So, you wanna know about this Tama Tonga figure, huh? It wasn’t like I woke up one day and just decided, “Hey, I’m gonna be a master figure maker!” Nah, man, it doesn’t work like that. It’s more like, you get to a point. You see these wrestlers, you’re a fan, but then you look for a figure and it’s either not there, or it’s some old version that looks nothing like they do now. Especially Tama Tonga, with his whole new look and attitude. I just felt like the stuff out there wasn’t cutting it. So, I thought, why not give it a crack myself? Had a bit of free time, and I’ve been wanting to get my hands dirty with customizing anyway.
Getting the Ball Rolling
First thing I had to do was figure out the base. You don’t just conjure a figure out of thin air, right? I dug through my box of old figures, scrolled online for ages looking at body types. You need something with the right build for Tama – athletic, you know? Not too bulky, not too skinny. And height’s a big deal. Can’t have him looking tiny next to the others on the shelf.
- The Hunt for a Base: This part was a bit of a drag. I eventually settled on an older, kinda generic wrestling figure I had lying around. The articulation was decent enough, and it didn’t have too much molded detail I’d have to shave off, which was a plus.
- Stripping It Bare: The base figure had some old paint on it, so that had to go. Got out the acetone. Yeah, the fumes aren’t great, but you gotta do it. If you paint over old paint, it just looks lumpy and terrible. Some people try to cut corners here, and man, you can always tell.
The Nitty-Gritty: Making Him Tama
Okay, so with a clean base, the real work started. This is where you spend hours hunched over, trying to make plastic look like a person. It’s also the part where you find out if your idea is actually going to work or if you’re just making a mess.
Sculpting the Details: Tama’s got that very specific hair and the face paint these days. I used some epoxy putty – Apoxie Sculpt, I think it was. Good stuff. You mix two parts, and you’ve got a window to work with it before it hardens.
- The hair was a challenge, not gonna lie. Getting it to look right, not like a helmet. My first attempt was awful, had to rip it off and start again. Looked like something a dog chewed on.
- Then little things, like adding some texture for wrist tape or defining muscles a bit more if the base was too smooth. Small stuff, but it makes a difference.
Paint Job – This is It: Honestly, this is where a custom figure either looks awesome or just looks like a failed project.
- Skin Tone: Getting the skin tone right is always a pain. You mix, you test, it’s too dark, it’s too light. You want it to look like actual skin, not just brown paint. Took a few tries.
- Face Paint and Tattoos: This is Tama Tonga we’re talking about! The face paint is key. Super fine brushes for this, and a steady hand. Or, you know, as steady as you can get. The tattoos were the same deal – lots of looking at reference pictures, lots of careful painting. Felt like I was going cross-eyed sometimes.
- Sealing the Deal: After all that painting, you absolutely have to seal it. I use a matte sealer. You don’t want him all shiny like he’s been oiled up, unless that’s the specific look you’re going for. This protects all your hard work. If you skip this, the paint will just chip off. Waste of time.
Finishing Touches
Alright, almost at the finish line. He’s starting to look like Tama Tonga, not just some random painted dude. But he needed his gear, or at least the suggestion of it. I didn’t go too wild with fabric or anything because, let’s be honest, my sewing skills are pretty much non-existent. So, I focused on getting the painted details of his pants and any logos right. Sometimes, just getting the paint accurate is better than a badly made fabric piece.
So yeah, that’s the rundown. It takes a good bit of time. You’ll make mistakes, definitely. You’ll learn what works and what really, really doesn’t. Some bits are tedious, no doubt about it. But then there are those moments when it starts to come together, and that’s pretty cool. It’s not like those super polished videos you see online where everything’s perfect on the first go. It’s messier than that. But in the end, I got a Tama Tonga figure that I’m pretty happy with. Stands on my shelf now, looking ready to cause some trouble. Good enough for me, and definitely better than not having one at all.
