Grab Bag Custom Contest
Usually, you get to choose what you're going to make for Figure Realm's custom contests, but not this time! For this challenge, you'll be randomly assigned a trio of custom projects, each taken from the minds of your fellow Figure Realm members. You'll then be tasked with making one, or more, of those ideas as an entry. Who, or what, will you get?
- Anyone who wishes to participate in this contest simply needs to send me (Patraw) a PM saying so, along with a list of ten custom ideas of your own to add to the grab bag. In return, I'll PM you back with three ideas that I randomly draw from said bag (I'm not online all the time, so please be patient, as it may take me a few days to get back to you.) DO NOT post your list of ten grab bag ideas on this contest page!!!
- Whatever I pull for you is permanent: no trade-ins or re-draws (and don't tell anybody what you got until the contest is over!) You won't get your own ideas back, if I draw something that you submitted, then I'll just pick again.
- You get a trio of ideas because you're allowed to submit a maximum of three entries to any Figure Realm custom contest. If you only intend to submit one entry, then you're free to pick whichever of the three ideas that appeals to you the most. You may not make multiple entries from a single idea (once you've used one of them, you'd have to choose between your two remaining ideas for a second entry, and so forth.)
- How much flexibility you have is dependent on how specific the custom ideas you receive are. For example, if you got "Iron Man", you could make any version of him that you want, because the person who submitted the idea didn't specify a particular suit of armor. On the other hand, if you got "Hulkbuster Iron Man", you'd be limited to making only that version of the character.
- It's up to the contest participants as to just how they physically bring the character(s) that they've been assigned to life. Regardless of the subject matter, you can make the custom toy any size/scale and use whatever base bodies, parts, tools, materials, and techniques you like.
- I will reveal the entire contents of the grab bag (who suggested what and what was assigned to whom), after the conclusion of the voting period.
- Since I'll know what everybody is doing, I won't vote, or comment, on any of the entries. That way, my knowledge will have zero influence on the contest results.
RULES FOR GRAB BAG IDEAS:
(1) Your custom ideas for the grab bag can be existing characters from almost any source material: Toy lines, comic books, video games, movies/television, real life, etc. No original character designs or non-figure things (vehicles, play sets, accessory packs, etc.) please. It's not required, but if you think it'd be helpful, you may also PM reference images/links to me, along with your list of characters, which I'll pass along to whomever gets assigned one of your ideas.
(2) Each of your ten ideas can only be for a single character, not a pair or group of them. For example, you could submit Marvel's Cloak and Dagger as separate ideas, but not together.
(3) In addition to the character's name, please also indicate what it's from, to avoid any confusion/ambiguity (i.e., "Shockwave" could refer to a G.I.JOE, a Decepticon, villains from both the DC and Marvel universes, and who knows what else, so I need to know which one you mean.) If you want a particular version of the character to be made ("Night Force Shockwave" for example), make sure that you say so.
(4) If a submitted custom idea duplicates one that's already in the grab bag it will be discarded to ensure that two people aren't assigned identical projects. However, I will accept multiple variants/incarnations of a single character (i.e., Battle Armor He-Man, Flying Fists He-Man, Thunder Punch He-Man, etc.)
(5) You can't change or edit your ideas for the custom grab bag once they've been submitted, so please make sure that you're satisfied with your list before you send it in.
Please remember to follow the
Contest Rules and to
Vote Fairly.
Contest Winners:
1st
2nd
3rd
Please wait...
What are the rules of the contest?
- Please use the form here to submit your custom figure.
- At least a paragraph description is required with your entry. This paragraph, at a minimum, should answer the following questions:
- How was this custom customized?
- How does the custom fit into the contest theme?
- You may submit up to three different entries for the contest.
- Please only submit figures that were created for this contest. Do not submit old figures from the Showcase or previous contest entries.
- Your entry should not be posted on this website, any other website, or anywhere on the internet until the contest is completely over.
- The pictures for your entry will remain hidden until the contest ends and the voting begins.
- Your identity will remain hidden until after the voting completes.
- Do not include names, logos, signatures or anything on the pictures that will give you away as the creator of the custom. We want to keep the customizer's identity a secret until the contest is over.
- Don't wait until the last day to submit your entries. If your internet is down, or something happens beyond your control, you will miss the contest! Also keep in mind how many customs you can submit in one day. You may not be able to submit all your entries in one day.
- The contest is purely for fun... well... and bragging rights!
How does the contest voting work?
Anyone can vote for their favorite customs in the contest, you don't even have to submit anything to the contest! You do have to be logged-in to your Figure Realm account though so we can keep track of the votes. Only appointed Figure Realm staff can see the votes, so anonymity is guaranteed. Voting begins once the entry deadline is met and lasts for a week.
It's hard to choose just one custom to vote on when there are tons of great entries, so Figure Realm has a unique voting system where you can vote on ALL the customs! When you click on an entry to view, there's a bar with buttons on it that lets you give the custom anywhere from 1 to 5 Stars. 1 Star means you think they could have done a better job on the custom while 5 Stars means you think they did a perfect job. The votes for each entry are added up when voting is closed and averaged-out to determine the winners. Also, don't abuse the system. Don't give your own custom 5 Stars and then give everyone else 1 Star to boost your rating. Remember, the votes are monitored.
Some points you might consider when casting your vote: Is the figure well-made? Is the paint smooth or crusty? Are there noticeable fingerprints on the sculpted parts? Is it an original custom? Is it accurate to the source-material (comics, photos, description in a book)? Are the pictures clear enough to see the details? Did the creator take the time to include a back-story or recipe? Is the custom so unbelievably awesome that you'd trade your dog for it?
Craftsmanship and creativity are major factors to consider, but ultimately your vote should depend on how much you like the custom, and how well you feel it fits the contest theme.
What is the contest schedule?
| Begins: | Contest Closed |
| Ends: | June 15th, 2012 - Last day for submissions. No exceptions! Cut off is at midnight Central Standard Time. |
| Voting: | June 16th - 22nd. |
Example Pictures for Ideas
View Contest Entries 
User Comments
Please note that, while the grab bag itself is closed, the contest is not; all participants still have until midnight tonight to get their entries in.
Also keep in mind that if you don't specify a specific version of the character, that's the same as saying, "Make whatever version of the character you want." For example, if you submit just plain MOTU "Skeletor", that means whomever gets that idea can customize any incarnation of Skeletor, because you didn't say otherwise.