a lot of it is. but missy primarily keeps her dolls stock. she feels the same way about dolls that she does about toys. people go and cut the hair and change the make up on really rare releases. I'll should let her explain.
A recent quote from the thisisblythe.com forums Customs suck-almost always. I hate them in vinyl or dolls. I would only say its ok if repairing an old doll, (ie vintage that has been destroyed) not messing up a perfectly good new one.
I was rereading a previous post in this thread where I might have misunderstood for appreciating customs. Just want to clarify that I really don't care for customs and that should be known from previous debates on the issue. I'm not really worried about the glut of mediocre product being released. I rarely have to confront it or deal with it. I just skim past it or ignore it. I am somewhat sad that people are spending hard earned money on it, but if it makes them happy so be it. Vintage collectors probably had similar opinions when all of these small boutique companies started entering the market years ago.
don't worry Peter, I don't think anyone is going to accuse you of "appreciating" customs. lol.... but if and when you do, that's ok too. like Andy said, does it really have to be one way or the other?
In the end, probably not as long as someone isn't customizing a rare toy that people have spent years searching for. It just OCD boundaries that are getting blurred. It's just fun to debate from time to time.
I lean towards collecting customs because they fit into my art collection. So I collect Bwana, Ontiveros, Biskup, as opposed to edward, ojo, or pollard. At least it sets a frame of reference.
I recently broke my "no customs" rule, and while I don't think I'll have more done anytime soon the result is one of the best toys in my collection. I don't really consider that collecting though. I also don't understand how someone can collect something like rocks or even original art. That would drive me crazy but I'll admit thats just probably just a little bit of OCD talking. I do disagree with the idea that too many companies/customizers making toys ruins anything though. I think one of the best parts of this neo-kaiju thing is that pretty much anyone can make toys. Chronic was considered a mediocre company not too long ago but they've found a dedicated niche of collectors that love their stuff and I think that's great.
I too recently have taken the customs plunge (haven't received them yet) and quite excited about it. A lot of controversy I've read seems to surround ruining a perfectly good production toy which I agree but not totally. If the figure itself was blank to begin with and not as exclusive then I really don't see any problems with it. My decision of owning a customized toy was wanting something that was made for me and one of a kind. This has nothing to do with art but rather just owning a nice & special toy. Customizers are appreciated because they provide just that to those of us who have no talent in a million years in creating one for ourselves. I could try but then I'd truely be committing a crime
Exactly, that's what it was manufactured for. (Even though some people like coloured blanks in there collection which is cool).
I don't think the discussion about customs needs to get hung up on the word "art," since that (for reasons I'm not sure I totally understand) seems to be a tinderbox that sets off peripheral debates that weren't intended. So if you want to replace the word with "creativity," "expressive freedom" or whatever, then that's fine with me. See, I think the highest arbiters, at the end of the day, are the people who created the toys to begin with - the designers in Japan and elsewhere. From everything I've seen, most of these guys LOVE customs, and it's led to all sorts of collaborations and shows that have expanded the kaiju network and creative sphere in all kinds of ways. I can see how some people only want to collect "officially sanctioned" toys, and that's fine. Just not my choice.
On customization: I can certainly agree about not wanting to customize over limited production pieces. Even with an edition of 50 or 60 there simply isn't enough when the number of collectors increase. It hinders the chances of someone new from obtaining a figure released before they started collecting. On the other hand if we discourage the act of customization, we will also miss out on some great talent and often times that talent will only flourish with practice and experimentation. Sure, some of the work is going to be less than desirable and some are cringe worthy but I've seen enough people improve because they tried their hand. I don't think I can imagine this board without Lash, PK, LS and Hiro's work (I know I'm missing a few). They're such positive additions to the board. On 2008 collecting: Way back when these companies just started there were fewer releases and in much smaller numbers. For a collector outside of Japan there are only so many that make it to the after market that everything is exciting and fresh. You're going to be exhilarated if you land something that isn't easily obtainable and that will certainly contribute to your perception of whether you love that release. Fast forward to 2008, there are so many avenues to obtain these toys that it's taken some of the fun out of the hunt. This is how I rationalize why I like some older releases more than some newer ones. But while loving something from a combination its limited availability and its aesthetic appeal I'm just more for a beautiful paint versus something ridiculously rare. Different collectors, different collecting philosophies, different tastes; Everyone should benefit from the variety and multitude of releases in 2008 in my mind.
A famous situation happened in the fine art world a several years ago with artist siblings Jake and Dinos Chapman. They bought a set of Goya's "Disasters of War" prints, and lithographed weird clown and demon faces in color on all the heads of the victims in the B&W works...it's a suite of almost 100 prints...and every one was altered. at first, people FREAKED...saying how it was sacrilege to deface the art of a great master...BUT, someone bought the set for many, many times the cost of the original set...and since then they've done another set of Disasters and another set of Goya prints I can't remember the title of. Do I agree with this...maybe not. BUT these guys bought the prints and did with them what they wanted (calling them "improvements" to many people's amazement) and while some flipped out others loved the result. There are books documenting each set that are collected as well in lieu of being able to afford the actual altered art. What I'm trying to point out in a long-winded way is that it's really always up to the collector/artist/viewer/buyer or whatever the case may be. No matter whether you hate them or love them, there's no denying that we can't tell anyone what to do with something they bought. So if someone get's an early Head or Evil and acetones it because they think they are going to make something amazing, well they live with that decision... One thing's for sure, there's no denying that the owners of these molds and characters LOVE the customs world...they wouldn't have joined the KT solid line if they didn't, right? I own very few, but have seen pieces that blow everything I've ever seen released as an official run out of the water...I don't see how it can hurt...except when the cost is as high as it can be (to bring the thread back to the wallet issue again).
