How To Make Custom LEGO Minifigs - Painting Basics EP1

[@MGFCustoms]

Thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring this video! The first 1000 people who click the link will get 2 free months of Skillshare Premium: skl.sh/mgfcustoms0820 I hope you guys are as excited as I am for the new direction the channel is taking! This first tutorial is introducing a whole new, previously untapped side of MGF Customs. New tutorials and regular update videos covering the progress I’m making toward future showcases will now make up half of my content flow here on KZbin! Leave your suggestions in the comments!

[@barryscott-bricks6626]

I just got my first Phoenix customs figure

[@fmbcustoms9554]

This is really going to help me with my minifigures thank you sooooo much Ross your amazing keep up your great work 👍🏻👌🏻

[@figment616]

Heh, get it? He pinned this comment. Heheh

[@endmii3912]

Could you do Fire Emblem Three Houses custom figures?

[@endmii3912]

Wait. So how expensive is this to do? This looks interesting but...I want to know if there are any cheap stuff that still look good.

[@popculturehub6441]

Man I couldn’t wait and I wasn’t disappointed please keep making these

[@canthislegobrickget1ksubs41]

Yes! Agreed!

[@tomjames9681]

Now the power can be ours as well!

[@danielbadescu3064]

Mgf customs for ten years :my customs Mgf customs now :our customs

[@MGFCustoms]

👊😎

[@williamlopez9371]

I think that's too much power to be handled by us

[@SpookyGhost11]

Good luck 🤣 you'll probably need many years of experience to wield this man's power.

[@williamlopez9371]

@@SpookyGhost11 100 years of practice

[@alexeissenstat1407]

I would like to see a tutorial on a few things 1. Painting faces 2. Sculpting helmets, accessories, etc 3. Using sealant (so the paint doesn't scratch off)

[@joshgonzalez9362]

Yes

[@bremo8365]

For helmet sculpting, use green stuff.

[@alexeissenstat1407]

BREMO83, i need to know how to use the green stuff but thanks anyway

[@chadmann2724]

Helmets don’t get sculpted they get molded. A large syringe injects molten plastic into a mold that splits down the middle and exposes a cavity in the shape of a clone helmet or blaster (depending on the exact mold) on a smaller scale than LEGO Themselves.

[@amarketing8749]

Also how do you pop the arms off??

[@Nightwing9597]

You need to make a t-shirt that says “If you’re not weird, you can just use a paper towel.”

[@DoctorKalkyl]

99% of people will think very odd thoughts when they see that.

[@Nightwing9597]

Brother Doctor Kalkyl of the 501st Good… that means progress.

[@yoursleepparalysisdemon3475]

Sounds a bit strange out of context

[@legostarkiller9252]

That’s kinda weird man..

[@funsyminn]

if he does he probaly has to put some context on the back

[@jeffroides7240]

I have waited YEARS for a vid like this from YOU!!! Edit: And can you show us how you paint eyes, and carve hips!?

[@MGFCustoms]

All on the list, yes!

[@jeffroides7240]

MGF Customs Heck yeah! Cant wait!

[@jeffroides7240]

Joshua White Are you sure? Cause that Daredevil looks like he has carved hips?

[@jeffroides7240]

Joshua White OhhhI see....thanks!

[@TygerT709]

This is something I didn’t know I needed, but I will take this any day of the week!

[@athompson26]

A push pin, I always wondered how the hell you got such small lines. I had always appreciated the amount of time and effort but dear lord I didn’t think it was this involved, now I have an even bigger respect and amazement for you. Amazing video, can’t wait for more.

[@Emraldyst07]

This video is great, you should a tutorial on sculpting.

[@MGFCustoms]

That’s definitely on the list!

[@FDNProductions]

And sanding Lego hairpieces and helmets

[@thealphaoozaru7755]

especially how to sculpt a montral for my custom jumpsuit ahsoka im planning on making in the future.

[@HuxleyBerg]

This is exactly how I do my customs as well, great vid!

[@AntonStruzik]

Hi! Do you know how long acrylic holds on a minifig? Is there a better durable paint or a way to make it last longer? Thank you!

[@Stuwi]

@@AntonStruzik It lasts forever if you're not touching it but if you are then just apply a sealer with a spray can

[@stopmotionthingz6844]

@@Stuwi suggestions on what kinds?

[@Stuwi]

@@stopmotionthingz6844 nothing specific really, just go to your local hobby store and ask them for a sealer, I even use non-hobby sometimes like from warehouses. The only difference is gloss, matte or semi gloss, thats up to personal preference.

[@JoeTayto]

@@Stuwi could you tell me how to get the paint evenly on the base coat it ends up bumpy when it drys

[@tomjames9681]

I had no idea MGF even paints the base layers with the tac. Previously I’ve used brushes but I get now why he does. It makes the layering process smoother.

