My belief and philosophy about collaboration is simple: 1 + 1 = 3. That extra “plus” is what makes a collaboration truly special. True collaboration isn’t just about mixing ideas — it’s about communication, balance, and creating a new identity together.
Everything started with brainstorming and quick sketches. We worked really well together, constantly sharing ideas, solving problems, and pushing the design forward.
One of the biggest challenges was figuring out how to incorporate the iconic Spiki scarf. We both brought our own ideas to the table and experimented with different approaches to make sure the scarf would actually work with the figure while still feeling natural to the design.
As the process continued, Igor kept adding more accessories and design elements, putting his own creative tweaks into the piece. Little by little, the design evolved into something that felt like a true collaboration between both of our identities.
Every detail — from the figure and accessories to the packaging and the entire campaign — was created with 110% passion.
This is what I believe a collaboration should be: not simply putting two names together, but creating something new, unexpected, and greater than what either of us could have created alone. 1 + 1 = 3. ❤️🔥
So excited that the Spiki-Q project has finally been revealed to the public! I’ve worked on many collaboration projects before, but working with Igor has truly been one of the most amazing experiences. We both believed deeply in this project and found a perfect balance between our designs.
My philosophy for collaboration is simple: 1 + 1 = 3. That’s the goal — to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Many collaborations fall short because of a lack of communication or balance, but true collaboration is about blending identities to create a new, impactful result.
When we decided to incorporate the iconic Spiki scarf, we each contributed ideas to make the design come alive. My approach inspired Igor’s creative input, and together we shaped a new identity for the piece. This project took time, but every detail — from the figure design to the packaging and campaign — reflects 110% of our passion.
Our goal is to share that passion for design and toys, and to make an impact on everyone who experiences this project. I hope Spiki-Q inspires you to believe in your passion and feel the perfection we strived for.
Finally, I’m able to share this project with friends and family! 🎉
First of all, I want to give a huge thank you to @martian_toys and @quiccs for the amazing opportunity to be part of the TEQ63 project. I’m super excited to bring you this production colorway, inspired by my “Boys Don’t Cry” TEQ63 custom.
It’s been an incredible experience seeing this custom evolve into a production piece, and I can’t wait for you guys to get your hands on it!
Stay tuned for the official release on October 6th — TEQ TUESDAY! 🔥
This custom design was inspired by @playfulgorilla, and I absolutely loved working through every step of this project. For me, the most fun part of creating a custom is seeing the idea slowly come together and finally seeing the finished piece.
One of the biggest challenges was sculpting all the details. Since this design is something completely new, it took quite a while to get everything shaped and refined correctly. The details are also very different from the original SpikiTEQ, so I really had to approach the sculpting process differently.
The next challenge was creating the puff jacket and making the body portion larger than the regular body. From there, I worked on the body and head proportions to make sure everything balanced correctly.
After that, I started smoothing out the sculpted details and adding more facial details.
The GorillaTEQ has a very different facial structure compared with the regular TEQ, so I wanted to capture that difference while still keeping the SpikiTEQ character recognizable.
Then came the back details and adding the hood.
One of the most complicated parts was getting all the head pieces to match and fit together correctly. At that point, patience was definitely the only way to make everything work! 😂
Once the sculpting was finished, I started testing colors and making sure the color blocking worked with the entire concept.
After a complete paint job, here is the final result! 🎨🔥
I really wanted to capture the original design by Alex and his OG GorillaTEQ, including the details and color combinations, while mixing in my own SpikiTEQ ideas and adding some personal elements.
The first thing I always focus on is making sure the head details and colors come out the way I imagined. I also had to add my favorite smiley face. 😁 For the back of the head, I focused heavily on the paint details because the original SpikiTEQ has sculpted pieces behind the head. The jacket details were also inspired by elements from the GorillaTEQ design.
For the shoes, I mainly looked at the Air Jordan 1 “Volt” colorway for inspiration and used that as the direction for the shoe details.
I’m honestly really happy with how this one turned out. It was A LOT of work, but also a lot of love. ❤️ Everything came together the way I was hoping, and I’m especially glad that this custom has now found its way to a new collector and a new home.
I also want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has DM’d me with inquiries and shown interest in my work.
My goal has always been to share my passion and creativity. Every single piece is built and finished by hand, with every detail carefully painted and refined. I always try to make sure the final piece meets my own standards before I offer it to the public.
I want everyone who collects my work to be able to see and feel the time, passion, and hard work that goes into each piece—and hopefully feel that it’s truly worth the investment in owning a unique piece of art. ❤️
Today I’m super excited to see my bro from my work. I have met Eric and work with him several years in Full Sail. I’m so happy he’s doing well for his higher education. finally we able to arrange a time to have lunch
after he moves out Orlando it is hard for us to catch up. so we made this plan to loca a dim sum place call royal china restaurant .
we also have several local friends join us. the place is very clean fresh. we order several traditional plates.
for sure you cant skip the egg tart, the egg tart shows the restaurant level because you need to be a master skill making the egg tarts and more layer is better skills. so far in Orlando I havent see any good egg tarts, for sure the one I have now is so good.
the seaseme ball mix with white sesame and black sesame has different flavor with sweetness,
every dishes was great and original. we probably doesn’t have this level dim sum compare in ATL.
thanks again to Eric for driving down to meet me. hopefully we will see each other soon.
check my vlog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0FYKog4FNk
Are you a Hunger Games fans? this might Be a fun place to check. Thanks to Julius for recommending this place. It was a beautiful outdoor day so we able to check Out this awesome location from the movie.
Today the Swan House at Atlanta History Center was closing for private events. I hear they can rent for private event and wedding, but was able to snag some pics from the outside!
Hopefully next time visit we are able to walk inside so I can share them with others.!
