Joshua Reynolds: How long have you been a fan?
Joshua Hoskins: I've been a fan since I first saw Godzilla 1954 at the age of 5, so I've been a fan for 25 years!
Reynolds: Do you have any favorite [Godzilla] movies?
Hoskins: My favorite movies are Shin Godzilla, of course, as well as Godzilla VS Hedorah.
Reynolds: Do you have any favorite monsters?
Hoskins: I like Titanosaurus, Burning Godzilla and Mothra.
Reynolds: Any reason why these are your favorite?
Hoskins: Absolutely! I always enjoyed sea monsters as a kid so and it was always a disappointment seeing Godzilla VS The Sea Monster and it turned out to be a crab! I always thought it should be Titanosaurus.
Reynolds: How long have you been air brushing?
Hoskins: Two years.
Reynolds: What made you want to start customizing figures?
Hoskins: I didn't want to start customizing until I started collecting. That's when I realized, as I looked at each figures, that I loved the different variations and was suddenly inspired to attempt to create those colors myself. It didn't take me long to figure out the figures are airbrushed so I needed an airbrush machine ASAP! I was already sculpting, so it had been in my mind for a few years that I was going to design toys.
By no means is it an easy craft. It's an investment and mistakes cannot be made if you want a flawless, one of a kind piece of art. All that being said, that isn't even the hardest part. The hardest part is locating the figures overseas and dealing with international vendors and shipping costs, etc before I even GET to paint the toy.
Reynolds: Do you have any favorite pieces that you have worked on?
Hoskins: The M1 Reptilicus I own.
Reynolds: What make of airbrush machine do you use and how long have you used it?
Hoskins: I have a few machines that do different things, but my favorite is my Patriot, which is new, and a far more superior machine.
Reynolds: Are there any stories you'd like to tell your fans about your work?
Hoskins: There are a lot of stories and many memories but one that stands out it was meeting Ben Furya (Bin Furuya) and having him autograph my custom painted Bullmark Ultraman Jack that I had with me at G-Fest 2016.
Reynolds: Is there a specific company's soft vinyl that you prefer to paint and why?
Hoskins: I love Marmits. What else can I say? I dream about Marmits! That's when you know you love something!
Reynolds: Have you thought about or tried customizing figures from NECA or Tamashi?
Hoskins: I've not done anything with Tamashi, yet, but I am definitely open to do so. I've have re-painted a NECA figure and I am wanting to make my own custom Jirass.
Reynolds: Have any names of the Godzilla franchise seen your work firsthand, be them custom figure paints or your airbrush artwork?
 Hoskins: Matt Frank and Jeff Zornow are friends of mine and have seen much of my work. I've done a couple customs personally for Matt as well.
Aside from being an Artist in Artists Alley at G-Fest 2016 and also displaying my art at Guzu Gallery in Austin, TX, Misfit Toys in Houston TX and Lonestar Hero Comics in Galveston, TX, I display my art on social media as often as possible, so I hope many eyes see it all in the future.
Reynolds: Are you a collector of Godzilla/Kaiju merchandise and do you have any favorite items in your collection? If so, is there a reason?
Hoskins: I am an exclusive collector. I have my favorites and they rest peacefully in their glass display case. I am also a fan of collecting art from franchises outside of Godzilla like Mazinger, Gamera and Ultraman. My favorite item in my collection would have to be my Gigabrain Ghidorah. I think it's the best sculpt I've ever seen of a Showa Ghidorah. I think it's the best mold and it's an extremely rare company that produced it. It's overbearingly awesome compared to the other figures and it's one of my favorite colors, solid gold.
Reynolds: Do you have any words of recommendation for newcomers to the art form?
Hoskins: My advice would be to watch all of the Godzilla movies from beginning to end a lot. Watch them until you know them by heart and then you will only fall in love with the art so much you'll want to create it. At the end of the day it's all about those Godzilla movies.
Reynolds: What are your thoughts on the general direction the kaiju fandom is going now with films like Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, Shin Godzilla etc.?
Hoskins: I absolutely loved Shin Godzilla and liked 2014 Godzilla a lot. I also can't wait to see Skull Island! I think it's going to be incredible. I feel the direction the fandom is headed is right on target and I hope they continue to surprise me.
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| Blank Godzilla 1962 |
Blank Jet Jaguar |
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| Blank Figures |
Custom Jet Jaguars |
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| Custom Godzilla 1974 |
Majin & Mechagodzilla |
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| Reptilicus & Gorgo |
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