Customizing - Doing what Toy Companies just won't.

Ah, the art of customizing. I myself have done many of custom action figures. It's a lot of fun to make your own figures the way toy companies just can't. And it's great to see all of the wonderful creations others come up with.

Legos are something that I have always wanted to try and customize, but have never really put any time into trying. There are a lot of Lego fans out there, and it's amazing to see some of the wonderful things creative people can come up with. I've seen everything from Legos built to look like 8-bit NES sprites to amazing and huge Star Wars ships and environments built entirely out of Lego pieces. And then, of course, the most common form of Lego customizing is the figures themselves. Custom Lego-men.

I came across this guy's page today while doing a random search for Legend of Zelda pictures. These are freaking cool! I don't think I have ever seen anyone make Legend of Zelda Legos before. And I know I have never seen custom Lego men that looked this good! These are very professional, almost as if Lego put them out themselves. Just excellent! Check these bad boys out:

http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/14321

I have to say that Princess Zelda is my favorite in the bunch. She just looks so professionally done. It's a wonder how some people can be so precise with their painting. Awesome!

Speaking of action figure customizing, have any of you out there ever heard the name Jin Saotome? Well, if you are a customizer, a shopper of customs on Ebay, or a frequenter of any toy forums, I guarantee you him!

Jin is hands down the BEST action figure customizer I have ever seen! His work is down right amazing! Rarely do you see custom action figures that look like they came right out of the factory. In fact, these look 10 times better than any toy company would ever produce! The level of detail on each of his pieces is astounding! Here are a few examples of his work:

Jin hits a level of detail on his figures that I have never been able to master on my own. His work simply amazes me. People love his work so much, that any figure he lists on Ebay sells int he $100's, just for having his name on it. He pays his bills by making figures. Ah, how I wish I could be so lucky!

One of the coolest things about the guy is that he shares his techniques with people. His website is littered with "how-to" guides. He's all about helping his fellow customizers out. He's given me several pointers personally in the past, and he's just overall a great guy!

His site can be found at http://www.jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com/

Swing by and check out his work! Read his guides! And drop him a line if you'd like! Tell him Mandalorian30 sent you, and did a good job of pimping out his site! ;)

Any other customizers out there who'd like to share your work? Please, post away! I love to see the awesome customs people come up with!