A custom, in toy parlance, means to take an existing toy and to repaint it or modify it in a way that you like. Therefore, the toy is “customised” to your liking, except that it takes way more time and effort than the word would suggest.
I’ve always been a big fan of Victory Saber. So when I commissioned my first custom from JC Artwork, guess which character I chose?
The distinguishing features of Victory Saber (the 4th Autobot Leader to succeed Optimus Prime in the original series) are his sword, his wings, and his sword. Coincidentally, those are features that Beast Hunters Optimus Prime has as well! That made him the perfect mould to custom into Victory Saber.
Although it cost a pretty penny to custom, it was absolutely worth it. I now have a Transformer that nobody else has! It’s even rarer than an exclusive, if you think about it. The production run on this is 1. So in that light, I think the cost is not so bad.
Maybe I’ll custom the entire Victory series. But that’ll take some time. I was pretty happy with how close to Victory Saber this Beast Hunters Optimus Prime turned out.
Unlike most customisers (and D&D players), I’m not too big on grit and realism. What I am interested in is how big of a change a customisation can get. It is, after all, a DIY recolour. So if I’m gonna get something customed, it better be something incredibly unique. I don’t quite see the point of making a toy hyper-realistic in terms of paint apps.
Check out the comparison shots between Victory Saber & Beast Hunters Optimus Prime. I think it’s amazing what a change in colour will do! And of course, this custom makes poor Optimus look so plain and featureless. If there’s one thing that’s amazed me about this custom, it’s the amount of attention paid to detail on him.
My custom Victory Saber stands up pretty well to the other official iterations of his character. Best of all, he’s the third largest Victory Saber I have (nothing is larger than the original, G1 Victory Saber).
I love my new Victory Saber.
Wow!… Just … WOW! Love it!