Toy Customizer: Frikkie Stroebel

Interview with Toy Customizer: Frikkie Stroebel

Toy customizing has quickly become an ever-increasing hobby thanks to adult-collector toy lines, and the slow pace at which they release new product. There’s nothing stopping you from creating your very own ideal action figure. Today we are talking with a guy who goes by the name of Frikkie Stroebel from Blue Hand Customs. He’s one of the most skilled toy customizers around in South Africa and he has done a lot of custom work for me already. He is my go to man when it comes to customs jobs!!

Back in 2013 I contacted him for the first time to ask him if it was possible for him to make me a custom vintage Camo Khan. Immediately he said yes. Let’s give it a go and this is what he produced!!! Amazing work!!!!

MOTU!:  So Frikkie, how did you get started doing action figure customs?

Frikkie:  When I started collecting MOTUC in 2011, I saw all the awesome custom figures guys like HKC and Joe Amato was making and figured I’d give it a shot.

MOTU!:  How long have you been customizing figures?

Frikkie:  Since 2011. Before that I did a couple of model cars and some other stuff.

MOTU!:  You do a lot of sculpting on your figures, not just the same old repaints seen elsewhere. What materials do you generally use to "make the magic happen”?

Frikkie:  I can’t sculpt, it’s more like “copy and paste”. I would love to learn how to sculpt though. Maybe one day when the kids are married….

MOTU!:  Your paint jobs are very well done. Can you tell us a little on your technique for getting a sweet paintjob that gets past the pesky joint rub problem?

Frikkie:  Thank you!! Surface preparation, good quality tools and paint are most important. A little patience also helps.

Joint rub can be solved by disassembling the joint and sand the surfaces down just a tad. Usually it’s not really necessary.

MOTU!:  Any horror stories of something gone horribly wrong?

Frikkie:  Yes!! Lots of horror stories, but nothing that couldn't be fixed.

MOTU!:  On the opposite end of blood loss, what has been your favorite custom to date? Not necessarily your favorite character, but one that just turned out exactly, or better, than you planned.

Frikkie:  The one that was the most satisfying was the Spirit of King Grayskull. Its finally done after a lot of failed attempts and giving ups and throwing stuffs. My favourite one is my Skeletor head.

Spirit of King Grayskull



MOTU!:  Yeah that Spirit of Grayskull is an amazing custom and I can’t wait to get my hands on one. The Skeletor head that you made for me a couple of months back is also top class.

Skeletor Head





MOTU!:  Do you have upcoming MOTUC customs that you're excited to be working on, or planning out?

Frikkie:  Yes. I’ve been planning proper battle armor for Wun-Dar and an upgraded battle armor Skeletor.

MOTU!:  Where can people see more of your work? Also, what is the best way for someone to get in touch with you for commissions?

Frikkie:  On my hugely neglected Facebook page, Blue Hand Customs, the one that you just became an Admin of.

MOTU!:  Thanks Frikkie, great talking with you! We look forward to seeing all the sweet new customs.

Frikkie:  Thanks Cobus! Always a pleasure.

Below is a small gallery of the customs that Frikkie has made for myself:

Snake Soldier

Battle Armor Faker

Dark Skin Grizzlor

Camo Khan

Green Goddess

Snake Soldier

Strobo



87 Movie Dark Soldiers (Custom Head by Joe Amaro)

Guerr-Or (Custom Head by Mat 'O Toole - The Castle of Power)



King Hiss

King Hiss

Dreadful Disguised Leader of the Snake Men

 

King Hiss is the former ruler of Eternia, Lord of Snake Mountain and leader of the Snake Men. King Hiss has magic as great as that of the Elders and is one of He-Man’s most powerful enemies and the arch-nemesis to Zodak.