[@mandocalrissian6454]

same here.

[@joeiorio9654]

Last time I was this early Anakin was a Jedi Master. Oh wait...

[@Joe-bo2fv]

As many times as I hear this joke, it only gets funnier😂

[@MGFCustoms]

rip

[@pzevenkyusuf8422]

This Joke And Younglings Have One Spiecal Thing .... They Never Get Old

[@albertrosen1775]

@@MGFCustoms Do you do the same for sculpted hair pieces or sculpted beards?

[@salumei]

LMAO

[@SWTobito0702]

*Me, working on a custom Flash and thinking about making the emblem:* I've been looking forward to this Edit: *Me realizing how tedious Groot and Harley must've been, using that painting style:* You are still a god damn legend

[@jackmac9502]

I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted you to make videos like this

[@Brickomotion]

I really like this little insight into your process. I would love if you would also explain why you don't use brushes for painting and do you water down the paints at all?

[@something7641]

It's easier for him and other customizers like myself to get good and precise details with thumbtacks and tooth picks. And no he doesn't water down the paint

[@ivoneherman]

A pin is more precise than a brush as a brush kinda goes everywhere

[@sprajtiik_602]

@@something7641 I am can’t get these types of paint. In my country there are only those rope looking like acrylic colors :/

[@jacobcenter7374]

Man I wish 10-12 year old me could see this. I haven't painted minifigures in a long time, but I'm still freaking out over this.

[@drewc2492]

I’m really glad you’re making this. I’ve tried and failed so many custom figures so this is really helpful.

[@bakubricks1895]

Now this......does puts a smile on my face

[@sasukeoftheleaf3179]

This is the earliest I’ve ever been and I’ve been watching you from the beginning!!!

[@JonathanWickonson]

I make custom clones, mostly with sharpie, and I’ve been doing it for about a year now. This has helped a lot, because I want to start using paint, to improve my guys.

[@mobianax]

I made attempts a few years back, bit they never turned out well. I'm typically do drawing. In fact, I'm about to make the jump into digital drawing. But this video reinspires me to try painting LEGO minifigures again.

[@greenplanet5825]

You inspired me when I was young. I took my Lego Batman figure and tried to make my own batman Arkham knight suit out of sharpie 😂 I might remake that figure using your Tutorials. Keep up the good work. You’ve inspired so many of us

[@OpenBuildRepeat]

Pretty crazy detail!

[@sidebartwist5817]

Loved this video you gotta make more of these hahaha I was always stumped on how to not get arm rub between the arm and the side of the torso when you paint there

[@SonsyDaisy]

I love this so much

[@TheBobplayer]

Really awesome to see you finally made a video on how you paint your minifigs. Been watching your videos since 2010 and it’s insane to see how far you have came man, your future is only getting brighter

[@Joe-bo2fv]

Your KZbin channel was made only 8 years ago, did you have another channel before you had this one from 2010 to 2012?

[@TheBobplayer]

Your human British dictionary yes I did I used to make LEGO videos on it lol

[@tnvasion7824]

I am absolutely *in love with this series* And it’s only the first video

[@AustinCrabtree32]

When I saw the notification i came rushing to this video thank you for doing this Ross.

[@jacksonbrickmedia939]

You should sell the “official MGF customs paint rag” on ebay, and your fans would probably pay a pretty penny for it.

[@springer2226]

I’ll take it for 730

[@chimbloanimation9242]

Thanks for the good tutorial

[@Cooltree63]

I have been waiting for a vid as good as this for custom minifig tutorials, cant wait for more

[@IShockWaveI]

Yes! Thank you so much!!!

[@r0n1n_films]

This is a lot of help! I've always wanted to know how you made your lines looking so good! thank you mgf!

[@TheLegocraft]

Man I love this! I really hope you’ll do more paint tutorials, on different type of figures, like on how to paint all the lines on an iron man minifigure and all of that stuff... I mean these are just ideas I have but you know

[@monstermanstudios7774]

I don’t know how you add all of that detail you’re probably the best custom minifig makers ever. I love your videos

[@jordybizz]

Can’t wait for episode two 😀

[@robogamer117]

Now I will have UNLIMITED POWER!!!

[@Dgjserffft]

Nice thanks for the tips!!!!

[@Endergaming-js7ro]

Dang. That is an awesome black series collection

[@sidebartwist5817]

I have been following this channel for years and you inspired me to make my own figures years back, I don’t make them anymore but after watching this video maybe I’ll have to go back to it.

[@canthislegobrickget1ksubs41]

Thank you! So helpful!

