Customs General

Here's some tips from the previous threads:

Beginners: practice on cheap figures first.

For sculpting on figures: use 2-part epoxy putty like Aves apoxie or fixit.

For tools: try a basic carving/sculpting set like the kind arts & crafts stores have, and calipers for symmetry.
Dental tools have also been said to work well.
Also, using a Dremel is recommended. Minimites (the small $20-25 ones) are fine for starting out, but the battery life is poor. Upgrade to a corded one only if you want to get deeper into customizing. They are useful for stuff outside of the hobby though, so it's a good investment regardless.

For paints: use acrylics. Paint in multiple, thin coats. Brands like Vallejo/P3/Citadel are recommended, because of pigment quality.

Use a sealer when finished to protect your work. There are matte varieties and sealers that give a glossy look. As with painting, use multiple thin coats.

A flex shaft attachment on a Dremel is a godsend and relatively inexpensive. The grinding shield is also pretty useful, but you can improvise one using a cut open soda bottle.

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Figured this is a good thread to ask; apologies in advance if it isn't...

Recently found this loose Marvel Legends figure at a comic shop, and got it for cheap cuz it looked like the previous owner marked over most of the yellow stripes with a silver Sharpie and the yellow x on his belt with a red marker.

Is there anything I can use to remove the markers w/o damaging the paint under it or the toy's plastic itself? I usually use nail polish remover permanent marker from tupperware, but dunno how it would affect an action figure.

>>5749980
nail polish remover will remove all the paint
the shit one on top and the original

use alcohol

>>5749894
Work on your drawing more and then we can talk.

Replying to previous thread.
>>5749891
I haven't yet. I have some 90% rubbing alcohol I could try. But is there something else you'd recommend?

>>5750015
Even the non-acetone will remove the paint under the marker? And which type/strength of alcohol? I only know of the 3 or 4 typical kinds the retail pharmacies carry.

>>5750036
If you want to be a real cowboy about it, DOT3 brake fluid. Rub it on with a Q-Tip, let it soak on the surface for 30 seconds, do another pass with the Q-Tip and it'll lift the paints quickly. Seems to work best on whites and reds for some reason. You don't need to submerge the entire figure to get the results.

>>5750080
Dude really? I just googled and damn, I never though to try brake fluid to remove paint off a figure.

We actually have some dot-3 in the garage too. I think I might try it on a hidden spot and see how it reacts.

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Finished up that diorama of a ruin. Pretty happy with it for a first time with insulation board.

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>>5750244
Used up the remaining flowers from the other diorama I did to make one of the sides more interesting.

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>>5750253
Other side is a little more barren with some extra rubble.

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Reminder

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(Reposting from the end of the last /customs/)

Loli/Shota's CAD files are almost done. Need to add onto an existing order some parts I finished the past few days and then work on the blank head. The head will be like the Figma Archetypes' (old) with a basic anime facial-construction, and the hands will be the last thing. I'll probably make the basic figma-type hand-gestures (fist, gripping, knife-hand, and relaxed open hand). Still, what you see is pretty much done with. The chest-to-midsection and the midsection-to-hips connections will BOTH use double-ended ball-sockets for wider range of articulation (it worked on my Phaia WIP). I'll also need to make a 'flat' chest piece for the Shota version and modify the hips as well for that. The feet seem...big? I dunno, what do you guys think? And the measurement you see is in INCHES.

>>5750088
It's worth a shot. Sometimes it can slightly burn in some paint apps and leave a very feint ghosting effect, but that's the case with basically any remover you'll find that is above alcohol-levels of effectiveness. Just remember to swab it on with a Q-Tip, let it sit, then swab on some more with a clean Q-Tip. Dirty Q-Tips can leave murky messes that seep into the microscopic pores on the plastic surface and can't be removed easily.

>>5750334
Looks neat Papi-anon, the feet do look a little flipper like but if you scaled back the toes by 25-40% it might look more proportional.

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Has anybody used this brand epoxy putty for sculpting?

>>5750429
If you need to fix your engine block, JB Weld is a good company to turn to. If you want to sculpt, not so much.

>>5750429
Hardware repair epoxy putty cures too quick and tend to have coarse grain. Not recommended for sculpting.

>>5750429
>>5750433
>>5750442
It's not optimal but would you believe that a good number of the 80s GI Joe prototypes were sculpted with something similar? It can definitely work in a bind, or if you find yourself 30 years ago when better products weren't available.

>>5750449
Old toy prototypes were also done in 2-up fashion. At small sizes, there's no reason not to get a better product.42251

Are those figma joint lots on ebay usually fake chinese shit?

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>>5750449
Had to track this down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjfZBkTo5Pg

Around 6:45 he talks about how he used to use plumbers epoxy.

>>5750486
That's neither here nor there. Bill Weir the guy who did Joe protos in plumber epoxy also did a lot of 1:1 work (not to be confused with scale, I mean he sculpted the prototype the size of the finished piece), he actually talks about it in the video series I linked above this post. It can be done, if you're in a bind or in a country where it costs too damn much to import magic sculpt keep it in mind.

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>>5750486
Neat.

Actually that I've been searching around a bit more. I'm thinking of trying the Tamiya smooth epoxy putty. For the price point, it seems like a good idea since I've got only the one small project.

>>5750497
>Bill Merklein is the Joe sculptor
>Bill Weir is a friend of mine, it's late...

>>5750497
That is certainly true, that material isn't as important as the person using it.

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>>5750429
Almost all the time. It's flexible enough when cured to maintain its shape in castings quite well, though its softness means it is a little crumbly when thin or narrow. Sands easy with fine and coarse grit sandpaper and files, drills easily, can even be shaved with a fresh hobby knife blade. Works great with silicone molds, though lightly powder the mold with simple baby powder for more intricate mold details like faces and such and really press it into there (helps reduce air bubbles). I don't recommend it for making tiny things like hands on a figma, and it needs at least 3mm thick walls around drilled holes to avoid breaking from tension and pressure.

You can actually make sockets for ball joints with it using regular Airsoft 6mm bb's (drilled and glued to a peg) or figma/hobby base ball-ends. Powder the ball and its peg with baby-powder, along with the surface of the un-cured epoxy after you've mixed and applied it. Press the ball in and pinch the sides of the epoxy around the ball tightly while it's still powdered, make sure to only let the epoxy touch powdered surfaces so it won't adhere. Wiggle it a bit to give it some range of revolving and squeeze around the ball again. Let it cure for about 2hrs. Shave around the peg's surrounding epoxy to give room to revolve around (radius and shape will vary for the part of the body such as shoulders, torso, etc), make sure to only expose no more than half the diameter of the ball end inside the socket leaving the lips of the socket thick enough to keep it in snug.

Halfway through the working-phase after you mix Plastic Weld, you can use clay tools to make details in the sculpt like fur, feathers, etc. and in molds you can warp it too if you hold it in place during the later working phase up into the first 15-20 of the curing phase.

>>5750524
Thanks for the info anon. It sounds like something I could use for future project, but not quiet right for my current one.

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>>5750080
Hey anon. I tried the brake fluid and it worked.

I had to give the pieces a bit of a soak(a few minutes) but it got most of the paint off. I had to take a toothpick to spots where the q-tip didn't get it, but it worked.

>>5750607
Pretty fucking crazy that you just happened to have the brake fluid, don't you love it when that happens? Not the guy who suggested it but glad it worked for you.

>>5750610
Yep. Was right on the shelf with the rest of the car stuff. Worse case, I have a dollar tree and an O' Reiley auto part store within walking distance so I could have just picked some up, and brake fluid is useful to have on hand anyway.

>>5750253
>>5750256
I would say two things:
One, it's odd that it's so verdant and lush on one side and so barren on the other, but at this scale it's fine.
Two, I feel like the flowers are awfully regular on the lush side. I can tell they're not actually on a grid, but they just look that way as is. I dunno how to fix it, I think it's more to do with their size. Maybe mix in some other, different looking flowers or maybe some grass clumps?

