Custom G.I. Joes by Andrew

My 15-year-old grandson Andrew grandson has become quite the entrepreneur, turning a hobby into a business - all on his own.

He buys lots of G. I. Joes, takes them apart and then makes custom action figures with different parts and paint. Then he lists them on EBay, where there is a thriving market for Custom G. I. Joes/Action Figures. Some of these people become famous in their circles and make a lot of money. Andrew is just starting out.

It was a world I didn't know anything about. I was really curious about how Andrew got involved, so I asked him to write about it:

My Toys

Since as long as I can remember, I have always liked action figures. Whenever I could get the chance, I would pick out the "cool looking" ones and buy them. My mother once asked me what made the "cool" ones look cool. My answer: "I don't know...they just...look cool." To this day I have tons (not literally) of figures, ranging from Transformers to Stikfas. My brother Jeff and I would spend hours each week concocting stories using the figures I bought. And these stories that we made were not your average kid's "Good guy vs. Bad guy" stories; these stories had action, plot twists, comedy, awesome verbal sound effects, and yes, violence. Characters dying were a natural occurrence. Also, we could take established characters, rename them, and give them whatever attributes we chose. We knew these characters so much better the way we depicted them, that I now recognize the figures' names as the ones we gave them, and have forgotten their original names.

I have also always enjoyed personalizing or customizing things. So when I was searching the web one day for Stikfas figures, I saw a creation that boggled my mind...Someone had taken a figure, used paint, clay, plastic parts, and a lot of artistic skill to make a figure that looked totally different (and waaay cooler). I was mesmerized. I really wanted to make a custom figure then. The problem was: I didn't know how. For a couple years I just looked at other artists' work and drooled. I found out that people from everywhere had customized hundreds of different action figure lines. Then I stumbled upon the work of a guy named John Mallamas, whose customizing name is "Jin Saotome." He makes customs of all types with extreme precision and skill. On his website (jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com), he had some great tutorials and tips that convinced me that I could become a customizer too. Now, don't be fooled. Although he makes it look easy, it isn't. It isn't cheap either. To get into the hobby, I had to make an investment buying: Paints, Dremel rotary power tool, misc. tools, and lots of action figures. Also, I had to decide what type of action figure to choose. At first I wanted to do Transformers, since I like robotic-looking figures, but they can be pretty expensive, they have limited part removal and exchange options, and they would be harder to paint, do to their size. Instead, I chose to work with GI Joes, for several reasons. First, they have excellent poseability. Second, I could buy them for relatively cheap on eBay auctions. Third, they are small, and therefore require less painting. In addition, people are much more likely to purchase custom GI Joes, because they cost less than custom Transformers.

One thing about this hobby that makes it better than most others is the fact that it actually brings in revenue. Instead of just pouring money into a hobby for fun, I actually make a small profit on each figure I sell. However, I don't do this hobby for the money (although it is really nice), I do it because I find pleasure in taking random parts from multiple figures and creating something that looks "cool." This is my, although unusual, "journey" of sorts to becoming a customizer.

Note: Most people cannot make a career out of this, so...don't get the wrong idea.

Here is , very impressive with the detailed listing:

Description-

"I hope this is the right amount...for your sake."-Even though the Cobra have huge, monstrous battle machines to wage war with, sometimes they just need someone dead... Enter: STRYPE. While most assassins use weapons with silencing suppressors, one will notice Strype does not. He has no need to hide from security, as he is extremely proficient with his knife. If an enemy is out of reach, it only takes him one shot from his 1911 to take the enemy out.

Above is a quote from Strype, addressing Cobra Commander about his pay...

Here up for auction is a completely original, fully poseable, hand painted, custom, 3-4 inch GI Joe. I paint all my figures with Testors quality hobby acrylic paints.

Strype was made from:

RoC Neo Viper (Torso, Arms)

PoC Skydive (Legs)

RoC Red Fang Ninja (Head, Goggles)

RoC Cobra Commander (Coat)

Auction includes-

-One custom 3-4 inch figure

-1911 Pistol

- Long Knife

- Removable Goggles

So I'm sharing because some of you may have boys who are interested in this specialty hobby/collecting niche.

Also because I'm proud of Andrew's entrepreneurial spirit - way to go, Andrew!