How to Customize your action figures with step by step tutorial [ Marvel Legends & Mcfarlane]

Hey guys , I made a step by step video on how to customize your figures. The same techniques can be used for both Marvel Legends & Mcfarlane Figures. If you have any questions at all just ask and I’d love to help. I love customizing figures more than collecting them. If you haven’t done so yet check out my Instagram :
happydadc.c.c
In this video I’m customizing the Greg Capullo Batman from the Dark Knights Metal series, this figure is amazing but the head sculpt (despite how accurate it is) hurts it.
#howto #youtubechannel #comicbooks

[@Seeker_Blade]

That Batman is already my favorite Batman mcfarlane has done! With the improvements he looks even better!

[@valorcomicservices]

Right! When I took it out of the package I thought “this is under rated” since the video I’ve cleaned up slot of the excess wash under the chest and cleaned up where I went blood crazy

[@Seeker_Blade]

@@valorcomicservices yeah! Almost makes me wanna get another one! I dig the blood on it! Great work!

[@valorcomicservices]

Man the blood is cool but when you add the purple to the cape! That’s the game changer, if you haven’t check out my Instagram Instagram.com/happydadc.c.c

[@Seeker_Blade]

@@valorcomicservices I will!

[@joelamel8056]

I wish I had your skill set, I have so many ideas for my Batman collection... Good job dude 😎

[@valorcomicservices]

Man I deeply appreciate it; I’ve missed working on figures a lot so I’m actually working on a video on how to customize Marvel Legends Omega red, would definitely love to hear your Batman ideas!

[@doodlesanddrawing365]

I am about to get my first McFarlane. It is a Deathstroke and I wanted to paint it. This was so help full.

[@valorcomicservices]

Check out my red hood custom video for how to add articulation - it will enhance it

[@doodlesanddrawing365]

I will thanks

[@GreenHoneyBooBoo]

Wow! Love that Carnage figure!

[@valorcomicservices]

Very much appreciated! There’s a lot more pictures of him and other customs on my Instagram page

[@matthewcordeiro2073]

Looks good. Look up goldenseal fluid acrylics. And creatix acrylic air brush paints

[@valorcomicservices]

I’ll look into it , thanks for sharing

[@capt.crockpot]

I didnt realize you were into figures, and so talented at painting them! This was fun to watch

[@valorcomicservices]

Thank you man, if I had more time I would do more of them but it’s like I have to choose between pressing books or figured

[@Boosheshe]

Great video. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@valorcomicservices]

Thanks bud I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@marvincantu5636]

awesome video man, I’ve been buying a lot of mcfarlanes lately. I’ve been wanting to practice customizing. Most likely gonna buy a black adam and try to take this advice

[@valorcomicservices]

Same rules would apply - I’ve got a video with the red hood if you want to add more articulation

[@jastaguyhowlovescubs1120]

cool vid and sick batman i am trynig to get into customs so your vid is realy helping

[@valorcomicservices]

Thanks man - if you have any questions you can reach out to me on Instagram and I can help the best I can

[@phoenixsidepeen5468]

Loved it, dude!

[@valorcomicservices]

Thank you my friend!

[@Angeldust_23506]

that is incredible

[@valorcomicservices]

Thank you!

[@TalRaMav]

I bought that figure specifically for the headsculpt.

[@valorcomicservices]

It’s a great figure and it nailed the Capullo likeness

[@ginocide007]

Very cool tutorial, thanks for sharing. I'm looking to get into my first custom figure but want to make the face with high fidelity to the original character, which no toy line has released. Would you recommend clay for that??

[@valorcomicservices]

Sounds awesome! Use apoxie for the general shape then “green stuff” for the finer details, both are super easy to use

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

If have A sister or wifev or girlfriend learned some make up skills & learn What u can do to Nail polish PAINTING nail

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

I need to find Apoxy clay or similar stough to apoxyclay

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

I 2ander what u can do with a Conan Action Figure

[@spider-manfanboy6264]

That is dope

[@valorcomicservices]

Thanks man - very much appreciated!

[@alexmanakul6817]

Dope

[@valorcomicservices]

Thanks bud!