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>>5750683
I think the flowers look weird because they lack foilage. Almost every wild flower you see except for dandelions usually have some type of leaves with them.

Maybe either being in some leaves around them, or group them closer together in a small bush like clumping should make them look more natural and less like somebody planted a garden.

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>>5750692
Also another example.

>>5750607
Glad I could be of help in suggesting it.

Did you get any ghosting? I'm still trying to figure out the best technique to take care of the problem, thus far I've done up about 30-40 pieces with DOT3 and I'm still fine-tuning the procedure.

>>5751004
Iany places where I removed black, had pink underneath it. So my figure looks like it's wearing a pink uniform right now. But that's from the paint even when I was carving off some details it was there.

>>5749881
Who has a better pic of that Wolverine?

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I'll be getting one of these guys to use as the base of a custom; is it even possible to disassemble them, though?
I haven't found any tutorials online and I have no idea in what order the torsos are built, all I can think of is injecting water inside the body and putting it in the freezer so the ice might softly push it apart as it freezes.

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>>5751184
It's made from a Revoltech Kinnikuman.

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>>5751184
one more

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>>5751184
found the wip pic

>>5751199
Jesus god, no. Don't. Look up guides on cracking torsos. It's so simple that a child could do it (after all, it was children that built them).

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Currently working on a custom of Armor King from Tekken. Base is revoltech mini Wars Man.

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Head is a Schelich jaguar, and is a bit too big for the revo mini body. But it's the best I have right now. Ill finish up this guy, but I'm gonna keep a look out for a bigger body (maybe the new figma archetype next), or a smaller head (which is surprisingly hard to find, something with its mouth open).

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Split the head in half, dremeled a socket, and glued it back together. Since the head is like this soft plastic/rubber, it makes it quite easy to take it off and on the neck ball joint. Next up would be sculpting on the armor.

>>5751976
Hey, what did you use to do the "skirt" part of Dr. Doom? It's not soft is it? I've been looking forever for some kind of material that's moldable and paintable, and yet still dries soft and bendy, kinda like the clothing on figmas

>>5752328
Sugru fits all you requirements though it is a bit delicate.

>>5751976
I know it's still WIP, but lol Doom has a beer belly.

>>5752250
Use Figuarts Kinnikuman, he's cheap.

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First time working on a custom. Sorry for my shitty camera. But progress on the bootleg Rin. Do my proportions look okay? Should I make the chest now smaller. I'm gonna make the bat look like it's part of the headband instead of just sitting on her head.

>>5751152
Noice

>>5752133
If you know please post some.
I can't find a single one on Jakks.

>>5750683
>>5750692
>>5750694
Points taken. I'll work on it when I can and post the updates. Thanks guys!

>>5752205
>>5752250
I feel like King and his mentor are far bulkier. I'd almost say the new ML Grim Reaper buck would be perfect but if you're looking for a Japanese body, then anon >>5752403 is probably right.

>>5752433
Looks pretty accurate to the picture you posted. The blouse needs to be thinner and stretch a little further over the hips.

>>5752532
Cracking Mattel WWE chests is 100% analogous. There's plenty of video tutorials for that, but to summarize:

>use hairdryer to pop off head and arms
>heat water in microwave till it boils
>submerge entire figure
>put a utility blade down the neck seam line (important: do not slice open your fingers)
>heat water again till it boils
>submerge figure again
>continue splitting with blade, moving from the neck to the shoulder
>heat water again, submerge again as needed
>insert a flat head screwdriver into the split seam, twist it, and listen for popping sounds
>heat, submerge, work on prying the pieces apart, repeat

If you notice stress marks, you fucked up and didn't heat it enough or are moving too fast.

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Are there any good figures with booty shorts or would it be best for me to practice sculpting on a female ML till I get it good enough?

>>5752644
figma made a few girls in jean shorts but being a company that aims their wares at pedophiles the figures are basically children.

>>5752612
Would that work on a Jakks Pacific body?

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>>5752644
The discontinued Revoltech Black Lagoon Revy from 2008.

>>5752825
That doesn't look like a revoltech...

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>>5752837
you must be new
welcome to pre-2010 Revoltech

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>>5752837
you don't look like a revoltech

>>5750492
bumping this question again. I don't wanna end up with a bunch of subpar joints.

>>5752644
How big are you trying to make it? There's this haruhi figma I spotted for 30$

https://www.amazon.com/Max-Factory-Melancholy-Haruhi-Suzumiya/dp/B003U5TUTO/ref=pd_lpo_21_lp_t_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FW57YNAWZDB2KD617TRF

>>5752845
yes
they're cheap shit

>>5752837
Rather than conventional hinge joints they used a lot of swiveling joints with strange cuts to get specific actions. They usually had enough of these joints cut to get basically the same range of motion as conventional joints and sometimes more at the cost of looking wonky as hell.

You should see the evas. I have 02 and 00 and compared to new figures the jointing just looks terrible.

>>5752872
Sometimes it worked better than a revolver joint in that it didn't completely fuck the sculpt. Most of the time it completely fucked the sculpt harder than a revolver joint would have.

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>>5750492
They're genuine figma joints as far as I can tell. I've ordered 2 lots from a merchant named cof7788 and they've been mostly fine. There were a few duds mixed in, but I'm talking like 7 or 8 out of 180 total.

>>5752852
Can you tell us which merchant you ordered from so we know who to avoid?

>>5753027
Additional note about color; most of the joints I got were black in both of the lots I bought. White, flesh, blue, and tan were also included, with a few rare reds and yellows thrown in.

As for types, the standard figma joints were the most plentiful. There were also some of the new thin joints, shoulder joints and the hip pieces. There were also larger joints that I hadn't seen before.

>>5752370
Oh shit thanks!! I've been looking for something like this for a looong time.

>>5752805

>>5752612
>Cracking Mattel WWE chests is 100% analogous

>>5752597
Thanks anon. I need to start working on the blouse next. I had to do the shorts first since the blouse stretches down over it.

>>5749894
Search figma's database to find a base figure to work with. The shoulder pads and cape will likely need to be done from scratch unless you want to salvage a Piccolo(DBZ) figure.

From there, it's a matter of sculpting the details your base materials lack and painting it.

Speaking of, if you intend to have someone else do it for you, you MUST have a colored reference. Even if you just use a multiply layer to color it, it's better than nothing.

>>5750334
she smol

Mind snapping a comparison shot with the tall girl you're working on?

>>5753373
Oh.
I need to sleep.

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>>5749881
Hey guys just noticed this thread is a thing and was wondering if you'd be able to help me out.
I'm a guy that likes LEGO. Not really much of a purist aside from separating the occasional knock-offs I get my hands on. Unfortunately a lot of "AFOLs" are purist to the point of being elitist. To the point that there are two generals just to facilitate discussion/sharing for off-brand building blocks.

I'm looking for some advice or resources to commit some good ol' heresy. As a fairly crafty guy, I could definitely do some trail-and-error to figure out what works best, but I figured I'd ask for cheapness' sake.
Anything relating to custom printing or decals, sizes for common connectable pieces, etc.
I'm also pretty much set up already to do things like resin casting and modeling, but if you've got guides and shit I'd love to compile them for other folks.
Thanks a bunch!

>>5753973
Sorry, Loli's the only one I have CAD files of at the moment. Curvy will likely be around 5.5", and Client-kun's OC will be 6.1".

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>>5750683
>>5750692
>>5750694
Added some foliage. Best I could do without uprooting the flowers

>>5753973
Thanks for the advice anon, I love you!

>>5755592
I liked it before but it does look much better now, good job bro

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does it really make a big diference buying paints like tamiya and vallejo (around $10usd)
compared with cheap 1 dolar acrylics ?

im a 3th world poor fag who entered customs to save money buying the cheap shelfwarmers to turn them in the ones i want

>>5755946
It really does. Cheap acrylics are awful- the pigment is really coarse, so if you try and thin them they go really lumpy and grainy, and if you don't thin them they're far too thick to use.

