Inanimate Objects

How many years have you been making your own action figures?

If you mean how long have I made a concentrated effort at making these figures in a consistent size and quality? Since 1995. If you mean in general, since I was old enough to take a screw driver to the back of a G.I. Joe figure. (read more...)

How do I take great photos of figures?

Action figure photography has exploded as its own sub-genre in the last few years. There are some truly amazing artists out there. You can find most of them on social media. With that in mind, each one of those artists will recommend a different method. You simply need to pick (read more...)

What is a Dremel box?

A Dremel box is an ingenious apparatus that allows you to drill and sand without making a huge mess in the room you’re in. Depending on the material being altered, drilling and sanding can produce a lot of debris and dust. A Dremel box keeps most of that contained. I (read more...)

Why would I need access to a computer?

Why, for all the great Inanimate Objects downloads, of course! You can print emblems and costume details, as well as some Inanimate Objects playsets. I’ve also used Photoshop to test ideas by making “virtual” customs. I’ll lay a figure on a scanner and scan an image of the (limb/head/chest/etc.) that (read more...)

How do you decide which figures to make next?

I keep a running list of characters I’d like to see standing on my shelf. Given the responsibilities of real life, sometimes it can take years to work through a chunk of that list. But some characters jump the line. Maybe a new part of base figure just became available, (read more...)

What kinds of paint do I use?

Primarily, I use acrylic paints. Most any acrylics will work fine, be they the $.99 specials or the high-end professional series. Acrylics mix easily, dry quickly, and react well with primer. Primarily, I use the Ceramcoat brand of acryclics, commonly found in craft stores. I’ve used these since I was (read more...)

How can I sand figures to a smooth finish?

Every substance has its own qualities, be it ABS or PVC plastics, Magic Sculpt or Alumilite, styrene or wood. If I need to remove a large mass of something that can’t simply be cut off with a mat knife or saw, I’ll reduce that mass with the large, coarse sanding (read more...)

Where can I find emblems to print?

You can many emblems in the Inanimate Objects downloads section. (read more...)

How much time and money goes into each figure?

Well, from the initial desire to make the figure to the final product can literally take years. Sometimes I’ll want to make a character, but the means of making it won’t exist yet, or might be too costly at that time. Other times I’ll have a hard time figuring out (read more...)

How can I get vibrant, smooth colors with acrylics?

It takes planning and thinking ahead. In general, you want to paint darker colors on top of lighter colors. The quick and dirty solution would be to spray a figure with white primer, and then paint everything on top of that. But that can have some downsides. Maybe you don’t (read more...)