I want to straighten out the soft-plastic accessories of some of my Indy figures, like my Cairo Swordsman's bent sword, but I'm not sure how to do it. I heard of something called the "hot water/cold water treatment", but I couldn't find any info on it. How's it work?

It's pretty easy, you just boil some water, dip the part to be straightened in for a few seconds to soften the plastic, reshape it to your desired shape, and let it cool. I usually pop the straightened piece into the freezer to "set", but that's not really necessary.

Thanks so much. Those bent staffs and swords really annoy me.

all i did was cut off that big honkin holster on the raiders indy:whip:

Honestly, you don't even need to go so far as to boil water or put something in the freezer. Get two decent sized drinking cups (that you can fit your hand into,) turn on the hot water on your faucet, let it run as hot as it'll go, fill one cup, turn on the cold water, let it run as cold as it will go (or get some ice cubes--that helps,) fill the second cup with the cold water. Drop accessory in hot water cup, wait about 30 seconds, pour out hot water, grab accessory, bend it into desired shape, then submerge it in the cold water cup for about 30 seconds (preferably while still holding it into that shape) and it should set without any problems. No need to boil or freeze anything. The plastic Hasbro uses is pretty cheap, especially for the accessories, and it gets to be pretty malleable, even at low heats. I've found that this method also works for figures' hands on which the grips may or may not be too loose for certain accessories (I'm looking at you, Cairo Indy.) ;)

So far, Hasbro have only really given us Indy in his classic 'adventure gear'. However, there are many scenes in the films where he appears in more formal attire. After ending up with numerous parts left over from previous customs, and wishing to try my first real figure custom beyond a standard head-swap, I decided to attempt 'Venice Indy'.





I guess I could've weathered the jacket a little, but I wanted to preserve the aesthetic of the Hasbro line. The tie is undone, because by swapping out the head for hatless Indy from KotCS, the figure serves well for both LC: Catacombs/Boat Chase Indy and KotCS: Motorcycle Chase Indy.

Recipe

Jacket: Harry Potter 'Sirius Black' (length cut down / pockets repositioned)
Body, Head: Raiders Idol Indy
Tie, Accessories: Scratch built
Hands: KotCS Mutt Williams

Comments and criticisms appreciated :)

Oh - and the other bonus is that the spare Sirius Black head has a passing resemblance to Ox - stay tuned for more on that !

Very nice, inky_skin! Oh, and don't weather his jacket, since his jacket is clean in that scene.

This is a Mock Up I photoshopped using a Crystal Skull Indy head over a Mattel Comissioner Gordon 3.75 inch scale body.



A Rick Deckard custom. Now I have a reason to hunt down a couple of those Mattel DC Universe figs.:hat:

Inky_skin that's incredible!! How did you peice the tie together? Wow, I really appreciate the pics thank for posting! :up:

The_Raiders - the tie comprises thin pieces of card and a balsa chip for the knot. It required a steady hand - but not as steady as the bow tie on this custom...



Comments, criticisms ?

LOVE the Indy TOD Club Obi Wan custom!

Man, we have some real artists around here.

:up: :up:

Very, very nice! Indy should have a little less stubble, though. Other than that, it's a perfect likeness!

Inky Skin-

Club Obi Wan Indy is awesome. Really truly seriously. It looks exactly like what Hasbro would give us, and matches the line perfectly. Venice Indy looks good too, but the tie does seem a tad oversized. And am I mistaken in thinking his pants were grey to match the jacket? Great way to add variation to your collection, and to use up spare parts.

Do any of the customisers here have an effective method of removing the stubble from these Indy figures ?


Thanks for the kind words mate. By the end of the weekend, the pants will be grey too :) I may even tinker with the tie. It just so happens I'm painting a spare fedora grey at the moment for another Indy custom...

very nice job on the club Obi-wan Indy. What was used on it?

You could try acetone/nail polish remover...though that might melt his whole face. I recommend trying it on a reject head to see the effects first. Its best to apply it with a brand name Q-Tip (knock-offs have cheap plastic shafts instead of paper, and they will melt).