Bio:

Real Name: Hssss of the Viper House

A servant of the Unnamed One, Hssss was chosen to lead an army of Snake Men to the planet of Eternia to plunder its magical secrets. He ruled Eternia for three centuries until a rebellion formed under D'Vann Grayskull. Soon afterwards, the Horde invaded and Hssss was drawn into a three-way war. All three sides agreed to a temporary truce in order to construct the Three Towers, but Hssss was betrayed by Hordak and in time was banished to the Void by the Elders and Zodak. For five centuries he and his army waited until Evil-Lyn and a Snake Men descendent named Kobra Khan opened the Snake Pit to free them. King Hssss often tricks foes by appearing heroic but then transforms into a seething mass of serpents and leads the Snake Men into battle!

Weapons:

Snake Staff

Shield

Character Type:

Human

Snake Men

Affiliation:

Snake Men

Personality:

King Hiss’s core personality is that of a person that is as generous to his friends as he is ruthless to his enemies.

Companion:

General Rattlor

Powers and Abilities:

King Hiss’s appearance is human, but he is capable of shedding his human skin revealing everything from his waist up to be a writhing mass of serpents. Hiss possesses a host of somewhat vague magical powers. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull once stated that King Hiss’s magic is as ancient as that of the Elders.

Powers – Summary:

Agility

Blast Power

Claws

Energy Shield

Feral

Flight

Force Field

Hypnosis

Leadership

Magic

Mesmerize

Poisonous

Shape Shifter

Stamina

Sub-Mariner

Super Eating

Super Hearing

Super Sight

Super Smell

Super Speed

Super Strengh

Reference:

He-Man.Org

Wiki Grayskull

Wikipedia

Hordak

Hordak

Ruthless Leader of the Evil Horde

He is the leader of the Evil Horde, an army of savage warriors, most of whom wear a red bat symbol on their chest to convey their allegiance. He is the former mentor of Skeletor, and he also opposes She-Ra and He-Man.

Bio:

Real Name: Hec-Tor Kur

Second born heir to the Horde Empire, Hec-Tor Kur arrived on the planet Eternia while battling the cosmic warrior He-Ro. Taking the name Hordak, he raised an army and challenged the Snake Men for rule over the planet. Although he defeated King Hssss, Grayskull, leader of the free people of Eternia succeeded in banishing him to the dimension of Despondos. It was here that centuries later Hordak contacted a young alchemist named Keldor and began teaching him the ways of the dark arts in exchange for freedom from his extra dimensional prison.

Weapons:

White Crossbow

Bat Shield

Character Type:

Alien

Affiliation:

Evil Horde

Personality:

Hordak’s core personality is that of a person that is full of vengeance and hate. He is a savage warrior and conqueror.

Companion:

Horde Prime

Powers and Abilities:

In the Filmation Series, Hordak possesses an array of powers. The majority of Hordak's powers are seemingly the product of science. He is capable of transforming himself in a variety of ways. For example, he can turn his arm into an energy cannon, become a massive tank, and even transport himself over great distances by becoming a rocket. In the episode "The Stone in the Sword", Hordak even transforms his arm into a vacuum cleaner. Although mechanical in result, these transformations may have been magically instigated, as they occur instantaneously with an eerie glow and sound effect.

However, the mini comics and Marvel Star comic books depict Hordak as using magic to a greater extent, more so than science. He is shown to be a powerful dark mage of equal or greater power to Skeletor and most likely has far greater knowledge.

As Hurricane Hordak, he has the power to discharge violent whirlwinds via mechanical rotor-blades that replace his right hand. As Buzz-Saw Hordak, he can launch a deadly spinning buzz-saw-like projectile from his chest. The accompanying mini comics explain the origins of both seemingly technological powers in clearly magical terms.

In the 2002 Mike Young Productions cartoon, Hordak briefly appears in flashbacks and in astral form via "dimensional portals". He is depicted as a supremely powerful magic-user, seemingly of vastly greater power than Skeletor, and with no apparent reliance on technology whatsoever, other than his Horde Troopers, although it is unknown if these redesigned minions are still intended to be robots like the original versions.

