Like many other McFarlane Sports Picks collectors, I wish I could have a seat at the table when they decide what players are made of, what poses they strike, and what uniforms they’re in. This is where custom figures come in. I may not have a say in McFarlane’s decisions, but I can create a custom figure of whoever I want!
Simply put, custom figures involve taking an existing figure apart, making modifications to it, painting it, and putting it back together. There are many different ways to make a custom. What I included in these instructions is a combination of my personal experiences and those of other customizers. Feel free to email me if you think something important has been left out. I plan to regularly update this page based on the feedback I receive.
Materials
Making a custom for the first time is not cheap. The good news is that once you get these things, you probably won’t need to replace most of them for a while. In parentheses I put approximate prices so that you can get an idea of the costs associated with making a custom. The best place to get most of these things is at an art store like Michael’s. You can also get many of these things online.
- Brushes: Get one or two as small as 10/0 and 5/0 for details, as well as a few wider brushes for larger areas ($10)
- Value pack of acrylic craft paint (usually contains about 32 1/6 oz. of colors). This is great for colors you only need a little of ($15)
- 2 oz. acrylic paints for commonly used colors ($1 each).
- Testor Primer ($4)
- Microscale Decal Solutions: Micro Sol, Micro Set, and Liquid Decal Film ($10)
- Testors Gloss Clear Acrylic and Flat Clear Acrylic ($8)
- Sticker paper ($1 per sheet, usually sold in quantities of at least 20)
- Scissors, duct tape, crazy glue, brush cleaner, exact knife, sandpaper, clay, and anything else you think you might need ($40)
- Figure ($10 and up)
Addresses
- Decide who you want to do and find as many photos of them as you can. Google and eBay searches are great ways to find images, as well as old magazines, sports cards, and posters.
- Decide which McFarlane figure you want to paint. A good place to see images of all the figures is the McFarlane site. Try to match special features like the style of helmet they wear, wristbands, shoe styles, and anything else that might cause you to be overworked to add or take away.
- buy the figure. You can compare figures for sale on eBay, Amazon, and SportsLizard.com to find the best deal.
- Open the figure and clean it. with mild soap and water.
- Decide what you will need to disassemble to be able to paint the figure. This varies from figure to figure. You want to make sure that you can easily paint all the visible parts of the figure. Sometimes this requires a lot of disassembly (head, helmet, mask, hands, etc. on a football figure) and sometimes no disassembly (a basketball figure).
- Soak the figure in very hot water to soften the rubber.. This will allow you to remove any part you need. An exact knife can also come in handy here to help remove the pieces.
- prepare the figure with a few thin coats of white or gray primer. Remember to mask any part that you are not going to paint over.
- Paint the figure from light to dark., leaving a white stain in any area that needs a decal. You usually need to apply about three coats of paint to get it looking good. If you need more, do more. Much depends on the color of the primer and the color you are painting.
- Find numbers and logos for decals. The best place to locate numbers to work with is the “Logos and More” section in Jomo Customs. They have rosters for every NFL team and many other sports teams. If they have the equipment you’re looking for, then you’re good to go. Otherwise, search LogoServer to find your team’s logo and use Jomo’s to find a team with a similar letter/number font to the team you’re looking for.
- Create decals. Use photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop to resize images and change colors if needed. Be sure to print once in black and white on plain paper to make sure they are the right size before using the sticker paper.
- Cover the decals with Liquid Decal Film. Be sure to apply two or three coats to ensure the colors don’t run when the decal gets wet.
- Cut out the decalsleaving as little space as possible around the image.
- Apply the decals. Cover the area of the figure with Micro Set before applying. Wet the back of the decal paper (either with a brush or by dipping it in water) and slide the decal into place. Coat the decal with Micro Sol to smooth it out and carefully press the decal into any creases or uneven surfaces.
- Paint around the decals to blend them in.
- Reassemble the figure. Use an exact knife to trim the joints to help them fit better. Use the crazy glue when necessary.
- Add dirt or grass stains to your figure. if you want. The best method is to brush it with “dry paint”. This can be done by letting the paint dry on the brush and then brushing the dried paint over the figure. Make sure to use an old brush when you do this.
- Apply a few light coats of Flat Clear Acrylic to all surfaces except decals and helmets.
- Apply the clear gloss acrylic to the decals and helmets. You can spray this with a spray bottle or gently brush it on.
- make a stand. You can modify the original stand, mount it on a piece of wood (drill holes the same size as the pegs in the figures) or create your own stand. Some people also like to do custom packaging for their figures. VansCustomFigures can do the packaging for you.
- TO ENJOY!
Visit our complete customs guide for more information and photos.