Custom Spike Witwicky (G1, see finished pics) & Sparkplug coming soon!

[Mandingo Rex]

I have two 1/24th action figures that came with models. They models were pretty cool you could add weapons and modify their vehicle modes... the ones I had were a Dodge Ram and a Lambo.

 

Sounds interesting. Any pics, or can you find any ref online?

 

I just picked up a Pops figure, going to see if I can swap the heads and do anything with that.

[Octopus Prime]

Sorry about that Mandingo! *sheepish* I thought maybe I should start another thread to show the progress of my custom, but figured that it would probably make more sense to keep posting in this one. Hope you don't mind...

 

D'oh! I'm sorry to hear about your accidental purchase of two figure Mandingo. I've done that myself, particularly over Christmas time, so I know how frustrating it can be! I'm still looking for a figure of Pops. The guy in the suit is (I think) "Inspector Detector", but I've not seen him locally either. Do you have a pic or a link of what his head looks like? I'd be interested to see how Sparkpluggish he looks.

 

I don't particularly care whether they fit into the cars either (although, fingers crossed, if my plans work out, my Spike will be perfect scale and fit inside the Alts! It's like the Holy Grail or something!!), the only reason I cut him down is that I'm more prepared to tollerate a slightly too-well-fed Spike than a 7 foot tall "wookie Spike"! :tftongue

 

I'd also like to thank Paul Prime for his fantastic suggestion of using Speed Racer figures as a base. Hats off to you sir! I was content with MASK's no elbows and pin jointed shoulders and hips, so I'm thrilled at the extra articulation! :clap

 

Regarding the boots, I chose to keep them sculpted as they are, but will still paint them yellow. I think the wellingtons/gumboots/moonboots look a little too Napoleon Dynamite for me!

I kinda envisage them as desert boots or something, and for me, this kind of thing is a happy compromise:

http://www.zappos.com/images/720/7208073/985-11630-p.jpg

http://www.christophershoes.co.uk/images/i...Desert_Boot.jpg

 

And 1987olds442, are these figures posable? I've seen static "one piece" figures in 1:24 posed in various pit stop postitions. Is that the kind of thing you're talking about or are they posable?

[Paul Prime]

I'd also like to thank Paul Prime for his fantastic suggestion of using Speed Racer figures as a base. Hats off to you sir! I was content with MASK's no elbows and pin jointed shoulders and hips, so I'm thrilled at the extra articulation! :clap

 

Anytime, man. :thumb I was searching drivers for my Alts too, and those figures looked better than my modified Pirates, so I share the finding with you with pleasure. I hope to see your Spike soon (so I can replicate it :P ).

[Octopus Prime]

I'd had never gotten around to modding the MASK figs as I felt that the result would be acceptable, but a little "meh".

The fact that I bolted like a bull out of a gate to get the Speed figure and started working on it the moment I got home is testament to the potential of the mould and the brilliance of your suggestion!

 

I should have some more pics up tonight (it's 11:30am now in Melbourne). I've nearly finished the painting, just a little wash and drybrush followed by a clear coat and he should be done.

 

It'd be pretty simple to replicate, I sliced about 2 or 3 mm each out from the shins, thighs and forearms, and about 4 or 5 mm from the stomach area. I glued the arms and legs back together and glued magnets inside the torso to hold it back together. So now his wasit twists and you can pull the legs off to fit (the rest of) him in the cars. (A more ambitious modder could turn the arm and leg cuts into rotation point to make him even more articulate!)

 

But I'll post some pics showing the waist tonight too. :thumb

[Mandingo Rex]

I'd had never gotten around to modding the MASK figs as I felt that the result would be acceptable, but a little "meh".

The fact that I bolted like a bull out of a gate to get the Speed figure and started working on it the moment I got home is testament to the potential of the mould and the brilliance of your suggestion!

 

I should have some more pics up tonight (it's 11:30am now in Melbourne). I've nearly finished the painting, just a little wash and drybrush followed by a clear coat and he should be done.

 

It'd be pretty simple to replicate, I sliced about 2 or 3 mm each out from the shins, thighs and forearms, and about 4 or 5 mm from the stomach area. I glued the arms and legs back together and glued magnets inside the torso to hold it back together. So now his wasit twists and you can pull the legs off to fit (the rest of) him in the cars. (A more ambitious modder could turn the arm and leg cuts into rotation point to make him even more articulate!)

 

But I'll post some pics showing the waist tonight too. :thumb

 

I have no problem at all with you guys going ahead of me with the figures. Glad to keep the thread all in one. Besides, it was just a suggestion I made, glad for all the input. I did get the Pops finally, and the suited man (the kid may even make a decent Daniel? Although a tad young... Maybe Daniel a few years before TFTM, when Transformers still made sense?) I'm at my girlfriend's tonight, but I meant to take pics earlier. Haven't taken them out of the boxes.

