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Double-jointed arm transplants for Mattel Creatable World bodies! The Little Dork Improvement Project…

Double-jointed arm transplants for Mattel Creatable World bodies! The Little Dork Improvement Project… published on No Comments on Double-jointed arm transplants for Mattel Creatable World bodies! The Little Dork Improvement Project…

Four of my favorite dolls are the Little Dorks.Continue reading Double-jointed arm transplants for Mattel Creatable World bodies! The Little Dork Improvement Project…

Doll of the best Doctor ever in progress: Ruth Doctor!!!!!!!!!

Doll of the best Doctor ever in progress: Ruth Doctor!!!!!!!!! published on No Comments on Doll of the best Doctor ever in progress: Ruth Doctor!!!!!!!!!

Jo Martin as Ruth Clayton/the Doctor = bestest! Accept no pasty White Feminist substitutes. I’m making a doll of her. Progress below. Continue reading Doll of the best Doctor ever in progress: Ruth Doctor!!!!!!!!!

Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — neck reduction, draft lips

Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — neck reduction, draft lips published on No Comments on Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — neck reduction, draft lips

I considered whether to move the Thirteen head to a modded WWE Fashion Superstar body. Then I ultimately tried removing a bit from the top of the default body’s neck. The shortened neck reduces the impression of a scrawny bobblehead, obviating the need for a new body with a thicker neck. I also painted a draft of the lips, mostly darkening the existing lips and making them slightly bigger. Added some golden tan highlights in the eyes to make them appear more hazel than muddy green. Continue reading Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — neck reduction, draft lips

Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — final eyebrows, shortened legs, added feet

Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — final eyebrows, shortened legs, added feet published on No Comments on Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — final eyebrows, shortened legs, added feet

Today I finalized my Thirteen’s eyebrows, shortened the legs, and added FLAT [!!] feet from a Made to Move doll. The doll is now 11″ or just a bit under, which scales out to Jodie Whittaker’s actual height. The shortened legs also make the cuffed culottes a bit longer and thus more realistic. Continue reading Mattel Thirteenth Doctor — final eyebrows, shortened legs, added feet

Angel of Grief/Weeping angel in 1:6 scale

Angel of Grief/Weeping angel in 1:6 scale published on No Comments on Angel of Grief/Weeping angel in 1:6 scale

Before the Weeping Angel monsters from Doctor Who existed, there was The Angel of Grief, carved by William Wetmore Story for his wife’s tomb. Some time ago, I got a small-scale replica of this statue, shown below with a 1:6 scale figure for comparison. Continue reading Angel of Grief/Weeping angel in 1:6 scale

Bailey and Pammy completed!

Bailey and Pammy completed! published on 1 Comment on Bailey and Pammy completed!

I used some zit cream and UV rays to remove some stains on Pammy’s face from her devil suit. Then I dressed her in that suit. I removed her lip paint because her lips are sculpted enough not to need paint. In the mean time, I drilled out Bailey’s wrists, making them easier to swivel. Here they are finished and together! Continue reading Bailey and Pammy completed!

Fancy Pippi updates

Fancy Pippi updates published on No Comments on Fancy Pippi updates

Besides the Swedish Pippi head that I showed yesterday, I also have a Mattel Scooter. I have long wanted to make her a Pippi, since her red hair and mischievous expression are perfect. Anyway, at first I thought that the 2007 Mattel Mad Hatter body was too small for the Swedish Pippi head, so I moved it up to a Noix de Rome Ninie body. I added some ball-jointed pegs to Pure Neemo jazz hands and used those. I also added upper arm swivels, since the Noix de Rome body lacks them for some reason. The Hatter clothing still fit on this body, but with an appealingly too-small look.

 

Because the Swedish Pippi head did not match the Ninie body [the head was too red], I tried the Scooter head. The skintone matches much better, and she’s adorable. I will use Scooter for Fancy Pippi. Swedish Pippi will use Scooter’s original body, which is a better color match. I need to either give Fancy Pippi feet or glue her shoes on. I also need to do her hair. But she’s very close to done!!

Continue reading Fancy Pippi updates

Parting out a Mattel 2007 Mad Hatter

Parting out a Mattel 2007 Mad Hatter published on No Comments on Parting out a Mattel 2007 Mad Hatter

Thanks to @natalunasans, I scored this hard-to-find doll for my birthday. No pictures of the doll as it came, but the head went to a smallerverse character, Max, one of Frankie’s parents. Continue reading Parting out a Mattel 2007 Mad Hatter

Body mods on a crabby little toddler, Pammy

Body mods on a crabby little toddler, Pammy published on No Comments on Body mods on a crabby little toddler, Pammy

I hacked into my recently purchased Pampi action figure from the Medicom Stylish Collection Bambi and Pampi. Pictures and commentary below. Continue reading Body mods on a crabby little toddler, Pammy

Recent doll work: smallerverse Bill is finally finished!

Recent doll work: smallerverse Bill is finally finished! published on 1 Comment on Recent doll work: smallerverse Bill is finally finished!

After several bodies and uncountable mods, smallerverse Bill is complete! Continue reading Recent doll work: smallerverse Bill is finally finished!

Smallerverse update: Missy and Bill

Smallerverse update: Missy and Bill published on No Comments on Smallerverse update: Missy and Bill

It’s been a while since I worked on my smallerverse DW dolls, mostly because I can’t find a decent, highly articulated base body. I finally put Missy on an Obitsu24, which works pretty good for her. Even the comparative heights between her and Thirteen are accurate, as she’s slightly shorter than Thirteen.

As for Bill, she’s currently on a Hasbro Descendants Jordan [daughter of the genie] body. It matches her light golden brown skintone very well. Unfortunately, it’s single-jointed all around, and the knees can’t even do a right angle. The legs are also way too long, making her more like 11″ rather than 10″. I’ll deal with that later. For now, she has shoes [a challenge to find for those large heeled feet], and she can hang out with the other smallerverse persons until I have the energy to cut her down.

