Hey everyone.  I get questions from time to time from members, customizers and hopefuls about how I create certain customs and what I use to make details for some of my custom work.  Well, hopefully this may answer a few questions and help some of the people that want to start making their own.  Maybe help out some new to customizing or show current customizers different techniques.

The pictures aren’t the greatest, but I wanted to include as many as possible to show my thoughts and techniques of how i get to my final look.  I also want to show that i don’t take too many shortcuts in order to create a higher quality of custom figure.  So here goes.

My custom character for this tutorial is The Patriot.  This is a Marvel character for those of you that might not know.  lol  Here are my reference pics that I thought would be good to go by and incorporate into an animated look for a figure.  I thought the character would make a good animated figure due to the simplicity of detail.  I don’t want to give it too much detail, but i want to make sure that it’s easily recognizable.

Body base and belt: JLU Lex Luthor
Head: Cast from the original Business Suit Lex Luthor
Sculpted glove ridges and facemask

I had already done the sculpting when I decided to take pictures.  So I’ll start from there.  I sanded down a little of the head so it didnt look quite so narrow.  I then placed it on the neck of the previous head so I could make it turn later on if possible.  As you can see at this point, I’ve started the vest detail but haven’t finished.  Also note that my paints are the famous “Model Master” brand.  I can’t say anything but great things about using this brand.  You can’t go wrong with it and you will see why.

Since I’ve started the vest detail, I’ll show you how to finish it.  I go ahead and cut the plastic nylon string on an angle since I have it superglued the way I’m going to continue it.  Then I place the angled cut piece up against the end of the other and apply superglue underneath it, using my knife to slide the glue under the string.

Now I want to cut it at the end point which is at the belt.  I cut the belt I’m using at the back of it on an angle.  Then I put it on the figure so I know exactly where to cut the string off.

Now the figure is ready to be painted.

I use synthetic hair tip brushes, not nylon plastic or course tip brushes.  This makes a world of difference when painting.  I use 2 brushes throughout this project, and it’s the same for almost every custom I make.  The two I use are a 1/4 inch wide and a 0 size fine  tip brush.  I even use these when I make diecast models.

Now I prime. I do not spray any primer. Instead, I brush the primer on because I know I can get to the hard to reach areas.  I actually don’t use primer.  I actually use flat white instead. It works better in my opinion and is brighter.  Here you see that I have applied 3 separate coats of white.  I concentrated more on the legs because they are the main area of white.  This took about 7-10 minutes to apply all 3 coats.  MM paint brands dry pretty quickly and smoothly.  Some of the cheaper brands do not.  This way I can paint in one area and move around to cover other areas. I can then come back to the beginning and start applying another coat if needed.  I let the coat dry for about a minute and then apply another coat until I have thorough coverage.

Now it’s time for color.  I start off by outlining my main color areas for separation.  I use my faithful fine tip brush to  do this by creating my paint boundaries.  Then I can fill in the colors using my 1/4 inch wide brush.

Now I’ll begin filling in the different areas.  This picture shows 1 coat of red and 1 coat of blue.  2 more coats of each should do it.  The blue I’m using is a flat but bright coral blue and the gloves are painted gloss red.  I love using gloss paints and you’ll see why further down.  They also give better scrape/rub protection.  Something I tend to do when I make an articulated figure is after each cote of paint I apply, I move the limbs so they don’t get stuck together.  If I don’t, it will make it harder later on and may damage the paint at the articulated areas.  Also when painting, I sometimes get a heavier dose of paint especially after just dipping the brush into the paint jar.  So I’ll continue to brush it out before it dries and always do so around the articulated areas like the legs and arms.  If there is a tad bit too much at the arms and legs, the paint will develop a sticky little paint clump as you move the part.  Best solution is to wet the paintbrush with a little water and brush the clumps out before attempting any more coats of paint.  I always try to remember a little QC check after each coat but sometimes I forget.

Now that I have 2 coats of paint on it I’ll apply the stripes going down the side of each leg using my fine tip brush.

At this point with 3 cotes I’m not too happy with the boots being a flat color like the torso.  So I’ll add some gloss on the boots by just using gloss blue.


Here’s a better picture of it in the light booth.

Now that I have good coverage on the body, it’s time to apply some brown to the head.  I outline my area to paint and then fill it in.  While I’m at it I’ll paint the belt too.

After that it’s time for detailing.  I apply the white on the vest detail, which goes on pretty easy because this white applies well on top of a flat color.  Took only 2 little coats to do this part.

Now time for some more QC of the figure to fix any imperfections of paint applications that might have occurred using my fine tip brush.  I notice the torso blue has picked up oils from my hands from handling the figure.  This is an occasional side effect of using flat paints.  But this I can fix later on to keep it from showing up.  I’ll also be able to handle the figure once it’s completed and not have to worry about it happening again.  I touch up that torso blue again but with my 1/4 inch brush since its a larger area.  I’ll make smaller fixes with the fine tip and then give it a quick cote of Testors Dull Cote spray to seal up the paint and not worry about handling it.

I’ll then add the belt.

Now that my figure is complete, I can give it a coat of Dull Cote spray.  Try to notice the transition.  The flat looks smooth and the gloss areas have a nice matte finish.  (I know the picture sucks, lol)

The figure is done and it’s time to finish it up with his shield and graphic detail.  I created fresh graphics in Adobe Illustrator and print them on sticky back paper.  I then seal it with clear shipping tape.  (see my decoupage tutorial)

Now I’ll cut them out and apply the graphics to the figure.  I slide some superglue underneath them because they are being applied on the curved areas.  I want them to be permanent and not pull up later on.

I’ll then touch up the edges of the graphs with the blue and do a final dull cote.

It’s now time to make his accessory using a resin cast of the Mirror Master shield.  I modify it and use a flat little sheet of resin cut using my dremel.  Then I apply the graphic.  I edge it in black to make it look clean.

He’s all complete at this point.  I added some metallic gold for buttons and on the belt buckle to have just a tiny bit of shine that may stand out.  I now have The Patriot in my custom collection.

Here are the graphics I made if you would like to give this custom a shot.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and the figure.  GOOD LUCK!