you? I was born in 1967. Where do you live? I live in Worcester, England. What do you do for a living? I work as a contractor, writing online documentation and help files in HTML for software houses.

How did you get started? How long have you been doing this?

I went into mourning, when Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired its last episode in the UK, June 2003. I had never collected any kind of action figure but decided to buy one little Bunny Anya. It snowballed from there.

I first became aware of the art of customising figures, when I bought a few custom-made BtVS/Angel figures on E-bay (made by Flobbster and JediDoug). I first had a go myself with head-swaps and repaints in July 2003 and Flobbster introduced me to the BtVSFigs Forum.

In November 2003 I first started using sculpey clay to alter the figures. After a few malformed attempts, I got the hang of it!

What was the first figure you ever made?

I repainted the skirt on a Prophecy Girl Buffy to look more like layers. I've now used that figure for parts.

My first successful sculpt was Pylean-Princess Cordy. She was my best custom from that era... certainly one of my best paint jobs for the see-through skirt.

One of my most intricate early sculpts is Built-In-Arsenal Adam (made June 2004) I like to look at him next to Floppy-Disk Adam (made July 2003) and see what a difference a year made. That was one of my first figures, done with just paint/tin foil.

Do you make figures as a hobby or as a business?

It is a hobby but more than that, I have a real compulsion to create the figures as my homage to Joss Whedon, the creator of the Buffy universe.

I've never had any formal training in art but my mum is a superb artist (fine-art paintings) and I must have soaked up some painting tips through watching her. I've always enjoyed some kind of artistic project in my life. As an amateur, I'm a rabid interior decorator and have had phases where I've danced, acted in theatrical productions and written fiction.

For the first 6 months customising was a new challenge for me but ever since Spring 2004, when I noticed a distinct improvement in my sculpting and painting skills, I've felt driven to make these customs. My interest doesn't seem to be dwindling, like it did for previous projects. As Joss would say, I think I've found my 'thing'.

In the beginning, I was making all those customs for my own collection. I ended up with over 100 (all displayed in my front room). When I had my epiphany, I suddenly wanted clear shelves with only the latest 7 customs on display. I thought about putting them in the attic but I knew other folks on the customs forum wanted them, so I decided to sell.

I don't sell them to make money (my job is well-paid) but I had initially spend a fortune on building up my collection and wanted to recoup that. My hobby now pays for itself and I use my winnings to buy more parts or other Buffy/Angel related treats. I can also afford to give some away now to collectors or websites and have made customs of 'real people' to give to my friends.

I have donated figures to charity auctions at several events: Slayathon, Toronto Trek, WriterCon, SF Browncoats and the JM Halloween event.

What do you have in your private collection?

I haven't kept even one custom figure for my own collection apart from the one that I made as a self-portrait. I don't have any kind of physical collection, just my website.

I kept my first Illyria figure for a month but then started to loose my drive so I sold her. My muse is a strange creature!

How do you choose the parts and prepare for making a figure?

As much as possible I stick with the Moore Action Collectibles and Diamond Select Toys figures for parts. I really like how Clayburn Moore sculpts his action figures to look realistic and not too doll-like.

I sometimes buy parts on spec and see how I can use them, when I get them. These come from McFarlane, Hasbro, DC Direct, Mezco, ToyBiz, SOTA Toys, Toy Vault, NECA/Reel Toys and Mattel. Some turn out to be unusable but may have great accessories.

I try to look at bone structure for new faces and look beyond the hair styles and paint jobs.

I pay full price for these items on eBay or via an online toy store. I always credit the manufacturer, when I use their parts for my customs.

Do you sell spare parts that you might not use?

I never sell any figures, parts, accessories or stands as I never know when I might need them. I only sell finished customs.

Any interest in going professional as an action figure designer or sculptor?

