I love to share, but I can really only do it if I have the time. As much as I would like to have a detailed explanation of everything that i do in my customs, it just isn't possible. I get a ton of e-mails, PMs, smoke signals, etc, asking me about what I used for this or that. If it is a cast part or scratch built part, then inevitably comes the question "can you make me one?" If I say "yes," then quickly comes the follow up "How did you put it on this or that?" Eventually, there is a point where I have to say (nicely mind you) "you really have to try to figure this stuff out for yourself." I have probably blown half a years salary just ruining stuff in the process of learning how to do things. People can't be afraid to fail for the sake of finding things out about their capabilities.
The only thing I have found "disturbing" recently is the increasing trend of folks out there who want all this information, and expect that some of us take the time out of our busy days to lay it all out for them, and then get pissy about it if we aren't back to them in 2 minutes after they send a PM. I have no problem with quick stuff about a base figure or donor part. I'll even give out my recipes if I have time. But to have guys shoot an e-mail off to me saying "I got all the parts together, but now how do I build MP Swoop?" That is like an hour long typing session right there! I feel that people who aren't willing to throw down and just start bashing figures together, are really robbing themselves of the discovery that you treat your self to when you actually figure something out on your own.
On the subject of the e-bay thing: I always post in my threads whether or not an item is going to be on e-bay. Why? Number 1: I want to sell it! Number 2: It never fails that if I don't post that it's on e-bay, the question is going to be asked anyway: "Is this going to be on e-bay?" So I cut to the chase and post it in the original paragraphs.
If the problem is with people making money doing this: Why? I'm not taking away anyone's birthday, or mass producing someone else's work (which some folks seem just fine with BTW.) As the Joker once said: "If your good at something, never do it for free." If I wasn't doing this, I would be doing some other fine art work (which I do) and be selling that (which I do!) The only "starving artists" are those that aren't very good, or are too stupid to realize someone is willing to pay them for their work. That last line does not apply to all of those folks that are amazing at this, and do it for the sheer enjoyment of the hobby (of which there are plenty.) I just like to have my cake and eat it too!

 

The more disturbing trend I'm finding in this thread is people picking out words and arguing over them rather than understanding the overall statement made by the OP and others who've posted.

And I agree with the OP. Instead of threads being "Here's what I did, here's what I used, and here's what I did", it's "Here's what I did, here's the eBay link". I've noticed this growing more and more the norm since I've joined. Is it wrong? No. But it gets tiresome.

And F_R, nothing is "wrong" with dry-brushing. That isn't what he said. He's talking about people buying new figures and simply doing a "better" paint job on the figure than the Hasbro factories (which doesn't take a whole lot), rather than using those new figures for creative ventures (ie: Jarrod's Soundwave and Autobotx23's Springer). That's what's wrong.

 

But I think the mods corrects those threads that link to the ebay page. It's fine to post it as a sig but to put it in a thread in Radicon is against the rules.

 

Mainly, we have a whole forum dedicated to eBay auctions AND the option to have auctions linked in avatars. If one is posting with both of those, that's already double exposure. There's no need to post a custom with "AND HEY IT'S ON EBAY HERE  " since we have both of these tools for everyone.

 

Sticky the above post. Sculpt-Bot is 10000000% correct.

People, by in large part, are lazy. I see it every week working in schools. The kids these days are lazy and feel they are entitled to EVERYTHING. Hell, one school I consult for does not let ANY child get blow an 80 on a test.... if they do, they retest until they get an 80! What is that teaching them?!?!?

These are the people that are filtering into the hobby. They want everything and don't want to work for it.