Powers – Summary:

Adaptive

Blast Power
Claws
Dimensional Manipulation
Flight
Immortal
Intellect
Invulnerability
Magic
Marksmanship
Shape Shifter
Swordsmanship
Teleport
Unarmed Combat
Weapons Master
Wind Bursts

Reference:

He-Man.Org

Wiki Grayskull
Wikipedia

He-Man

He-Man

Most Powerful Man in the Universe

He-Man is the heroic barbarian superhero and also the alter ego of Prince Adam and the twin brother of She-Ra. He works in secret to become He-Man and he and his heroic friends fight of Skeletor and other evil forces to defend Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull.

Bio:

Real Name:  Adam of the House Randor

A direct descendant of the legendary King Grayskull, Prince Adam of Eternia was chosen to protect his ancestor's Power Sword from evil. At first, he used a techno vest with a built-in force field to fight evil, but Adam has since learned to combine both halves of the Power Sword, using it to channel the energy of the Elders to become He-Man - The Most Powerful Man in the Universe! He guards the safety of all Eternia alongside the heroic Masters of the Universe.

Weapons:

Power Sword

Battle Axe

Shield

Character Type:

Human

Affiliation:

Heroic Warriors

Galactic Guardians

Personality:

He-Man behaves in a very mature and responsible manner, but still display a sense of humor.

Companion:

Battle Cat

Powers and Abilities:

He-Man was characterized as possessing super speed, indestructible skin, and superhuman strength. The extent of his strength was unknown, but on one occasion he was able to hoist Castle Grayskull and throw it through a dimensional doorway. He-Man also demonstrated his strength by lifting mountains and icebergs and hurling them towards a desired target. In the episode "She-Demon of Phantos", he was shown to be the only person to break Photanium (claimed by Man-At-Arms to be the strongest metal in the universe). In the comics, he was shown as able to go one-on-one with pre-Crisis Superman. On the original action figure's packaging and in the introductory sequence of the 1980s cartoon series, He-Man is claimed to be "the most powerful man in the universe". His strength was derived from magical powers within Castle Grayskull.

He can remain as He-Man for as long as he wants but if he takes too much damage or uses too much raw force, he will revert to his original form of Adam. In the 2002 series, He-Man is shown enduring the brunt of at least two large explosions, which he survives, but reverts to Adam in the process, suggesting that even He-Man has a limit as to how much abuse he can endure before his superhuman strength and stamina are exhausted. For He-Man to change back to Prince Adam he holds out his power sword, says "Let the power return!", and then He-Man and Battle Cat would change back in to Prince Adam and Cringer. In the 2002 series, He-Man was shown enduring the brunt of the Ram Stone of Zalasia (a gem whose mystic force could pierce any barrier or topple any obstruction). He survived, but reverted to Adam in the process. In combat against the snake-god Serpos, He-Man was struck by the giant snake's tail and sent crashing into a mountain. When he fell to the ground, he was again in Adam's form; this suggested there was a limit to He-Man's strength and stamina.

He-Man's powers is not limited to strength; he is also depicted as being extremely quick and acrobatic. His speed has been demonstrated by running fast enough to escape massive explosions and by moving his arms fast enough to counteract the winds of a tornado. He-Man is also shown leaping great heights, usually flipping through the air several times before landing safely on his feet.

It is also suggested that He-Man possesses some form of telepathic powers as well. There were several instances in the original TV series where He-Man was able to communicate and sense the presence of the Sorceress by telepathy. It was also shown that he has the ability to communicate with his sister She-Ra across great distances.

He-Man as a character is largely non-violent, only resorting to combat as a last resort. He used his genius-level intellect more often, preferring to outsmart his adversaries; most violent actions typically consisted of body-throws. In accordance with broadcast standards of the period, in the Filmation cartoon, He-Man could not use his sword as an offensive weapon or punch or kick anyone. He was only allowed to destroy robotic enemies. The 1987 film and 2002 series, however, showed him fighting more aggressively. He-Man was depicted as a leader – most noticeably in the movie adaptation, where he is referred to as the "leader" of the resistance. Skeletor intended to force him into submission, rather than killing him – fearing that doing the latter would turn He-Man into a martyr who would inspire others to fight.