No, I don’t know when I’ll get around to the rest of the smallerverse Dork fam. SIGH.Continue reading Smallerverse update: Missy and Bill

Iris mockup

Iris mockup published on 1 Comment on Iris mockup

At first there was the Gay Barbie, a Mattel Fashionista 90 with a sparkly Pride minidress. I eventually realized that I was not a fan of her headsculpt, so her dress moved to another doll, a Fresh Dolls Lynette that @trufflesmushroom rooted for me with a rainbow of embroidery floss. Continue reading Iris mockup

Last of Girl body mods and a new smallerverse character

Last of Girl body mods and a new smallerverse character published on No Comments on Last of Girl body mods and a new smallerverse character

I got my Redman Toys Last of Girl doll yesterday. She was $136.00 in part because the company didn’t spring for fancy packaging. She came in a plain box with her name, but without graphics. Inside was a foam insert with three slots. In one slot was her body, dressed in most of her outfit. In another slot were extra hands, head, and hairpieces. The final slot held accessories and clothes. As someone who doesn’t believe in MIB, I was very pleased. Follow body mods below. Continue reading Last of Girl body mods and a new smallerverse character

Redman Toys Last of Girl proposed body mods

Redman Toys Last of Girl proposed body mods published on No Comments on Redman Toys Last of Girl proposed body mods

I have a cute kid doll on order, Redman Toys’ Last of Girl. Apparently she’s based on a 14-year-old character, Ellie, from a video game The Last of Us. I got her for $136.00 shipped, which is an amazing price for a complete figure that comes with two scalps [molded hair or fiber hair options], 8 optional hands, jeans, shoefeet, black long-sleeve shirt, red T-shirt, green jacket, backpack, gun, and knife. I got her for the headsculpt, which reminds me of a young Ellen Page. Continue reading Redman Toys Last of Girl proposed body mods

Articulating a small 1:6 scale kid doll with wire

Articulating a small 1:6 scale kid doll with wire published on No Comments on Articulating a small 1:6 scale kid doll with wire

So I bought this really cute Mattel Chelsea Club kid a few months ago because they were adorable. The molded buzz cut, which I’d never seen before, the simple, relatively restrained facial screening, and the realistic outfit all charmed me. Continue reading Articulating a small 1:6 scale kid doll with wire

Working on Lakis: body mods and matching

Working on Lakis: body mods and matching published on 1 Comment on Working on Lakis: body mods and matching

When we last saw Lakis, she was on a Hasbro Marvel Rising Squirrel Girl body. She needed shorter calves, color matching, and a better fitting outfit. I achieved all three today, and now she just needs hands! Continue reading Working on Lakis: body mods and matching

Lakis on a new body — Hasbro Marvel Rising Squirrel Girl

Lakis on a new body — Hasbro Marvel Rising Squirrel Girl published on No Comments on Lakis on a new body — Hasbro Marvel Rising Squirrel Girl

Lakis got a shorter and plumper body, the Marvel Rising Squirrel Girl. I popped her head on, then her clothes, for a test fit, to see what work needed to be done.

 

Continue reading Lakis on a new body — Hasbro Marvel Rising Squirrel Girl

Fattening the Little Witch

Fattening the Little Witch published on No Comments on Fattening the Little Witch

I moved the Little Witch’s head to a more articulated body of better weight, but I needed to do one final thing before she was complete. I needed to bulk up her torso to make her little fats. Continue reading Fattening the Little Witch

Improving the Little Witch’s body and likeness

Improving the Little Witch’s body and likeness published on No Comments on Improving the Little Witch’s body and likeness

After I upgraded the Little Fixit to a 21cm Obitsu body, I felt the need to work on the Little Witch too. I’ve been playing with these dolls more than I expected, and their limited poseability was bothering me. Continue reading Improving the Little Witch’s body and likeness

Giving fking Charlie a more accurate fking body

Giving fking Charlie a more accurate fking body published on No Comments on Giving fking Charlie a more accurate fking body

When we last saw Charlie, I was about to give her the clunky robot body from a 12″ Cyber person figure. I did that this weekend. Continue reading Giving fking Charlie a more accurate fking body

Other projects I: fkin Charlie and her appropriate fkin body!!

Other projects I: fkin Charlie and her appropriate fkin body!! published on No Comments on Other projects I: fkin Charlie and her appropriate fkin body!!

Charlie is a Cyber person that the Dork fam encounter on Newland, the Mondasian colony ship from which they rescue Bill. She experiences the Doctor’s first experimental refacement procedure, in which they created a 3D printed flexible face from her memories of what she used to look like, then hitched it up to her brain [the only organic part of her remaining besides spinal cord] so she could make faces. Anyway, though she has her face back, her body remains obviously Cyberized, so I’ve long wanted a sort of clunky armored robot body for her. Now I have one!!! Continue reading Other projects I: fkin Charlie and her appropriate fkin body!!

Otakuthon DollFest, 08/04/2018: Dealer room, show and tell, Danny Choo, shabu shabu

Otakuthon DollFest, 08/04/2018: Dealer room, show and tell, Danny Choo, shabu shabu published on No Comments on Otakuthon DollFest, 08/04/2018: Dealer room, show and tell, Danny Choo, shabu shabu

When I went out at around noon to appease the parking gods with another day’s offering, I saw a functional phone booth kitty-corner to our hotel. Continue reading Otakuthon DollFest, 08/04/2018: Dealer room, show and tell, Danny Choo, shabu shabu

Today’s 1:6 scale work: new hands and Tarot deco

Today’s 1:6 scale work: new hands and Tarot deco published on No Comments on Today’s 1:6 scale work: new hands and Tarot deco

I decorated some of my 1:6 scale scenes with cards from my Tarot of the Sweet Twilight by Christina Benintende. I like the twisty, humorous, phantasmagorical designs on almost all cards, so I selected cards for each set based primarily on pictures.