>>5755955
fuck i didnt want to spend more on paint of what i spend in the base figure its gonna end costing the same of the normal figure

>>5754338
http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=12324

>>5755980
That's nothing senpai. I spent more on paint than the actual figure.

Satsuki-anon here. I've risen from the dead and I've been working on a custom 3D printer and hopefully something big if everything works out.

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So I want to make some sort of a mask for the BodyKun figure to create a character that, in an attempt to look more "normal", creates a mask to hide his blank face.

I kind of want some creepy feel to it-- something like No Face from Spirited Away-- or something more sinister, like Jason Voorhees and his hockey mask.

Any suggestions for a kit bash or some sort of material to make this work?

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>>5756292
Do this one

>>5756292
The best kind of creepy is OC

get some paint or a marker and draw crude faces on them

>>5756308
Any suggestions as to how to make masks to affix to BodyKun's face?

>>5756356
Get some silicone mold putty, Plasticweld epoxy putty, and baby powder (silicone mold-makers in liquid form also can be used).

Next, find a figure with a face you want to replicate, powdering the face with the baby powder lightly (over-powdering is fine so long as you gently shake off the excess powder without touching the head and face). Mix the silicone mold-maker (by hand for putty, in a cup as directed for liquid forms), once mixed, press the powdered face into the mixed silicone and let it stay put for the silicone cure-time + 10min extra for good measure. Remove the figure's head once the mold is cured and gently powder the imprint in the mold this time (shake out the excess like with the figure). Mix a slice of Plasticweld epoxy putty (about 4-5mm thick) until it is evenly blended (it starts blue but cures white) and then press into the piwdered mold. It won't stick due to the powder, but try to fill the inside as best as possible. Get Body-Kun's head and powder the exposed end of the epoxy, then press Body-kun's blank face into the mold so it's behind the casting's face. Let it cure (Plastic weld cures after 2hrs20min after you mix it, with a working time of roughly 20min after mixed. Once cured, remove the casting, trim excess epoxy, inspect for air bubbles and fill in with a light smearing of more mixed epoxy (remold if needed). Bore holes into the sided of the head and get a rubber band to strap it to Body-kun's head.

>>5756482
Dude. Many thanks!

This should be a lot of fun :)

I'll update you on the progress!

>>5756292
>Steal another figure's faceplate
>Use elastic string to tie it onto freakish faceless head
>???
>Profit

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>>5756308
If you're breaking out the paint and markers, you know what must be done

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So I finally bit the bullet and got one of the bootleg Bikini Sonico figures (non-suntan). Paint's sloppy and joints are either squeaky-tight or floppy (mostly the former). Had to drill out some peg holes deeper to properly fit the joints in better, and half the joints were put in upside-down. Icing on the goddamn cake was one set of hands (open palm, fingers spaced) was only two right hands. More pics inbound.

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>>5757026
*left hands. Mixed them up.
Anyways, here's Bootleg Sonico next to my revised Phaia WIP (gave Phaia longer legs).

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>>5757032
The hip joint is WAY too low, so her thighs have an eyesore gap between them and the hips.

Look at that slut. She's gaping and all loose.

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>>5757037
Another shot of the ass.

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>>5757040
"Quit faking shame, Chinaco. We all know you've been around the assembly line."

And of course the Chinese used too much CA glue to keep the bikini bottom attached, so it looks like she's been creamed on by all the bootleg Snakes and Kiritos.

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>>5757047
Her true nature is revealed in the Popsicle-licking faceplate.

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>>5757049
Such an exploitable faceplate.

>>5757051
To summarize, she's decent fodder material but you might want to invest in Hobby Base joints just in case. Gonna try spraying some silicone oil into the joints to loosen them lest they snap from movement.

>>5751152
How the fuck did you make that?

>>5757053
Thanks for the review Papi-Anon. I might pick one up someday and try to fix her up.

>>5760656
With some mods she would be a good base for Miia using your Lamia tail you made.

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Has anyone here tried working with soft goods on 1/12-scale stuff? I'm working on this tranquil fucker right now, but his baggy pants are giving me trouble. My first thought was to use the legs from Revoltech Ieyasu Tokugawa, but Tokugawa has become strangely hard to find in recent years. So then I realized that just making his legs naked and sewing soft-goods pants might work, while sculpting details like the tassel and the rope around his waist. I know soft goods tend to look like ass when used on form-fitting clothes in this scale, but do you think it might work on something like this? Alternatively, are there any other figures with baggy pants that you guys can think of?

>>5761173
Sewing at 1/12 scale is a HUGE bitch, but at least you won't have to sew tiny hems since the pant legs are tattered. How experienced are you with sewing, anon?

>>5761173
Maybe try snagging one of the SOTA tattered gi-clad Street Fighter figures like Akuma or Ryu. Or, alternatively, if you want the pants to look even baggier, go with the Neca Street Fighter figures. They're bigger scaled figures than 1/12, but if you're just going for pants you can chop pieces up to shorten the appearance.

Regarding cloth materials, I think you have the thought backwards - form fitting cloth tends to look BETTER on small scale than billowy clothes due to the draping effect. The more that the cloth drapes or moves away from the body, the more the illusory effect of scale is lost. At small sizes, due to the density of fiber woven into one square inch, the hold strength of the fibers exceeds its general weight, and the cloth looks like it's unnaturally floating. See: most every 1/12 cape that lacks a wire or small slivers of heavier material to weigh it down. So tighter-hemmed cloth will look better at smaller scales because it controls the billowing effect, but the double edged sword of that is that movement is highly restricted and wrinkles around bent areas tend to look really bad.

Sorry, big tangent.

>>5756292
Papier-mâché or tape
Use Saran Wrap to protect the original

Can someone post that pic that show where to cut to add joint to a figure?

>>5761173
You might be able to get away with it on material like a really think women's T-shirt or underwear. Then if you need to simulate folds, I'd say that you could try wetting the material and starching certain parts of it into place then let it air dry. Or maybe just some very strategic cinching and stitching.

Either way, soft goods will be a bitch.

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>>5762300
Mostly depends on the figure, and I might not have what you're talking about...

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>>5762473

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>>5762479
And papi's elbow technique.

Remember, what kind of joints you have, and where you want to put them will determine where you will need to cut/how much material you have to remove. Use you best judgment.

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>>5762488
I'll be doing a new tutorial on making a 0-POA figure into an articulated figure in the next few days using a pic related. Need to sleep right now.

>>5762530
I'm very hyped for this.

>>5762530
I love how Shinji's face is totally
>You better not fuck this up
But regardless, I second >>5762849. A non-shit poseable Shinji would be great.

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Is it worth getting something like a jeweler's loupe to help work on 1/12 scale heads? I get a bit of eye strain when working on the really small details. Can anyone recommend a good one if so? I'd prefer one that can be held in place by squinting.

>>5762473
>>5762479
>>5762488
Thanks Anon!! this was what i was looking for.
>>5762530
good luck

>>5762530
Ahhhh i need to get it. I have a Misato but in need of a Shinji

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StevenAnon here, not my technique or my photos, this was shared with me by @tekitouaction so I thought I would pass it along.
How to make figma style hand joints out of Hobby Base joint trees.

1/4

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>>5763784
2/4

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>>5763784
>>5763787
3/4

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>>5763784
>>5763787
>>5763790
4/4
He uses a metal rod to peg it all together and I don't know the diameter but I suspect it's 1 or 1.5mm.

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>>5763784
>>5763787
>>5763790
>>5763794
Bonus 5th pic of this guy's amazing work. Once again this is by @tekitouaction.
Most of his work can be seen at geocities.jp/nakanakaza/index.html

>>5752825
Might work for what I'm doing
>>5752654
>>5752849
Not really liking these little girl bodies

>>5763784
>>5763787
>>5763790
>>5763794
>>5763800
Thanks, great to start thinking outside the box.

>geocities
Ahh, memories.

>>5764196
or inside it. Ha!

>>5763784
>>5763787
>>5763790
>>5763794
>>5763800
Wow! Never considered that. I HAVE been using the thicker rod pieces with Airsoft 6mm bb's to make ball-ends for ball-socket joints, though. And I think I still kept all the sprues from all the gunpla I built over the years too, definitely need to dig all that out.

