Arguably the most common sentiment with M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors is that M.U.S.C.L.E. toys were a fertile playground for their imagination as children. One of the things that children did with those M.U.S.C.L.E. figures was to color, write, and paint on them. Many collectors simply view those childhood creations as damaged toys – figures no longer in mint condition. One artist, Luke Harris, has taken the childhood practice of painting figures and turned them into creative pieces that would stand out and best any “mint condition” figures.
Luke has been painting, building, breaking, and making things since he can remember. His specific interest in painting small figures arose for a love of painting D&D miniatures as a child. His passion was reignited, and talent refined, when the Lord of the Rings miniature game was released. His work spanned multiple toy lines and garnered quite a bit of attention (i.e., ActionFigureCustoms.com). A chance meeting with Jon Karis at a local toy show led him to both LRG and M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. Since then he has been selling his painted M.U.S.C.L.E. figures on both LittleRubberGuys.com and eBay.
Collectors are likely able to offer several reasons why Luke’s work is so enjoyable. It might be the overall creativity; it might be the color choices; it could even be Luke’s continual growth and originality as an artist with figures like Mr. Lobo’s Toys and The Imperfecz.
The strength of Luke’s work is to connect with and draw-in non-collectors. When Luke’s figures are placed on a shelf they instantly draw the attention of observers. They stand out among other toys, and especially among other M.U.S.C.L.E. figures.
Luke’s active participation in the M.U.S.C.L.E. community is an asset to all M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors. In fact, all M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors should have one custom painted M.U.S.C.L.E. figure in their collection. If you would like to purchase an existing painted figure or commission a completely original figure you can contact Luke at MySpace (Luke’s Custom Toys) or LittleRubberGuys.com (l.designs).
Custom Painted M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures:
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Mr. Lobo’s Toys:
Mr. Lobo's Toys
The Imperfecz:
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This subsection section of Art 300 collected some of Luke Harris’ fan art, in the format of custom painted M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. If you have any drawings, paintings, painted figures, or any other fan art that you would like featured, then please send them to the University of M.U.S.C.L.E. with a brief explanation of the pictures, plus the date (as close as possible) of its creation.
#1 by christopher tupa on July 13, 2010 - 10:52 am
Great site and an awesome post! These figures are stunning!!! Makes me want to give it a shot.
#2 by Chad Perry on July 13, 2010 - 11:04 am
Based on your other work Chris, I’m sure the M.U.S.C.L.E. community would be blown away!
#3 by vette88 on July 13, 2010 - 12:39 pm
Luke does awesome work. I like the creativity of people like Luke, TGB, and Alteriormotive. They bring a different aspect to collecting.
#4 by Biffard on July 13, 2010 - 3:15 pm
Luke’s work is amazing! I’ve always been impressed by the level of detail his MUSCLE figures have. These pictures show how well made these are but I think they are even more impressive in person! Good post!
#5 by SmokinGun on July 13, 2010 - 10:53 pm
I have to say these painted MUSCLE are one of the sweetest paint jobs there is. Each figure are absolutley one of a kind.
#6 by l.designs on July 14, 2010 - 2:18 am
The only one you missed in your research was my version of Jason Dube’s character Blinth from his comics…. That’s cool though I’ll post here maybe when I get the smaller one ready to really see the light of day.
THanks for the kind words guys.
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