I also gave 75% of the Little Dorks, Alison, the Little Witch, and the Little Fixit, new hands with which they could hold things. Little Bill will get new hands when I have the time. By drilling the holes bit by bit on a low Dremel setting and testing the new wrist pegs frequently, I achieved securely fitting pegs. That’s more than I could ever do when turning the Dremel up to highest speed. No melting plastic either!
Continue reading Today’s 1:6 scale work: new hands and Tarot deco

Recent 1:6 scale activities part II: Harry’s body upgrade

Recent 1:6 scale activities part II: Harry’s body upgrade published on No Comments on Recent 1:6 scale activities part II: Harry’s body upgrade

When he was at @natalunasans’ house, Harry experienced leg problems. I had originally shortened the legs on the DML body and stuck the feet back on, sacrificing ankle swivel articulation. The feet did not adhere well to the reduced calves, and they broke apart.

This weekend, I finally found a solution for this problem that would keep Harry on the same matching body and also maintain his comparatively short stature. I jammed some long Takara Cy Girl ankle cups up into the holes at the ends of his calves and stuck them there with a lot of hot glue. Then I stuck the pegs in some Hot Toys Willy Wonka bootfeet. Now he has ankle swivels, but no flexion. I don’t care, though, because he stands stably. Also the slim black heeled boots with red details fit his preferred colors.

As much as the default DML hands hold things well, I dislike them. They’re unnaturally posed, and the fingers look like hot dogs. So I picked up a Living Toyz 10″ N*Sync Justin Timberlake marionette from Goodwill for $6.00. I removed the hands, cut off the soft, swivel-only pegs, then drilled holes into the base of the hands and popped them on Takara Cy Girl wrist pegs. The hands, while slightly paler than Harry’s body, are close enough so that I’m not painting them. And they’re so much more detailed and expressive!

 

Continue reading Recent 1:6 scale activities part II: Harry’s body upgrade

Increasing Fresh Dolls poseability

Increasing Fresh Dolls poseability published on No Comments on Increasing Fresh Dolls poseability

John did some body mods on a Fresh Dolls body to enhance existing articulation. Now that I have three Fresh Dolls, I’ll be modifying them similarly, especially for greater elbow flexion. I’d also like to add wrist articulation too…

Making Carol

Making Carol published on No Comments on Making Carol

Carol is another character in my loosely related universe of Doctor Who dolls. In canon, she’s the Brig’s assistant during the Third Doctor’s tenure. In my mind, she’s Jo’s partner, and I took her appearance in a different direction from the person who played her. Body mods below. Continue reading Making Carol

Hacking a kid doll out of a Mattel Made to Move Barbie — arduous process, cute result

Hacking a kid doll out of a Mattel Made to Move Barbie — arduous process, cute result published on No Comments on Hacking a kid doll out of a Mattel Made to Move Barbie — arduous process, cute result

Whenever possible, I like to work with doll supplies on hand, rather than buying new. Therefore, since I wanted to make a Little Bill with the recently released adorable Mattel Skipper Babysitter Inc. AA doll, I used an articulated body that I already had from Mattel Made to Move Gabby Douglas. I yoinked the Babysitter head off the original body and spent several days hacking the MTM body to the appropriate size.

I am never modding an MTM again. Unlike a Spin Master Liv body, which has partly [but not fully] solid limbs and a hollow torso, the MTM body has solid limbs and nearly solid torso pieces. That’s a lot of plastic to cut through.

Furthermore, the proportions of the MTM don’t lend themselves to creating kid bodies. While the Liv’s limbs are largely tubular, thus shortening without much deformation, the MTM’s limbs are just weirdly shaped throughout. The MTM’s elongated ankles are the worst. I cut down the core and limbs until the proportions looked good, then gave up on the ankles. I took out the feet and jammed the stumps into shoes that I filled with  Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Covered by clothes, the reduced MTM looks convincingly like a chubby kid.

Continue reading Hacking a kid doll out of a Mattel Made to Move Barbie — arduous process, cute result

“I am the Little Witch, and you will obey me!”

“I am the Little Witch, and you will obey me!” published on No Comments on “I am the Little Witch, and you will obey me!”

Another 1:6 scale kid is done chez Modern Wizard. It’s the Little Witch! Continue reading “I am the Little Witch, and you will obey me!”

The Juku gang [NB: not an actual gang]

The Juku gang [NB: not an actual gang] published on No Comments on The Juku gang [NB: not an actual gang]

I customized the one-footed redhead Jakks Pacific Juku Couture Audrina from @glaceleau today. I redressed her in an MGA Bratz dress and some random leggings, then took off her remaining foot. I filled some Mattel Barbie hightops [also from @glaceleau] with goo+goo=thing Aves Apoxie Sculpt, jammed her leg stumps in them, and made shoefeet. All dolls with Juku Couture heads then gathered for a group shot. All of them are unreasonably adorable. Four kids, and not a lick of fashion sense among ’em. ^_^Continue reading The Juku gang [NB: not an actual gang]

Behold Little Alison!

Behold Little Alison! published on No Comments on Behold Little Alison!

Little Alison is complete! She’s a representation of my interpretation of Doctor Who extended universe companion Alison Cheney, who appears in The Scream of the Shalka. She is a Jakks Pacific Juku Couture Kana head, repainted and rehaired, on a modified Noix de Rome Ninie body. I would have kept her on her original Juku Couture body, but it was all single-jointed, with an inability to sit realistically with thighs together, so I spent much time and labor splicing her onto a Ninie body for the double-ganged arms and knees, plus the realistic thigh position.

For head mods, I removed all original hair and paint, except for eyelashes. Removed a patch of skull to make hair removal easier. Carved out neck hole to fit Ninie neck. Repainted face. Made hair by gluing to scalp in spiral pattern. Made hair band from waistband of Bratz pantz.

For body mods, I wedged part of a fake plastic grape around neck prong to fit larger head opening. Painted neck and breast to roughly match head. Added upper arm swivel joints made of pins sunk into shoulders and held with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Hot glue provided tight friction fit. Spliced original Juku Couture forearms onto Ninie forearms with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Ripped off original squidgy feet and sank ankle stumps into plastic Barbie sneakers filled with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Glued sneakers on ankle posts.