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>>5763800

How do I find that Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer figure

>>5764309
Wish I knew, he seems really responsive on twitter I bet he'd answer.

>>5764287
I was hoping you'd see that. Seems pretty useful, but still kind of a scarce commodity considering how easy it must be to fuck them up, I wish hobby base would make the damn hand joint already.

>>5764367
It'll definitely come in han-...uh, it'll be very useful for doing Shinji's wrists, that much is certain.

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>>5749881
I made an old robby the robot toy looks like a junky irradiated fallout robot.

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>>5765084
Heres another picture of him.

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Where can I get VTOLs similar to the ones on pic related?

>>5765149
A few Transformers have them. The Mega Bloks Call of Duty Wraith Attack comes with a great pair, but it's a block system so you'd have to do something about exposed studs.

>>5765149
i hate myself for losing this when i moved

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Super noob question.

What kind of glue can I use to do repairs that won't cause that white hazing on plastics?

I recently fixed a weapon which had a snapped off part, the piece is made of black plastic, no paint. The only glue I had at the time was gorilla gel glue (pic related) I thought it would be fine since it's clear but when it dried it left a white residue which makes it look really obvious that the part has snapped off.

>>5765420
Superglue brand superglue gel's very mild fogging can be rubbed off of had plastics like used in Warhammer, I know that much.

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Started making a custom Makoto Figma literally days before the real deal was announced. Lost motivation because of that but decided to finish it up over the last few days.

It's not perfect by any means. I still need to work on my painting as I laid the paint on way too thick in places and also the sculpting of the mp3 player and headphones could've been a lot better but I'm kinda' happy with it as it is.

Just please tell me it's at least a slightly better attempt than that anon's Wii Fit Trainer?

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>aquel feelerino when you get your All Might figma to use as a base but it's so fucking smug you want to quit modifying any of it and just keep it
Well, fuck.

>>5765632
Holy shit apart from the shininess that's actually a really good looking figure.

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>>5763784
Made it into an infographic.

>>5765661
Perfect.

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>>5765172
Finding one for a non-insane price is more of an issue for me. Everybody here seems to think all blocks are Lego expensive.
I still checked on Mega Bloks FPS vidya releases and this thing looks like it could a good option if I can find out if this is on scale with a deluxe-sized transformer first.

>>5765639
That's Jakks Pacific for you.
I got it because the hips on these things are the better designed and most sturdy hips I've seen from an American company but it's over all a really good figure. Almost makes me feel bad about planning on replacing the head as part of the customization in the first place.

>>5765661
Awesome!

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>>5765149
There was one for the Avatar movie.

>>5765606
Everything but the head looks good. The face looks really generic and the hair needs work. But still not a bad job at all. Just try to work on the face really.

>>5765752
Hmmm.
I need a wingspan of five and a half inches at most. From other pics I've found, that thing is pretty big.

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Is there a way to rub off excessive shading on figures, especially PAK face without rubbing off the flesh tone underneath? Some PAKs have alright sculpt, but the racooon eyes is just too much.

>>5765632
Anon you must save that head. That glorious smug son of a bitch deserves to be saved

>>5766845
(I'm making this post under the assumption that the skin tone you desire isn't just the bare plastic that the parts are molded in)
Possibly, but with the effort that it would take to get it right without fucking it all up you would just be better off masking the exposed eyes and putting down an entirely new layer of paint on the face. Factory paint isn't applied in a paint-clear coat-paint set up like, say, gunpla painters use to make removing specific layers more achievable.

If you trust the steadiness of your hands and laser sharp focus of your mind, you can strip it. Just go up the scale of caustic stripping solutions.

>>5763290

I had a Bausch and Lomb one I used for electronic repair - if you're going to use a loupe, I'd recommend one that can clip on to your glasses or use get a magnifying glasses set. They'll work fine for the details but it will suck if you have to use it continously for more than a few minutes at a time if you go the normal loupe route.

>>5767197
>Just go up the scale of caustic stripping solutions.

What are the scale? 70% EtOH, 90% EtOH, 100% EtOH, brake fluid and then if everything fails acetone?

>>5765959
I get what you mean, it would have looked much better had I either used a or sculpted a face shape more similar to the concept art, also I really need to work on my hair sculpting as it looks far too...idk clumpy?

Thanks though man, it's probably the best thing I've produced so far.

>looking for methods to remove rivets
>find one recommending to use a soldering iron tip to heat the rivet and then pull off the plastic piece
>the piece I try it on comes out mangled and the rivet doesn't even comes off
Thanks, tfw2005. Never again.

Like, I can fix it but, fuck, how annoying.
Fucking faggots giving bad advice.

>>5767846
I've read that works for pegs not rivets, but why would you even try it?

>>5765683
On that one, those turbines are probably about 1.5 inches across. On the Wraith attack, they're about 2 inches across.

>>5768086
Because I'm a dumbass.
I've never heard of that being used on pegs, though.

>>5768166
Said pegs, meant metal rods, I considered using it to take the chest plate off of my Strongarm but ended up just hammering it out.

>>5767791
Basically, yeah. But if you're getting to acetone, just stop and paint over it. It's not worth the risk of softening up the sculpted details.

>>5767843
Yeah pretty much, keep working on it though man you can get it down eventually. Again good first try though

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Welp, I'm starting to custom this into a Banzaitron.
Process so far, destroying the fucking legs like an ape and slowly rubbing off the paint.

A couple of questions.
What would be the cheapest way of getting several pots of paint for someone that's not in America?
I remember a brand of general use grey epoxy that comes in a yellow/orange box that can be found anywhere, how do I make it bond with the usual Hasbro plastic?
Would dark green with white/light blue windows be a neutral enough color scheme?

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>>5766680
Depending on how much work you're willing to do, and if you just need the fans, there's the Playskool helicarrier set, and I remember seeing the Iron Man vtol at discount chains like Ross awhile back.

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Any tips for making a bunny girl's tail? 1/12 scale, so I can't get the fur texture/dimpling/whatever right.

Or is my best bet going to be grabbing a cheap bunny girl bootleg and just stealing that tail? Any suggestions if the latter is the way to go?

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>>5749881
Just finished this 1989 13" TMNT repaint for a client. He also bought a Leo I made a while back. Currently working on the last 2.

>>5769944
Get some white epoxy putty (such as Milliput) and a hobby knife (dull or even chipped blade is fine).

Apply a hemisphere of mixed epoxy on the area the tail will go roughly 1/2" in diameter. Next, using the hobby knife make tiny prickings onto the epoxy surface (around 1-2mm) randomly, allowing the texture to have a short-furred look. Turn the blade position randomly as needed to make sure the texture isn't a uniform direction of the stipplings.

This trick works for applying any sort of furred or even feathered texture, in case anyone wanted to know.

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what would be a good custom to make from a super saiyan goku? I saw one at barnes and noble for half price and I might get it if I can make something good out of it

>>5770182
MC Hammer.

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I am gonna use a female Funko POP! base to make a funko pop out of her. Can someone give me some tips please? I need help with legs.

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About to embark on customizing a Monster High Megablocks minifigure.

Does anyone have any specific tips or tricks I should consider?

At this point I'm not sure if I'm going to try to increase it's articulation or not. I've done some work in the past but I always seem to get in over my head.

Thanks for any responses.

>>5770301
What exactly are you customizing on it? New paint job or are you sculpting something over it?

>>5770301
Where and how were you thinking about adding articulation?

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>>5770345
New hair sculpt, new paint job, some minor re sculpting.
>>5770351
middle of the torso, elbows, wrists, and ankles are all options.

The core idea is to convert the toy into a small-scale anime(ish) style figure based on picture provided.

>>5770368
And how are you going to go about adding it? Those things are tiny.

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>>5770406
I usually sculpt 35mmand similar scale figures so I'm fairly familiar with small-scale sculpting.

>>5770545
Oh cool, but here I go again asking this a third time how are you planning to go about adding the articulation?