[@notzspeedyyt5564]

Thank you I was thinking of making a reverse flash figure

[@notzspeedyyt5564]

Well customizing

[@valorcomicservices]

You should! That was my plan whenever I got my my flash and red death two pack, just make sure you sand the joints down the paint rub will frustrate you - if you have any questions feel free to message me on IG and I’ll help the best I can

[@notzspeedyyt5564]

@@valorcomicservices thank you

[@Jon-mz2wp]

I'm just starting to learn toy photography. I'm wondering what the best way to make effects where metal bounces off metal ? Like a bullet bouncing off something . Thanks

[@valorcomicservices]

I’ve seen interesting things using uncooked spegetti noodles - where it has the thin density to look like they’re in the air and attach a small pit of aluminum foil or can print off some bullets and cut them out and attach to the ends

[@jjthecrashdummy3565]

hey, can you post the link for the paints you talked about? i can't find them and I was wondering if you could.

[@valorcomicservices]

www.amazon.com/Vallejo-Game-Color-Set-advanced/dp/B003DVZXF0 This was the best deal I could find you for a starter set but what I’ve done is just get the colors I need individually Vallejo is the brand and I highly recommend them

[@mrhumanspider]

What do I need to do, If I want to make custom figures on marvel legends? Do I need a technique before and after painting tips? Cuz I just have tried to paint on figure with model color paints and after drying the paint comes easily off. Did I did maybe something wrong? Or the paints are not good enough for plastic? I want to know!

[@valorcomicservices]

I’m not sure what gets lost in translation on your end but I’ll run though how I normally would do it Wash the figure with soapy and cold water Dry or off or let air dry Depending on the paint job determine what areas and joints need to be sanded down to avoid paint rub (where to parts of the figure will rub against each other , create friction and remove the paint you applied) Sand the areas Then with paint Now this depends on what you’re doing but sometimes applying a primer coat will help it stick - Ex, I’m about to do a custom omega red again and when I do I’ll prime the lower legs because I’m painting it light grey, the base figure Is red and it would be a nightmare to hand paint over all that - just like in this video where it took hours to paint Batman’s cape purple After you’ve painted, done your washes and dry brushes and you feel it’s completed your going to want to seal it You can use general clear coats but if you want to add a finish to mattes and clear coats are options as well For a better example on that I have another video of where I painted a custom Riri Williams and using a high gloss clear coat gave her armor a more metallic finish afterwards. Hope this helps!

[@zachlancaster4180]

Yo that is so dope

[@valorcomicservices]

Thank you Zach! I’ve actually gone back with a razor and made the cape more tattered, and got red of a lot of the blood splatter to clean it up a little

[@zachlancaster4180]

@@valorcomicservices amazing I took my first try at giving a McFarlane Batman some hip head and torso articulation and I kinda muffed it but I’m proud of it for my first try. And thanks for this paint tutorial I really made it a lot harder in my head haha.

[@valorcomicservices]

Of course man, I have a video on how to add articulation as well & it will apply to just about any mcfarlane figure

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

McFarland they look awsom to do anything with them

[@BoyTukaness]

how did you swap the whole arms of punisher? did you crack the torso?

[@valorcomicservices]

Super easy - just throw the punisher in boiling water and pull - the arms pop right out

[@eddytalavera7028]

Dope fig.

[@valorcomicservices]

Thank you Eddy, much appreciated!

[@jamesdeslongchamps3742]

After painting the figure, did you seal it with anything?

[@valorcomicservices]

In the video I may not have but in hindsight I’m fairly certain I sealed it with a matte clear coat, I have another video posted about customizing an iron heart marvel legend with multiple sealers if you want to browse that one and see how it’s worked before

[@allenjames4808]

I like it. Maybe too much blood for me. Especially like the purple in the cape.

[@valorcomicservices]

Since the video I’ve gone back and removed a lot of the blood, it’s still there but not as excessive. I want to cut holes in the cape top to give it more of a tattered look. thanks for the support! Next up I will probably be repainting Deathstroke

[@german9277]

Hey man i had a question. I see that you didn’t want to use the acrylic and i was just wondering why? Is it because you have to layer it or because its not meant for this type of plastic?

[@valorcomicservices]

That’s correct , acrylic will work but it’s a pain in the butt to get it to stick properly

[@german9277]

@@valorcomicservices i see i had just one more question. What is the proper paint you’re supposed to use to paint these action figures?

[@valorcomicservices]

I Mercer velehjo but testors works fine as well

[@mmsthunder7951]

I have a question. How do you install the ball joint from the chest to the legs please help me

[@valorcomicservices]

Heat should do the trick - boiling water or a blow dryer - hit my up on IG and I’ll try to walk you through ot

[@mmsthunder7951]

@@valorcomicservices thanks. But I just ask my dad he just did it. But thanks for trying to help me.

