Have you seen Mike Danza’s customs? If not, stop reading this page and click here. The man is one of the very best animated style customizers active today! Plus, he’s a really swell guy.

One day Mike happened to mention he had started sculpting a Toyman head from scratch, but had set it aside while he worked on other projects. Knowing that Mike’s rejects would be far better than what most of us could ever aspire to, I asked him about it. Mike was kind enough to give me the opportunity to finish what he started. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

For years I’d thought that an old school Penguin figure would be a great base for a Toyman. The head would be the hard part. Once Mike came to the rescue, everything fell into place. Penguin’s body was heavily sanded, losing the vest, losing some belly, and losing the etched lines in the pants. (The pants were a chore!) Pengy’s arms were far too short, so I substituted those of old school Two-Face. The sweater is Kneadatite, and the hands are from the “hands” drawer. A styrene bow tie finishes the ensemble.

I want to say a heartfelt thanks to Mike for the use of his sculpt. (What you see here is the casting, as I used the original on a second Toyman for Mike.) Without his generosity, this figure might never have been made. Thanks again, Mike!

Created Spring 2004