Also of note is that Little Alison is wearing a pair of pants that I handmade all by myself from a pattern that I reverse-engineered correctly on the first try. She was originally wearing some Bratz pantz that were the right length, but did not cover her butt. I ripped apart the pantz and reverse-engineered a pattern from them, being sure to add enough room to cover the butt, even when Little Alison was sitting down. These pants, sewn from stretchy knit, were the result.

I now know how to make two types of shirts, a collared one and a raglan sleeve one, and one type of pants. With this knowledge, I can make serviceable clothes for any of my dolls, no matter what the size. MUAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

In other words, all my dolls are going to wear novelty sock sweaters, loud printed cotton shirts, and leggings of questionable taste from now on. Continue reading Behold Little Alison!

More stuff from @natalunasans’ house: clothes, props, kids, and a freaked out Master

More stuff from @natalunasans’ house: clothes, props, kids, and a freaked out Master published on No Comments on More stuff from @natalunasans’ house: clothes, props, kids, and a freaked out Master

Some more pics of stuff that I got when I went to see @natalunasans this past weekend. Continue reading More stuff from @natalunasans’ house: clothes, props, kids, and a freaked out Master

10″ Disney Elite Star Wars figs with Barbie heads = cosplaying kids

10″ Disney Elite Star Wars figs with Barbie heads = cosplaying kids published on No Comments on 10″ Disney Elite Star Wars figs with Barbie heads = cosplaying kids

I love the Disney Elite 10″ Jyn and Rey figs I got, but their small heads make them unusable for my larger 1:6 scale populations. I thus got the idea to make the figures into 1:6 scale kids by putting Barbie heads on them. I did this by popping off the original heads and twisting off the neck posts inside the torso. Then I sawed off a neck from a donor Barbie with a roughly matching skintone, cutting the edges so that they fit in the torso socket. After hot gluing the neck in there, I added a matching Barbie head.

My quick and dirty solution works well for a few reasons: 1) Both Jyn and Rey’s costumes disguise the area where Barbie neck and Disney Elite torso meet, permitting me to just glue the necks in without finished or matching paint, which I can’t be arsed to do. 2) Both Jyn and Rey’s costumes cover enough skin to make the difference in tone between Barbie heads and Disney Elite bodies less noticeable. 3) The heads being comparatively large works for more childlike or teen-like proportions.

While I was customizing these bodies, I also did a partial repaint of the tan Barbie head, who is from a Made To Move body. I removed original eyebrows and atrocious lipstick, as well as some eyelashes. A suggestion of eyebrows and a lip line do a good job of sketching more youthful features. Leaving as is because I don’t want to overdo it.

Continue reading 10″ Disney Elite Star Wars figs with Barbie heads = cosplaying kids

Barrett, the heavily modded FR guy: a custom 3.5 years in the making

Barrett, the heavily modded FR guy: a custom 3.5 years in the making published on No Comments on Barrett, the heavily modded FR guy: a custom 3.5 years in the making

I purchased Barrett back in the summer of 2013, well before Zombieville started, because I thought that Isabel might fit into FR dude clothes. Also the secondhand price of something like $75.00 MIB for a London Calling Kyu was a great bargain.
Continue reading Barrett, the heavily modded FR guy: a custom 3.5 years in the making

Increasing She Ra’s poseability

Increasing She Ra’s poseability published on No Comments on Increasing She Ra’s poseability

Mattel She Ra doesn’t have a very articulated torso. There’s a ball joint under the bust, but she arches her back much better than she hunches. In fact, you can’t get much more than 90 degrees of forward bend. Continue reading Increasing She Ra’s poseability

Testing alternative bodies for Mattel She Ra head

Testing alternative bodies for Mattel She Ra head published on No Comments on Testing alternative bodies for Mattel She Ra head

I tested some alternative bodies in my stash for my Mattel She Ra head. I’m using the head for Julian, my steampunk inventor. Julian has a slender, frail, delicately built body with little muscle mass, especially in her lower body. As I put her head on various bodies, I was looking for, in order of importance, a) proportionality, b) articulation, c) nearness to Julian’s physical build, and d) color match. Results below.

 

Continue reading Testing alternative bodies for Mattel She Ra head

Improving the dead version of Isabel

Improving the dead version of Isabel published on No Comments on Improving the dead version of Isabel

@natalunasans passed along one of her early Coo Model skeletons, the type with plastic joints, not metal [as used currently], so I upgraded the dead version of Isabel’s body. Unfortunately, I broke both Coo hip joints, so I decided to swap out the Coo pelvis and thighs for a set from a Sideshow male body that I had hanging around. Since this area will be covered by the dead version of Isabel’s clothes, I don’t really care what it looks like.

I used my new friend Instamorph plastic to hold the Coo spine in the Sideshow pelvic girdle. Instamorph also holds the knee sockets onto the bottoms of the thighs and fills in the thighs to make sockets for the Coo knees and calves. She still needs her head and the rest of her clothes.

 

Continue reading Improving the dead version of Isabel

Jessyann’s got knee joints!

Jessyann’s got knee joints! published on No Comments on Jessyann’s got knee joints!

I made some quick and dirty knee joints for one of my Curvy Barbies today, just as a proof of concept. [I previously modded Jessyann by removing her feet and articulating her arms. For the latter, I thought about adding elbow joints by using extra ball-jointed wrist pegs, but then I found some Obitsu 27cm lower arms with Obitsu slender male hands in my raw dolls bin. Since the skin tone was an approximate match, I hacked off Curvy’s arms above the elbow and drilled out her upper arms to make sockets for the pegs of the Obitsu lower arms. I put some Aves Apoxie Sculpt in the sockets so that the Obitsu arm pegs fit by friction alone.]

To give Jessyann articulated knees, I started by cutting her legs apart. I angled the cuts so that I preserved the kneecaps in front. I started off using a hand saw, but then discovered that I could get much easier and smoother cuts by softening up the plastic in boiling water, then using a craft knife. After removing rough plastic from the cuts with some sandpaper, I made angled cuts out of the top of the calves to accommodate 90 degrees of bend. Again I cleaned the edges of the cuts.

