Interview with Reactor-88 aka Ryan Crippen

The "totem"-art style of Ryan Crippen aka Reactor-88 is as recognizable within this current age of lowbrow culture and especially in the art toy scene. As well his style is not as often (or if at all any) replicated in it's elaborate forms by other customizers. Frankly it will test the patience and brush-strokes of any skilled practitioner, and Ryan is in a genre-category all by his lonesome. And while I did not ask if it was lonely there on his own hilltop, I did managed to ask him a myriad of stuff that perhaps people take for granted (but in a good way) and not necessarily know about, beyond his totem-designs. And oh yes, there's this first reveal of his Ghost Girl custom to show too, and it's a swell one!

[Shown-right: Totem Mega Munny]

TOYSREVIL: Why the moniker "Reactor88"? What's the story behind the name?

REACTOR-88: First off, there's actually supposed to be a dash in-between the "Reactor" and the "88" ha ha. Most people don't realize that since a lot of my screen-names don't have it, so I guess it's my fault :) Anyway, I wish I could say there's some really cool story related to it, but the way the name came about is pretty boring. Back when I created my first portfolio website I didn't want to use my own name (seemed kind of egotistical), so I thought I'd try to come up with a "cool", random name. At the time I was heavily into abstract 3D digital art and I created a little 3D piece that looked like a mini-reactor you'd find in some sort of sci-fi movie. I thought about it and really liked the word. So the reactor part stuck, but that by itself just didn't quite seem right. I thought tacking a number to the end of it would make it a little more interesting. I chose the number eight since it has no beginning or ending (like an infinity symbol), but Reactor-8 still didn't quite sound right, so I doubled it up and made it Reactor-88. There you have it.


["mini-reactor" 3D image that inspired the Reactor-88 moniker]
TOYSREVIL: And luckily I put in the dash! (Post-interview, I admit :p) How is the scene in L.A.? For an artist like yourself?

REACTOR-88: I think the art/toy scene in LA is pretty solid. You've got a lot of great artists, stores and galleries located here. With Comic Con also being right down the road, I can't think of a better place to be located. Granted with the internet you can pretty much be located anywhere and still stay on top of things and be connected to everyone, but it's always nice to able to interact with people the good old-fashioned way- face to face. It's ironic that I bring that up because I don't get out to many shows and events these days- but I'm hoping to get back into it a bit.


[Totem Bic Buddy]
TOYSREVIL: The signature style of Reactor-88 is the by-now iconic totem aesthetic. How did that come about? And is that the only style you want to be know for?

REACTOR-88: It's kind of funny- when I first got started painting toys I had all these ideas consisting of different styles and aesthetics, but being a really big fan of Northwestern Native American art I knew I wanted to tackle that type of piece first. Once people saw that first piece I got a lot of emails from people wanting to commission me to paint their favorite toy in that style. Being new to the scene I was quite flattered and enjoyed doing it, but eventually I was being labeled as "the totem guy", and I wasn't really sure how I felt about that. I also didn't want to get burned out painting the same type of thing over and over again.


[Ryan's very first Totem Munny]
REACTOR-88: So over the years I have tried to branch out once in a while and create other types of pieces when I can- for my own satisfaction and to show folks that I'm not a one-trick pony. I've realized at this point I don't mind being known as "the totem guy" since I still love painting the totems as they're always so challenging to pull off both creatively and technically.

TOYSREVIL: I remember your custom Dunnys from a while back, that when asked, they might not necessarily be known to be connected to Reactor-88. Does that crippled you artistically? Or have you achieved what you had intended to do?

REACTOR-88: As I mentioned in the previous question, I have created some custom toys that people would probably never know they were created by me unless they were told. Things like my Dig Dug and Dr. Mario Virus Dunny sets, my Tofu Retro Robot, Sci-Fi Mad*L and my all-time favorite- my Santa Dunny sleigh with reindeer Labbits.


[Above-left: Dig Dug Dunny set / Above-right: Dr. Mario Virus Dunny set]

[Above: Recon Mad*L]
REACTOR-88: I guess it could confuse my fans and turn people off who only want to see my totem work, but I don't think that's too much of an issue. I guess this could roll into the subject of trying to build up my name and style, which honestly has never really been a goal for me. I have a day job that pays the bills, so I paint (toys) because I love to do it. And being a creative person I love trying all different kinds of things, so as long as I have other ideas I'm going to realize them when I can. If my fans enjoy it that's just icing on the cake.


[Above: Retro Tofu Robot / Below: Santa Dunny with Reindeer Labbits]

TOYSREVIL: How is your style of painting actually? The totem lines always look so clean and crisp online! Masked? Freehand? What is your course of creation? Am absolutely sure you get asked that a whole lot tho!

