For a lot of us, the concept of setting aside childish things just because we’ve grown up is alien. We want that child inside us to be there forever. For others, those “childish things” are naturally woven into the adults we become. I think Bobby Horne is one of those guys.
Bobby is almost 43 years old, all grown up and lives in mid-Tennessee. He has been married for 21 years to the “beautiful and understanding” Jennifer. Their three kids are Kirstie, 17, William, 12, and Endora, 6.
He works as a graphic designer, “anything from sign work, computer graphics to woodworking. Years ago, I worked in a cabinet shop and never got the sawdust outta my blood.” Sort of like resin model kits, he said. “Once you start, you never really stop.”
Bobby is about two years younger than I, so I think we grew up enjoying some of the same stuff: G.I. Joe, Big Jim, that kind of thing. Maybe he read some of the same comics I did, and was just as thrilled when the Mego figures of comic characters (both Marvel and DC!) were introduced.
Today, through his Academy Art & Design, Bobby offers customized Megos, decals and plenty more. E-mail him at aadesign@nctc.com.
Q&A WITH BOBBY HORNE
Resin the Barbarian: What’s your own personal “toy story”? Megos seem to be your particular interest. Do you remember when you became a fan, and what figure first got your attention?
Bobby: My toy story goes as this: I can remember back when I was 5 years old and getting my first Mego figure. It was a removable mask Batman. This was the greatest thing I had ever saw. This ended up being a truly loved toy. It didn’t survive over the years; only parts of it.
Here’s a link for people that don’t know what Megos are: www.Megomuseum.com/
RtB: How did your interest in Megos, Big Jims, etc., translate from childhood into adulthood? Do you still have the toys you collected way back when, or did you go in search of it all again?
Bobby: A lot of my toys (Megos, Big Jim, Micronauts and comics) remain in my collection to this day. I guess I never really grew up. But when I discovered eBay in the ’90s, like many others, I began to add to my collection.
I always looked at the custom Mego stuff. These were the figures that Mego never made. Back then, there were only a few really good customizers that could get big money. I noticed a lot of extremely poor customs sold really well. I thought to myself ” I know I can do better”.
So, I started building a few custom Megos and they sold pretty good.… Read the rest