#awa_MasterClass

 In the year 1981, the landscape of action figures was dominated by soldiers, spacemen, and dolls. Mattel was in search of a new toy to take the world by storm. Something unique and original that would bring about a new surge in sales and introduce a new generation of toy collectors to their product. Enter, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe!  The residents of Eternia made their grand debut through 5.5 inch figures with accompanying mini comics and a smash hit cartoon series. The main focus of the franchise centered around the never ending conflict between the titular blonde muscular hero He-Man and his blue skinned evil doer enemy, Skeletor. Each side of good and evil had its teams of unique teammates for each, creating a vast collection of heroes and villains to wage war against one another. The series had wild success in comics, books, television, and even a feature film. However, the action figures were still the greatest source of success for the franchise.  The ...

 It’s a tale as old as time.. or at least as old as action figure photography. The age old debate on what is the best way to take your action figure photography, with a camera or with a smart phone. Well, here at the Masters Class we don’t believe in telling anyone HOW to take their shots. However, we ARE all about making sure to cover all the bases and bring you the behind the scenes looks at all of the ways to bring your game up a level. We strive to provide the insight and tips from the best to pose ‘em and shoot ‘em. So for this edition of the Masters Class we decided to find two of the absolute best at using their smart phones to deliver some stunning action figure photography, @coxcreate and @onetwelvewonders! So make sure your phone is fully charged and your notes app is opened, because class is now in session.  With the advancements in technology when it comes to cellphones, there are nearly limitless options for devices. What type of cellphone do you use for taking yo...

 For as long as there’s been action figures on the market, there’s been talented artists out there that have seem the opportunity to customize them into totally different and unique custom figures. Whether driven by the want of figures that haven’t been created, variations of existing characters, or artistic inspiration; action figure customizers have used wit and their talent to craft one of a kind figures that can leave you in a state of awe.  Whether it’s a kitbash of parts, custom sculpts and paint jobs, or any combination of those things, custom action figures are a integral part of expressing the artistic and creative freedom of action figure photography for many. And while the inspiration for making these articulated pieces of art can come from many places, the love that goes into creating them inspires countless other artists to try their hand at crafting their own custom figure.  This week on the Masters Class, we will be talking all about the process of creating...