Durability vs. Detail

[Gregorbian]

I thought this might be an interesting conversation.

Which is more important to you, the "Durability" or the "Detail" of a custom figure?
When I say "Durability" I really mean factory quality - it can be played with.  The parts don't pop in and out easily, you're not afraid of breaking anything ultra-fragile, all of the joints move properly, etc etc.
"Detail" means much that the figure is more a "work of art" for lack of a better term.  Articulation might be sacrificed for better details; parts might be broken off easily if "normally" played with, etc.

Personally, I almost always go for durability - I want these figures to be like what I would have played with when I was 7 or 8...or 9... or 23...   I try to keep my figures as close to "factory" in that sense as I can; sometimes it means that I am unable to use a certain part or I have to go about making the figure in a different way, but overall I think it's worth it. 
I'm not really sure why I go about doing that, but what do you guys do?

[jedistyle]

i suppose detail is more important for me. all of my figures are displayed anyway. i never play with them anymore, i grew out of that when i was 22 years old, i'm 26 now! with a custom it is near impossible to get factory durability. some people on this board are defienetley talented enough to incorperate both durability and detail, but for me, i think an awsome paint job, sculpted parts or accesories added is definetley woth sacrificing a little articulation. especialy since starwars have never been very articulated anyhow, until recently. one of my favorite things in the customizing community is to see a display or diorama and have a custom figure catch my eye and your like "whoa what figure is that?"..... thats really cool.

great topic Gregorbian!

[Nirvana]

I use both. I usually try to go for durability because I often use them, either just to pose for pics and the occasional diorama. Although, if what I want to do won't be durable, I just glue in place whatever's not working and go into detail. I like durability and detail, that's what I'm trying to say.

[Smartypants1635]

I mainly make my customs for my little bro he loves em and im happy to make em, so they are normally more durable than detail.

And the perk is i get to make photo novles and now have a awsome hobby so i really dont mind not having incredible detail, but in reality i havnt run into that to much only on 1 or 2 customs and they still are playable like my woookie demolition expert.
 his armor is sculpy so if u throw himor sumthin ull break him but other wise hes perfect

[Glassman6]

Detail!!!  I've said before... Form over function. I would rather it look good on the shelf rather than be able to stand up to a 4+ year old.

[CHEWIE]

Great topic - I think I am somewhere in the middle here.

I used to worry about durability more - at that time, I didn't do too much detail painting or complex parts swapping.  But now for the most part I've transistioned over into caring a bit more about detail - but I do like to try and keep as much articulation as possible, keep the paint from chipping, etc.  I've found that the last few months I've put more effort into most of my customs.

Again, cool topic.

 

[Spectre]

I am definately in the "Detail" camp. I have not played with toys in over 20 years and would rather have a "work of art" than something a child could play with. I usually try to keep as much articulation as possible so I can display a figure in my eventual diorama in just about any pose I desire unless a predetermined pose was already in mind during the figure's construction.

[bocrebjedi]

I'm a little in the middle.  I don't like to lose articulation when I make a custom.  If the arms I'm using have wrists which move, I'd like to keep them if possible.  I don't add articulation too often.  I like detail as well, but, I don't think my customs are overly detailed yet.  I haven't gotten very good yet with the details. 

[Victor_Von_Doom]

It really all depends on whether you want to play with it or not. Of course if you want to play with it, durability is the main factor; if you want to display it, detail is the key.

Personally (and its all just personal oppinion of the customizer), I'd rather be able to move and play with the figure, so I chose durability. As long as you are happy with the figure thats all that matter though 

[Fritzkrieg]

Until recently, I was deffinatley in the detail camp. But this weekend while organizing my Star Wars Room (a never ending project), I destroyed one of my favorite customs, when I stepped on it.  The Hasbro figure I used for the base was not damaged but the Paint Aps were toast. I've also started making Photo Novels, And I am forever touching up where Articulated parts chip the paint while poseing them. So I' m starting to explore more durable options.

R.I.P. Sexy Twilek Chic

[CHEWIE]

I love sexy Twileks.

I think that in some cases, on those joints it's better to superglue them - you lose some articulation but don't have to worry about paint chipping.

Also, do you guys use clear acrylic matte sealer spray?  The stuff works wonders for keeping paint from chipping, especially if you paint in very thin layers.



 

[Joe]

I think im in the middle like some others said they are.I try not to sculpt around joints so I don't have to worry about losing articulation.Most of my figures like commander Gree for instance,just guard my computer so I dont ahve to worry about hands of 4 year olds.But on my commander Gree the straps are in 2 parts one ends at the end of the torso and the other "reaches" up so he can still move his waist.(if you havn't noticed I used a 41 clone.).On one of my Resident Evil customs (the cop) his hand broke off (a Corps! figure.) so I cut off another figures hand for him so I would say I am leaning over to the "factory" side as long as the figure can look somewhat like I envisioned.

Did I type this? (goes to his webpage to delete almost everything.)