Custom of the Month - January - 2026 | Skinz Time

Johnny breaks down his favorite design from January, a pair of custom Nike Air Force 1 sneakers featuring 80s legends from the Transformers, Masters of the Universe, the ThunderCats, Voltron, and G.I. Joe.

The Concept

It took me a few months to get the ball rolling on this one, but once I settled on a design, the rest came to life really quickly. If you've followed me over the years, you know I love designing sneakers with 80s themes; from TMNT Nike Air Max 90 to Akira Adidas Superstars, I've painted close to two-dozen designs over the past few years. This time, I wanted to make them even bigger and better.

Since the characters live in vastly different worlds with varying visual identities, I thought the best way to bring them all together was to make a unifying background, red for the villains, blue for the heroes, and bring more focus to the actual characters - heroes on one shoe, villains on the other.

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The Breakdown

Cramming multiple different, distinct universes into one cohesive design is always a challenge. It can very quickly become very busy with multiple characters demanding your eyes attention. I had to think about character placement, color blocking, and which characters should share space with each other without clashing, both figuratively and literally.

The easiest way to bring these elements together was to stick to one background design throughout - a light to dark gradient red for the villains and blue for the heroes, while also adding in some airbrushed details to create texture and depth.

On both the hero and villain shoes, I kept the same characters in each universe together; Skeletor and Mumm-Ra opposing He-Man and Lion-O, Optimus Prime and Megatron on the toe panels, and the G.I. Joe and Cobra squadrons on the back heel panels.

One thing I'm especially proud of is how the two shoes tell a story when put together. When they're paired up, the red and blue worlds collide, just like a true 80s showdown.

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Why This One Sticks With Me

I've done single-character designs. I've done duo concepts. But cramming four distinct universes onto one pair while keeping it visually balanced was a genuinely new challenge.

There's also something deeply personal about this one. These four cartoons basically raised me on Saturday mornings. Getting to honor Skeletor, Mumm-Ra, Optimus Prime, and Lion-O on a pair of Nike Air Force 1s feels like the ultimate tribute to my childhood.

By the power of Greyskull... and Cybertron.. and Third Earth - this one's for you!

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Interested in your own custom pair inspired by your favorite cartoon, movie, or era? Commission a pair here or check out the full 80s Collection.

Follow the behind-the-scenes process on Instagram @skinzcustoms.