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!

Uncovering Bantha5 Custom Clone Commanders from 2006

The other day I was cleaning out my old room that I had since I was a kid which eventually became a storage room years ago.  The room was packed with random family items and tons and tons of action figures, some of which haven’t been seen in over a decade!  

Upon packing my old collection into their appropriate boxes, I uncovered something truly special, custom Clone Commander pieces I ordered from Bantha5 customs in 2006.

What you’re looking at is a custom cast head sculpt of Commander Neyo, which can be fitted to a regular clone trooper body, as well as the shoulder guard and backpack for Commander Cody.  Next to it was the card Ryan (Bantha5) mailed with every order.  What a fantastic head sculpt, you can see it here compared to the Commander Neyo from 2008 Anniversary Collection, 2013 Black Series and Bantha5's version: 

Compare them to Commander Neyo himself and I think Bantha5's comes out on top:

The package I ordered also came with a Commander Cody helmet which for some reason I can’t seem to find (I will post it if i'm lucky to find it hidden in my room). 

Take a look at Bantha5’s website.  Here you can discover his amazing talents of customizing and sculpting some awesome star wars figures, most notably his work in the vintage collection.  His journey began with a passion to create the figures that were missing in his collection or never released. I think he did a great job of staying true to the vintage era of design and sculpting, his work looks as if Kenner produced it. 

I tried contacting Ryan but with no luck! I’m not sure if his email works or not, but if you’re reading this, please reach out to me, I’d love to interview you for the fans to see! 

To me personally, Bantha5 customs brings back memories of the original Star Wars customizers that I saw from years back.  When Ep. 3 came out, there was a huge Clone Trooper craze, and Bantha5 truly brought the Clone Commanders to life.  

I would guess that copies of these head sculpts are fairly rare today, so if you have one, make sure you hang on to it.  Til next time.