 

How do their heads come off? Are they on pegs, swivel, ball joints, etc? Haven't had the chance to take them out and check them out yet, but the head will look pretty decent more than likely.

 

I think Pop's body would work fine with the other guy's head on him. I'll try and get pics tomorrow night to show what I'm talking about.

 

Another thing, the LEGO tools would work well with these guys. Any idea as to a hardhat that could fit? I still may do the moonboots, to be as G1 as possible, but I don't think it would look bad with normal boots/shoes. I'll wait and see, obviously I haven't started yet.

 

By the way, Octopus, I was kidding. Glad you've actually added pics to this thread. You've kind of done my work for me, although mine is in the works. What sort of paint did you end up using, if you don't mind me asking?

[Octopus Prime]

Speed's head was mounted on a plastic shaft protruding from the neck. The shaft ends in a kind of inverted cone (think of a half-open umbrella). Because the head is made of fairly soft plastic, I was just able to pull on it, rotating as I went, and it eventually popped off with no ill effects on the head or the neck. I assume the other figs would be built in the same way. And if all the joints are the same, then switching heads should be almost as easy as switching Lego heads!

 

And speaking of Lego, the standard rod fits almost perfectly into Spike's hand. I say "almost perfectly" because the hands are rubbery, and fit nicely around the tools/weapons, but if they were too heavy, the hand would lose its grip. I sliced Speed's racing helmet in half at ear height to see if it could be turned into a suitable hardhat, but it looks mighty big, like a kid wearing a big spaghetti pot or something. I don't have any of those old school Lego hardhats, but they might be suitable. You'd probably have to hollow the connector bit out to make it sit properly, but it'd be worth looking into.

 

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=3833

 

I used to have the red ones when I was a kid, but apparently they made them in yellow too, but they're quite rare!

http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?itemID=719&colorID=3

 

I've just been using acrylics on mine, with a flat black spray-on base coat. Seems to working fine. The clear coat is drying right now! :)

[Octopus Prime]

OK, all done!! :tfdance

 

Here's Spike, posing with a Lego wrench. The photo actually diminishes quite a bit of the detail. There's a pocket, creases and folds moulded into his shirt that are a lot more noticeable in person. You'll just have to trust me on that!

 

OK, now let's go for a spin:

 

Here he is, fitting inside Jazz! And behind the wheel no less!

 

And here's how that little cheat is achieved, "look ma, no legs!"

 

Ok, so Jazz was feeling a little bit weirded out by that and has had enough.

 

So that's about it. Note the added waist joint, a pleasant side effect of the magnets that join his hips to his trunk.

If I were going to do it over, I'd probably try to make the cuts in the legs double-up as rotation points. Or at least set his feet at a slightly more natural splayed angle.

 

Hope you all like it, especially Mandingo and Paul Prime. I really feel like this has been a collaborative project and can't wait to see what you guys come up with! :thumb

[Paul Prime]

I don't like it. I LOVE IT!! Fantastic job. I will replicate it for sure. I just have to find some magnets, the ones of Gauss Boys that I wanted are out of stock. I have some Gundam swivel to add to the cuts on the legs, so they can turn. I will change the paint scheme too, I think I will made my own characters and let the accurate ones to you.

 

You have to wait because I have to take some pics of my last customs and post them before I start to dismember this little guys. :tfevil

Mandingo, I'm waiting for your pics too.

 

See you.

[Mandingo Rex]

OK, all done!! :tfdance

 

Here's Spike, posing with a Lego wrench. The photo actually diminishes quite a bit of the detail. There's a pocket, creases and folds moulded into his shirt that are a lot more noticeable in person. You'll just have to trust me on that!

 

So that's about it. Note the added waist joint, a pleasant side effect of the magnets that join his hips to his trunk.

If I were going to do it over, I'd probably try to make the cuts in the legs double-up as rotation points. Or at least set his feet at a slightly more natural splayed angle.

 

Hope you all like it, especially Mandingo and Paul Prime. I really feel like this has been a collaborative project and can't wait to see what you guys come up with! :thumb

 

 

Looks great, the only thing I dislike about it is a flaw in the mold, I think. I hate that the legs get bowed, but I think that's the sculpt itself, right?

Wonder if you were able to make a little more articulation in the boot, and angle the leg so the pieces fit back together better?

 

I'll have to pop them all apart and see what I can do with them all. You've got me wanting to see what I can do with our human friend! :)

[Sami]

What about using some of the Revoltech figures? They have human figures..Anime stuff, sure, but..

 

On Ebay:

 

Item number: 310051317024

For a kid.

 

Item number: 310051450073

or this

Item number: 370052041385

For the Mekala maybe?

 

And well, they don't seem to do much for guys, but here's a start, if you're REALLY good at molding..

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product...amp;mode=retail

 

Maybe use those, and go with the Indiana Jones version for Sam?