i am out in this beauty

[icemanfan44]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110867656871?ss ... 1426.l2649

I am not bidding again as I have to recoup some cost before spending anything and still have two deals outstanding. GREAT piece IMO.

[rjquintsr]

Cool !!

[glowfunkofreak]

Bear ..
Are you sure .. ?
Cause I backed off because you wanted it ..
If you are out .. then I'm back in ..

[Alleycat]

Cat fight!!

[Cal78]

If I Had the Money, it would be in my collection, Hope they make a real pop like this, it's cool.

[icemanfan44]

Bear ..
Are you sure .. ?
Cause I backed off because you wanted it ..
If you are out .. then I'm back in ..

its all you Ron. I am out.

[jake1977jr]

Are you serious Bear? I was hopin you would get it.But now you ran the price up on me.It's too much now. Still an awesome piece.Good Luck to whoever gets it,it will be a nice piece in your collection.

[icemanfan44]

I would expect some artists high quality work , like this custom here, to sell for around $50. I have spent more than $2k recently due to high level of quality deals right now or else I would bid the $50 to start. The materials alone run around the current selling price. I hope the buyer gets a good deal but I also the seller gets a fair price also. If not he may quit doing these high level customs and that would truly be a shame.

[Meth68]

Actually I spoke to the seller many times and he is very helpful, he enjoys doing the customs so I am sure he will keep going, he recently started to do pop it seems he has been customizing other figures for a while now. Hes very good, and a nice guy. I hope someone here scores this piece because he looks great.

[utley999]

Very Cool piece! But I would have liked it more if the atomic symbol wasn't a sticker. Still pretty sweet though. Good luck bidders!

[antigravitysneakers]

I would expect some artists high quality work , like this custom here, to sell for around $50. I have spent more than $2k recently due to high level of quality deals right now or else I would bid the $50 to start. The materials alone run around the current selling price. I hope the buyer gets a good deal but I also the seller gets a fair price also. If not he may quit doing these high level customs and that would truly be a shame.

That's a really excellent point, and something artists have struggled with for a long time. I looked at some of the POP customs on eBay, and prices are really rough. I've sold various things there, and you can easily expect to lose 15% or more of the final price to eBay and Paypal fees.

So, a single POP figure is $10 minimum. Good quality model paints are $3-5 per (tiny half-ounce) bottle. Plus there are other consumables like decal supplies, modeling sandpaper, Dremel parts, brushes that get old, spray sealers, etc.. And on top of that, you need enough space to make a bit of a mess. But mostly it's just time. I have school and a pretty good job, and even a simple repaint takes a few hours to get right. And there's no way I'd put something out there that wasn't my best work.

Someday, I'd like to make a custom figure to use in a give-away of some sort. But I don't even want to say how much I'd need to ask to actually build something on commission. Economies of scale make all the difference. These kinds of customs (even repaints) have much more in common with the hand-made prototypes that start the development process than with the mass-produced finished pieces that we buy at Barnes and Noble.

I would completely agree that the sellers of most of the completed auctions on eBay are just trying to clear out old projects that they've had some fun with -- because there's really no way they're recouping the value of the supplies and time invested.

[batmanfunatic92]

Well said a.g.s. That's why I say I feel bad for customs that sell for around $20ish, but there is also a smaller market for customs. Good work on this one though. Really enjoy seeing new characters.

[antigravitysneakers]

Two points of clarification, if I could.

First, this is not my Atom figure auction (though it's very nicely done, and I'd be pleased if it were).

Second, I don't think anybody should feel bad if they buy a custom piece for $20. If that's the way the transaction falls, that's perfectly fair. But I do think the buyer should be aware that he or she got the better side of the investment.

However, I completely understand why the custom/creative dynamic is often poorly understood. Mostly, we just see the following process:

Vinyl toy + [Something Happens] --> New vinyl toy

That middle part is kind of vague, and I was just trying to show some of what happens in there, having done a bit myself. There's a large investment in pricey supplies (money), working space (money), and time (also, I'm told, money). I think most people interested enough to consider buying a custom piece are probably also interested enough to know about where it comes from; it can only increase their appreciation for the brilliant thing they've acquired.

No doubt, I have a strong opinion here, but no judgement on others. I simply think it's the responsibility of artists to be the caretakers of their craft, so take my point of view -- as someone who draws, writes, paints, and sculpts -- as a kind of advocacy. I think it's important to value the creative process wherever we find it, even if it's just on a little forum dedicated to funny toys. It's unfortunate that, on a certain level, it still comes down to money. But I like to speak up for creativity, skill, and craft, because I hope that it will eventually mean more people enabled to make awesome stuff.

[jake1977jr]

So who ended up winning this? I tried a last second bid just to see if I could master the bidding process,but failed once again.I just hope somebody on here got it.

[glowfunkofreak]

mine .. Mine .. MINE !!!

[jake1977jr]

Congrats Ron.So I guess you were the one with the last second only bid.I emailed the guy and asked him if he is going to do anymore,because I really want to get one.I just dig it for some reason.Maybe because it's a completely different character.Congrats again!!!