REACTOR-88: This is probably the most asked question I get. Looking back at all my artwork from when I was a kid, then up through college and beyond, the one common denominator has always been a certain level of precision and attention to detail. People are amazed by how clean my pieces are- they figure I must be using stencils or masking or something like that. But the answer is nope- it's all freehand. I do have some tricks I use to keep my hands steady- like no coffee.

To break it down a bit further- I follow a pretty standard pattern when it comes to customs. The preparation part (disassemble, strip the paint, wash, wet sand, prime) is the worst. Once that's out of the way, I'll create a centerline down the toy and sketch/pencil in my design on one half. When I first started I would sketch my ideas out first onto paper templates, but these days I just go for it right on the bare toy. I do have an eraser just in case things don't quite go right. After I have one full-side of the design set, I'll mirror the design onto the opposite side- this is the second worst part. It takes a really long time and there's a lot of back and forth (and erasing) to get everything looking symmetrical.


[Design penciled in on a mini Munny]
REACTOR-88: Once that's set I give the toy a light ghosting of primer to set the design in, and paint away. I'm pretty much using cel vinyl for most of my pieces now, but even with that I still will need to lay down several coats of paint to get that nice, flat opaque look. When the paint is done I apply a coat of acrylic varnish and that's it.

TOYSREVIL: What inspires you? What makes you "tick" - especially in the current adversity of cuteness and OTT customization?

REACTOR-88: I'm actually a fan of the cute stuff and when it comes to OTT customs, I just love seeing people push the limits with their art. If anything it keeps me motivated to continue to push myself. I get inspiration from everything. The usual stuff like most of my peers- cartoons, comic books, movies, pop culture, etc, but I'm also a big fan of classical art, photography, textiles, architecture and industrial design.


[Spade-skull Munny]
TOYSREVIL: Do you actually collect any toys? What are they? Fanatic or Hobbyist?

REACTOR-88: I do collect toys, but I was bit by the customizing bug before I actually started collecting. Like most folks my collection started with the purchase of 3-inch Dunnys- an LA Series blind box to be exact. It just exploded from there. I'm definitely not a fanatic (my wife might disagree), but I do have a decent-sized collection- mainly western vinyl. I've slowed down a lot since I started though. These days I'm very selective about what I buy, although I still can't resist those blind-box toys now and then...


["About a quarter of my collection - getting ready to be boxed up to put in storage…"]
TOYSREVIL: 3D versus 2D - what appeals you to most, to work on? (Your "Spirit Totem" artwork was pretty memorable and most recent a 2D-work from you I remember)

REACTOR-88: I can't really say I have a favorite- I enjoy both. It's funny- after being a digital art junkie for a long time, my goal was to get back into traditional/2D painting. Right around that time is when I fell into the toy world as well. Needless to say my dive to get back into 2D art is still for the most part on the backburner for now. I do try to sneak a piece in here and there- like my Spirit Totem painting.


[Above-left: Spirit Totem - acrylic on canvas
Above-right: The Duel - acrylic on wood panel]
TOYSREVIL: Push comes to shove, which is THE 3D toy form you love to work on. And which form do you absolutely hate to?

REACTOR-88: Really anything that has an interesting, basic shape and is not too-detailed works for me. I would say Dunnys are probably at the top of the list just for the fact I've painted those the most, but definitely the Mad*L and Qees are always good too. Hate is a strong word, but again any toy that has too much definition and surface detail I usually shy away from.


[Wood Totem Mad*L]
TOYSREVIL: Explain to us the concept of the Spade-Skull. How does it look and where does it come from?

REACTOR-88: The spade-skull is the Reactor-88 icon. It's basically a futuristic melding of a spade and skull :) Having a design background I always wanted some sort of icon/logo to represent the world of Reactor-88. And like most people, I think skulls are pretty cool. But trying to come up with a unique-looking skull icon is pretty hard to do these days. So I went back and forth for a while and did a lot of research. I remembered back to one my favorite skate deck graphics- the Steve Steadham deck. It had this Rasta-skull layered on top of a spade. As I searched around more, there were other graphics where folks had layered a skull on top of a spade (usually for some sort of playing card type-theme), but never a melding of the two. So I set out to do that and after a few variations and adding a little industrial twist to the eyes and nose, the end result is what you see here.


[Spade-Skull buttons]
TOYSREVIL: The Spirit Totem Skelanimal and YOKA. Are they your first production toys? How do you feel about them? How does having their existence impact your craft?

