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Liam "Lfarnc" Neill's Amazing Dunny Collection
Through blogging custom Chuckboy 2Tone Dunnys and reading the Kidrobot discussion boards, there has been a lot of talk about toys heading towards the collection of "Lfarnc." On January 12th, 2012 that message board member and collector posted the collection many custom toy fans have been waiting to see. Continuing the greatness of that reveal, Liam Neill (Lfarnc) has agreed to answer my questions about collecting and commissioning custom toys. Learn the collector's take on the Chuckboy 2Tone, how long one should expect to wait for a commission, paying upfront or not, and what his family thinks about his passion. Enjoy! Could you talk about your background? How did you find the world of vinyl toys? What do you do for a living? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "I've been collecting for probably 2 years now, and I bought my first vinyl maybe about 3 years ago. I was in a clothes shop in Brighton, England wanting to pay, and there was a detolf there I didn't pay any attention to. A lad my age came in and asked for something from the cabinet. I took a look at what he was buying and really liked it, so I asked for one as well. That was a Classico Red Demon, and it's still my favourite toy. I'm a director of a medium-sized business, I have no kids and with a patient fiancee, so I'm pretty lucky that I get to spend a bit of time and money collecting."
Why do you collect Dunny toys and what is the allure of the Chuckboy 2Tone specifically? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "I bought a JLed tiger a few months later in the same store, and picked up a few finders keepers at the same time. When I went back the finders keepers where gone and series 5 had replaced it, and I got sucked in by the Mad Agent, which I didn't get in 6 blinds, so I went hunting on eBay. That was the first I knew of further series and other designs. I got hooked at that point. I think after picking up quite a few, I headed towards being a completist. I'm glad I stopped - there were too many designs that I didn't like. Plus the 2009 series killed it for completists - way, way too many limited chases. I'm a big fan of the design, but you're into like $1500 for Travis Cain's Drilled Wood. I saw a teaser of the Chuckboy 2Tone sculpt before the drop and thought it was terrific - just my taste. And when I saw the design, I liked it but I was a bit disappointed we didn't see any variants - seemed like a waste of a fresh sculpt. At the time I was in contact with JPK having just discovered customs, and we talked about it. The panda he did was the first one I commissioned. There's some detail on the arm you cant see from the picture which is brilliant - he's the most detailed painter I know. I think I said to him I might tap up a few other artists. Then I got a bit carried away..."
Given the large number of customs you have commissioned, what advice do you have for prospective collectors? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "There's a few things I guess. Don't dive in. Once you start collecting, it's really easy to get over-excited with every new drop and every new artist and you can easily end up with a load of vinyl that you'll go off quickly and later sell at a loss. It's different for everyone, but I think people get too hung up on chases. Of the top twenty or so of my favourite designs, one is a chase. And I've got a personal belief that the OG design is always the best when there are variants. Take the Sket Condiments - fan or not (and i am) - Ketchup is the best design. Red Skullhead; Marka27 OG; Grey Calendario, the list goes on... On commissions, there's two things. Firstly, try to be as non-specific as possible when you commission, and second, check out the full body of work of the artist before you commission. Most artists do this for fun (and at a loss given the time they take) and love the creativity as much as the execution - the less creative the artist can be, the more boring the commission. And boring commissions take a long time to arrive. And if you check out the full body of work, you can pick out the pieces you like and what you like about them. And you can be honest about the ones you aren't keen on. Then they get to stay creative, but when the box lands there's a good chance you'll love what's inside. Personally, I like running themes in a collection. Krash's tiger collection is amazing. Its different for everyone, but i think people get too hung up on chases. Of the top twenty or so of my favourite designs, one is a chase. And I've got a personal belief that the OG design is always the best when there are variants. Take the Sket Condiments. The Ketchup is the best design. Red Skullhead; Marka27 OG; Grey Calendario, the list goes on... And just really enjoy it. I've got my collection displayed where I can look at it often, and I love it."
How long should one expect to wait for a custom 3" Dunny? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "Honestly? Absolutely ages. Add three months to whatever an artist says. There's a couple of exceptions, either because the artist is quick or honest. But this isn't like ordering a statement from your bank - don't go mental over time slippage or a missed email. This is a hobby. Life's too short." How much do you put down ahead of time? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "I'm not an artist so I don't know how often they get back outs, but I've only paid up front twice, and that was part payment. It should work as payment on completion, before shipping." What is the most you are willing to pay for a custom 3" Dunny? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "I've seen a thread debate on this and honestly I couldn't see the point. You look at a piece, you size up an artist, you get a quote and you pick. Most KRBoard artists - where I almost always make first contact - run from $60 to $125. If they've made a production series, they've got a right to ask for a premium price, and they probably have a commission list. I haven't got a figure in my head. Anything can affect price to be honest. Chances are I'd set a limit and then find a Dunny that was in a scene in Pulp Fiction..."
Not asking you to call out specific artists, but what is the best behaviors you have seen from people you have commissioned pieces from? What is the worst behavior? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "I think most of them are terrific. There's a lot of chat about communication being the most important thing and I used to think that but I don't anymore. I know one artist who's great with communication and I'll never receive work from him. There's another (who has made it into a recent production series) who I had about six words out of - "yes", "what colour", "what's your address?" - but he came through months before I thought he would and he did a superb job. Having said that, there a few artists that are worth a special mention - southerndrawl, Jon Paul Kaiser and Ardabus Rubber are a pleasure to deal with, and Nikejerk and Squink go above and beyond. I've been pretty lucky - there's no-one I've fallen out with. I know that's not the case for everyone." How do you display your toy collection within your home? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "I've got a small collection of non-dunny and a largish JLed collection on their own shelves. The 8s are all together on a couple of shelves in a spare room, and then all the 3s on a series of long narrow shelves by a UK firm that did it to order. The best is probably the kitchen, where I've got 3 custom Sket One 8' condiments - they look cool in a kitchen, even if you aren't into vinyl."
How do you keep them safe and in ideal conditions? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "They are out of direct sunlight and they need a bit dusting but they've all held up well. Leave them in the box too long and you'll have problems." What does your family and friends think about your collection? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "Absolutely everyone I know thinks I'm crazy. It's a source of constant comedy abuse at work, especially since everything gets delivered there. My parents borrowed my flat once, and I came home to find all the toys my mother didn't like facing the wall. It looked like a kind of giant dunny urinal. But as a result of the collection I'm in touch with artists and collectors all over the world, and that's cool."
What trends do you see developing within the vinyl toy world? What about the toy customizing world? Liam "Lfarnc" Neill: "In terms of customizing, I'd love to see more series like Most Wanted and CTU Assassins, but it seems to be an incredible amount of work, and there's very few people like Manny (most wanted) around to put the time and effort in. But it seems like there is growing interest in vinyl generally, and that's good news. The internet is crucial - the vinyl world survives as it does through easy communication and good websites - like this one - keeping the love going. I have no idea how long I'll stay motivated to collect, but I don't see it dropping off any time soon." Thank you so much to collector Liam "Lfarnc" Neill for hooking us up with his images, thoughts, and advice!
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