[dmess]

Definite novice compared to most of you. I have only posted a few, but the MGR bug hit me this summer and I haven’t looked back. My first custom was spray painting a v1 snake eyes with broken thumbs red to be a red ninja from the silent issue. I try to stay away from painting as I am terrible at it. I want my customs to look factory for the most part so marauder stuff without painting is great for me.

As for mixing, I have kept them separate from Hasbro stuff for the most part, but I am getting to the point where some are good enough to mix if the Hasbro version is clearly lacking. Duke is a great example.

Question for you all:
I am afraid to use waterslide decals as I have never used them before. I know it gets the best look, but is there printable sticker paper that is close? I bought some today, but it is too rigid to put on figures. Any advice on what to get?

[AF80sFAN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmess

Question for you all:
I am afraid to use waterslide decals as I have never used them before. I know it gets the best look, but is there printable sticker paper that is close? I bought some today, but it is too rigid to put on figures. Any advice on what to get?

Firstly I would say don't be afraid of waterslide decals, they are fairly easy to use and give a good result.
Personally I do not like using stickers on figures, so some others on here might be able to give you better advice. They really need a flat surface, so are great for vehicles, but don't tend to cope with the contours on figures. I have never tried it but if you did have some stickers you wanted to use you could try using a decal softener on them (I use Micro Set and Micro Sol on my waterslide decals), that might soften them up a bit. If you wanted to print your own stickers (or waterslide decals) you really want a colour laser printer rather than an inkjet one, and ideally one that prints white. If you were using an inkjet printer you should really seal the sticker with a clearcoat or varnish and this will thicken the sticker up. Matt paper stickers tend to be thinner than glossy ones but won't give such a nice finish.

[sbartek1974]

Anyone else stuck in this weird cycle where work is so exhausting that your hobbies feel like too much work so you don't do them then you go back to work upset that you didn't take time to do the things you like and rinse and repeat?

[ozzie92]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbartek1974

Anyone else stuck in this weird cycle where work is so exhausting that your hobbies feel like too much work so you don't do them then you go back to work upset that you didn't take time to do the things you like and rinse and repeat?

Always, lol. Kept me from customizing all SEP-OCT.

But, I’m on a mini kick, recently. I plan on getting in another Plague custom this long weekend.

[axonrey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbartek1974

Anyone else stuck in this weird cycle where work is so exhausting that your hobbies feel like too much work so you don't do them then you go back to work upset that you didn't take time to do the things you like and rinse and repeat?

Every so often, I’ll get on a run where I’ll keep staging projects, but don’t have time to work on them, and get overwhelmed. Some days I just want to get out entirely.

[46 Zone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmess

Question for you all:
I am afraid to use waterslide decals as I have never used them before. I know it gets the best look, but is there printable sticker paper that is close? I bought some today, but it is too rigid to put on figures. Any advice on what to get?

Yeah. I'm lousy at Waterslide decals. I can't get them to lay flat, and when they do, they are in the wrong position. When I try to move it back, it wrinkles. Therefore, I print out my logos on these glossy white labels:


https://www.avery.com/products/labels/22804


I agree with AF80F in that it works well on flat surfaces mainly. Anything that is white on the logo, will be white on the sticker. I have used clear labels before, but they only look good when you place it on a light colored surface such as white or light grey. Anything that is white on the clear labels will be clear on the sticker.

Most of my Red shadow logos, SAS logos, and Space Force logos used the white glossy labels:










The labels stay on for the most part. I haven't tried gluing them down as my glue tends to leave a white film.

[Hit & Run]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbartek1974

Anyone else stuck in this weird cycle where work is so exhausting that your hobbies feel like too much work so you don't do them then you go back to work upset that you didn't take time to do the things you like and rinse and repeat?

I mirror what you & everyone else have said. I got hit with it a few months ago, was pumping out customs in large batches and then just hit a wall where the thought of painting made me cringe and I was just spent idea-wise. Switched focus from customizing to taking pictures, organizing the collection and doing other stuff around the house and eventually I got the urge again.

The new Marauder parts gave me a nice recharge, then same for finally messing with sculpting. Have some Retro collection guys to mess with now, so trying to keep things fresh. Definitely can be taxing if you don’t keep things fun or try to force it.

[ozzie92]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hit & Run

I mirror what you & everyone else have said. I got hit with it a few months ago, was pumping out customs in large batches and then just hit a wall where the thought of painting made me cringe and I was just spent idea-wise. Switched focus from customizing to taking pictures, organizing the collection and doing other stuff around the house and eventually I got the urge again.

The new Marauder parts gave me a nice recharge, then same for finally messing with sculpting. Have some Retro collection guys to mess with now, so trying to keep things fresh. Definitely can be taxing if you don’t keep things fun or try to force it.

Which is why I do it for FUN, not commission.

[Sataninjaku]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbartek1974

Anyone else stuck in this weird cycle where work is so exhausting that your hobbies feel like too much work so you don't do them then you go back to work upset that you didn't take time to do the things you like and rinse and repeat?

Yes. You may or may not have noticed a lack of certain "same ol' bunkers and landscapes" on my end. It literally causes me anxiety, to be perfectly honest. A good part of that isn't work related though- I began to feel as though I'd hit a creative wall about a year ago.

[ARBCO Avenue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbartek1974

Anyone else stuck in this weird cycle where work is so exhausting that your hobbies feel like too much work so you don't do them then you go back to work upset that you didn't take time to do the things you like and rinse and repeat?

The struggle is real. Looks like a lot of people here can empathize. Me too, most of the time. I really enjoy the focused energy that flows through my brain and fingertips when creating without time constraints and I can forget everything else. I soak it up when I can, but far too rarely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozzie92

Which is why I do it for FUN, not commission.

Sure looks like you’ve been having fun, Ozzie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sataninjaku

Yes. You may or may not have noticed a lack of certain "same ol' bunkers and landscapes" on my end. It literally causes me anxiety, to be perfectly honest. A good part of that isn't work related though- I began to feel as though I'd hit a creative wall about a year ago.

Yes I HAD noticed. Hope you find your muse again!