[@EvnHdgn]

I’ve been waiting for something like this for ages. Thankyou!!!!!!

[@flyingpigproductions5934]

Thanks for making a video like this man. There's something about other KZbinrs tutorials and even just seeing the finished product from a lot of you guys that's so intimidating. So intimidating that I didn't even want to try. I was going to just either do decals or not do it at all. Seeing you make it seems so simple is really making me want to try it out for real!

[@ThisIsRobinY2K]

I have been waiting for this video from you for years and it has finally come

[@TheyneverheardofBJ]

"If you're not wierd, you can just use a paper towel." That should be the name of your autobiography

[@thegreatest2.074]

You are by far my favorite lego customizer and I'm glad you made this video to teach me how to make such great figs like you

[@catching.rainbows]

It’s cool seeing the process of painting the figure It’s also helpful if I decide to make fallen order figures

[@Brickfilmer125]

Ross ups his quality in content, starts a new style of video, and gets a SPONSOR. That is insane! I'm seriously enjoying the direction of this channel and can't wait to see what comes next!

[@Mythos_5]

This is very true broccoli125

[@Brickfilmer125]

Thank you mitos fyve

[@cheemsthagoat7359]

I have been trying to make LEGO customs figures. This video will always be may tutorial to watch when i am making a lego customs figure. Thank you for the this video.

[@colorin81colorado]

I am very impressed by your work. I started as a house painter 40 years ago and gradually moved to sign writing until computers took over and there was not a lot of work for hand painted signs. I was by then painting murals on a part time basis so I went full time on that and run a small business painting trompe l'oil scenic murals for private clients. I run it for about 12 years until it was not viable as a business (not enough demand). So it was fun, enjoyable and my clients loved my work but one thing most people complained was how long some of my images took to create. I learn short cuts along the way but if you wanted something realistic it needed time and in you I found someone who has gone beyond me! I'm super impressed by your patience and attention to detail. Have you ever timed any of your projects? How much would you charge if you were to sell one of your custom minifigures? I have mostly used water base paints so I could see why you chose that over other types of paint and since I have never used a tack pin to paint I will give it a go! One should never stop learning!

[@UnfunnyFigs]

My heart can't take this amount of joy I have waited so long for this video to drop

[@aeroallergen]

This video makes me appreciate your craft more. Nice.

[@Nic_03_21]

Thanks for the tips, Ross.

[@mrorangecat_meow]

You should make the Chitauri Gorillas from Avengers: Endgame.

[@michaelhassert4041]

Man, this was so very helpful for me personally! I have been painting minfigures for a while now and I never thought to paint with PUSH PINS! I went to the store today and completely changed my set up and it’s now PERFECT. Thank you!!

[@og_fnafboy101]

Wow this is awesome

[@alexian__]

thank you mgf costume for giving us the lego costume tutorial 😄

[@W33D-Quantum]

thank you so much for this i hope my lego custom homelander truns out well

[@Chase1.9]

THIS is the tutorial series that I’ll need to make really good custom minifigures. I was always really curious on how you were even able to get all the little details in things like the Nano Gauntlet on Iron Man Mark 85 or the scales on Endgame Captain America. I’m really looking forward to the future episodes of this series!

[@endercryangentgg98]

Now finally i can start creating custom minifigs! :D thank you alot!! :D Could you show us how to do the " The Flash " suit you made a few years ago along with " Reverse Flash " ? Like the helmet? Or maybe the Jedi Robe?? I would appriciate it alot

[@Gas45678]

Jesus Christ Michael I’ve been wAtching since I was 12 and now I’m 26. Started posting minis again, I never knew you worked like this. Amazing man

[@layzeedragon7119]

Thank you for the advice this will help my paining quality on Lego figures

[@JakobKaiserMOCs]

This is super interesting. The use of a pin is something I should've know about two months back when I started painting my custom S7 Ahsoka headpiece, that I literally finished and sealed mere hours before this video released.. Lovely introduction to the series! Very much looking forward to the next episodes! Also mad respect for those incredibly calm hands!

[@mandocalrissian6454]

Me and everyone else not expecting a painting minifigs masterclass from Michael be like: "A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."

[@BlacksmithInfinite]

I really love this tutorial and I’m learning so much from this

[@joshual3193]

Dude this is great! You inspired me to start customizing (along with a few other youtubers) and it's just crazy how great your customs come out and I've been following and enjoying your content for over 3 years. Keep it up!

[@casamuslegocustomminifigures]

After all these years, it's remarkable to see the process live and to understand the tricks

[@Kudara]

You need to do more of these

[@trentgoins7190]

I have been waiting SO LONG for this series to come out! I remember when he posted his Winter Soldier video and even back then, I thought "I wanna know how to do that!"

