Customising Hints, Tips and FAQs

[Ikessauro]

Did anyone here ever try to open old Jurassic Park Kenner figures (hard plastic ones, not the rubbery toys) for customization? They don't have screws, so I assume they must be glued together, right? Any tips on how to open one without breaking/cutting the plastic?

[Doodlebot]

I recently got both the BotM 1/18th grey T. rex and Triceratops, and while I'm not new to painting or customizing, I want these customs to come out as good as possible so I was wondering what was the best materials from primers to paints and how to go about sanding in between joints to prevent paint scratches if possible

[Halichoeres]

Apologies if this is more basic than what you're looking for, but there are some tips on the Creative Beast site: https://creative-beast.com/5-paint-tips-a-guide-to-painting-resin-models/

I think most of these I've seen have used a spray primer, which seems to be easiest for getting an even coat.

[Doodlebot]

this does help, though I suppose my most pressing issue is how do I keep the joints from scraping. I figure just sand the inside of the joints but idk how to go about taking them apart to do that

[Dusty Wren]

I don't think there's going to be a way to keep the paint from scraping off the inside of the joints, sorry to say. Doll customizers have had to deal with this issue for ages, and as far as I know, there's no good solution. I've heard that sometimes layering dry pigments and sealant can work, since the dry pigments essentially stain the plastic. But it's a tedious process, uses up a lot of sealant, and doesn't always work. 

[crazy8wizard]

So I've customized figures by adding or lengthening parts with epoxy putty but has anyone here ever customized a figure by swapping and removing parts from one figure and grafting them onto another? I've seen the frankentoy trope used to create wacky pieces of art ala Sid from Toy Story but has anyone here done it to create a legit looking figure?
I have some ideas.

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

So I've customized figures by adding or lengthening parts with epoxy putty but has anyone here ever customized a figure by swapping and removing parts from one figure and grafting them onto another? I've seen the frankentoy trope used to create wacky pieces of art ala Sid from Toy Story but has anyone here done it to create a legit looking figure?
I have some ideas.

I think @Kayakasaurus might have but I'm not sure, I could be misremembering.

[Stegotyranno420]

So I've customized figures by adding or lengthening parts with epoxy putty but has anyone here ever customized a figure by swapping and removing parts from one figure and grafting them onto another? I've seen the frankentoy trope used to create wacky pieces of art ala Sid from Toy Story but has anyone here done it to create a legit looking figure?
I have some ideas.

Ted Brothers made an ultimasaurus from a vunch of old JP figures

[Justin_]

I'm trying to find an old site where someone had done loads of these. It was a very old-school layout and I think they were even on this or the older forum saying everyone else wasn't really customizing properly because they weren't doing this. It's often called kit-bashing, even if it is mixing up solid models rather than part from kits.

[Ikessauro]

I'm trying to find an old site where someone had done loads of these. It was a very old-school layout and I think they were even on this or the older forum saying everyone else wasn't really customizing properly because they weren't doing this. It's often called kit-bashing, even if it is mixing up solid models rather than part from kits.

I remember this website. Not sure if it is the same, had an old blue background, but has been updated it seems to a black one.
https://bucketfoot-al.tripod.com/DinoModels/index.album/papo-trex-utahraptor-135-scale?i=14

[Justin_]

Yes, that was him. Bucketfoot Al. Unfortunately, along with making his site look a bit better he has left out the descriptions of how they were made.

[Dusty Wren]

Yes, that was him. Bucketfoot Al. Unfortunately, along with making his site look a bit better he has left out the descriptions of how they were made.

I don't think the process is that complicated. I don't know of any dino toy customizers who use this method, but I've seen horse toy customizers do it. You cut apart the models, drill holes in the cut ends and set an armature wire in there for strength, then sculpt over the join with epoxy until the two pieces look like they belong together. You might have to do some extra sculpting or cut away some additional material, depending on the differences between the two sculpts, but that's the gist of it.

Here's a video of the process on a CollectA/Schelich horse hybrid:

 

[Justin_]

It wasn't his methods that were previously shown but the sources he used, so it might be a head from a Battat on the body of a Safari with feet from something else.

[Zelan]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask as it's a more resin kit related question, but does anyone have any experience installing 'glass' eyes instead of painting them in?

I'm considering installing them on my regina mundi rex. I found a tutorial that covers the basics on how to do this on youtube.  I have seen a number of built up regina mundis posted here and elsewhere but I think all of them had painted eyes. Is it too small/difficult to install them at that scale or it doesn't look very good? I would love to hear from others what their thoughts/opinions are.

[PumperKrickel]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask as it's a more resin kit related question, but does anyone have any experience installing 'glass' eyes instead of painting them in?

I'm considering installing them on my regina mundi rex. I found a tutorial that covers the basics on how to do this on youtube.  I have seen a number of built up regina mundis posted here and elsewhere but I think all of them had painted eyes. Is it too small/difficult to install them at that scale or it doesn't look very good? I would love to hear from others what their thoughts/opinions are.

I don't believe that idea is feasible. It would require drilling out the eyeholes, putting the eyes in and then some sculpting and painting to blend the eyes in with the head. Those are a lot of steps to possibly mess up, for a result that's probably not very noticeable anyway. Normally I'd suggest practicing on a cheap model, but since were talking about resin, that's probably not an option. Personally I wouldn't go for it.

[Zelan]

I don't believe that idea is feasible. It would require drilling out the eyeholes, putting the eyes in and then some sculpting and painting to blend the eyes in with the head. Those are a lot of steps to possibly mess up, for a result that's probably not very noticeable anyway. Normally I'd suggest practicing on a cheap model, but since were talking about resin, that's probably not an option. Personally I wouldn't go for it.

Thanks, that's more or less what i thought. It would be nice to see what it would look like compared to painted though but yeah probably too much work and potential for mishaps.

[Quiversaurus]

So glad that there's a thread here regarding this topic! I have a question about paints:

I am in the midst of painting my Sinoceratops from Takara Tomy's Ania line, based on the Sinoceratops from Jurassic World, and would like to ask if anyone has any recommendations on suitable acrylic paints to use.



I had previously stripped the original paint off, and started adding some patterns of my own:



This is what the original looks like, for reference:



I want to add more patterning to the frills in the same orange as the beak, but the paints I was using does not have such an orange:

https://ak-interactive.com/product/grey-for-spaceships/

Does anyone have any recommendations on suitable paints I can consider getting? Thank you in advance!

[Justin_]

I like Vallejo paints. There's some nice oranges in their Model Color range.

https://acrylicosvallejo.com/en/category/hobby/model-color-en/?filter_color-categoria-producto=red

Also their Game Colors, but these are a bit more intense.