Custom Tutorial Thread

Ronpur, please re-post all your mesages here for the Custom Tutorials.

Thanks!

Jany

And now we are sticky! I will re-post everyone's posts here as quotes, and just let the other thread die away, lol.
I keep getting questions all the time about how I do this or that, and I
am sure other customizers do as well. So, lets use this thread for any
advice you have. Painting, source figures, supplies, paints, etc.

My first topic will be my display stands, as every time I post a picture, someone asks about them. I get them here:

http://tinyurl.com/actionfigurestands


I get clear with the 1/8" peg. They have black as well.

New
figures have holes, but older ones do not. I used to use a dremel, but
discovered it to be to dangerous. I still do, but, leave it unplugged,
and press the bit to the foot and turn it by hand a few times. It does
not take much to drill it, and it is far more safe. Questions?

Paints: One word, ACRYLICS. And good ones. I am a model maker first.
I like those types of paints because I am familiar with the brands.

I use Polly Scale, Tamiya or Model Masters.
With Polly Scale or Tamiya my first two choices.
Tamiya makes a great chrome silver that matches the Cybermen perfectly.

Others use Citadel or Games Workshop. I have never tried them.
And keep your brushes clean and in good repair. You can't paint a detail with a fuzzy brush.

As for Enamels, they will not stick to the soft plastic used on many figures.
On hard plastic, like K9 or most of the Daleks, they work fine.
But, still, parts of even those figures have soft plastic.
And the Enamel will never cure on that plastic.

And try not to mix types in a project.
Enamels don't go on over Acrylics well, they will destroy the base paint.
That's why I like to only buy acrylics, I don't have to worry.

And please, anyone have tips...share them!!
And ask questions!

What to use for sculpting? I use a two part putty know as green stuff.
It is a blue and yellow ribbon that when needed together, becomes green
and sticky. It takes a few hours to harden, and can be painted. I can
mold and shape it just like clay. But I don't have to bake it, it
cures by itself. You can roll it out to thin strand, use big pieces or
small ones. And it can be sanded.

I have never used sculpy with any success. Has anyone?

I also get questions about "Boil and Pop". This is a method to remove
parts from and action figure, such as heads and arms. The plastic of
the heads and arms softens when heated, and will stretch when you pull
them. They go back to their original shape after cooling.

What I
do is put a mug of water in my microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. So it is
hot, but not boiling over. I the put the figure in the water and let it
heat for about a minute. I pull it out with a fork, and hold it by a
towel, then grab the head with another towel (it is hot after all).
Pull on the head. The neck post should stretch, a lot, and look like it
will break. But it should pop right out of the body. If it doesn't
heat it a bit more.

Others have success using boil and pop to
put parts back together, but I never do! I trim the flange on the
bottom of the post to make it smaller and more shaped like a cone, so
the bottom is thinner, with just a tiny flange. But keeping the entire
length of the plug. The head will stay on for display, and still turn.
But it may fall off if you get to active with it, or your cat knocks it
down.

Here is a little graphic to illustrate the difference in necks, and what I meant about how I trim them:

[quote="artanyus"]

Ronpur wrote:

Oh, thanks, Much better!

I also
get questions about "Boil and Pop". This is a method to remove parts
from and action figure, such as heads and arms. The plastic of the
heads and arms softens when heated, and will stretch when you pull them.
They go back to their original shape after cooling.

What I do
is put a mug of water in my microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. So it is hot,
but not boiling over. I the put the figure in the water and let it heat
for about a minute. I pull it out with a fork, and hold it by a towel,
then grab the head with another towel (it is hot after all). Pull on
the head. The neck post should stretch, a lot, and look like it will
break. But it should pop right out of the body. If it doesn't heat it a
bit more.

Others have success using boil and pop to put parts
back together, but I never do! I trim the flange on the bottom of the
post to make it smaller and more shaped like a cone, so the bottom is
thinner, with just a tiny flange. But keeping the entire length of the
plug. The head will stay on for display, and still turn. But it may
fall off if you get to active with it, or your cat knocks it
down.