He-Man's primary weapon was his sword, but he also used other weapons (such as a laser-gun in the film and mini-comics, a battle axe, a shield, and other equipment - including vehicles) while battling his foes. His sword, apparently indestructible, could deflect bolts of energy. The sword gives He-Man the ability to transform from Prince Adam into He-Man (and back) by utilizing the powers of Castle Grayskull. He also uses his sword to transform Cringer into Battle Cat. In the earliest versions of the story (for example, the first four minicomics) He-Man's primary weapon was an axe, as the sword was intended as a plot device to gain entry to Castle Grayskull. The breastplate on his power harness was made of an Eternian mineral (corodite) which helped add to his physical strength. The origin of the power harness was explained in the episode "Evil-Lyn's Plot".

Powers – Summary:

Agility

Attractive Male

Berserker Strength

Healing

Immortal

Invulnerability

Leadership

Magic

Power Item

Shape Shifter

Stamina

Super Speed

Super Strength

Swordsmanship

Telepathy

Tracking

Unarmed Combat

Weapons Master

Wind Bursts

References:

He-Man.Org

Wiki Grayskull

Vaults of Grayskull

Wikipedia

Skeletor

Skeletor

Evil Lord of Destruction

Skeletor is the most evil being and most dangerous threat on Eternia. His only goal is power, and to that end he will not rest until he possesses the secrets of Castle Grayskull whereby he could become master of the universe.

Bio:

Real Name:  Keldor

Mortally wounded in battle with his half-brother Captain Randor, Keldor turned to his dark-arts master Hordak to save his life. Merging Keldor with the extra-dimensional being Demo-Man from Despondos, Keldor was forever changed into Skeletor, Overlord of Evil! He gathered together the greatest outcasts and evil warriors of Eternia in his quest to gain entry into Castle Grayskull and obtain what he believes is the universe's ultimate power source.

Weapons:

Havoc Staff

Sword

Character Type:

Gar
God / Eternal

Affiliation:

Evil Warriors

Formely Evil Horde

Personality:

Skeletor's core personality remains the same throughout all incarnations, cruel and dominating with a hunger for power that fuels his ambition.  He is also extremely cunning and intelligent.

Companion:

Panthor

Powers and Abilities:

Skeletor possesses an array of mystic powers and is an extremely powerful sorcerer with control over a vast range of dark magical powers, such as the ability to teleport himself and others over vast distances, send telepathic commands to his minions, grow plants, hypnotism, illusions, reflection, freezing rays, and open gateways between dimensions. He also possesses considerable scientific skill, and is shown to have skill in creating various machines and devices. He is also a highly skilled swordsman, wielding dual swords and taking on multiple opponents.

He is usually armed with his magical weapon the Havoc Staff. He can discharge bolts of mystic force from the head of the Staff, or use it as a focus for more powerful forms of magic such as the theft of dreams. Skeletor has also displayed the ability to discharge energy from his own body, as is seen in the 1987 film where he casts lightning from his hands and in the original animated series where he projects energy from his fingertips.

In the early mini-comics, Skeletor sometimes possesses one half of the Power Sword. From this weapon he could also project magical energies. He also performed remote viewing via a crystal ball. As a master of the occult arts, he is also privy to much secret knowledge about the universe.

He is also very strong, although his strength is no match for He-Man's. He has few weaknesses, aside from his inability to control his anger, and on occasion his overconfidence can also be his undoing.

Powers – Summary:

Agility

Animal Control

Animation

Berserker Strength

Blast Power

Claws

Darkness Manipulation

Dimension Manipulation

Electricity Control

Energy Enhanced Strike

Genetic Manipulation

Illusion Casting

Intellect

Leadership

Magic

Power Item

Sand Manipulation

Siphon Abilities

Siphon Life-force

Stamina

Super Strength

Swordsmanship

Telekinesis

Telepathy

Teleport

Unarmed Combat

Weapons Master

References:

He-Man.Org

Wiki Grayskull

Vaults of Grayskull

Wikipedia