 

I have to agree with Sculpt-bot & Zildjian here (I know shocking right). It amazes me the level of entitlement people feel they deserve here. I've spent hours & hours looking at pics of customs just to figure out what parts & how they were used/attached. Now days, people just post a thread or PM the maker wanting step by step "hand holding" instructions. I don't mind sharing info on a part of a custom, but when you demand/feel entitled to know everything that's been done. It's a bit fucking much.
Alot of us newer "old school" guys had to learn the hard way, by trail & error (as Sculpt-bot said). I can't even tell you how many bots & toys I've trashed just from making mistakes. Sure I had guys like PK, RL, SQ7 & ABX23 to give me advice along the way as I learned, but that's all it was advice. They couldn't help me actually do it & if they did what would I have learned from that ???

Customs have become very popular over the last few years, much like doing Youtube reviews, & much like Youtube alot of people have started doing customs for "fame". if that's the case you far to late to the party.
That's the thing I find the most "disturbing".

I never set out to be the best customizer in the world (& I'm not), but people know my name. It just happened that way. As it did for most of us with recognizable names.

Anyways, I'm rambling & quite sure I lost my point somewhere.

 

I actually created a PDF specific to how I build my version of Devy, it was pretty informative, but often times; even after forwarding it to someone, they will ask for more. If I have the time (and it's requested in a decent manner) I will try to help, but even STILL, I'll get questions like "how do I drill that hole" or "but what about this scratch-built part, how do I build that"...

 

I'm going to start work on my first combiner once I finish my current commission piece. I took mental notes of some of the combiners I've seen over the years and have a decent idea of how to make it work. Once I finish, I'll be more than happy to share this info.

 

and thats what i find disturbing. it's not about customisers making money of their work i think they're entitled to do so and infact i would defend their right to do so with every fiber of my being

i just find the shift from one side of the spectrum to the "Here's what I did, here's the eBay link" disturbing

 

This is just the thing.... once somebody actually builds a combiner they will see there is not just one specific way to build one. And those that have built a duplicate combiner based off someone Else's pull their hair out wondering why it did not get a lot of comments, or make the big $$$...... is because it have been done before. What gets attention and $$$ is the novel shit, stuff that nobody had seen or thought of. That, to me, is the most fun part of the hobby.

As NP said above.... people want to be the next FR, encline, or Sculpt-Bot. They want the "fame".... if there is such a thing when playing with toys. They can't and will never be. The guys that have their names known are the pioneers of the customizing boom. Make your own path and be happy with that.

 

That is the world we live in. With economies in the shitter around the globe people want to jump on what is hot and try and make a buck off of it. Just ignore it if you don't like it. Like I do with the countless number of WIPs on the radicons section now.

 

I busted a pair of flush cutters last week trying to cut a pin...  

 

I agree to a point, but I also need to point out that I receive a LOT of PM's and emails asking for help on things and for details regarding something I've done. Those that have asked and taken the time to write have been MORE than friendly, asked politely, and even apologized if they were bothering me or anything. They just asked me to help "when you have time". If I was busy, I didn't get back right away. That's gonna happen and anyone who knows me, knows I'm busy on more than just customs and junk.

I don't see this disturbing trend though that the OP is mentioning. And I will say that there are some that are not lazy here--they simply are new or lack the knowledge that some of us may have and they simply ask because they DO want to learn. From what I've seen (at least from those asking me for help or the help I just offer up to someone in need), they are willing to do quite a lot, they just aren't sure where to begin. I don't walk them through a step-by-step process (unless it's a tutorial). But I do offer tips on what to do or how to start and usually they go and learn from trial and error like I did.

When I first started kitbashing Transformers, I literally lurked this stuff for years before jumping in the pool. I was a regular lurker at Transtopia, watching and learning. Then I did the same here. I took in all I could and when I finally felt I had enough info and tips to start myself, I STILL asked a few guys questions to get that extra help and push. Now I will say that I've seen some who expect every little detail laid out and all of that--I do think they can learn by simply studying these images and all first, then maybe ask if they need to. Some simply want to know NOW. I'm the type of guy that will usually help if someone asks questions or needs help. Again, I help when I have time, so I may not be answering right away, but I certainly won't turn my back on a fellow TF fan and member who simply wants to learn (for whatever reasons). Then I get those that ask about commissions and if I feel I can do it or help them out, we talk it over and go from there. But from day one of my kitbashing, I have posted up my work or WIP to not only show all the time, hard work, and effort that went into it, but to also show how I built something cool from the ground up basically. I do this for two reasons.......to help others who may want to build something similar and to avoid the simple questions that are always asked (what did you use? how did you build it or connect it). Read my thread and you'll know. If you don't want to read it, cool. Just move on to the pretty pictures.  

