Custom McFarlane Figures: Herschel Walker, Tony Dorsett & Billy Cannon

One of my favorite customers has to be Jimmy Allison. Allison played for the San Diego Chargers in the mid to late sixties. Jimmy is always ordering old-school figures to compliment his growing collection of autographed full-sized replica helmets.

These are the newest additions to his collection:

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Custom McFarlane: Jim Leonhard figures

I have a customer who is a HUGE fan of Jim Leonhard. How can you blame? Leonhard is a highly underrated player and just a great guy. A true footballer. This batch is go along with Wisconsin Badgers version I did a while back.

These figures represent Leonhard's professional career thus far; his rookie & sophomore season with the Buffalo Bills, his 1-year stint with the Ravens and his current role with the New York Jets. Leonhard is now a free-agent so we may see yet another figure in the future.

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Custom McFarlane: Percy Harvin • Florida Gators figure

My first Gator! I've always wanted to work on a Gator figure so I was excited to get this commission. This represents Harvin's freshman year - the year he wore #1 rather than #8.

Welcome to 4Star Customs

Welcome! I specialize in creating custom football figures that capture any player, any pose & any moment.

What is a custom football figure? McFarlane Toys began producing football SportsPicks figures (see here) in 2001. Each year about two dozen players from the past and present are featured in McFarlane's lineups. Big name players and popular players in big markets are showcased. But what about the semi-stars or stars in smaller markets that may never get a figure? That is where Customizers come in.

Using a McFarlane SportsPick figure (see here) as a base, the figure is then stripped down, reprimed and repainted.

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A few customizers, like myself enjoy going beyond the repaint. Additional sculpting, part swaps and some ingenuity help create something truly unique to add to your collection.

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Are you ready to add to your collection or give that perfect gift for your sports fan? Email me at 4StarCustoms@gmail.com with your idea and I'll get back to you with a quote. Thanks for looking!

DISCLAIMER: Sports Customs are created for indivdual display and ownership. Mass production or replication of pieces is refused when requested by the customer. Every custom created is an individual and has its own inherent design attributes. These items are created and sold as specialized art pieces and not mass produced for retail sale. This blog serves as an online display portfolio and none of the items on this site are for sale. All items are made to order by request. All the logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners. 4Star Customs is not affiliated with McFarlane SportsPicks or McFarlane Toys.

Coach Ditka sends Walter Payton onto the field.

As a Packer fan, this project was VERY tough to work on. I grew up just despising Coach Ditka but fortunately I also grew up admiring Walter Payton. Never one to back down from a challenge, I thought this commission would both push my talents as well as provide a great piece for someone's collection.

So, here are my custom Walter Payton and coach Mike Ditka McFarlane figures.

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Are you ready to add to your collection or give that perfect gift for your sports fan? Email me at 4StarCustoms@gmail.com with your idea and I'll get back to you with a quote. Thanks for looking!

GO PACK GO! Undefeated Edition!

The Green Bay Packers are currently undefeated at 11-0 and I couldn't be happier. To celebrate, here are Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews doing their marquee celebrations.

First up is a custom Aaron Rodgers McFarlane Sportspick figure "putting on the championship belt" (or doing the "discount double check").

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Next up is a custom Clay Matthews McFarlane Sportspick figure down in the "Predator" stance. I worked on this figure for MONTHS to get it right. Lot's of sculpting and scratch-building. The helmet was even sculpted to match Clay's revo-speed helmet that he wears.

 

Are you ready to add to your collection or give that perfect gift for your sports fan? Email me at 4StarCustoms@gmail.com with your idea and I'll get back to you with a quote. Thanks for looking!

Collegiate Stars: Custom Jim Leonhard & Desmond Howard McFarlane Sportspick figures

Leonhard was a walk-on football player at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, having received no Division 1-A scholarship offers out of high school. Noted for his speed, leaping ability, and sure tackling, he totaled 21 interceptions (tied for the most in school history) and made 281 tackles. He was regarded as one of the best collegiate punt returners in the nation and held the Big Ten Conference career punt return yardage record with 1,347 yards until 2006.

Jim was an undrafted free-agent with the Bills, later played for Baltimore and currently plays for the Jets.

This figure will be 1 in a series of 4 highlighting his career.

