Brickplace Customs: The Interview

You who follow this blog, you know that custom minifigs interest me. Unfortunately, I don't really have the patience or the technical knowledge to produce them myself, so I often turn to real artists capable of delivering these unseen minifigs. Because they are artists, and Benjamin alias brickplace is one of those magicians who create many characters from the Star Wars universe ... Do not hesitate to visit his flickr gallery. You will also find his creations on his eBay store.

If the topic interests you, here are some answers to questions I absolutely wanted to ask him:

Hoth Bricks: You are unanimously recognized by the community for the quality of your customs. When did you want to create your own custom minifigs and what was your motivation?

Brickplace: My first customs creations go back about 4 - 5 years. Back then, like many Lego Star Wars enthusiasts, I became addicted to the LEGO minifig - I missed them all, even the ones that didn't exist.
It was therefore for me the beginning of a long epic, because making a good quality custom figurine, which finds its place in my collection, took me a few years of practice, research and tests of all kinds. Also, the problem (which isn't really one) is that the Star Wars Universe is very large, not to mention the Extended Universes - an astronomical number of characters compose it.

HB: The subject of customs divides the community: Some consider these creations as blasphemy while others appreciate seeing certain characters finally created or revisited in minifig version. So, original creation or betrayal of the LEGO concept?

Brickplace: Anything popular and targeting a large number of enthusiasts and collectors will always have detractors for this type of subject and fortunately.
I don't think I will “betray” the LEGO concept, in my opinion the custom minifigs have the interest of filling and adding to a collection. In addition, my creations are made with 100% LEGO parts and that for half of my customs. The other half of them are 90% made with LEGO parts, only helmets do not come from LEGO sets.
I believe that I remain faithful to the very concept of the LEGO minifigure. However, I wouldn't go so far as to say that these are original creations, as my designs take inspiration from existing characters in the world of Star Wars and translate them into custom minifigs.

HB: The Clone Wars has brought a significant amount of new characters into the Star Wars universe. LEGO will obviously not produce all of them. Do customs play an important role in filling this gap with fans?

Brickplace: This is the very essence of my motivation! Create my figs, fill my collection; moreover, the community of fans on the internet that I discovered and that I continue to discover has been a great source of inspiration.
After sharing photos of some of my creations, many enthusiasts asked me questions, asked if I was planning to make this or that figurine and sent links with photos of characters that would be nice to reproduce.
It motivates all the more when the fans congratulate you on your creations, to the point of wondering if it's possible to make them one - that's exactly what made me want to create one for them. other.

HB: Do you use the decal technique for your customs, some advice to give to all those who would like to try this demanding and sometimes complicated technique to implement for their minifigs? Many people wonder which medium to use for decals: What type of paper, what printing technique, etc. In your experience, what is the best technical compromise?

Brickplace: Let's take things in order, creating a custom involves several important steps:

- First of all, you need a quality design and I insist on this point. Perfect mastery of the decal application is one thing, however the quality of a custom minifigure is a package - a very high definition design is essential.

I do all my designs in Photoshop, difficult to give advice on this point. If you're starting from scratch like I did, you have to spend many hours making and redoing Photoshop tutorials in order to get a design worthy of the name.

No Paint or you will have a pixelated design and few technical tools to do what you want! No screenshot either, because there is no high definition design image on the net, so the result would be poor.
Honestly, it took me almost 2 years to get a real quality result - my first designs had a pitiful design.

My advice if you don't want to spend endless nights doing a multiplier gradient on a layer that looks good with the color you want… Yes Photoshop language! Shop for quality designs, printed directly on decal paper.

- For those who would like to realize their design, the decal paper is another important point. There are different weights of decal paper: The lighter it is, the more the result will give the effect of printing on part and not of a decal. This is what I liked about the decal method, when it is of high quality, the result obtained gives the effect of a printed piece, although placed by hand. But be careful, take ordinary decal paper to start, because the thinner it is, the more easily it is destroyed during installation and this can quickly "drive you crazy"!

In addition, there is paper for laser printer and inkjet, I strongly advise against inkjet printing, question of quality. Besides, do not print at home if you do not have a printer that provides excellent definition - go to a printer, the difference in quality will be obvious.

Finally and this is an important point, there are also several types of paper concerning the humidification time: the film of the decal can be removed between 5 seconds and 1 minute, depending on the papers. The fastest will always be of better quality but will always be much more difficult to install. I no longer count the decals that I destroyed… by the thousands! Use transparent decal paper for light pieces and white paper for dark pieces.

- For the installation of the decal, patience and thoroughness must be your two main qualities, I insist!
You have to try and try again, there is no point in pressing too much because you will automatically destroy your decal; always pass lightly on the angles using a fine brush, with semi-rigid bristles, to make the film adhere. Never leave any air bubbles or creases, hideous result guaranteed.

The most difficult thing is to put a tiny decal on a rounded part: the film of the decal is flexible, which is both a problem and an advantage; because the impression can very quickly glaze on a rounded, however its flexibility allows it to marry all the forms.

Hope this will help Hoth Bricks readers with their creations.

HB: What are your next projects? Any info for Hoth Bricks readers?

Brickplace: I have a lot of projects in progress for custom figurines: Old Republic, Gree episode 3, Jango etc ... Then others which are already finished, which I will present in the days to come: 5 Commandos, Wolff ep3, Fil ... I also do a lot of MOCs, I am in finishing one that I will soon present - a Giant Chess Star Wars on Hoth, the first in a long series! (smile)