Ever wanted to own a custom-made hockey figure? Look no further than Chris Marganelli's work.
Hockey fans are among the most dedicated in professional sports and often spend much of their hobby time on hockey. For some, that means collecting hockey cards; for others, blogging; and for British Columbia-born Vancouver Canucks fan Chris Marganelli, making custom three-dimensional hockey figures. While browsing social media the other day, I came across a spectacular custom-made figure of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes.
Photo credit Chris Marganelli
We’ve all seen the figures McFarlanes produced back in the day and, more recently, those from Import Dragons, but Marganelli’s have a more authentic feel. What caught my eye on his Dobs figure was just how detailed it was. From the pads, glove, and blocker to the intricate painting of the mask, every single detail was perfect. It was obvious that the artist had spent years perfecting his craft, which made me want to know more.
In 2001, Marganelli decided he needed a hobby after work, and since he had always loved painting, he took up repainting the figures he had bought in the past. Since he started keeping records of his customs, he has made over 1,150. Every month, he averages four or five figures, depending on the time he can dedicate to his craft, and over the years he has painted all kinds of customs for his clients. He’s painted figures for parents who wanted to have one of their major junior-playing kids in figure form; he made some for wives who wanted to immortalize their NHL or professional European-playing husbands; but he’s also made some for NHL executives, including a couple of Canucks players for one of the team owners and a 12-inch version of Toronto Maple Leafs great Felix Potvin for one executive’s office.
Leafs fans have been his best customers over the years, and he adds that Potvin is by far the most ordered figure he’s done over the last 25 years; he’s almost done as many of the Anjou-born netminder that he has of the second-place team in his records. His ability to 3D-print his own figure has opened a world of possibilities for his clients. Initially, he could only paint the Stanley Cup with the figures ordered because that was all that was on the market, but now he can 3D-print anything as long as the client is willing to pay to have the 3D model painted. It goes beyond trophies as well; he can do faces, specific helmets and gloves, or full-body poses.
For instance, one client was photographer Dennis DaSilva, who took the photo of Washington Capitals sniper Alexander Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record, and he wanted a figure to match the photo for his office.
Photo credit Chris Marganelli Marganelli has never really tracked how long each figure takes, but he says it’s probably 15 to 20 hours per piece on average. Of course, goaltenders take longer because of all the custom equipment, and when he's made larger 12-inch goalies, he's spent a full month on one figure, working about 2 hours a day. Over the years, he’s become quite popular online, and he’s currently fully booked, but if you wanted to order a figure, you could find him on Facebook under the name Hockeycustoms.com. If you’re after a custom skater, you can expect to spend $250 plus shipping fees, while a goaltender will set you back $350 plus shipping, but 3D-modelled specific figures are more expensive. If you ever wanted to immortalize a moment in Canadiens’ history, Marganelli and his 3D-modelled specific figures would be the way to go.
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