Head, Pants, Hands - KotCS jacketless Indy
Torso, Arms - KotCS Jacketed Mutt
Jacket - Harry Potter Sirius Black
Wing Collar, Tie, Waistcoat, Carnation - scratch built from card / balsa


I'm raiding my wife's cosmetic supplies as we speak :)

Thanks for letting me know how you made the tie, I'm just going to make my Indy an LC tie since I can't find andy LC figures anywhere. And that TOD Indy is awesome, I love it! :hat:

Here's my custom ROTLA/TOD Indy, it's not much but I love it alot, It's the KOTCS Indy upper body with the pitfall head, I gave it the mao room Indy's satchel bag for the accurate brown strap, and I painted the belt brown/maroon for an accuarate ROTLA/TOD Indy belt, and the laces of his shoes black, he also has maproom Indys legs because I noticed the KOTCS right leg is slightly bent which bothers me so I swapped it out and this is my outcome, hope you all like it. :hat:

Custom Indy
 

Here's a custom Streets of Cairo Indy made using the Legacy Collection Han Solo head. I had to cut the head, fix the hair, and slap a hat on him. The beard stubble is brown; my camera just stinks.

Before potentially ruining the figure's head with the acetone, I suggest you try to scrape off the stubble paint off the face with an X-Acto knife.

Wouldn't that process have just as much potential to ruin the figure's head?

If I wanted to make a Marcus Brody custom, because Hasbro apparently doesn't want to make him, what headsculpt should I use?

I am planning on getting an second Henry Sr. (if I can ever find a first) and just do a headswap.

Is there a Star Wars figure whose head kinda looks like Marcus that I could just pop on?

I came across a list of Star Wars figures that unintentionally look like other celebrities, and the Malakili/Rancor Keeper apparently looks like Marcus.

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2008/02/the_10_star_wars_toys_that_look_like_celebrities.p hp

Since that is an older figure, the head doesn't pop off easily like newer ones. Are there any other figures that look kinda like Marcus (SW or IJ) that I could use?

Well, it seems that you can't source Goof-Off in the UK - but Club Obi Wan Indy got his promised shave anyway...



Thanks for the advice everyone. The correct answer was 'Nail Polish Remover'.

My next custom should be up in 10 days or so. For now, a couple of teasers...

- It's part figure, part accessory
- It uses an existing Deluxe Line component as it's base
- It contains 2x3mm Ultra Bright White LEDs
- It's my first attempt at sculpting / mold making / casting in high-opacity clear resin

Any guesses ?

I sure hope its an Ark Ghost mini diorama...that would be awesome.

*Sigh* glorbes - man, you're too sharp - the 3 3/4" wrath of God is coming soon. Oh, and that should have been high-transparency not high-opacity :o

The cool thing is that, after raiding the local electronics store and modding my Kali Altar design, the LEDs, wiring, battery etc all fit in the Ark :)

Very cool. Can't wait to see the finished product :up:

Also, good job to everyone else and their customs on the thread.

I wouldn't do that. Dab a cotton swab in some rubbing alcohol. It will take the stubble right off.

Inspired by Inky_skin, I created my own club Obi-Wan Indy, it's nothing compared to his, but I'm still pleased with the way he came out, I'll try to take some pics later and give the recipe for it. :hat:

Ok, here's my club obiwan Indy, he has of course the hatless KOTCS head, his torso is the jacketless KOTCS Indy, legs are from the jakcet KOTCS Indy, his tux jacket which may look a bit odd is part of the maproom robe with a collar put on, his bow tie is a peice of soft leather and his vest was painted on, like I said its not as good as Inky_Skins but I still like it. :hat:






And I wanted some better pictures of my ROTLA Indy :up:

We all have to much time on our hands...... :p

Well I see my club Indy was a big hit :rolleyes: Anyways, I made a custom 12 inch TOD rope bridge Indy, I tihnk he looks really good, recently I dry brushed his hat boots and holster to make them more relistic and it worked out great, his clothes are more beat up too, I'll post pics soon! :up:

Excellent work on the Club Obi-Wan Indy. You've tackled something that I'm not yet brave enough to attempt - 3 3/4" soft goods - and it looks to have turned out real nice.

