Final post: this custom's now history.

I couldn't find a head I liked to replace the existing one, so I tried to "scruff up" this one--which resulted in a mess for the head but even worse, getting the jacket off to get to the screw tore up the paint job something fierce. I'm so disgusted right now I threw the whole thing back into the parts bin and don't plan to go back to it.

Guess he just wasn't meant to be.

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Awww, man. That blows.

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Well, damn. If you want to send the parts to me, I'll be glad to fix him up for ya .

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He's in the box, maybe one day I'll try again, or maybe not. Frankly at this point I'm ready to chuck the hobby altogether since it's feeling less like a hobby these days and more like some kind of screwed-up competition, at least to my screwed-up thinking.

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That's terrible. Hope you get it worked out.

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Dude. You can't scrap the hobby. What the siumutlunyer-kussottare-chingao-noychitat-fukka-andawholehostofotherdemeritearningexpletives am I busting my ass on your backdrops for????

It's not a competition. The d'anam don diabhal JCA's aren't even a competition, just a way for customizers to honor other customizers.

If it feels that way, I'm truly sorry my friend. But, last I looked, Mein Jefe wasn't giving away lap dances with GH for the best or most artistic anything.

Your work, as well as a handful of others here inspire the living "LASER BLAST" out of me, and when a bump in the road happens that FUBAR's a custom, I know as well as we all do what frustration that feels like. But the floodgates busting of creative stuff coming from everyone here is showing me that the hobby has truly been revitalized, and is far from getting stale, which it was turning that way a few years ago. Look at your Shannara customs. Look at Chief's Bourne. Look at that badass Conan a few threads from this one. I would have never, EVER, thought much of this probable, let alone possible. If LadyJaye were still around, she'd be throwing around ideas that are just as stealworthy as yours and others here.

Forgive my mini inspiration based rant. But when I see the guys who were responsible for me even staying in the hobby and being inspired talk about leaving it because of waves and trends in the talent pool, I feel it, and not like a girl's tongue in the ear kind of feel. More like a Ned Beatty camping trip kind of feel.

Again, sorry about the rant. It'd truly be a shame if you stopped when you're on such a creative roll now. From one artist to another.

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Sorry to hear about that, Rob. This has happened to me a lot - but after a week or so, I go back and re-do a custom and it ends up looking better anyway.

I really liked the concept behind this one (especially being a fan of the old TV show), and I'd love to see what you can do with him when you get back to it.

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Note to self: Open mouth, insert foot VERY deeply, kick self in ass.

Sorry, Cap. This is more or less a "I'm really pissed off at the moment and questioning everything" type thing.



Actually the JCAs never figured into it; it's more like a daily competition to outdo one another and vie for the attention we all seek. But everyone's only got so much time, so I feel as if I have to outdo the other guys to grab a bit of that time from them. It's silly, yes, moronic, really, but it's what's stuck in my head and I can't get it the hell out.



Forgiven, especially when you end the paragraph with one of my favorite movie contexts. I've not given up yet, just really, REALLY pissed that I messed up something I cared so much about; even though I know I can fix it, it won't be the same as it was the first time around, and that's upset me more than anything. It's like buying a brand new car and getting the fender smashed in a day later--insurance'll fix it, but it'll never be "cherry" again. I do so few customs that make me say, "Wow, did I do that?"



Well, the box he's in is for customs that need fixing...it's pretty full now. Once I've had some time to calm down and let the feeling pass I'll try and fix him up. Maybe I'll luck out and find the head I'm after by then. Just that he was a very rare "Wow!" custom for me, so messing him up just knocked me for a loop and made me question everything.

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Well, there is some good news to impart on this.

1. I'm staying in the hobby for now. I have--I think--enough ideas and inspiration to carry me along for a while. It's keeping both up that's the hard part.

2. The damage to Paladin wasn't as bad as I let myself think; a few coats of black and I dry-brushed the gray back in tonight so he looks good again, though he'll never be "the same".

3. He's using the same head, but I had to redo the paint on the face over the damage I did to it, which actually worked to give him a more craggy, rugged look. I also added a mustache, and ground the neck down so the head can be removed WITHOUT opening the body up.

That's about it for him. I haven't taken pictures yet but when I do I'll probably just send him straight to the Gallery, so you can check him out there.

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nice fig, but I guess I'm not quite old enough,

LOL

Wait, does Kilcar have a real doll for an avatar?

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Glad to hear your not chucking the hobby. Your nontypical customs are something that I really look forward to.
Yeah we're all little kids when it comes to the attention we seek, but so what. Really, in this world of negativity, i say take a compliment were you can get one. The only person you have to out do is your self. I,d like to think my customs are worth praise and adoration, but frankly there are only a hand full of opions I give a crap about and if they don't praise me, I bug them till they do . HI JFAK
So again I'm glad your not chucking the hobby and will look forward to the next custom you post.