The horse was from a Papo horse. The wings were added from an Imaginex toy. The shield was cardboard with a plastic cover. I also reinforced the sword with some strong plastic.
I will not ignore the Hercules. We all need to start somewhere and work to improve. I myself have finally dipped my toe into the arena by repairing and repainting one of my son's tmnt toys, it is going well and I will start customizing very soon.
I think the Hercules is a great start and something you should try revisiting later.
Well, the confession is is that I like the Hercules that I did because he looks more Greek. However, I was not happy with the paint job on the legs and others have not liked Kraven turned Hercules. But, I think he looks more like the comicbook Hercules than the MU one. :-)
The figures contained in the Custom Showcase are not for sale by Figure Realm, and the creators of the customs are no way affiliated with Figure Realm. The Custom Showcase is purely for entertainment purposes and only provides a means for the creators to show off their work and trade ideas. Figure Realm does not make or sell customs.
I think the Hercules is a great start and something you should try revisiting later.