For knee joints, I used some spare Classic GI Joe hands. I cut the hands off just above the base of the palm, then stuck the stumps into the Curvy calves. I used Instamorph plastic to fill the space and secure the stumps in their sockets. [Side note: Instamorph is a plastic with a low melting point that turns clear and pliable if stuck in boiling water for a minute. It may then be molded for projects such as this, then cooled in place till it turns opaque for a good, tight fit. It can be removed, remolded, etc., if it’s heated to clear again. It’s like a combination of quick-dry epoxy putty and hot glue, and it’s so cool!]. I also used more Instamorph plastic to fill the bottoms of the thighs and make sockets for the GI Joe wrist pegs. These allow swivel motion of the calves as well.

Proof of concept works, demonstrating that Jessyann and any other Curvies can bend their legs if you have the time and inclination to hack them up. Like most of my mods, the joints don’t look great, but they function as intended. Jessyann’s a little wobbly, but that might be because I just hacked off her ridiculously small feet and wedged her ankle stumps into shoes. Something to think about for further attempts at this body mod…

Continue reading Jessyann’s got knee joints!

Lakaysha: body modding on a Hasbro Classic GI Joe

Lakaysha: body modding on a Hasbro Classic GI Joe published on No Comments on Lakaysha: body modding on a Hasbro Classic GI Joe

For this project, I started off with a Hasbro Classic GI Joe [$2.00 from Goodwill] and a Storm Collectibles Dennis Rodman head [$7.99 from Good Stuff to Go]. I planned an experiment in extreeeeeeeeeme body modding, which, if all went well, would yield a more realistically proportioned body with narrower shoulders and shorter limbs. If nothing worked, well, then I was only out $2.00, and I could always find another body for the Rodman head.

After much modification, behold Lakaysha. She’s about 10.5″ tall, down from 12″ originally. Since the Rodman head didn’t have much neck attached, I carved down the default GI Joe head and mounted the Rodman head on the remaining base. Hot glue kept it in place. I cut the sides of the chest off, scraped down the raw edges, then reattached the arms, sealing raw areas with hot glue and Instamorph low melt plastic pellets, which are like moldable hot glue and the coolest shit ever! [Thank you, @natalunasans!] There was no substantial reduction in width, maybe 1-2mm, but the torso’s proportions improved instantly.

I hacked out sections of both thighs and calves, redrilling holes for ankle pegs and smoothing raw areas on reattached thighs with more Instamorph plastic. Knee swivel motion was lost, but I don’t care.

I hacked off a section of the wrists, thinking that the arms needed to be shortened. However, they did not, so I removed the hands, which I had to do anyway, and reglued the cut-offs back on. I spent most of my time carving out the upper arms to get more than 90 degrees out of the single-jointed elbows.

Why yes, it looks like one of my usual rushed hatchet jobs, but you know what? None of it shows when she has clothes on! Stay tuned for pictures, once I hem her pants, find her some hands, add hair, and touch up her goatee.

 

 

Continue reading Lakaysha: body modding on a Hasbro Classic GI Joe

Julia Phelps, the steampunker of mobility aids

Julia Phelps, the steampunker of mobility aids published on No Comments on Julia Phelps, the steampunker of mobility aids

I have a character in the mini universe, Julian, an inventor and tinkerer who steampunks out mobility aids. She has spastic hemiplegia, so she uses a power wheelchair. She can make sounds, but is mostly non-verbal, so she communicates largely by her tablet, where she types phrases, which are then translated with text to speech. Because she moves mostly only her right hand and her head, she plans steampunk mods and then enlists help in the construction. She has been working most recently with her sister Heidi, but Heidi talks over her so frequently that Julian has Yakkety yak, don’t talk back! on speed dial so she can interrupt her, so they don’t get along well.

Anyway, Julian is obviously really cool, and I’ve long wanted to make a 1:6 scale steampunk power chair. Furthermore, this weekend I was talking Zombieville, zombies, and neurodiverse and disabled characters with Nataluna. We got onto Monster High and agreed that our favorite character is Ghoulia Yelps, the deeply nerdy, intelligent, awkward, canon autistic zombie. I regretted not getting a first edition of her when she was initially released, but I’ve always held off on Monster Highs because the big-headed aesthetic doesn’t work for me.

All the aforementioned elements came together, and I decided to do a realistic doll version of Ghoulia for Zombieville…or wherever the hell she wants to be. Named Julia Phelps, she would have as much of Ghoulia’s style as I could realistically replicate on a person who obviously needs help dressing and adorning herself, plus Julian’s personality, steampunkery, and spastic hemiplegia.

So far I have…the head. Mattel’s 11″ She-Ra figure has the perfect pointy features, so I got one, despite limited edition prices. She’ll need a repaint, especially of the eyebrows, since I love Ghoulia’s quizzical ones. She’ll also need some blue hair, which I can easily produce with a faux fur wig.

I’m wondering what to use for the body, as I have a very specific body type in mind for her. I want her to be frail, spindly and underweight, with narrow limbs. Her head should seem slightly large for her neck. I also have a very specific vision of her posture in her chair — head tilted to the right, left arm bent up to her chest with her wrist cocked and hand clenched, torso slanting to the right, knees bend and also pointing to the right — so I want a body that can fold and hunch into this position.

Oh yeah…also of relevance to the custom is that she drools, so I think I will put some glossy varnish coming out one side of her mouth. She will also have a wrist band to wipe away saliva.

Original edition of Ghoulia being incredibly cute below. Continue reading Julia Phelps, the steampunker of mobility aids

Adding arm articulation to two 1:6 scale figs

Adding arm articulation to two 1:6 scale figs published on No Comments on Adding arm articulation to two 1:6 scale figs

Today I increased arm articulation on two of my 1:6ers. One of them, Marabou, is a 12″ Playmates Uhura figure. She is a scaled up version of a 3 3/4″ mini action figure by the same company, with all the odd proportions, solid limbs, and simple joints that this entails. Her solid, chunky construction works to my benefit, however, since she has no delicate fiddly little parts to break during my modifications.