>search for testors plastic cement on my country because my rhino paws broke something I was disassembling
>20 dollarodandys
Okay. I can tell it will last a lot but, how much does it last on storage after opening it?

>>5770595
Make sure you always cap it and when you store it keep it virticle with the cap being topside. Bought a small sontainer of plastic cement a year ago and every y ome I need to use it most I need to do is peel off/ puncture a new hole from the run off hardening

>>5770574
I'm so sorry, I'm not sure how I didn't respond to that. I planned on either fabricating my own joints, or trying to find small joints.

If I do fabricate I'll probably try something similar to >>5765661

>>5770606
Thanks.
Seems like having something like a plastic wielder is a must. Also, I fucking despise rivets and pins.

>>5770670
Any suggestions for an alternative?

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Custom painted Durotan, still not much but better than horrible jakks paint job

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Hey guys, Solidworks/squid anon here. Spoonflower is having a fatquarter BOGO. I already sent an order for two five-squid panels so I should have ten squids ready to sell in a few weeks. I'm working on some octopuses too, any ideas on species? I've got Reef, Mimic, and Bluering done, I feel like I need one more to get a good color variety.

>>5771023
Dumbo perhaps?

>>5771043
Dumbos would be good, gotta finish up that pattern though. Little red-pink-orange balls of jello.

>>5770662
Well uh good luck I suppose, I'm sure you could do the sculpting but adding more joints is going to be a pain. I would draw out a plan on where you want to add more articulation first before trying to figure out how.

>>5770678
Hopefully there are screws thin enough and with a shank long enough to fill in place of at least rivets.
I'd like it if they would use friction only pins on deep slots so kids wouldn't push them but with the QC issues that could bring I wouldn't do it.
Some could be replaced just with those friction peg and hole sandwich kind of arrangement.

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>>5771023
What about a coconut octopus? With mimic and blue ring it sounds like you got the most important ones done. I'm really lookin forward to that blue ring in particular.

How often does Spoonflower do sales like that? I'm getting more and more tempted to try it. Is the texture of the printed minky any different from normal minky?

hi i have a barbie and i wanna cut it, what should i do, cut with a dremel, warm the body on hot water and then cut it or use a hot knife?

>>5769971
not bad dude, keep going

>>5771540
Wait for someone that has actually done it to reply, but my recommendation is to use a wire saw.
Though you haven't said what kind of cut you're going to do.

>>5771638
oh right, i wanna cut her torso and i would like to have a clean cut

>>5771648
Yeah, wire saw might work.
You don't want to risk warping the sculpt.

>>5771530
I just painted up a version of the one you posted, funnily enough, and the warning coloration of a carribean reef octopus (rust face on a white-blue base and a dark underside). Octos are larger than the squids so I can only get 4 per fatquarter, bringing up my total individual prints so far to 18 individual stuffed toys worth.

Spoonflower minky is a little lower pile than regular minky and the prints are only realy 'surface level' but that's only really an issue with darker prints (it's more visible on the space print squids than the more colorful panels). The sales arent SUPER uncommon, but they're not typically this good so it's worth a shot.

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Sorry if the question is really stupid.
Can this fill in place for hobby cement?

>>5772457
No. If you've ever repaired PVC pipes you'd know how terrible of an idea that would be. Just spend the money and get the real stuff, the fuck is the matter with you.

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Anyone who've worked with 3D printing with ABS plastics, how much can I get away with PUSH EM TOGETHER joints/parts?

>>5773022
If you do an acetone vapor bath to smooth them out they're about as strong as injection molded parts. There was a study on it.

To answer your question, yes.

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I don't like how the eyes on my Marvel Legends Spider-Man look, so I'm thinking of sculpting some new ones in the style of his Marvel Vs. Capcom appearance.

I've never done anything like this and don't want to spend too much on materials since it's the only project I want to work on, so I was wondering if Tamiya Epoxy is any good? It seems cheap enough.

I'm also considering finding someone to do it for me, but I'm not sure how much I'd be expecting to pay for the service, so I'm keeping my options open.

>>5773432
I did something very similar myself with a spiderman toy just a few days ago. Sand down the eyes or build over them with your choice of epoxy sculpt. I used milliput but there are better options. It's really easy too. But if you want to pay someone to do it I'd do it for the price of the milliput and shipping so hmu if you want to do that

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Mashing up some more Vitruvian HACKS/Acid Rain/ Marauder Task Force!

Hey, I've been having a lot of trouble with my Revol Mini's left arm's ball peg. The arm keeps popping off. Does anyone know a good way to get ball pegs to stay on properly? Floor polish helped a bit but it still pops off easily.

>>5773465
Do you have a picture of the Spider-Man you did?

>>5770883
Looks good anon, keep it up

>>5773471
Which Revo Mini? MGS1 Snake, Gray Fox, etc?

>>5773467
Were you changing your car's oil at the same time?

>>5773471
Floor polish is a bad solution passed on by people that don't know what they're doing. Cram a small folded wad of toilet paper into the socket, insert ball joint, repeat until snug.

>>5772518
>the fuck is the matter with you.
I'm an impatient fuck who doesn't want to wait because my nearest hobby shop will open on tuesday.

>>5773556
Whoops, grey fox.

>>5773667
Floor polish usually works great for me, though it seems to come off on some figures. I used to do paper, but wouldn't it just fall out? In this case he issue is that true ball peg pops out easily. I feel like adding the paper won't make it more snug.

>>5770263
>Funko POP
>Mighty No. 9
You poor, poor bastard. But to answer your question, I feel like the best bet would be to make a clear plastic base to have her floating in midair. Trying to adapt typical POP legs to match that design would look ridiculous, since she doesn't have feet so much as she has... weird needle-y appendages. Hacking off the base figure's legs and sculpting said appendages from scratch would be the only way to do it justice.

>>5773728
>but wouldn't it just fall out
Only if you don't use enough. Added material = space filled = friction = no room for it to come out. The only way it's not going to work is if the outer rim of the socket is too wide to securely envelop the ball head, in which case neither Future nor tissue will help.

>>5773022
First of all what scale it is? that is the biggest factor. Anything at 1/12 is fragile unless 100%infill and precision prints.
Anything above that usually works well though. All i can offer.

>>5774101
Man IDK where you're getting that idea from, I've printed 1/18th scale parts at like 20% infill with a 1.2mm shell and had them be tough as balls.

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So here's a concept I worked on over the weekend.
I wanted to do something that with minimal part swapping could work as different characters. Right now there's only one head and hair option but this is all still pretty early. It uses entirely hobby base joints except the hands which I'll have to design something for myself.
Height comes in around 4".

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>>5774240
>What other heads do I have that I could put on this?
>Oh, right!

>>5765084
>>5765086
You're right - it does look like it's straight out of Fallout. It looks like a chibi version of their robots though - I thought it looked cute from the get-go.
I bet if you wanted to go that route, you could try a bit harder and just push some more details Fallout-wise and get it going, which would likely just be edits on the chest / head (I'm not quite sure of Fallout robot design because I haven't played much of it, but I have played some to remember a vague general image)

>>5773851
Do you know how to deal with that then? I'm pretty sure this is the issue. The right arm is snug but this one doesn't even pop out it practically slides out with minimal effort.

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First trial of the 惡 embroidery pattern, definitely needs some work. I'm terrified I messed up writing the character, but a Chinese friend told me it looks fine.

On its own, the arm feels way too long, but the left arm is supposed to be longer than the right one. Guess I'll have to see how it works when I make the rest of the body.

Since Warumonzaemon is slouchy and worn out, I increased the pattern size by 10% and will understuff it.

>>5772283
I can't wait to see the new batch. Aw man, I don't have anything to print on Spoonflower now, but I should get started on some so I'm prepared come the next sale.

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Soooo, I bought pic related off ebay recently because I really wanted a jubilee to go with the new x-men legends and didn't want to drop $100+ on the full thing. It's a custom with the BAF head on the mockingbird body, which I'll admit is much better than the standard one. I actually kind of love it, but the yellow paint is pretty terrible. Pretty sloppy around the edges, uneven coats, not sealed, flaking in spots, the works. Is there an easy way to fix this if I've never done any painting more advanced than gundam markers?

