Customizing Q&A Thread

[bedtime]

Originally Posted by bedtime

a couple of questions: one kind of specific...

1) whats the ideal way to get a pin out? ie the pin that holds rts wreck-gars shoulder thingies on?

2) is that joint at his waist a ball joint? like, if i try pulling him apart at that joint will it just pop off, or will i break something?

i figured these both out myself today.

1) well i didnt take any pins out really, but i just painted what i was going to paint anyways

2) it IS a ball joint, but you can separate the torso front to back and get the top part of the toy off that way

[purple-bot]

Originally Posted by bedtime

a couple of questions: one kind of specific...

1) whats the ideal way to get a pin out? ie the pin that holds rts wreck-gars shoulder thingies on?

2) is that joint at his waist a ball joint? like, if i try pulling him apart at that joint will it just pop off, or will i break something?

wreck-gar is a bitch to take apart, you have to remove the main pin running through his chest, then the upper body come apart, you cant access the waist ball joint until you take out that pin

the open part of the ball joint opens towards his chest, so you have to take the chest apart (2 screws in back and pin running shoulder to shoulder), if you just pull him in half, you risk breaking the socket of the ball joint

the pin holding his shoulders on can be removed with a pin punch, i recommend getting one

Originally Posted by Megatronimus

Hey guys, I asked this ealier, but Im picking up a 10th Anniversary Rhinox tomorrow, and I wanna know how is the best way to remove the mutant head and get rid of the hinge nubs.

i did this to my rhinox, just pull the mask halves off the tabs, i then use a pair of pliers to squeeze the nubs so they flatten a bit (not too much). then took a pair of large nail clippers and clipped off 80-90% of the nub, then you can either sand away the last bit or use a hobby knife to slice off the remainder

[Megatronimus]

Originally Posted by purple-bot

i did this to my rhinox, just pull the mask halves off the tabs, i then use a pair of pliers to squeeze the nubs so they flatten a bit (not too much). then took a pair of large nail clippers and clipped off 80-90% of the nub, then you can either sand away the last bit or use a hobby knife to slice off the remainder

When you remove the nubs, is it still green underneath those areas?

[bedtime]

Originally Posted by purple-bot

wreck-gar is a bitch to take apart, you have to remove the main pin running through his chest, then the upper body come apart, you cant access the waist ball joint until you take out that pin

the open part of the ball joint opens towards his chest, so you have to take the chest apart (2 screws in back and pin running shoulder to shoulder), if you just pull him in half, you risk breaking the socket of the ball joint

the pin holding his shoulders on can be removed with a pin punch, i recommend getting one

yeah, i kind of sort of wrecked the little tabs the pin goes through on both sides, but it ought to stay shut with just the screws, no?

[ricemazter]

I recently purchased the animated dinobots off of ebay and on my swoop figure the ball joints are a bit loose. I am completely new to modding and customizing and the like, I dont even know what kitbashing is (if anyone could tell me that would be great). So my main question for now is can any body tell me how to tighten the joints? and if so is this applicable to other figures?

[Commandoclone87]

Originally Posted by ricemazter

I recently purchased the animated dinobots off of ebay and on my swoop figure the ball joints are a bit loose. I am completely new to modding and customizing and the like, I dont even know what kitbashing is (if anyone could tell me that would be great). So my main question for now is can any body tell me how to tighten the joints? and if so is this applicable to other figures?

cover the ball joint with some clear nail polish and let it dry before reattaching the limb

[racerguy76]

Originally Posted by ricemazter

I recently purchased the animated dinobots off of ebay and on my swoop figure the ball joints are a bit loose. I am completely new to modding and customizing and the like, I dont even know what kitbashing is (if anyone could tell me that would be great). So my main question for now is can any body tell me how to tighten the joints? and if so is this applicable to other figures?

Add a small piece of kleennex to the socket side and insert the limb should be much tighter(if you don't have clear nail polish).

[Shepp]

Not exactly Transformers related, but I'm doing my first painting custom. I'm surprised at how much spray paint it actually takes, and equally surprised at how good a single coat looks without even any primer underneath. Then again, the matte black I'm using will more or less be the primers for some gold, brown, and dull brass.

I can't even tell that the Nerf Maverick gun was made of clear plastic. And all the bright neon colours on the other Nerf weapons are covered well.

I'll update this post on which paint brand and type I'm using. But as for technique, I'm spraying slightly with a quick wavy side to side motion instead of blasting a thick coating all at once.

I must say, I'm less scared to paint figures in the future after this.

[damian_1349]

Im starting to plan my first big custom(going to be alot of planning and sketches before i start) and im wondering if there is any way that i can make a custom head from scratch without having to make a mold and cast it. If someone could point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Also i have skimmed through this thread but i could not find what i was looking for. thanks

[racerguy76]

Originally Posted by Shepp

I'll update this post on which paint brand and type I'm using. But as for technique, I'm spraying slightly with a quick wavy side to side motion instead of blasting a thick coating all at once.

I must say, I'm less scared to paint figures in the future after this.

When spraying(airbrush, or spray can) you should always start spraying away from the object, then pass over it(the object) while spraying and not stop till your past the object. After several passes of 1-2 second bursts, I like to wait about at least a minute before another light coat. After 5 coats the coverage is quite good and there are never any runs. It may be more time consuming that a couple of heavier coats, but I find thick coats tend to rub off and take much longer to dry.