Anyway, Marabou has gone through a few mods since I acquired her. I removed her original hands, which had only wrist swivel articulation, and swapped them for hands with hinge/swivel ball joints. Last year, I added upper arm and upper thigh swivels and also took a good chunk of height from her thighs. For the modicum of articulation she had at that point, she actually assumed some realistic postures. Continue reading Adding arm articulation to two 1:6 scale figs

More sweaters, no fashion sense, and a repaint

More sweaters, no fashion sense, and a repaint published on No Comments on More sweaters, no fashion sense, and a repaint

My dolls follow mainstream fashion insofar as the clothes they wear are recognizable as modern, culturally acceptable wardrobe elements such as shirts, pants, and shoes. Beyond that, though, they merrily deviate from the norm with their own definitions of what’s cool. Latest crop of sweaters made from novelty socks illustrates this well. Pictures below. Continue reading More sweaters, no fashion sense, and a repaint

1:6 scale me

1:6 scale me published on No Comments on 1:6 scale me

I haven’t done a 1:6 scale me for years. Anneka Elizabeth was sort of one, but the one I’m thinking of is was from like 2002. It was a blond helo Jane base, customized as follows:

 

I used colored pencil to redo the eyebrows, widen the mouth, and add my distinctive facial moles and scars.

 

I sculpted short spiky hair with modeling paste, painted it ex-blond, and put glitter in it. [Glitter appeared in a lot of my customs at that stage — I also did a drag queen with individual pieces of glitter for each sparkly nail…!]

 

I sliced a foam earplug in half lengthwise and glued it to the crotch for the appropriate bulge.

 

I painted a gold band around one of its fingers and used a red bead to simulate my ruby ring [later tragically lost 🙁 ].

 

I repainted some clunky black Ken shoes tan to represent my most frequently worn footwear.

 

I commissioned Andrea to make a white poet’s blouse integrated with a black vest decorated with flames. She also made a cape. I found some black Ken pants to use for the bottoms.

 

Of all of these pieces, only the shirt/vest remains in my possession. [I also have lots of foam earplugs, but not glued down action figures’ pants. :p ]

 

A recent thread on Figurvore about 1:6 scale dolls of oneself got me thinking that, with the cheap 3-D printed likenesses available from purveyors like actionfigure2002, along with my advanced skills [?] in body mods and clothing construction, I could totally make a decent mini me!

 

The head would be a 3D print from actionfigure2002. I just need to get someone to take photos of me, preferably after I’ve just shaved my head. I would probably enhance the print to make it look more caricature-like.

 

The body would be a DML male body, preferably in the light pink skintone [as opposed to the brownish orange they seem to favor]. I’d need to hack down arms, legs, and torso to approximate my height and then break out the Aves Apoxie Sculpt for appropriate fat distribution.

 

I can definitely make a shirt for it. Not sure about pants.

 

It would actually be pretty easy!

 

 

 

 

Doll successes and frustrations this weekend

Doll successes and frustrations this weekend published on No Comments on Doll successes and frustrations this weekend

In successes, Submit’s Hujoo Wings body in apricot came on Friday. I narrowed the neck to fit her head socket, trimmed down the feet so they could fit into her glittery shoes, and wired her arms. The apricot plastic matches with the color of her resin well, and the proportions work very well; she now looks like she’s between 8 and 10 instead of between 6 and 8. With more evenly distributed weight, a jointed torso, single-jointed elbows, and double-jointed knees, she has much greater stability and articulation than she did in her original form.Continue reading Doll successes and frustrations this weekend

Recent projects #1: removing Sylvia’s bad fats

Recent projects #1: removing Sylvia’s bad fats published on No Comments on Recent projects #1: removing Sylvia’s bad fats

I post here much less frequently than I used to, so there are fewer in-progress pictures unless a project has stalled before completion. Such is the case with Sylvia. In my quest to refine the shapes of my various fat dolls, I decided to fix her up and increase her posability. I’m not finished yet, but she’s already improved.

 

Continue reading Recent projects #1: removing Sylvia’s bad fats

Recent 1:6 scale body mods: Janet, Pearlene, and Marabou

Recent 1:6 scale body mods: Janet, Pearlene, and Marabou published on No Comments on Recent 1:6 scale body mods: Janet, Pearlene, and Marabou

Instead of doing separate posts on each figure, I’ve collected some recent body mods into a single post. With the articulation mods on Marabou especially, I feel like my skills have reached a new level of sophistication — even though the results don’t look very sophisticated. :p

Janet, one of my favorite LHFers, recently got a body, after sitting around in storage as a head! I seem to have a plethora of AA Hasbro GI Janes, so I popped the helo pilot’s head off and painted her neck with red undertones to match Janet’s head, which is an Integrity Toys Janay head [back from when they had a playline].

Continue reading Recent 1:6 scale body mods: Janet, Pearlene, and Marabou

Epona’s done!

Epona’s done! published on No Comments on Epona’s done!

Since I last wrote about my progress on Epona, I have completed her modifications. I couldn’t sand the Aves Apoxie Sculpt over her leg joins so that it was flush with the rest of her thighs. Therefore I redid the Apoxie Sculpt by putting down a thin layer from mid-thighs all the way to the ends of her upper leg pieces [i.e., the tops of the knee joints]. I didn’t go all the way up to the top of her upper leg pieces [i.e., up by the hip sockets] because those areas would be covered by her shorts and I am lazy.

Anyway, I smoothed the Apoxie Sculpt when pliable with saliva and my fingers. When it dried, I sanded a little bit, but really didn’t care to make it perfectly smooth. Then I painted her new thighs to match her existing yellowish tan skin tone and matte varnished the heck out of them, also doing the same for her breast and the backs of her hands. Also touched up any chipping paint on her calves and hooves, covering with plenty of matte varnish. Finally I touched up and sealed the paint on the tips of her ears, made holes in her shirt and shorts for her tail, kept them from running with a few stitches, dressed her, hot glued in her tail, and she was done.