[@astonishingspider3442]

Hey i wanna make a tobey maguire spiderman figure using the no way home raimi sandman marvel legends figure and i wanna do 3d stuff on the figure like webbing, logo, and lenses how would i do that?

[@valorcomicservices]

I would look into using “green stuff” it’s what the brand is called, to sculpt then with lenses being tricky reach out to someone who can 3d print a custom head sculpt for your liking just to make it a little easier

[@astonishingspider3442]

@@valorcomicservices thanks:D

[@coconut_monkey436]

can i use markers without priming?

[@valorcomicservices]

You can but it’s going to be tiresome , a pain in the butt and your going to need several of the same color markers

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

Punisher look like A wrestling Action figure

[@matthewbosse1852]

What was your method for dirtying the boots?, last time I tried to make something look muddy it just looked like they dipped them in brownie batter

[@valorcomicservices]

Using flesh colored paint with a little bit of brown mixed in and dry brushing I believe is how I did that one

[@valorcomicservices]

Hope that helps!

[@matthewbosse1852]

@@valorcomicservices alrighty. ill try that on my boba fett, thank you

[@valorcomicservices]

@@matthewbosse1852 message me on IG and I can help with pictures if need be

[@PinoyGamingTribe]

hi i am just wondering.. if you heated up the action figure, did the toy become more loose? thank you inadvance

[@valorcomicservices]

Hey man, so when you I heat it up the plastic becomes soft and pliable/ the joints will seem loose but after you have done whatever you need to you can run it under cold water and it will tighten everything back up - if you have any questions or need help feel free to reach out to me on IG or facebook

[@PinoyGamingTribe]

@@valorcomicservices hi man thank you for answering my querry. i hope you do more customizing specially dc multiverse. cheers man

[@valorcomicservices]

I’ve got a video I’m working on now for how to thoroughly detail Marvel Legends Omega Red

[@valorcomicservices]

It’ll also carry over to a darkest knight flash

[@joversecomics5536]

So what primer would you suggest for green skin tone. A lighter or darker?

[@valorcomicservices]

Depends on the green you want to use - if you want to use darker then black or a good medium would be gray; you can check out “Zenithal Priming” for depth that helps lay the foundation or light to dark

[@joversecomics5536]

@@valorcomicservices I was going for a light green for a Ms. Martian custom, thanks for the help 😉

[@valorcomicservices]

Then grey should be your best friend in that one!

[@valorcomicservices]

@@joversecomics5536 of course - shoot me a picture after you finish it!

[@tatpap]

Dose anyone know if the arms of the McFarland figures. Will fit on.some marvel legends Bodies? I wanna make a custom Batman and Superman combination including the green lantern ring

[@valorcomicservices]

I don’t think it would scale right, the Mcfarlane figures are on a 7 inch base and legends are 6, the legs are a completely different sized so it would take some sculpting to help

[@tatpap]

@@valorcomicservices ok thanks i was wanting to use the forearms from a Batman fig on a marvel legends Body

[@valorcomicservices]

That’s going to be tricky, the pin joints that Mcfarlane uses are thicker than the legends It’s worth a try, just get you a coffee cup full appearance f water and put in the microwave for two minutes then use the warm water to try it out

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

Most art school should Apply Make up Mythology skills there alot of makeup artis u can learn from

[@josephelston895]

what paint did you use for the purple? need me some of that!

[@valorcomicservices]

Just some cheap generic craft paint, I would not recommend it to anyone get either some model masters by testors or Valejio purples, I would also prime the inside with grey or white. It took over an hour and I can’t tell you how many coats for that purple to stick

[@jjthecrashdummy3565]

what do you use to sculpt?

[@valorcomicservices]

I’ve used apoxie sculpt which is fine for bigger parts of say armor or the bulkier clothing - for anything fine detail is use “green stuff” (actual product name) it’s more durable and easier to shape

[@zandelscomicsandcards7543]

I like everything except the purple cape. I just looks weird. Would prefer black personally.

[@valorcomicservices]

The purple was just to make it comic accurate from the Greg Capullo run on Batman during the New 52

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

Good skills to no

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

I hope this guy pull some cyberpunck Kitbashing on any figur Todd McFarland toy are overated

[@muursnorthwestamexem8581]

Hello are you taking commissions

[@valorcomicservices]

I’d love to do one for you - reach out at Valor Comic Services on instagram