Customizer of the Month - February 2010

It's time to announce the Customizer of the Month for February 2010. The staff had 4 choices to pick from and we all expressed how hard it was to choose because all of the customs were top notch. However, one custom emerged as the winner and it is an excellent custom done by an incredible customizer (and a nice guy too). I would like to say congratulations to February's Customizer of the Month, Batjack!

Stripe by Batjack

Check out the interview below to find out more about our buddy and his custom.

What was your inspiration for this custom?
Well I have seen many custom made of this character and even though they were great none jumped out as a recipe I wanted to follow. The I saw the Grodd vs Batman B&B 2 pack and I knew he would make a great custom. http://www.mattycollector.com/store/matty/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.149132400
I really like the way the head was sunk in and made me think of doing a removable helmet. I also thought it would make this figure look more modern than the JLU show version.

How long did it take to make? Do you have any work in progress pics of it?
Honestly I am slow. I start and it takes me a while to finish. I did it in a couple weeks working a couple hours every other day or so. I spend a lot of time on all my customs really trying to smooth out and blend in so you can't tell where the plastic meets the clay. Also I want to make it so you can not see any old lines from the figure. I just hate when I see a great custom but you can still see the Flash belt or whatever. (I do have pics and will get them in my photobucket asap.)

Were there any difficulties or problems in making this custom?
Making the chest piece. I planned on just gluing a "disk" in the center and then use Aves-Fixit-Sculpt (AFS) to blend it in. I ended up finding a button that was the right size but the chest was to round and it really stuck out. I used a dremmel with a barrel shaped tip and ground down a small section in to the chest that just fit the button and really did the trick!

Also I tried to use sculpy and boiling to fill the holes and round out the shoulders but it started to crack and I had to go over it with AFS to harden it up.

Any secret tips you could share with us about this piece of art?
The helmet. I use a chapstick cap. I cut it in half then glued the pieces on to a strip of plastic from figure package on the top. I spread them out as to fit the head. I then trimmed it as close as I could to the cap. I then glued in strips of plastic on the inside to fill in the gaps from cutting it in half. I then used AFS to fill in the gaps. Once the sides dried i used AFS to cover the top and smooth out the edges. Once that dried I sanded it to smooth the sides and top. Then I built up the top to a slight dome, again let it dry. Once that dried I then covered the entire helmet all the way around blending with the top. after it all dried I used more AFS to put on the helmet details. The last thing I did before painting and stickers was to remove the strips of plastic on the inside and carefully carved away any AFS that got in there so there was enough room for his head.

If you were to give advice to other customizers, what would it be?
Smooth out your "clay" and remove or fill in the old details from your base figures. I always spray a little primer on my figure after I do that just to see what paint will look like on it. Every time I have had to got back and re-sand or do more fill to make sure it blended and smooth. It makes a big difference in your custom. This can take it from good to great. I go back to the flash belt, I see that all the time on customs.

How many customs do you have "on deck"?
I have 3 DCIH and one JLU style.

What got you into customizing?
I love comics and always wrote my one stories and I even have my own "universe" and heroes. I started to make my own figures of my characters in the 90's. I was really suprised to not only see that other people did this but also with such skill. Seeing the JLU customs got me back in! The tips and tricks I have learned from talking on these boards has really made it fun and helped me. http://www.jacksbatcave.net/custom1.htm

Are there any customs you would like to do but you feel like your talent level might not be there yet?
Nope! I feel I could take on anything...I just don't feel my painting is where I would like it to be to make it a GREAT figure but I can do some good ones! . With that said...I have not been brave enough to take on JLU Lobo...so....maybe there is one.

Is there anything you like to add about your custom or COTM?
I would like to thank you and I don't deserve this at all. There are so many great customizers on this site and I just had a good idea this time around. I enjoy seeing everyone's work and seeing how they look a figure and see something I didn't and make a great custom and I always wonder why I didn't I see that. The last time I was given this honor I did Magog and I have to say STRIPE and Magog both won because of their helmets (I believe). I guess I should stick to helmeted heroes!