I think she’s adorable. 😀
Continue reading Epona’s done!

More work on Epona

More work on Epona published on No Comments on More work on Epona

Yesterday I solidified Epona’s leg joins by covering them with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Today I painted those areas of her that will be visible under her clothes — mostly breast and thighs — to match the existing yellowish-tan coverage on her head and calves.

I also made her a tail with my ponytail pattern. This iteration makes some improvements on my first ponytail [for Anna]. I stitched this one almost all the way around, instead of using hot glue on the bottom edge. I also eschewed a straight pin as an armature, instead opting for plastic-coated wire. Finally, to ensure that the wire could not be seen in Epona’s tail, I wrapped it in black embroidery floss to blend in with her fiber tail. Originally I thought that I would just jam it directly into her tail hole, but I created a little mount around her tail hole to extend the tail out a bit from her butt. This will make it fit more easily through her clothes. ^_^

I still need to coat her painted bust a few more times with matte varnish in hope of keeping it from chipping, especially around the neck. Then I need to blend the Aves Apoxie Sculpt on her legs in with the rest of her legs — not on the upper thighs, since those will be covered by her shorts, but on her lower thighs, just above the knees, which will be visible. Once I sand that transition between added Aves Apoxie Sculpt and existing, I will paint and seal.

Continue reading More work on Epona

Sheila shapeshifts.

Sheila shapeshifts. published on No Comments on Sheila shapeshifts.

Andrea sent me a bunch of body parts, including two articulated Mattel Stacie bodies. I plopped my Knickerbocker Annie head on one of the Stacie bodies and liked the combo so much that I decided that this would be Sheila’s form. Poor kid has been through three permutations: modded Batchix Nan Sook head on Hujoo Wings body, Souldoll Metel head on Hujoo Wings body [photo not available] and her current form.

Anyway, I’m pleased with Sheila now. She looks much more cheerful than I expected, but I have a sentimental attachment to the Annie head, which I do not wish to repaint. I like her overall androgynous, dorky, roughhousing look. I think she’s a bit younger than I originally decided, maybe 10 instead of 12.

Here she is with her doll that she loves and takes everywhere. I still need to improve her poseability by carving out the inner edges of her hip sockets, notching and slimming to increase elbow flexion — and either swapping out her hands for ones with articulated wrists or just giving her wrist swivels.
Continue reading Sheila shapeshifts.

Today’s work on Epona

Today’s work on Epona published on 1 Comment on Today’s work on Epona

I cut off the legs of her new body [top piece] 1.5 cm up on the thigh above the highest point of the knee joint. I chose this body because, as is obvious, it’s discoloring into inconsistent hues and therefore ready for a repaint with her equine coloring.

Continue reading Today’s work on Epona

What shall I do with you, Epona?

What shall I do with you, Epona? published on 2 Comments on What shall I do with you, Epona?

Epona is a customized 1:6 scale action figure that I purchased in 2008 from Therese Olsen. She represents a period in Therese’s dollmaking when she was moving away from mere customizing and into wholesale doll construction, a move that ultimately led her to sculpting her own resin BJDs. Therefore Epona interests me as an aesthetic object and also as a historical example of my friend’s doll development.Continue reading What shall I do with you, Epona?

Another Zombieville kid’s poseability improved

Another Zombieville kid’s poseability improved published on No Comments on Another Zombieville kid’s poseability improved

To make a kid between 12 and 14, I stuck Baozha’s head [from a Medicom Bambi figure] on a Spin Master Liv doll. Unfortunately no longer in print, Liv dolls are highly articulated representations of teenagers, so they have smaller breasts and hips than, say, Barbies, as well as overall shorter stature.

I like Livs better than, say, Obitsus, as Livs’ proportions are more realistic. However, Livs have only single-jointed elbows [but double-jointed knees?!], so they lack the extreme flexibility of Obitsus. Inspired by fellow Figurvore member John/kd230692’s body mods to improve poseability in the Barbie Fashionista arms, I performed similar operations on this Liv body.

Continue reading Another Zombieville kid’s poseability improved

Quick and dirty articulation of a Kelly doll

Quick and dirty articulation of a Kelly doll published on No Comments on Quick and dirty articulation of a Kelly doll

Because Zombieville needs kids, I’ve been piecing some together from existing spare parts and some new purchases. To fill the toddler slot, I purchased a Kelly doll — the original design, rather than the more recent elongated one, as I find the former much cuter.

However, while the original Kelly dolls are cute, they, like most playline stuff by Mattel, have abysmal articulation. Several years ago, I used my Dremel, pipe cleaners and hot glue to add articulation. I used the same principles again this go-around, refining them a bit. Results below.
Continue reading Quick and dirty articulation of a Kelly doll

Sheila is done!

Sheila is done! published on No Comments on Sheila is done!

I made Sheila a headcap today. I first made a core out of aliuminum foil and then covered it with Aves Apoxie Sculpt as necessary. The core gave my headcap more structural integrity and also saved me some Apoxie Sculpt. I’m surprised that I made the dead version of Isabel a functional headcap without a foil core!

Sheila also got a wig of brown faux fur, subdued with Mod Podge, with added bangs. She also got glasses.

Chaz, the Batchix Nan Sook that I first did, is at left, compared to Sheila at right. Now that I see them together, I know that I could put them in the same scene without any difficulty. Though they have the same basic headsculpt, they look plenty different. Chaz’ bright clothes, raised eyebrows and smiling mouth give her an open, cheerful air. Sheila’s open mouth, lowered eyebrows and glasses make her features seem narrower. Interestingly, Chaz looks more youthful to me than Sheila, even though Chaz is at least in her mid-20s and Sheila is somewhere between 8 and 12.
Continue reading Sheila is done!