REACTOR-88: Yup, the Spirit Totem Skelanimal Qee and Totem Yoka are my first production platform toys. I'm very happy with the way they turned out. I think getting a production toy is probably one of the top milestones on each toy artist's list. It's quite validating to know that companies believe in my work enough to take a financial risk in producing my designs. Many thanks to Raymond & Kevin of Toy2r and Eddi of Adfunture for giving me the opportunity to work with them.


[Totem Yoka and Spirit Totem Qee]
TOYSREVIL: Besides totem-izing existing toys, are there any toys you have designed that you'd want to make?

REACTOR-88: Ah yes, probably the other top milestone on most toy artist's lists :) I have always wanted to create my own original toy concepts, but as of now most of the ideas still reside in my head. I do have a few ideas down on paper, but oddly enough they have nothing to do with totems. I do a lot of random doodling, and being an animal lover (especially dogs) a lot of my ideas focus around them.


[3D modeling tests]
REACTOR-88: I do have some totem-ish ideas, but those are a bit more detailed so I'm taking a different approach with those. I'm getting back into 3D modeling after a long hiatus, so my goal is to get back up to speed and model my concepts in 3D, and then get them 3D printed and from there look to get some resin versions made. Of course I wouldn't mind working directly with a company and letting them handle all the hard work, but I would like to learn the process of making my own stuff. One of my goals for 2011 is to finally get that ball rolling. 

TOYSREVIL: I do not see you as active in the toy-show scene in recent memory - is there a particular reason why?

REACTOR-88: Around mid-2010 I made the decision to really cut back on doing toy shows going forward. Since I started showing with galleries in early 2006, I would be flattered every time I got asked to participate in a show, and for a long time I couldn't say no. I was also trying to juggle a long list of promised commissions and it just got out of hand, and I realized I was way in over my head.

So after being pretty burned out the last few years and feeling really guilty for being so far behind on promises, I decided I should take a break and lay low for a bit. So for 2011 I'm only participating in a handful of select events, and the rest of that time I'm concentrating on some very long overdue commissions and other projects. The Ghost in the Machine show at Myplasticheart on May 13th will be my first official show for 2011.


[Totem Ghost Girl for the Ghost in the Machine show at Myplasticheart]
TOYSREVIL: I have and will ask this of every toy-customizer: Do you feel that joining multiple group shows dilutes an artists' appeal and craft? Or hones it?

REACTOR-88: Well seeing as how I've only participated in group shows one would think I'm all for them :) In all honesty I do think they have their place as they can be more interesting for the casual enthusiast, since they showcase a variety of art. It also allows a lot of new talent to get some exposure where they otherwise might not be able to.


[Totem Nintendo 64]
REACTOR-88: My only complaint with group shows is that for a while it seemed like there was a group show about once a week at one gallery or another, almost to the point where it seemed like overkill. I think that's changed a bit, or maybe it's because I've stepped back from the show scene that I'm just not noticing as much now…

TOYSREVIL: What works better for you? Commissions? Or Show Pieces?

REACTOR-88: Commissions are great in the sense I'm working directly with a client on a specific piece that they're excited about, which in turn makes it fun for me. Shows are nice as well as you get a chance to have your piece fully out in the public eye.


[Totem Monkeys - acrylic on canvas]
TOYSREVIL: Pardon me for being a dunce, but has there been a solo show featuring Reactor-88? And why not?

REACTOR-88: Andy a dunce? Never… No, there actually hasn't been a Reactor-88 solo show to date. I have been asked by a few galleries in the past, but for me the time commitment needed to put together a solo show would be crazy. I'd have to hide under a rock for a few years and paint non-stop to get enough material for something like that. Now that's not to say I won't ever do a solo- it's just at the bottom of the list for now.


[Above-left: custom Vimobots / Above-right: Trio of green custom Dunnys]
TOYSREVIL: What's next for Ryan Crippen? And what's next for Reactor-88?

REACTOR-88: Next for Ryan Crippen? Good question. Maybe buy a house so I can finally get that totem pole? For Reactor-88- finish my commission list, start working on some personal projects, start on some original toy ideas, and start to get back into 2D more.

TOYSREVIL: What is THE one thing about Ryan Crippen and/or Reactor-88 that most folks do not know about?

REACTOR-88: Well I can't imagine most folks know very much about me in the first place so I could say just about anything. Hmm, a few casual facts- I'm a Hapa (half Japanese & half caucasian)- a lot of folks think I may have a native Indian background because of my art- but that's not the case. I was also in a Honda ATV television commercial when I was a little kid- so 30 seconds of my 15 minutes of fame are officially gone :)

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Reactor-88 on Twitter: @reactor88