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Q & A with Troy Younger Occupation: Reluctant Draftsman Age: 32 How long have you been customizing? I started customizing 5" figures about 5 or 6 years ago. About a year later I started doing custom Megos exclusively Around how many figures have you customized? I probably have parts for about 50 different figures. Of these I've finished 2 dozen, more or less. What was the first figure you customized? Were you satisfied with it? The very first figure was a toy biz Superman that I turned into a Fleischer Superman. That figure was a simple repaint. The first custom Mego was Mister Miracle in which I used a Captain America head. He turned out quite well for a first figure and is something that I want to do again. However, I should say that I was making different outfits for my Mego's when I was a kid. One of my favorites was Kirk's green shirt. What started you customizing in the first place? I wanted to have toys of figures that weren't being made. Do you only customize super-heroes? Yes, with one exception. I did a character Tootsie Roll used in an advertisement I found in an old Captain Marvel Jr. comic. The character was called Captain Tootsie. He carried around a purse, sack, bag looking thing of tootsie rolls and used the sugar rush from the candy to do his super feats. Does scale play any part in your custom work? Scale, or how figures relate to each other in a series, has become my greatest concern. And is the chief reason that I started making parts. When Kingdom Come first hit the stands I was very anxious to make custom Megos of various characters. But for figures other then Red Robin or the Ray, the standard Mego body didn't convey the impact that I wanted Superman or Von Bach to have. Luckily, since I'm primarily concerned with DC characters, I don't have to worry about the huge odd ball like Galactus. Unless you want to count the Shaggy Man or that intergalactic decorator that appeared in a JLA annual a few years back. But even among Marvel characters, Thor should tower over Cap, and Cap should be taller and bulkier then Hawkeye. This is a subject that I could go on about for hours. It's my greatest toy pet peeve. But, I'll stop now and not put anyone reading this through any more of my rambling. Do you plan on making more customs? If so who will you be working on making? Yes! This is something that started as a simple distraction, but I've grown to love it. As for figures that I'm working on, I'm like a big guy at an all you can eat buffet, my eyes are bigger then my stomach. I'm very close to having parts ready for a made from scratch silver age Superman. Next up are SA versions of The Flash (Barry) & Green Lantern (Hal). The DC Silver Age is a theme that I want to continue with. What materials do you use for your customs? The usual. Spandex & various colored leathers for the costumes. Have you cast any new heads or are they all standard MEGO heads? If yes what materials do you use? I've been making my own heads for about 3 years. I build the head up with Super Sculpey, use a latex mold builder for the molds, and cast the heads with a product called Pour On. Pour On is a two part resin and hardener used in equal amounts. It's primarily used as a coating for plaques and railroad hobbiest use it to make water. I should also say that I've started using a mother mold made of plaster to keep the latex mold from distorting. Do you collect original MEGOs? Yes. But, the cost of even loose figures is really hampering my collecting. I've been focusing on SA comics. Have you built any custom vehicles or playsets? No. Making the figures and accessories required is enough. How long does the average custom take to finish? If it's a simple matter of making a head and costume for a Mego body, I can do that in 3 to 4 weeks.For the last couple of years I've been working toward making figures from scratch. This is something that is just now starting to come together. Do you have any favorites? No. I look at a finished figure and think that some aspect could have been executed better. Do you make accessories for your customs? When it's an intricate part of the character. What is your favorite part of the hobby? Sculpting. Have you used anything other than MEGO bodies (LJN for example)? I've used old He-Man parts for chests. That line seems to match up real well with Mego. That's about it.
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