Customiser Spotlight: Arthur O'Neill

Joining us today for our Fan Spotlight: Arthur O'Neill

MASKFORCE (MF): Thanks so much for joining us today and having a chat. Why don't you kick it off by telling us about yourself and your journey into M.A.S.K

Arthur O'Neill (AN): I’m Arthur from Dublin, Ireland. Christmas 1986, I was 6 years old, when the big man brought me M.A.S.K’s Rhino to be followed for the next two Christmases with the likes of Boulder Hill, Switchblade, Thunderhawk, etc. Between those three years my brother and myself had approximately 20 vehicles from series 1 through 3, including Boulder Hill. I think by the time series four arrived we had moved on to the magic of the ‘Sega Megadrive’. The collection with 99% of all parts (without original boxes) has being in storage in my parent’s attic since the early 90’s, with the exception of Rhino (my childhood favourite) who has always been on display somewhere over the years.   

MF: So have you been actively collecting since then?

AN: In March 2020 with the Covid-19 lockdown for some reason or another I sought out that golden treasure collection – surprised how well kept they were, with original stickers mostly in tact. I was curious to see what vehicles I was missing from the 1 – 3 series. It was then that I opened Pandora’s box and went down the rabbit hole.  The 20 vehicles in March has grown to 43 (not interested in series 4, at least for now!) including two Boulder Hills, two Rhinos and two Outlaws (my present day favourite vehicle, sorry about that Rhino).
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​MF: Wow that was really fast. What I really wanted to talk to you about was your customs.

AN: Yes please, so one of my Boulder Hills is  a custom called ‘Viper Hill’ . I have also done some other custom vehicles, such as Condor, Stinger, Rhino, Buzzard x2 (Red & Green versions), Pit Stop & The Collector, etc. As you can probably see I have also started to do custom boxes – the likes of Boulder Hill (See images above), Viper Hill (See images above), Outlaw and Switchblade.

MF: So what's next in you M.A.S.K journey

AN: There are still some ideas I have in the pipeline. As much as I love the pieces – I strongly believe that all of us are just tapping into the magic of our childhood memories and these little pieces of plastic are a tangible way of doing so! I must say I have been speaking to some sound people on the various M.A.S.K facebook groups. I have sent M.A.S.K parts free of charge, including postage worldwide to different members over the past few months. In return, I too have received parts and advise from others, which is what makes my experience of the M.A.S.K community a great past-time/hobby in the extraordinary times we are all going through. Finally congrats and well done to Robert Grignani for his amazing contribution to the community with his www.maskforce.com and Rob as of today’s writing of this blurb 27th October 2020 a very happy birthday to you mate. On a final note, a big shout to Andre Lehnertz, Mark Gahagan, James Morgan, Holger Werminghaus and Greg Gibson, many of whom you’ll know.
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MF: Thanks so much for chatting with us today Arthur.

​You can check out more of Arthur's recreations on his community page. For any further information you can reach out directly to Arthur via Facebook or contact us.

Joining us today for our Fan Spotlight: Arthur O'Neill

MASKFORCE (MF): Thanks so much for joining us today and having a chat. Why don't you kick it off by telling us about yourself and your journey into M.A.S.K

Arthur O'Neill (AN): I’m Arthur from Dublin, Ireland. Christmas 1986, I was 6 years old, when the big man brought me M.A.S.K’s Rhino to be followed for the next two Christmases with the likes of Boulder Hill, Switchblade, Thunderhawk, etc. Between those three years my brother and myself had approximately 20 vehicles from series 1 through 3, including Boulder Hill. I think by the time series four arrived we had moved on to the magic of the ‘Sega Megadrive’. The collection with 99% of all parts (without original boxes) has being in storage in my parent’s attic since the early 90’s, with the exception of Rhino (my childhood favourite) who has always been on display somewhere over the years.   

MF: So have you been actively collecting since then?

AN: In March 2020 with the Covid-19 lockdown for some reason or another I sought out that golden treasure collection – surprised how well kept they were, with original stickers mostly in tact. I was curious to see what vehicles I was missing from the 1 – 3 series. It was then that I opened Pandora’s box and went down the rabbit hole.  The 20 vehicles in March has grown to 43 (not interested in series 4, at least for now!) including two Boulder Hills, two Rhinos and two Outlaws (my present day favourite vehicle, sorry about that Rhino).

​

​​
​MF: Wow that was really fast. What I really wanted to talk to you about was your customs.

AN: Yes please, so one of my Boulder Hills is  a custom called ‘Viper Hill’ . I have also done some other custom vehicles, such as Condor, Stinger, Rhino, Buzzard x2 (Red & Green versions), Pit Stop & The Collector, etc. As you can probably see I have also started to do custom boxes – the likes of Boulder Hill (See images above), Viper Hill (See images above), Outlaw and Switchblade.

MF: So what's next in you M.A.S.K journey
​

AN: There are still some ideas I have in the pipeline. As much as I love the pieces – I strongly believe that all of us are just tapping into the magic of our childhood memories and these little pieces of plastic are a tangible way of doing so! I must say I have been speaking to some sound people on the various M.A.S.K facebook groups. I have sent M.A.S.K parts free of charge, including postage worldwide to different members over the past few months. In return, I too have received parts and advise from others, which is what makes my experience of the M.A.S.K community a great past-time/hobby in the extraordinary times we are all going through. Finally congrats and well done to Robert Grignani for his amazing contribution to the community with his www.maskforce.com and Rob as of today’s writing of this blurb 27th October 2020 a very happy birthday to you mate. On a final note, a big shout to Andre Lehnertz, Mark Gahagan, James Morgan, Holger Werminghaus and Greg Gibson, many of whom you’ll know.
​
MF: Thanks so much for chatting with us today Arthur.

​You can check out more of Arthur's recreations on his community page. For any further information you can reach out directly to Arthur via Facebook or contact us.