I have no interest in turning my own sales into a business. I see my website as my own 'collection' so I'm only interested in making items which are 'new'. If I start to see it as a purely money-making enterprise, I'll be churning out reams of Chosen Buffy figures. then I might as well be working in a factory! I have my own 'To Do' list and I dip into it each time on a whim.

As for looking for a job as a figure designer or sculptor, not only do I have no desire to do so, but I wouldn't make the grade. People lavish compliments on me and they are very kind but they need to remember that I have no art training and, although I can do a good job on sculpting hair and clothing, I always use the faces and hands that come from the original manufacturers. I sometimes modify a jaw-line but I wouldn't be able to sculpt a facial likeness from scratch. The best I can manage is to do something like Puppet Angel, which is a rough-hewn face.

Ever made a custom of a figure that already existed because you were dissatisfied with the official version?

I don't enjoy doing minor alterations, so I'll usually change the mood. For instance, I did a version of Dark Willow but with a screaming face. I don't see the point of making minute alterations to a well-made factory produced figure.

Ever made a custom of a character that eventually got a figure? How did yours compare?

I did a couple of different incarnations of Punk Spike, one with the coat, one without and one vampire mini-bust. I think my most recent version (with the coat) can stand up against the new Punk Spike figure that came out from DST later.

Having said that, you must remember that I used the Spike face sculpted by Clayburn Moore. I repainted it but I didn't sculpt his features myself.

I have never agreed with people that criticise the toy manufactures. As customisers, we rely on them completely to give us the parts to customise. It is easy to be pedantic and complain about an outfit missing a certain feature or accessory. As one-of-a-kind customisers, we can make these little amendments. As manufacturers of thousands of factory toys, they have different concerns.

Do you meet with other makers of customs personally?

I have only met other customisers online but I really enjoy being part of the community at BtVSFigs. My muse thrives on their feedback and encouragement.

Where do you find the time to fit customising into your life... what with work and trying to have a steady social life?

I go in phases with socialising. A few years back, I felt like prancing around on stage with 300 people watching me. At the moment, I enjoy sculpting on my own and listening to DVD commentaries.

It's not a sociable hobby in the physical sense but I have met about a hundred people online as a result of this hobby. I also took a holiday to Canada in 2004 due to friendships formed through customising.

Do you ever get bored with customising... start a project and then don't have the heart to finish it?

I feel horribly oppressed and bored at the thought of making a copy (that's why I don't do it). That idea makes me feel like I'm in a sweat-shop. I also avoid promising customs to people in advance, in case I don't feel like making them in that time frame.

I never get bored of making a new piece. Once I have planned which parts to use, I create the customs very quickly. I nearly always sculpt and paint a custom within 48 hrs.

Do you get bombarded with mail from people asking you to make them things?

I do get lots of e-mails but I can't complain about it. People are always complimentary.

I created the Information and FAQ pages on my website so that I could point people to the information about my policies, materials and methods rather than repeating myself. Most people are respectful of my refusal to do copies and my need to follow my muse.

How would someone get started going customs? Any tips?

Just give it a go. I stopped taking art classes when I was 14. I then had a 22 year gap before starting to create customs. I'm amazed that I can do it and I'm so pleased that I found an untapped talent.

My advice to a new customiser is always to start with head-swaps and repaints. This hones your skill as a painter before attempting the more tricky sculpting process. I made about 50 customs this way before I tried sculpting.

Also, keep practising! My skill level suddenly jumped after I'd made about 50, then again after 50 more. Now I rarely make a dud.

There are some tips on my website for newbies in the How To section. It lists my methods and materials.

I've put all the in-progress and example information in one section. You can click to see pages showing in-progress sculpting or painting of each large project.

Any interest in creating custom figures that are based on characters of your own design, rather than characters from TV shows and comics?

My muse seems to be very firmly rooted with Joss Whedon. I am constantly inspired by his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Fray. Other fans of his shows are interested in seeing my homage to him, even if they are not into action figures. This is where my community lies.

I have really enjoyed making 'real people' customs, though, especially of my family and friends.