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Hey if I managed to pull off some good customs, do people ever actually pay for them? As in buy them for enough money to make it worthwhile?

I was thinking of doing some kind of mod to make Nakamura Sawa and it seems like it shouldn't be too tough. Seems like getting her expression down is the key thing far more than the actual body and I can do that. I'd like to have her holding her glasses maybe. Or a baseball bat.

Also I know this is basic bitch stuff but is there a good line of chairs and shit I can check out that's fairly definitive? Thanks sempai.

>>5762530
he died

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>>5775477

>>5775482
The more I learn about art anatomy the more I see weird shit in manga. Like those crossed legs. Jeez.

>>5775505
Yeah I just noticed that. As someone who likes to draw as a hobby though I do have a lot of respect for these types of artists and I do feel more forgiving of art mistakes (provided they aren't just straight up QUALITY).

Case in point, anything involving hands. Seriously. Fuck hands. I just want to draw characters with lobster claws or cannon arms or anything that's an excuse to not draw fucking hands.

>>5775381
Try masking tape over the edges and painting over it for even, straight lines. Your best bet when it comes to paints if you have the cash are Vallejo, Citadel or even LifeColor acrylics, all three of which are very high quality in pigments and require very little diluting.

For cheaper options, try Tamiya acrylics with a reasonable acrylic based thinner and apply in thin, gentle coats.

>>5775505

They're ok. You're being thrown off by the foreshortening. Next time you are on a bus or something try to look around for that. Also, enjoy being looked at like a voyeur for staring at women's thighs.

>>5775540
Yeah, it's pretty forgivable especially considering the deadlines. Though I imagine monthly is easier than weekly deadlines.

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>>5775481
I haven't seen Eva 3.0 or 4.0 yet (is 4.0 even out yet?), but if you mean Shinji, NO SPOILERS!!

But if you meant me, no, I'm still alive. Didn't get the chance to work on Shinji until today actually. I'm compiling pics of the process as I make each customization (though I gotta 're-enact' shots of the arm articulation processes since I did that last week without taking pics).

>>5775505
The more you learn the more you'll realize it's easy to get by with mediocre art, mediocre, not junk. You'll also realize that a lot of strange looking stuff turns out to look approximately correct and that there really a lot of visual illusions in day to day life.

>>5775570
I feel you should have had a bit of arm before the joint and after the sleeves. It makes him look like he has weirdly placed elbows. That said, pretty promising start.

>>5775570
Damnit, Shinji looks legitimately hateful. Why is it so hard for figure makers to get his face right? He always seems to look either disdainful, bitter or like he's about to choke a bitch.

Great start though, can't wait to see him finished.

>>5775592
That's really a problem with the sculpt. His arms end in pegs about mid-elbow where they stick into the sleeves. I had to trim the sleeves too because he was getting sub-90 degree articulation from them. Also, his arms are fucking twigs, so I had to actually drill 3/32 holes instead of the full 7/64 holes usually needed for Hobby Base/Figma pegs in soft plastics, then cram the pegs into the holes.

>>5775570
Looks pretty good so far Papi, have you had to resculpt any elements during the cutting?

>>5775649
Thanks!
So far only carving out and filling in the chest cavity with PlasticWeld epoxy putty to make a socket for a barbell joint connecting the torso with the hips (with a socket joint being made for the hips too).

It's too bad the other Eva Portraits figures are not in scale with each other (just same heights), because I'd kill for a Misato in-scale with this Shinji. I might have to grab a smiling Portraits figure of Shinji later to head-swap.

I'm also going to use >>5765661's method in the pic to make Shinji's wrists (hindsight being 20/20, shoulda done that for his elbows too...).

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>>5769944
If it doesn't need to be hard, you could use a pom pom from an art store, I think I've also seen them sold at "dollar" stores.

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>>5769638
Follow up from here.
I just cut the knees because they had a really weird build and I wanted to redo them, using green stuff since that's what it's available where I live.
RIP in pieces, abdominal hinge, may cement save you.
The forearms are made of a really sturdy plastic while the rest of it feels fucking flimsy, I won't force it even though I need to paint it.

A quick question.
How is adhesion promoter applied? Will I need an airbrush for it?

>>5774158
>>5774101

Anon did say precision prints... Is the fragility before acetone vapor bathing or not? Assuming that I'm using ABS. I'm shooting for 1/12 scale for the fun of it

making a prop from overwatch (mccree flashbang).

I've put on 3 coat of filler primer (3d printed so I sanded smooth and filling in holes).

But a bottom lip is cracking.

Did I put too much primer on?

What are the best base figures for customization? I'm fairly poor so I'm looking for the best bang for my buck.

Also in other news, no real progress on my Monster High Megablocks figures, but I have been tinkering with joints and seem to be having some success

>>5776019
Gonna need more to go on. What brand? How soon between coats? Where are you, what's the weather like? Could be an old can. I've had old filler primer do that, could be humidity or too cold, could be that you are spraying it on too thick, could be that you're applying the next coat too soon. Could be a combination of any of those things, especially the last two together.

>>5776003
If you're getting it off the printer bed and it's too fragile to pop into place you're doing something wrong, the end. You don't need infill at 100% like anon said but you might need to raise it a bit and raise your shell thickness. ABS is strong. Anon said it's as strong as injection molded ABS but I'm not sure where he's getting that.

>>5776039
Well, what are you wanting for an end-result? For example, moe-blobs can be made from numerous Figma, Figuarts, and some Revoltechs (including bootlegs, but those are hit or miss).

>>5775823
>How is adhesion promoter applied?
Lol this guy. I have been working on customs for years and I've never seen the words "adhesion promoter" together before. Google will probably help you more than anyone here. Seeing as how you are asking for people to answer you, lol.

>>5776149
Wait you've really never heard anyone say adhesion promoter?

>>5775823
Adhesion promoter comes in a can like spray paint.

>>5775570
They rose from the dead.

>>5776165
Oh.
Are there any tutorials for how to keep layer thickness in check?

>>5776115
https://benchapman4.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/teamabs_guidereport.pdf

>>5776140
Probably random animu OC shit, or to make custom toys for others for profit ha ha.

>>5776115
I was the one going on about 100%, its not completely necessary and well printed parts are pretty strong, especially ABS. just depends on print quality. vapor smoothing actually can weaken parts a bit if they are left in vapor too long.
>>5774158
a 1/18 scale action figure joint tho at 20% infill and 1.2mm walls? i am curious to know if you pulled it off. I personally have worked with 1/12 using ABS before but the more i learn design seems to be the best way to strongest parts

>>5774382
Add material to the outer rim. Plastic shavings adhered with MEK could work, I've done that before to salvage a torso balljoint before. Others might recommend an epoxy, but I don't like how non-pliable that would be.

>>5776192
It's just sorta something you get a feel for, in my experience, just keep it relatively light, I usually stop when the object becomes mostly primer color and give it about 15 minutes before the next coat.

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>>5776144
>>5776142

To do what was done to make the feather look weathered.

It was first dry brushed with a light brown acrylic paint.

When set and dried, then a coat of sliver paint was dry brushed.

So the paint would wash off, Matte finish/ dullcoat was applied.

It seems overly down in the first try. I was suggested by anon that it could have used a wash.

Bought shoe polish paint for the wash. Black or brown, doesn't matter.

Then after the wash was applied and cleaned, it was again dry brushed to make the sculpted details pop out more.

Then again, the matte finished was applied. Same thing was done to the weapons.

The great thing about these figures is the removable armor, which made painting so much easier and ideal. They were individually done.

I hope this helps anyone who wants to try it,

>>5776195
Figmas and Figuarts for regular human characters then. Bootlegs, again, are hit or miss individually and your safest options without lead paint are the archetype she and he old versions (don't trust EBay pics, only the old archetype's exist in bootleg form since the new ones aren't even out yet). The bootleg archetypes have moderately workable joints most of the time but will often have joints in upside down, have mold imperfections, and loose socket-joints. But, for <$20USD shipped they are your best bet for anime characters without needing to strip off the lead paint.

