JESPER REGEL - Customizer Extraordinaire

Ever since the Lord of the Rings was conceptualized as a big screen adaptation, avid toy collectors from around the world have been waiting to gobble up information, pictures, and concepts being used for scale action figures based upon the characters from the movies. Some folks simply wanted to buy the figures and keep them packaged with hopes that someday they would put their kids through college. Others opened them up and proudly displayed them despite the funny looks and snide comments from our significant others. And still others had plans for these figures...

Jesper Regel, born in 1975, has been collecting action figures pretty much all his life. Currently he sells custom design furniture in his parents store in Neuhausen, Germany (near Stuttgart...where Mercedes and Porsche are made) and is responsible for their web presence as well. Jesper grew up in Denmark and most of his family is still their and he considers that his real 'home'. He is a musician at heart and is in a rock band called "3 Men Drinking Coffee". They have recently finished their 2nd demo CD...He is engaged to be married to the love of his life Yvonne and they have a 5 year old son.

Many folks have seen some or all of Jespers work here at The Green Dragon

The Books and Movies: How did he get involved in The Lord of the Rings? He first read the books when he was around 12 or 13 and has recently had the opportunity to re-read the Hobbit and the trilogy. Honestly, though, he always enjoyed the Star Wars books better than LOTR. "I think it has to do with the fact that a book isn't that visually exciting :). When the LOTR movies came, however, I was hooked on the story again, and this time it WAS visually exciting. I know the books were there first, but I liked the movies better as they are not so "over-explaining" in many of the scenes".

Toys and Action Figures:  As mentioned, Jesper has been collecting toys and action figures for most of his life. "I grew up with the original Star Wars figures, GI-Joe, Super Powers, and Marvel Secret Wars - I almost had them all". He took a break in his collecting to focus on "girls....hehe:)". The appearance of the New Star Wars figures and this small line called SPAWN got him serious about the collecting business once again. From the looks of his collection, he took collecting action figures to an extreme.

He didn't get interested in the Toybiz Lord of the Rings action figures right away. After the first 2 series had hit store shelves, he decided to pick up a couple becuase " they got so good, that I couldn't resist buying those...". These figures, being cheaper, larger, had more accessories and better articulation than Star Wars figures made for a smart purchase. He has 87 total LOTR figures including his customs (and a few that I simply WILL NOT MENTION YET).

Customizing Toys:  While Jesper has always been into customizing he has not dabbled to much into action figure customizing until recently. His pride and joy is a fully detailed (down to the last scratch) Boba Fett helmet from The Empire Strikes Back. He sold a lot fo small stuff (jet packs, armor plates, parts, and weapons) both on e-bay and to private collectors, but didn't do much more as it was expensive and time consuming. He even built a custom Star Ship (sold to a company who used it as an advertising mechanism).

He even did some customizing as a small child with Legos. He did some repaints and such to make KISS Spiderman, and Batman figures for his lego sets.

His first custom action figure was a Witchblade figure made from a Spawn cosmic Angela and a Darkness figure (BEFORE Moore Action Collectibles got the license). He also did a Movie Spawn figure around the same time with a full cape and long spikes and the Bruce Willis (Die Hard) head seen at left.

The Customizing Process:  Quite simple really for those who care to dabble on your own. Jesper's number 1 is research. Get as much reference material as possible (books, internet, toy packages, DVD extras, etc.). Next, he thinks the custom through...again and again. He then does some preliminary sketches taking notes on colors, poses, details, etc. Then the arduous process of building the custom begins (try, try again is the best motto). "It seems that much of what is started ends up in the trash before the finished product is complete".

Jesper's Favorite Customs:  Of the work he has done, his favorite if the HD Aragorn Strider figure and the Gandalf the Grey figure. "I'm more into facial details and personality than a lot of sculpey/FIMO, and work". The Gandalf just looks amazing...you just want to walk up to him and hug him and call him gramps!

Of the work someone else has done, his favorite is a Darth Vader Helmet that is a 100% accurate version of the helmet worth by the Dark Lord of the Sith in Return of the Jedi...super stunning.

His Ultimate Choice for a Custom:  "To me...no question...the BALROG"

What to look for in figures for Customizing:  According to Jesper, the lesser known characters with fewer details and such make for ideal customs. Newborn Lurtz is a perfect example...half naked Uruk-hai. "You can do almost anything with it - put every kind of armor on it, its a perfect Uruk-hai Army builder". If trying to make a figure of an existing character (like the Council Elrond), it is best to look for figures that match overall appearance. Try to get a 75% fit and then work from there. Sometimes the perfect head shows up on a completely different figure. Be on the lookout for good accessories as well.

Current Customs in Progress:  Continuing his work in The Lord of the Rings area, he is currently working on an Orc Brute, another Helm's Deep Uruk-hai warrior, and seriously thinking about satisfying Alithar's desire for a Gil-galad custom figure. He also has some others in the works that arre just too early to talk about...but get ready for more Jesper goodness!

Future Custom Plans: Continuing his fantastic re-paints is on the top of the list. the llikenesses are great, but he says that the paint jobs are a bit lacking. Based on his repaints to date...he is right on the money with that one. "I'm more into the characters that were used in the movies - portrayed by actors - they have "real" faces, so they look the same to everyone - fictional characters like Tom Bombadil or Smaug look different in every readers head, so I'll wait for things to come - a Hobbit movie for example".

A Couple Customs on Display HERE: Jesper has been the top contributor to the Customs Section here at The Green Dragon and his customs are the envy of many a Lord of the Rings fan. Here are a few for you to enjoy...but don't forget to visit our Customs Section to see Jesper's and everyone else's contributions:

Thanks: Special thanks to Jesper Regel for taking the time out of his obviously busy customizing schedule to speak with us here at the Green Dragon and share his thoughts, ideas, and customs.

Hey everyone, go VISIT THE CUSTOMS SECTION and check out ALL of Jesper's Work as well as many of our other custom contributors.