Thank you very much for this. I was trying to do
this with one of my Master Regenerated figures, but the arm looked like
it was cracking along the post and got worried. Now I have a better
idea of what to expect/do. Thank you.[/quote

Another paint tip that I forgot...THIN COATS! Don't try to cover the
whole figure in one coat. My white 7th Doctor took 4 days to get his
paint all on!

The Castellan wrote:

Ronpur wrote:

Another paint tip that I
forgot...THIN COATS! Don't try to cover the whole figure in one coat.
My white 7th Doctor took 4 days to get his paint all on!

How does one tell if a figure had a neck peg, like the Fourth Doctor, and a neck plug, like the Ninth Doctor?

Only one way....take it apart. Or find out if someone else knows! Wish there was a better option.

Quote :

And
how does one go about removing the hips/legs, and putting them back on?
'Who Crotches' seem tricky to deal with.

Yea, this is a tricky one, like you said. I have tried all kinds of ideas:
1)Boiling and popping the arms and head out, and they cracking the torso.
2)Cutting the waist peg and replacing it with a new one after the switch.
3)Cutting it and just gluing it back together.

1
is really hard, and requires you to re-glue the body back together
after you make your switch. 2 is the way I go most of the time. I
just use a bit of spruce or tube to make a new peg. But, if the figure,
like the Cybercontroller will loose his waist articulation because of
sculpting over it, I just glue them back together.

Very well said! I had no patience when I started models as a child. I
thought they were toys to build and play with. Now, I take weeks to do
them. Adding hoses and wires to NASCAR models, pipes and foil to
spacecraft and dirt and weathering to my warbirds. And I take the time
to putty and sand the seams. I even add lights to some. It is far more
rewarding!

Just wanted to post some pictures about how I took apart a Pertwee and remade his shirt.
First, I removed his jacket and took off the tie and shirt:


Here is a back view of the parts. Note the attachment slots that hold the jacket in place. I needed to boil the figure to get them out:



I then popped out his head, to make it easier to work on he collar. I was going to make an open collar version. I remove the tie from the ruffles, and re-attached them. I made a new collar from sheet plastic. I also cut him at his waist and swapped legs with a Capt Jack, so he would have shoes and not boots. The Pertwee legs went to my S18 Tom that used the Capt Jack torso and arms.:



This picture shows how I repainted the inside of the jacket for The Daemons Pertwee figure after I put it back on:



And here is the completed open collar figure next to the Daemons version I re-painted:

rdks wrote:

Ronpur wrote:

I made a new collar from sheet plastic.

What kind of sheet plastic are you using?

It was Evergreen sheet styrene plastic. I don't remember the thickness, but it wasn't much. I also used it for my S18 Tom's shirt collar.

neogeoMk2 wrote:

You make it look so easy ...and what a result! Again, I'm duly impressed.

Lol, Thanks! I am in awe of so many other customs I have seen!

I did a Insane Caan, in fact, he was my first custom. I sliced his dome off, and detailed the interior with tissue and putty, to make him look like the prop. I found a cheap costume jewelry chain to chain him down to a plastic base. I didn't have to cut the front open into 4 parts, just two was all I needed. (Gun and Plunger) I just glued them on, as I did not need to move them. I make all my cuts with a razor saw. The other opening sections were missing on Caan.

I remember seeing the Dalek version that some one made. I don't know what they did to the sections.

Since I can't find an Amy figure to save my life, I am thinking of painting this figure to be my Amy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390169447481&rvr_id=134555105222&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WXI7&GUID=435b86701290a075f470b870fffe614f&itemid=390169447481&ff4=263602_263622
I bought three of these when they came out, so I have an extra one. What color, or mix of colors, would you suggest to paint her hair red?

JohnPertwee wrote:

Since I can't find an Amy figure to save my life, I am thinking of painting this figure to be my Amy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390169447481&rvr_id=134555105222&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WXI7&GUID=435b86701290a075f470b870fffe614f&itemid=390169447481&ff4=263602_263622
I bought three of these when they came out, so I have an extra one. What color, or mix of colors, would you suggest to paint her hair red?

I have been wanting to repaint my real Amy's hair, as it seams a bit orange. I don't have a good paint yet, but when I do, or find out, I will post.