I have two bootleg Sonicos (non-tan bikini) that have squeaky tight joints and hips a few millimeters too low but are otherwise good fodder for a titty-monster custom at roughly $20 shipped. Tanned version exists too.

>>5776246
Hey boss I've got a q for you, what size drill bit do you use for doing figma joints?

>>5776259
For soft plastics: 7/64"

For hard plastics or materials without flex, drill out a wider-than needed hole (that will fit), fill the hole with PlasticWeld epoxy putty, let cure, then drill out using a 7/64" drill bit.

>>5776279
That's like, what, 2.8mm when the joint itself has a 2.9mm peg? Thanks.

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>>5770182
>>5770193

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>>5776149
You would have heard a lot of talk about adhesion promoter from people who customized the big Millennium Falcon toy that Hasbro released last year. Adhesion promoter is mainly an automotive product used for unusual plastics like polypropylene which are hard to paint.

>>5776236
Thanks.
Does it need more than one coat? Is there any preparation needed before applying it?

>>5776353
I would lie and tell you I always clean my parts before priming but half the time I forget to. You should, however, always clean your parts before priming. As for coats I usually go 3, 4 or 5 if I'm coating it really lightly because of weather conditions.

>>5776392
Thanks a lot.

>tfw forgot that painting during winter or with a lot of humidity around is a terrible idea and it's currently one of the coldest and most humid winters in years on my country
Damn. I guess now I just wait.

>>5776533
Use a model putty instead to hide the lap-lines, it's a bit more work but if the primer isn't going to perform correctly it's your best bet.

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>>5775381

Painting yellow sucks pretty hard. The least painful way I can think of is Army Painter colored primer, but you'll still have some rub around the hip joints since they're molded in white.

>>5776542
>lap-lines
What were those? The lines left by the paint layers being slightly uneven?

>>5777331
No, I thought I was talking to the guy asking about priming a 3d printed grenade because I can't read.

>>5777331
>>5778239
Just to be clear here when I said look for the object to become primer color I meant when priming it. Adhesion promoter has no color, just do a few light mists. I apply about 3 coats 5-10 minutes apart (read the can to see how far apart they can be).

>>5751976
Im loving that doom so far. Keep it up

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Is there a safe way to remove frozen super glue on a ball peg?

I was trying to tighten the neck joint on Happinet Rathalos - a very expensive figure. I move it a couple times and thought it was good, then I left it overnight and now it was all stiff. Luckily for me it t freezes on a neutral position and he had more articulation up his neck so it's not that he lost all neck articulation.

I don't want to use acetone because it rubs off paint and might react nastily with the plastic. Any other suggestion?

>>5778614
Anyone? I'm kinda pissed about it because it's a rookie mistake and I have noone to blame but myself. It sucks when you messed up expensive toy just for a fraction of an improvement.

>>5778779
Boil the glued part. In my experience that's allowed superglue to loosen.

>>5778790
Would boiling ruin the plastic & paint though?

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>>5778614
>>5778779
>a very expensive figure

So the piece itself is stuck on the neck ballpeg? Heat from a hairdryer is your only option, and even then, who knows. Some CA glues respond to heat, some don't. Hopefully the joint is made of harder plastic than the piece that fits on it, because you might end up just shearing off the joint when you apply some torque. Don't go hog wild on applying heat, because you want transferred heat to remain as shallow and close to the glue itself as possible, rather than getting towards the joint shaft and possibly softening it.

Heat, test, heat, test, etc.

Hamhandling something comes from impatience and an inability to wait for results, so beware of that.

>>5778790
>>5778791
Don't boil. Nobody boils anymore. It's an archaic and imprecise way of doing things.

>>5775682
Micro-update on Shinji.

I plan to give him ball-socket hips with instructions on how to do so, and also will be chopping a section of his legs out to get him closer to his approximate 1/12 height. Partly because I'm a scalefag, partly because I'd like (at some point) to make a Misato figure to go with him (maybe even repaint my Frauline Rei into a plugsuit Yui). Misato is the only Eva character with an official height (5'4") and fans years back did pixel-counts of a group shot of the cast of Eva to determine everyone else's heights. Did a similar method myself in SolidWorks and got the same approximation on Shinji's height being ~4'9", so I gotta chop off roughly .25" from his legs.

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>>5778821
>So the piece itself is stuck on the neck ballpeg?
Pretty much. See pic related for a diagram. I wonder if heating from hairdryer can reach though, the ballpeg is buried fairly deep in the torse.

Would freezing/thawing method by putting the figure in the fridge work? Has anyone tried this? The glue might expand and contract differently than the plastic, releasing the flakes, but by freezing it you also make the figure more brittle and higher risk of hamhanding it.

>>5778838
>I wonder if heating from hairdryer can reach though
It will. You can dismantle entire torsos with a hairdryer, a neck will be no problem.

>Would freezing/thawing method by putting the figure in the fridge work
That's another archaic and debunked method. Don't do it. Amongst other possible problems, any micro air pockets from the injection molding process will fluctuate in size and essentially create fault lines. If you've ever split a joint shaft in half, you'd know that it's not uncommon to see a small pocket gap inside.

>>5778849
Ok I'll try my best. So to elaborate, by "stuck" I mean not physically struck through geometry, but more like it's gotten frozen solid from superglue. So you think hairdying will debond the superglue?

>>5778868
>So you think hairdying will debond the superglue
Possibly. At the very least, heat will be your best option. Practically speaking, the glue is the weakest component in there, so it should "give" before the plastic pieces shear. Just remember that not all CA glues are identical so results are never guaranteed. Know when to cut your losses before you fuck it up royally.

Also, as a test ahead of time to gauge what you're looking at, you may want to remove a different non-stuck section first (that uses the same joint system as the stuck area) and test how the joint shaft in that area works against heat. If the joint shaft itself gets really pliable under heat, things will be more complicated. If it's a harder plastic that resists heat and stays rigid, you're looking better in your odds.

>>5762530
thankyou so much

>>5778825
I thought the pilots had official heights (with Shinji being 155cm)? Though granted I think I got that info from EvaGooks Wiki so YMMV.

In any case I know the pilots (Rei especially) are fucking tiny, though granted they are Japanese and they are only 14. I did think a 1:18 scale Evangelion cast would be great, but if it was to scale with, say, GI Joe or other 1:18/3" figure lines, the kids would be absolutely miniscule, so the scale would have to be fudged a bit (with the kids being about 3" and the adults being a bit bigger). Only problem with that is scalefags would bitch about them not scaling with Cobra Commander or whatever (I know the Japanese don't really care about scale so much so there's that).

>>5778982
Yeah, EvaGeeks was where I found that out, and then used the same pic of the cast to confirm more or less the same findings using SolidWorks.

Revoltech made Revo Minis of Rei, Asuka, and Mari that are just a smidge smaller than 1/12 in height (I own a Rei and Asuka, articulation on them is poor, and my Loli protomorph will be about the same height and frame). In any case Shinii is close to a whole head shorter than Misato, so I need to reduce his height via those twig legs of his.

There's an Eva portraits figure of Misato in her home-attire sitting either legs spread that I might pic up via EBay since it seems like it'll give her close to her 1/12 height once her body is cut and rearranged to stand tall.

One thing at a time though.

>>5778976
Thank me when I finish and post my results! But no prob.

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What is the proper way to open up a ML body?
I want to take apart the pelvis/abs/chest area.
A youtube tutorial says i should drill holes in specific parts so that i can pop the pieces apart. Should i? I'm ready to do it if that's the case.

I want to sand down all of those pieces to get rid of the glossy finish, but it's complicated with all of the sculpted muscles.

Please help!

>>5775570
Looks really good so far. Maybe barrow the joints in the shoulders a bit more or is it intentional for more range of movement?