As for the comment about commissioning something, the reason some won't commission something from anyone is because they do want to learn and build something cool for themselves (with a few that may want to know how just to turn and sell it), BUT most importantly, not everyone can afford to commission something, large or small. I just don't all of this as a "disturbing trend". I do think that people should be willing to help and offer tips, if they can. If someone asks about certain parts or bots I've used, I'll help them out. If it's something secretive that I don't want to drop publicly yet or answer questions about, guess what? I don't share it just yet. lol I just hate that some think that it should be up to learning on your own. I know that's a given and in time, most people will learn on their own through trial and error and practice. But at the same time, 99% of us started SOMEWHERE, right? I mean, we've all asked for tips, help, advice, or had questions for SOMEONE at some point in time, so why deny a new guy that same help or advice? I'm not coming down on anyone on anything, I just think that it can only help bolster a reputation and help make friends in the community that are willing to help, share, or even commission from you later down the line. We all enjoy what we do and some new guys to this hobby are eager to learn because they see just how great a lot of our works turn out and they want to do that also and learn for themselves. I mean, when you want something cool, do you instantly go commission it? Being IN the hobby, you try to build it yourself, right? I pose this same question a lot and I'll do it again........why pay for something when you can build it yourself? Some of these guys aren't able to afford to pay for something they really want (be it Devastator, Superion, Ultra Magnus, whatever). They not only want a custom version, but a lot of them are interested in learning how to build it and how it all goes together. Not everyone is out to make a buck on secrets of this hobby. I think there are some good guys out there who simply want to learn and need that help and advice. We are just the guys that can mentor them and help them a bit.

As for the disturbing trend mentioned here, times do change and while I wish it was more like the old days (when I first started out and earlier when I lurked and started learning), where you had a willingness to help and everyone enjoyed sharing all aspects of their work. It's pretty much how I do things and will continue to do them. Like I mentioned, if it's something I don't want to share publicly, I won't show it yet. But I still enjoy sharing even the smallest bit of a WIP, just to show some of the stuff I continually work on. Most of us here don't mind sharing when asked. I think sometimes it's the constant questions about the same things--which is why I lay out my stuff so I won't have to answer something (I'm too busy to type all day and night, as much as I'd love to hang with like minds and enjoy customs all day). If someone asks something I've already posted in the thread, I just shoot them to it to read and if they still have a question, then come hit me again. It's a given though, we'll always have someone asking questions on how we go about things. You have to know this going in before sharing anything you do. And it may seem like some customizers only post their work to advertise an ebay auction, but that's not the case usually. If you'll notice, they have also posted a regular thread showing the work. Is it just that you aren't give that inside info on how something was done that is causing you to call this all "disturbing"? I'm just asking because I do commissions and I'm also working a few things to auction for extra cash for this hobby (and new stuff coming out). If/when I post a thread of the work, with details, and a thread over in the ebay section for the auction, would you call that disturbing? Just wondering, man.

Peronsally, I'm still learning to this day, even though I am asked questions and needed for help on a daily basis. Does it bother me? Not at all. I just know what it's like to come into this hobby without knowing how to do much and then learning the different methods. I just want to give back and share with those who are starting out for whatever reasons. I think most would probably try to do things themselves anyway (such as building or painting), but they are like me and prefer to get tips from all angles, then decide on how to actually approach a project.