DoubleDealer: A True Master of the Customizing Craft

I would’ve wanted to save this post for a later time when this blog would have more traffic, but I couldn’t wait and will probably re-post it again at a later date.

DoubleDealer Aka. 2dtoys is my all-time favorite customizer/action figure creator.  I first discovered his work through chatting with other customizers back in 2006 (Cal’s Customs and Zombihamma).  I recall asking them if there was a cusotmizer that influenced them or they admired and one name stood out in their minds, DoubleDealer. 

I visited 2dtoys.com and that day changed how I saw action figures.  To me, 2D knew exactly how to make the perfect version of each character.  Here's a sample of some of his work: 

 2D used to chop up figures, fuse them together and then dremel them down, leaving him with a skeleton to work with. He would then sculpt beautiful pieces finished with amazing paint jobs.  His website is a catalogue of his work, you can see his skill evolve from his early work (2001/2002 although I heard he started in the late 90’s) as he advanced his skill set.

A Little Personal History

I first introduced myself to 2D on TheFwoosh forums, and asked him for a commission of Cable based on his old 80/90’s design (big shoulders pads, tons of pouches):

I remember him saying “Sounds interesting, it would be fun to do a Cable from Rob Liefield’s design!” and that was it … I didn’t know if that was a yes or a no!  So I messaged back asking if he would and he replied “Sure! I’m busy this month but I can start next month” and that’s how my first commission from 2Dtoys started. 

For Cable, he was originally going to use a ML Hercules base… then a few days later I get a message:

2D: “Hey, had some problems with the Herc figure… his hands are ugly… are you okay with using ML Thor as a base?”

I couldn’t picture how that would work, but I trusted his talent and went ahead with it.  

I was curious: “Why Thor?”

And his reply was: “Thor just has a sexier build to him.” 

I knew when he said that it was going to be good.  A few weeks later, I get this in my inbox:

I was mind blown. What an amazing creation.  This was everything I was looking for in a Cable figure, and he delivered it perfectly. If you were to see the reference art I provided, it literally looks like he jumped out of the comic.  To today, this is definitely still my favorite Cable action figure.  

Since then, 2D and I have emailed back and forth for the last 8 years.  99% of the time it’s me bugging him to make me a custom, and over the years I've managed to hunt (sometimes literally HUNT) down a few more from him:

I am a very fortunate to own such masterpieces and they are definitely the highlight of my collection.  His work really captures exactly what I want in a figure…the feel, likeness, proportions, everything is perfection.  I really enjoy the idea that these are one-of-a-kind pieces I own, hand crafted by the man himself.  It adds a high sense of rarity and uniqueness that I value very much so. 

I remember after he sent me Cable in 2007, he mentioned his goal was to sculpt for a living.  Nowadays, Fred has transitioned to sculpt for Hasbro, working on lines such as GI Joe, Star Wars and Marvel.  He sculpts using a wax and his attention to detail has gotten even better if you can believe it. 

Please check out his website: 2dtoys.com .  It hasn't been updated for years, but he provides a lot of his thought process for each figure he made.  For more recent work, check out his facebook page.

There is a lot to say about 2D’s work, I’ll save it for another time.  If you ever get a chance to chat with him, Fred is a great guy with a deep passion for his work. 

I've got a small list of characters I've always wanted him to craft for me (actually it’s 6 characters).  My dream is, if he’s willing to; to hopefully get them done sometime in the near future.  If I do, I’ll be sharing the process and the finish piece with you guys here.  Hope you enjoyed this post!