Brent Zaharia's
Customized McFarlane Hockey Figures

The following article first appeared on 1972 Summit Series.com

Fan Repaints McFarlane Figures
Perhaps the rarest 1972 Summit Series collectible?

 

One of the few collectibles I actually indulge in are the Todd McFarlane hockey figures. I'm pretty picky, and only collect a very few players, always the 6 inch variety. I've been quite vocal in my desires for McFarlane to come out with more specific releases, particularly regarding the legends series. Of course I've been telling anyone who will listen that I'd pay big dollars for a 1972 Summit Series set. But as of yet there is no sign of such a gem. So I must wait like all fans, and hope. Well, not all fans. Some fans are blessed with an incredible talent and a lot of creativity and patience. The end result is customized McFarlane figures of the 1972 Summit Series! Brent Zaharia is one such fan. He spends countless hours repainting McFarlane originals. His international hockey collection includes Vladislav Tretiak, Valeri Kharlamov, Alexander Yakhushev and Ken Dryden. He is currently working on a 1976 era white jersey Tretiak, as well as a Tretiak-Paul Henderson set. Zaharia says the Tretiak repaints are the most popular. The Tretiak pictured to the right (click on the photo for a bigger image) was originally Chris Osgood. The Kharlamov and Yakushev figures originally were Ryan Smyth and Jarome Iginla. Zaharia, a native of Kamloops, BC,  does this for fun, though sells some on Ebay. It takes him some 6 hours each on average. He generally uses figures from early series, because their faces are usually more anonymous than the improved recent releases. He even customizes goalie masks where possible. A hockey fan for more years than he can remember, Zaharia has a soft spot for the players of yesteryear. Old-school goalies are a personal favourite for him, as evidenced by a collection that also includes Terry Sawchuk, Billy Smith, Bernie Parent, Tony Esposito, Eddie Giacomin and Rogie Vachon. Other skaters include Guy Lafleur, Pavel Bure, Bobby Clarke, and, perhaps rarest of all, Wayne Gretzky in a WHA Indianapolis Racers jersey.

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