One thing HorrorBid has always been about is collecting and one of the hottest things to collect in horror land is figures. Todd McFarlane set the bar many years ago and creators and companies have competed to raise the bar even higher in recent years. One of the best custom figure creators on the scene is One's Customs and we got a chance to set down with him to learn a little bit about himself and his work...

Follow up:

Below is an introduction to Montwain Gonzales (One's Customs) for those of you that aren't familiar with his work. For those of you that are there is no introduction needed as Mo is one of the most talented figure creators out there today.

How did you get started in the business of figure making?

I've been customizing figures since I was a child in particular horror icons such as Jason and Freddy much like I do today. The only difference is back then it was 'Silly Putty' and 'Play Doe' but then I hit my teens and well, I sort of began focusing on other interest, lol. However my love for horror always remained. It wasn't until I say 10 or so months ago I began to take interest in customizing again after jumping on YouTbue and seeing a review of a DarkArtist custom figure. I loved it and I thought to myself "I think I can do that" it was over for me after that.



What lead to your passion for the horror genre and or the Halloween holiday? Also, if you have any fond childhood memories or experiences that may have sparked your love for the hobby?

Man my parents were cool and allowed me to watch scary movies at a young age. I still remember my dad taking me to go see 'The Blob' remake when it first came out, it was awesome. I was 6 or 7 years old watching Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th but I was always thought it was make believe. I originally wanted to be involved with make up special effects (F/X) even at six years old I knew who Rick Baker, Tom Savini and Stan Winston were. I was fascinated with behind the scenes and I would imitate what I saw with my action figures.



Who or whom was the biggest influence in your life and how did that effect who you are today?

I actually have two influences. You can consider them one because they're a team or a unit and that would be my parents. They have always been hard working and made sure they did there best to keep me and brothers clothed and fed which I cal luckily do for my own family now.



What do you do in your spare time when you are not making figures or doing something custom related.

I love to record music music watch movies. I'm a big fan of horror and comedies such as Friday the 13th and Super Bad, but most of all being with my wife and kids.


What was your first sculpt or figure making experience? Were you a natural or did it take time to hone your skills? How much have you learned since then?

I would always mess around with figures as a kid. But my first real sculpt was about 10 months ago it was a 7 inch Friday the 13th 'New Blood' figure. I took a WWE figure and some Mighty Putty, those cheap dollar paints, which by the way was my first ever painting experience, wow that was tough but I felt my sculpting was still there. I was very happy with that aspect at least. It has been a long rigorous process to get to the level my work is at right now as I have learned a lot and developed a lot of my own techniques. Everyday I try to figure out new ways to take things further and innovate. I've learned what products are best and what steps to take in the creation of a figure or sculpt.



What project have you worked on in the past that you would consider your favorite?

Wow, there are so many but the one that stands out the most would have to be my 8 inch original concept Jason Voorhees. That thing was a beast because I didn't have to follow any specific guidelines. I was able to take from my own imagination and just go crazy and that's exactly what I did.



How has being a husband, father, or being in a relationship affected your work and are they supportive of what you do?

Its a constant motivation and really helps me strive for excellence and if it wasn't for my wife and kids who knows what I would be doing. They are all very supportive of anything that makes me happy especially on paydays, lol.



What projects have you accomplished in your career that you feel really cemented your legacy in the business. Was there a point where you took a step back and said, “Wow, how am I going to get all these orders filled”?

I don't know if I can say I have a legacy, it would be nice someday. I can say what I'm known for or cemented me in this business is the level of realism I bring to the table whether its 7 or 12 inch, my goal is to take a photo of my work and have people say wow that looks like a movie still or that looks like a real person. I think some of my best projects would have to be my 7 inch remake Jason Voorhees and my more recent work my Rob Zombies H2 Hobo Myers. As far as orders I always try my best to pace myself and not take on too many projects at one time although I generally finish my work in a week or two depending on how elaborate.



What is your opinion of the rest of the custom figure scene as well as the major market players like NECA and MEZCO?

I think its great anytime anyone can express themselves artistically its inspiring. I was inspired and I've inspired many others. There is an amazing amount of talent out there people, who had no idea they could accomplish such work. As far as Neca and Mezco, I cant say enough good things I mean not many companies acknowledge the horror genres these days. McFarlane set the bar and Neca and Mezco are taking things further and I hope one day to do the same thing.



How long does it take on average to complete a custom figure from start to finish?

It varies depending on my passion for the particular character or if I'm in my mode where I'm like a machine sometimes I have 10 or more projects at a time. I would like to finish everything in 2 or 3 weeks and I'm talking about working on a combination of both 7 and 12 inch figures but of coarse you have those projects that require extra attention and those can stretch out a month or so if not longer.



Who is your favorite horror icon and what project would you like to do that you haven’t been able to yet?

Hands down Jason Voorhees! Out of everything I've done that is the one slasher legend I've done the most. I've created him in 7, 12 and 3 3/4 inch scale and I have a lot more in the works. My dream project would have to be my "Real American Horror " 7 inch figure horror line which would be made up of the obscure characters that never got there just do "Shocker", "Maniac Cop" and "The Leprechaun" or the entire set of "The 13th Ghosts" in 7 inch scale, that would be sick.



What were some other low points in your career when you had to take time to reflect and ask yourself if this business isn’t right for you?

I'm pretty optimistic I believe you win some you lose some. If I fail I just work that much harder to the next time but if there was any real low point it would have to be my Halloween '78 Closet scene project I did in 7 inch scale it didn't go for what I wanted it to look like. I worked tirelessly on it and I was disappointed with the overall price I got. I included Michael Myers with 3 alternate heads a Laurie Strode figure a closet with real working doors metal hangers clothes and tons of other stuff but again you win some you lose some, I made it up the following project.



What upcoming project if any can you share with us? And what are your plans for the upcoming year?

I noticed there are not any Friday the 13th projects coming for 2010, well at least the first quarter of the year and I must say it was upsetting so I will focus on that also I'm planning on doing a lot of 1/6 scale Myers projects figures from 1978 to the 2009's H2. The whole set.



CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE OF ONE'S CUSTOMS WORK!

Below is just a few samples of One's Customs work.