>>5751976
Is that your UMvC3 team? Loving that Doom dude, keep up the great work, loved to see some plasma beam/hidden missiles

How does green stuff bond to plastic?
Just putting it in place is enough or is there anything specific I need to do?

>>5778298
>>5781096
It's from someone on 2chan.

>>5781096
Depends on the plastic, it's not going to stick to more rubbery stuff like what a Marvel Legends is made of. Rule of thumb would be to rub down your piece in alcohol before applying green stuff.

>>5781199
I'm putting it on hard plastic so its not a problem but thanks for the warning. I was going to use it over rubbery plastic on a future project.

>>5781221
Well, it kinda will stick to a more rubbery plastic but eventually it'll pop off. You have to be really delicate with it.

>>5781221
From personal experience green stuff is terrible at adhering to a surface, however it could help if you finely sand the areas you intend to apply it to.

>>5781361
Green stuff sticks better than a lot of other epoxy putties, but in general epoxies are only mildly adhesive and really made to stick to itself.

Naturally, when working with this stuff you should prep the surface. Sand, clean with detergent, etc.

It also helps if you get a good wrap with the material or get it into nooks and crannies.

>>5781361
I've been working with green stuff for years. It really depends on the surface. The smoother the surface the harder it's going to be to adhere.

Does nail polish work as good as future shine when tighting ball joints?

I heard it can close tabs easy.

Would a heat gun be okay for softening plastic to reshape it?

Maybe a mini heat gun? I need to a buy a new one for shrink tubing anyway

>>5781422
Boil water and put on some gloves, hold the part over the boiling water, you can usually reshape your shit like shit.

>>5781456
Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha fucking forgot I was kik:shelledoceaning, just like the read kik:shelledocean does

>>5781422
No. The effects of a heat gun can go from nothing to holy shit in a split second. This is from personal experience. What will happen is that a heat threshold will be crossed and the plastic will basically begin to reformat its shape. The general mass of it will keep consistent, but details will sort of balloon and then flatten under the weight of the expanded plastic particles. It's really shitty and you don't even notice what's happening until it all goes to fuck.

>>5781604
The ballooning comes from small air pockets in the plastic heating up and wanting to gtfo

>>5781608
That could very well be, makes sense. Regardless though, it goes bad really fast because those fucking things get up to like 500+ degrees fahrenheit with very few settings to change it. Mostly they just get even hotter.

>>5781615
So boiling is the way to go?

>>5781621
Don't stick it in the boiling water, just hold it over the boiling water. But yeah that usually does the trick. Once you've shaped the piece put it under cold water

>>5781621
Hairdryer. But the plastic will reshape itself over time in almost all instances.

So guys, what purpose does air dry clay (not Aves Apoxie for committing to the work) have in your work process? Mock ups? Practice? Or filler material?

And how well would those ten-ish minute air dry clays hold up against being handled?

>>5782330
I've never used air dry clay because it doesn't hold up to being handled, does anyone here actually use it for anything?

>>5782330
>air dry clay
Zero.

Sauce for the Iron Man Drossrls?

Is anything from UHU useful for customs?
I was passing through a retailer earlier and I saw a shitload of UHU epoxy shit, even a glue that fits the description of plastic cement.

>>5782330
Honestly, plasticine clay (non-drying, non-hardening modeling clay) is a better choice, especially when making a casting of a part with ads-ons in the sculpt.

As other anons have said, air-dry clay is too fragile for customs or basic handling. I mean, if it works for some then cool beans. But I use plasticine clay since it's dirt cheap ($3 for a 2lb block from Michaels) and reusable. One merely needs to stick it in the freezer to stiffen it sufficiently for molding and it can be removed from bucks easily.

Anyone know of a muscular 7" scale figure that has double jointed arms, molded in black? I'm drawing a blank.

Somewhat related, but is there a super glue that dries clear and doesn't leave that cloudy white residue? One of my figures has loose leg joints that I want to tighten but has gaps so the residue would be visible.

>>5783458
The Marvel Legends Venom (Absorption Man wave).

Stupid question, but will using acrylic sealant spray (sold at crafts stores) seal the lead compounds in lead paint on a bootleg? I hate having to wash my hands every time I work with them for customs so as not to get lead in myself or my dogs.

>>5783718
Good suggestion, but anything that isn't $35 just for a pair of arms?

>>5783721
You're worrying about a non-issue. The polymerization process of synthetic paints binds the lead when it transitions from liquid to solid. If there were enough lead to be even remotely worth paying attention to for health reasons it probably wouldn't even cure. And if the lead were potent enough to permeate the polymer chains, an acrylic sealant wouldn't help in any way.

Speaking frankly, the phthalates in PVC are magnitudes more potentially toxic than the small levels of lead in bootleg paints, so every time you sand raw plastic you're introducing more damaging elements via fine particles into your respiratory system than you'll ever get from epidermal absorption of lead.

What's the difference between adhesion promoter and actual primer? I've seen Duplicolor sell both cans at once.

>>5784331
Adhesion promoter is colorless shit that helps paint stick.

>>5784331
Primer is a base coating that serves 3 purposes: neutral coloring, surface adherence, and some surface leveling.

Adhesion promoter is strictly for surface adherence of paints (though some are formulated with primer coloring). Unlike primer (which needs to properly cure before a coat of paint is applied), adhesion promoters often require you to quickly apply the paint while the promoter is still "active" on the surface of your project.

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Recently came into possession of one of the 6 inch 3A zombies. Apparently the feet are attached just by a peg joint so it will only twist side to side. Any advice on how to mod it so that I can get at least forward and backward articulation? Never really done much customizing beyond painting and other cosmetic work.

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This is what I'm working on right now.
Just a Random ultra battle damaged t-800
Just need to add a few more final details.
Maybe embed a small light in thr skull so the eyes light up

Does anyone here know if the Black Series Guavian Enforcer's head fits in either figma archetype or body-kun?

Thanks!

>>5783852
So...touching lead paint on a bootleg and then coming into contact with my dogs (one being a miniature breed) and/or their food/snacks is safe? That's my main concern.

>>5784912
Short answer:
No.

Longer answer:
Yes, but only with modification. You would need to drill a hole in the inside of the head (pointing towards the back of the head at an upward, diagonal angle) to stick the peg into (7/64" or <2.9mm drill bit).

>>5785150
You killed them years ago and now you're hallucinating that you're talking about them on a malaysian macaroni art message board.

They'll be fine.

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>go look for epoxy putty at a local hardware store
>grey epoxy is not going to be stocked anymore for some reason
>nobody selling any kind of epoxy putty around me
Fuck.
What are the basic sculpting tools I should look for? Most likely I'll be using green fucking stuff.

>>5769824
Man, it sucks not being in murrika sometimes.
I can't find this thing anywhere on my country. Not even at full price, not that I'll get it at full price.

Now I'm seriously considering using pic related for the VTOLs.

>>5785161
Thanks!

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Hi guys, noob here, what kind of paint are you supposed to use on gummy Marvel Legends kind of plastic?

I'm trying a very simple custom, the Deadpool from recent Legends wave comes with grey bare plastic guns as you can see from pic related. I'm using Testors gloss acrylic black on it and Pledge Future polish as topcoat but the paint keeps rubbing off everytime I put the guns on his hand or his holsters, even after 48 hours cure time. Am I using the correct type of paint? Should I use enamel instead? Why is it keep flaking rather than sticking to the plastic?

>>5787344
I don't have any experience with ML figures, but given how gummy/flexible the plastic is I'm not sure you'll get any paint to stick at all. Honestly my advice would be to wait for the Figma or Revoltech and donate the accessories from the ML.

The only thing I can think might work is using a lacquer based primer first, like Tamiya grey primer.

>>5785461
>green fucking stuff
It's a good all-purpose putty. If you have special needs I can point you in some more specif putties.
>basic sculpting tools
Basically anything that works for you man, from toothpicks to silicone shapers. As long as the putty doesn't stick you are good.

>>5787344
You're gonna want to get some guns from elsewhere. I suggest one of the Little Armory sets.