Spidey Customs Sticker Review

Posted in Custom Workstation

Hullo, I'll be writing a quick review of the Symbiote Spiderman vinyl stickers made by Steven Klausmeier of Spidey Customs. The stickers are designed for the ML Superior Spiderman body, but I'll be using a custom set (enlarged 30%) with a ML Havok body to see how well they translate to the bulkier figure.

You can read on Steven's Facebook that he plans to sell completed Symbiote Spiderman customs, so keep your eyes peeled for those! Also, remember to moisturise.

(Note: Steven won't be selling this standalone sticker set anymore because people may find it tough to align all those legs, I'll find out soon enough just how hard it is!)

Website - https://www.spideycustoms.com/

Here's the fit of the original stickers on a Superior Spiderman body - http://www.figurerealm.com/customfigure ... w&id=84557

(I'll post the rest of this review later because I'm out of light to take decent pictures, feel free to ask questions in the meantime.)

Here's the set Steven sent me, it consists of:
•2 Fronts
•2 Backs
•4 Spider Butts (...abdomens)
•Piece of Transfer Tape



And here's the guinea pig on the right, the figure was sprayed with black VHT Vinyl Dye:



I wanted to test the stickers' properties first so I made these rough patterns with the generous scrap around the precision-cut logos. It's an "F" and an "R" which of course stand for "Free Rhodesia!"



After cutting them out, I stuck them onto the figure and waited for explosions happen. No explosions happened. Bummer, let's see how the stickers behave then.



Yes, I'm using that transfer tape incorrectly lol. You're supposed to peel it, use it to apply the sticker neatly, etc. I didn't find a need to use it because the process is so easy, here it's just useful for keeping my ugly fingers out of the frame.



The stickers are very thin with some stretch, this lets them conform to a figure's sculpt. They're even thinner than the electrical tape I use for some customs. I used a round tool to gently jib and jab the stickers into crevices and it went okay, there we no major creases or eyesores. Steve says you can also use some heat to make them even more pliable if needed.

The stickers are flat white with a surface like polished paper, if you can imagine such a thing. They have a soft handfeel, but are durable enough to withstand your upcoming manhandling.

The pencil lines I drew to make the above "FR" wiped clean easily.

Let's test the stretchiness and stickiness again with a scrap piece.





The stickers have lots of grip to begin with, even after I applied and removed the piece 5 times it still had plenty of stick. None of the sprayed dye/paint was torn up by the stickers either. I'm confident they won't peel or damage paint, especially if the custom is sealed with varnish or something.

Now on to the spider logos!



I started with the butt pieces, they're easy to center. The narrow part at the top of the sticker is meant to be shoved up into the ab hinge, I found this to be about the proper spot for it. I imagine if I worked the sticker into the ab muscles the bottom tips would rest flush with the waist swivel. Remember, this set wasn't designed for this body, but it's looking great so far.



Positioning the upper part is easier once the butt is in place, the parts should line up neatly with the ab hinge in the "neutral" position.

Notice how the legs have uneven edges, that's to accommodate all the muscle on the Superior Spiderman body.

Everything is looking good, tune in next time to see what kind of mess I make with those legs lol.

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PART 2!

As stated before, this sticker set won't be sold individually due to how difficult it may be to apply. I scoffed at first because that's how I roll, scoffing at everything, but Steven is right, the legs on this thing can be unwieldly. If he ever decides to sell a limited run, here's how I got the sides aligned with minimal fuss.

There will still be lots of fuss, especially once you factor in pressing the sticker into the muscle grooves, but...there will be less of it lol.

1] Start with the top legs. Cut them neatly to separate them from the others.

2] Cross them over, staying as close to the armpit as possible. Be sure to press the sticker up under the pecs at this stage so the legs keep a proper length before trimming in the next step.

3] Use a rounded blade and rock it down the center of the cross to create a flush union. Remove the small scrap pieces, there will be 2 of them.

4] Do the same to the remaining legs.

Bonus!] Use larger scrap pieces to make the white patches on the back of Spidey's hands.



You'll end up with something like this:









Also, since these are vinyl stickers (which is basically plastic), you can paint them and they won't get all weak and wrinkly. Haven't tried it yet, looking for an excuse to do it though.

Anyway, throw your money at Steve when he puts his customs up for sale because making them yourself might make you go crazy.

I believe he's starting with the version he posted in the showcase (link is at the beginning of this post), but will also make some using the body I used here.

Also feel free to contact him for custom sticker work.

UPDATE: Steve posted a custom using the new version of this sticker set for this body, check it out, it has a better fit and rounder spider, but I like this version better. http://www.figurerealm.com/customfigure ... w&id=86146