[@dopylamingo2506]

thank you so much for sharing this tutorial i rly loved ur custom minifigs since i was 9 and now im 16 i recently got back to lego stuff and im gonna try to do this

[@generallukeproductions]

I would never be able to do anything like this but I still really enjoy watching you. Haha

[@watchspotting]

THANK YOU SO MUCH I'm more into painting Mega Construx halo figures, and I started a custom Noble Team but not looks crap so far so thanks for doing a tutorial about the basics because I've been self-taught and it never looks good enough so thank you very much MGF

[@michaelPBS501]

I already paint custom figs as I was inspired by you years ago but never thought to use these methods before and lines always has been a big pain to do with a brush so thanks for sharing this technique I can’t wait to try it and the demonstration was superb. Some constructive feedback- would be great to see more than one example of the technique as you do it e.g the zippers. Also would love to see a painting faces tutorial later down the line! Great vid overall though can’t wait for more tips!

[@teddywest-side6378]

This is a brilliant tutorial just started painting my Lego Masterchief Custom using it

[@LegoGamer5502]

Still love that ahsoka in the thumbnail. Especially the montrals. That are actually accurate.

[@MGFCustoms]

Thanks dude! I am very proud of that figure.

[@rocketbricks5303]

You’re an awesome minifigure painter!

[@productions6697]

Today I finished my first custom, I am happy I basicaly discovered that painting overlaying myself, but you helped a lot, amazig vid man.

[@henryrobson9750]

Finally a tutorial! I think this should be a main focus of the channel then having the big reveals at the end being the showcases. It’s a nice fresh slate Michael well done keep it up !

[@killshot10001]

This helped me so much Thx

[@andrewhizer8886]

This is great material that your sharing here. I’ve gotten myself into customizing minifigs about 2 yrs ago or something and even though I picked up a lot from just seeing what works and what doesn’t. This right here is dumping all kinds of new ideas on me already. Like for instance starting with a base layer seems like the way to go. I would always started anything with the color brick I wanted as my base and then just scraping away access paint I applied for my desired effect, it leaves a flaky edge behind too often though. So anyways I do appreciate your experience being shared with the world.

[@nicholasgambacorta3840]

Ah man! The endgame ones look great. And while I make digital customs instead of physical this was still really nice to see inside your skills and how YOU do it, and I’ve really been wondering after all these years. Thank you Michael.

[@BinaryArmorOnline]

This is way cool. Definitely worth a follow

[@notliz5992]

your level of precision is absolutely insane! this is awesome. thank you so much for this video

[@FloridaBoy7337]

Thank you for the tutorial.

[@CyberSnoWolf]

This is very well done. I like that you’ve listed what kind of paints you use, and what kind of tools you used. I never would’ve thought about using a pin to do that small detailing. For a future tutorial, maybe you could do the 3D elements that go on the figures. Good luck on the Avengers showcase, and keep being amazing.

[@neon3637]

Coming to this from miniature painting feels natural

[@dogma6306]

Hes finally showing us the ways of custom minifigs!! . Thanks MGF 😁👍

[@aidencastillo9351]

Finally it helped me understand painting

[@lego3x11l]

Well this is great man, I'm probably gonna keep using decals, as I've perfected my skills using that for years, but I might give this a go for curved parts where decals don't work as well 😁 Keep up the good work man

[@paramgandhi14]

Wow, this was really insightful

[@McFrozenNuggets]

I've actually been doing this type of thing since 2017 because of you, Ross, so... I beat your tutorial to it. 🍑, this has helped me with learning new tactics for painting decals on figures.

[@cbricks9332]

thank you for sharing this information! I will definitely start doing this!

[@spadesofpaintstudios1719]

Honestly I find it so interesting how you make your customs. The detail you out into the video is pretty good and I think I’ll probably use this one day as a tutorial or later on when I make more customs. But I think this is a smart way to paint

[@michaelknapp8074]

Dude, You just inspired a entire new generation of lego painters. THANKS!!!

[@thomasurban1408]

Hand sanitizer can be used to a degree to remove sharpie from legos. It worked well with my figures.

[@woollyguyyt1959]

Dude, that video was so awesome. So now that I know how you do it, I now have more tactics and options to experiment with. Thanks. I would love for you to do more vids like this.

[@Gillan1220]

Thanks for this tutorial

[@Marvelous_spider-teen]

Been watching your videos for years never thought this day would come, honestly love the way you do it I usually wasted my paintbrushes making them dry with paint over the top then use those, never thought of using a pushpin

[@Billy-xk9du]

Thanks so much for doing this video, your figures are incredible

[@therealcrayoncruncher]

I have waited seven years for this and damn... It was worth the wait