Airbrush-painted clothing and a huge banner leave no doubt that Nashua letter carrier Jim Palinkas is the “Macho Mailman,” a persona he developed during his 36-year career, the last 10 of which were in Nashua.
A sealed container protects Nashua letter carrier Jim Palinkas’s “Macho Mailman” action figure, a one-of-a-kind piece created by Nashua artist Miles McAlpin.
Nashua artist Miles McAlpin, who created Macho Mailman’s action figure, works on the painting phase of another custom action figure he was commissioned to create.
Airbrush-painted clothing and a huge banner leave no doubt that Nashua letter carrier Jim Palinkas is the “Macho Mailman,” a persona he developed during his 36-year career, the last 10 of which were in Nashua.
By the time veteran mail carrier Jim Palinkas met artist Miles McAlpin, Palinkas was already well known in the post office and on his route by his alter ego — the colorful Bronx-born “Macho Mailman.”
But something seemed missing — a tangible something, perhaps — to complete the persona Palinkas had created and built upon over time, something he calls “a fun thing we do,” the “we” being the co-workers and close friends who have become role-playing enthusiasts.
That tangible something would turn out to be a custom action figure, adapted from the Macho Mailman gear and “Macho merch” that threaten to take over Palinkas’s small downtown Nashua apartment.
A sealed container protects Nashua letter carrier Jim Palinkas’s “Macho Mailman” action figure, a one-of-a-kind piece created by Nashua artist Miles McAlpin.
Like a lot of great finds, Palinkas said, it was by chance that he crossed paths on social media with McAlpin, who was busy taking and fulfilling commission requests since a lengthy pandemic-related furlough convinced him to turn his hobby into a full-time job.
“I needed to do something, so I turned to this,” McAlpin said, while taking a break from creating his latest commission. He said he did get called back from the furlough, but by then he’d built a presence on social media as “Sir Collect-a-Lot,” mainly on Instagram, and passed on the job offer.
One day he received a message from a mail carrier named “Macho Mailman.”
Instagram is where Palinkas found McAlpin. “It just so happened he was here in Nashua,” Palinkas said, adding that he wasted no time in contacting McAlpin and getting on his list of commissions.
McAlpin’s methods of “building” an action figure are as unique as the subjects themselves. He starts by picking out “parts” — arms, legs, heads and so forth — then shapes each one to the correct proportions.
Nashua artist Miles McAlpin, who created Macho Mailman’s action figure, works on the painting phase of another custom action figure he was commissioned to create.
Not surprisingly, the final stage — painting the figure — requires the most concentration and attention to detail. Using the fine point of a liner brush, McAlpin strives to make the figure, especially the face, resemble the subject as closely as possible.
Palinkas, meanwhile, said his role-playing began with a few guys taking selfies of themselves in character, giving rise to individuals and groups such as “Big Macho,” “Supercrew,” “Postal Foodies” and “Macho’s Mafia.”
Postal Foodies refers to the group of about a half-dozen postal workers who travel to New York City for an annual food fest.
Some of the guys developed nicknames borrowed from superheroes or other characters like “Tommy Gun,” “Hollywood” and “Catman,” and the Massachusetts city of Fitchburg became “Dirtyburg” in many a conversation.
Palinkas began his 36-year postal career in his native Bronx, then worked 17 years in Connecticut before coming to Nashua.
In “postal speak,” Palinkas covers one of the busier routes in “the six-oh,” meaning ZIP code 03060, a route he said he loves in spite of referring to it as “the Dark Side,” a nod to the “dark side of The Force” of Star Wars fame.
“It’s just a fun thing that we do,” Palinkas said while showing a visitor his growing collection of “Macho Mailman” and other memorabilia.
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