Thank you! You don't know how good that makes me feel hearing that from a customizer of your magnitude. I think the jakcet came out pretty well but it looks big just becasue it doesn't set well on him, is there a way to fix that? :hat:

A technique I've seen used with softgoods is to place them on the figure, soak them with water, position them as desired and then allow to dry naturally. I attempted it with my Map Room Indy and it took a lot of the 'puffiness' out of the robes.

Part of a the beauty of customising is that you can see how different people attempt the same character / costume. I think your Club Obi-Wan Indy is just as effective as mine, but from a different perspective. Keep up the great work !

Hmm! I've never heard of this. I'll have to try that. Thanks man. :up:

To build on what Inky Skin said, one thing to give the 'soft goods' more of a solid shape around the figure is to mix white glue (Elmers or school glue) with the water...once it dries, it looks fantastic, and can be painted with acrylics since the glue seals the fabric and gives it a slightly stiffer shape.

Thanks inky_skin! I'll defenetly try that, I want his jakcet to set better on him so I'll defenetly try. Thanks again. :hat:

I will also add that I have dry brushed some relics, no need to pictures those but they turned out wonderful and just simply dry brushing things makes it look so much more realistic. :D

(Yes I am a newb to dry brushing :o but I love it now that I'm getting the hang of doing in properly :up: )

1/6 scale TOD Indiana Jones
 

Ok, here's one of my betters I think you all will enjoy. My ToD Indy!







Here's the head sculpt (hasbros obviousy) but I dry brushed t hat to make it more realistic, alot with making hi stuble lighter and not as orangy red, by dry brushing also. Also I dry brushed his holster, his boots, and a it on his bag also to bring a more real look.







Also on te bag I replaced the srap with a smaller leater strip.



Also I have given him his web belt.





I hope you all like him I took my time and I think he came out pretty good, please tell m what you think. :hat:

Great progress with your customising techniques. You took an average toy and made it great !

Good job weathering and upgrading that 12" figure...the modifications and added details are definitely a screen-accurate upgrade.

That's incredible man!

The_Raiders, that's awesome! Where'd you get the web belt?

What kind of camera do you use? No offense, but the pics are in kinda bad quality. I'd love to see your custom Indy in clearer pics.

Here's my custom Indy. I know it's just a Pitfall Indy head on a Horse Indy body, but I really like how it came out. It really is spot-on ROTLA Indy:

Wow, thanks for all the comliments guys, its very much apreciated! Awesome ROTLA Indy The_golden_idol :up: . The web belt was some thin ribbon I glued around the top of the pants and then I put a snap on them so it can be undone. Also I have gotten so restless without my LC Indy w/tie so I just went ahead and made my own he's not done yet, I made the tie out of cardboard, I got it damp and shaped it and glued it on him, I'm waiting for the glue to dry now then I'm going to paint the tie and put everything back together. And also the camera I use is a crappy wecam built into my laptop, I have another camera but its worse so this is the best I could get now. I really want more detailed pics though. :( But I'll get my LC indy up here soon. :D

Ok, here are afew more things.


My custom LC Indy that will suffice until I get the real thing. I also dry brushed his bag to make it look better.





My cairo Indy, I dry brushed his hat, bag and pants and made his stubble alittle darker.







Also I tried fixed the collar on my club Indys jacket, it was bothering me but I think it looks better now, I still need to try and get it to set better.




Also,here are the relics I dry brushed also.

Very nice! What head/body did you use for the LC Indy? Also, what whip is that?

Thank you very much! :hat: I used the pitfall Indys head on the KOTCS body, thats also the pitfall Indys whip. I know the tie doesn't look good do to the quality but in person it looks very good, along with the relics, I really need another camera lol. Ialso did alittle bit of work on the pitfall Indy trap/pit thing. :up:

Here's some pics of the trap with my KOTCS ware house Indy and custom LC Indy,











These pics are bad quality but I dry brushed the stone tan here and there which adds so much more detail.

Nice job, The_Raiders! Whose head is that in the sand?


Does anyone have any comments, suggestions, criticisms about my custom figure?