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 Next up is Heisman trophy winner Desmond Howard. This is my second Howard figure.

 

Are you ready to add to your collection or give that perfect gift for your sports fan? Email me at 4StarCustoms@gmail.com with your idea and I'll get back to you with a quote. Thanks for looking!

Go Pack Go Part II: Custom Green Bay Packer McFarlane Figures

I recently finished a large batch of Custom McFarlane Green Bay Packers.

Clarke Hinkle • Fullback (1932-41)

Clarke Hinkle was one of the most versatile players in league history, playing fullback, linebacker, punter & place-kicker.

In 1940 and '41, Hinkle led the NFL in field goals made, hitting 9-of-14 and 6-of-14, respectively.

Hinkle was a fierce linebacker, gaining a reputation as one of the few players powerful enough to bring down Chicago Bears great Bronko Nagurski.In fact, Hinkle so won his rival's respect that Nagurski delivered his induction speech at Canton in 1964.

Hinkle was named to the NFL's All-Time Two-Way Team in 1994.




































































Tramon Williams • CB (current)

Tramon had 6 interceptions in the regular season but it was his three on road during the Playoffs that inspired the first custom. Tramon ended the Eagles comeback by intercepting Michael Vick in the end zone to secure the Packers a win in the Wild Card playoff game.

In the Packers' second playoff game in Atlanta against the Atlanta Falcons Williams had two interceptions in the first half. The first of these was a touchdown-saving interception in the Packers' own end-zone, the second was an interception just before halftime which Williams returned 70 yards for a touchdown.






















































































































































































B.J. Raji • Nose Tackle (current)

Nicknamed "The Freezer", Raji was a first round draft pick by the Pack in 2009 and soon became a fan favorite. On January 23, 2011, in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field, Raji intercepted a pass from Bears third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie and returned it 18 yards to the end zone, marking Raji's first career interception and touchdown. It also broke William Perry's NFL record for the heaviest player to score a post-season touchdown at 337 pounds.

Custom McFarlane: Jason Taylor • Dolpins, Jets Redskins

Jason Taylor is just a spectacular player and athlete so I was excited to get this commission. Here is Taylor in Dolphin's orange, Jets and Redskins jerseys.

Ideamine Still At It

I apologize for all this Ideamine nonsense. Ever since I pointed out his plagiarism on eBay, he's been insistent on attacking me. This man has launched a twitter, facebook and blog campaign against me as well as sent veiled threats at me via the comments on this blog.

Please note that despite the blogs he's set up, I in NO WAY endorse this person. This man has stolen images from talented and legitimate customizers and passed them off as his own.

He's never denied this nor tried to dispute it.

Instead, he puts all his efforts into attacking those who have tried to bring light to the subject. Please note that we have been working with authorities who are looking into these threats and plagiarist acts and we can only hope there is resolution soon so that we can all just go back to enjoying customs.

I apologize for the inconvenience. Let's just get back to making great custom works of art!

I thank all of you have supported me with emails and PMs!

Custom McFarlane: Chuck Bednarik KOs Frank Gifford

Charlie Conerly, hit Gifford out of the backfield over the middle and Bednarik slammed into him 15 yards downfield, hitting him in the ribs. Gifford's head hit the ground and he immediately lost conciousness.

Chuck Bednarik then stands over a prone Frank Gifford, his right arm high in the air in celebration, a 1960 version of a fist pump. It is was a perfectly legal hit, even by today's far more stringent standards -- a blow to the ribs that was so hard that it knocked Gifford's head to the ground, causing a concussion.

What caused the biggest ruckus was the picture of Bednarik, the Mack Truck, giving the impression, particularly in New York, that he was celebrating the unconscious state of his rival's star player. Celebration. Yes, because Bednarik's teammate Chuck Weber had recovered the ball to clinch the game. Celebrating the injury? No way, says Bednarik.

"I was thinking 'this f---in game is over,'' Bednarik says. "It appears from the picture that I was gloating over him. I wasn't gloating over him. I had no idea he was there.''

This is probably my new favorite custom to date - it was by far the toughest one I've made! I scoured the internet to find as many reference photos as I could to get every detail as close as possible. Chuck's facemask was completely scratchbuilt from wire. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed making it!