Makin’ Sheila

Makin’ Sheila published on No Comments on Makin’ Sheila

I did some subtractive mods on an extra Batchix Nan Sook head recently. I think Nan Sook is inherently adorable, but I wanted Sheila to look at least slightly different from Chaz, who is an unmodded Nan Sook. Another unmodded head is at left for comparison, while Sheila is at right. I sanded down the depth of her eyelids and eye sockets. I also removed some of the tip of her nose. Finally I made her mouth deeper, straighter and wider. Ultimately I think most of the differentiation between Chaz and Sheila will derive from faceup, eyes, clothes, characterization and the fact that they will never appear in the same frame together.

Continue reading Makin’ Sheila

8- to 10-year-old kid from spare parts!

8- to 10-year-old kid from spare parts! published on No Comments on 8- to 10-year-old kid from spare parts!

I knew that photographic inventory of my raw dolls would come in handy… I just realized that I can cobble together an 8- to 10-year-old kid from parts in my bin: one of my extra Batchix Nan Sook heads on one of those chocolate Hujoo bodies. To accomplish this, I need to:

  • adjust Hujoo neckpost
  • mod Nan Sook head so that it doesn’t look identical to Chaz
  • sculpt headcap
  • paint head to match body

 Very easy! The most challenging aspect of kid dolls is finding clothes for them.

The resulting girl, Sheila Stockard, is 10 at most. Her parents are friends with Isabel’s parents. Isabel and Carter have known Sheila since she was born. They have babysat for her in the past; she calls them Aunt Isabel and Uncle Carter. While Carter is not as close to Sheila as he used to be, Isabel still sees Sheila regularly. Sheila is a rather serious kid with few friends and little interest in pink sparkly shit. She does, however, like dolls, a fact that causes her parents some consternation [and Isabel much joy]. Isabel feels very protective of Sheila, especially because she, like Sheila, was shy, quiet, socially isolated and well-read for her age. Sheila, for her part, absolutely worships Isabel. Conflict occurs when Sheila’s parents discover that Isabel has spondis. They don’t want Sheila to hang out with Isabel anymore. Isabel and Sheila sneak around for a while, but then have to confront her parents’ prohibition head-on.

Notes: Overalls if possible. Glasses. Pierced ears. Glue black boucle yarn to head, then trim close for hair.

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1595295.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

Sylvia with finished body mods and basic faceup

Sylvia with finished body mods and basic faceup published on No Comments on Sylvia with finished body mods and basic faceup

I have finally finished body mods and basic faceup on yet another FAT DOLL!!!!!!!!! This is Sylvia Blomqvist, last seen as a Fun-4-All talking Kelly Osbourne head on a customized male action figure body.
Continue reading Sylvia with finished body mods and basic faceup

Tonight’s work on Sylvia

Tonight’s work on Sylvia published on No Comments on Tonight’s work on Sylvia

I took out about 1cm of height from her thighs right below the swivels and about 1.5cm of height from her ankles right above the swivels. I hot glued her together at the thighs, thus sacrificing the swivels there, but I preserved the ankle swivels. She’s now about 10 inches tall, excluding some molded hair spikes.
Continue reading Tonight’s work on Sylvia

Further refining of Pearlene’s neck and faceup draft

Further refining of Pearlene’s neck and faceup draft published on No Comments on Further refining of Pearlene’s neck and faceup draft

Bulked out her neck more and sanded it, while also carving out neck hole in bottom of her head. For her faceup, narrowed her eyes, lowered her eyebrows and added shadows. Glossed eyes and lips. As usual, black acrylic and brown watercolor pencil.
Continue reading Further refining of Pearlene’s neck and faceup draft

You never forget your first Jareth.

You never forget your first Jareth. published on No Comments on You never forget your first Jareth.

I mark the beginning of my doll customizing career with my first 1:6 scale Jareth doll, which I created in November and December of 2001 as an Xmas present for Jill. [After all these years, she still has him! He hangs out with her 1:6 scale dolls who use wheelchairs.] Let’s see how far I’ve come….

Continue reading You never forget your first Jareth.

Adding fats, la la la

Adding fats, la la la published on No Comments on Adding fats, la la la

I have been bulking up Pearlene’s body for the past few days with Apoxie Sculpt. I like her thighs and her butt the best!

The Real Heroes works well as a base body since it’s thick to begin with and sturdy enough to handle weighty additions. Its simple construction allows it to be taken apart with ease, while it provides enough articulation to do the basics.

Continue reading Adding fats, la la la

Perdita nears completion.

Perdita nears completion. published on No Comments on Perdita nears completion.

Last night I took off Perdita’s scalp, erased her eyebrows and lips and increased the size of her breasts. I wasn’t planning on adding to her chest size, but I mixed up way too much Aves Apoxie Sculpt for another project, so I decided to slap some on Perdita.

At left, a Disney Pocahontas head on an articulated Barbie body illustrates the splayed thighs that so many doll enthusiasts find "unladylike." At right, Perdita shows her current condition.
Continue reading Perdita nears completion.

Reproportioning Pearlene

Reproportioning Pearlene published on No Comments on Reproportioning Pearlene

I did some digital manipulations of Pearlene, and I think I can salvage her without the risky use of acetone. For example, just a small reduction of the size of her face on her head [i.e. reducing height of eyebrows, eyes and lips] makes her look so much better. I think I can get away with a repaint, a scalp reduction and a custom fat body [a modded male action figure?] to balance out the width of her head.
Continue reading Reproportioning Pearlene

Prunella, Deedee, Pearlene and the salvage dolls

Prunella, Deedee, Pearlene and the salvage dolls published on No Comments on Prunella, Deedee, Pearlene and the salvage dolls

Another lot of cheap nudes came today, the aforementioned Liv, P. Bo and Jazzie.

First, the Liv sacrificed her hands to Prunella. I cut open the Liv’s forearms at the wrist seams as unobtrusively as I could manage so that the body is available, albeit handless, for further experiments.
Continue reading Prunella, Deedee, Pearlene and the salvage dolls

Shortening Prunella

Shortening Prunella published on No Comments on Shortening Prunella

Hacked off a centimeter from each of her ankles, pried open hack-offs to rescue ankle pins, drilled out new ankle holes and jammed ankle pins up there, tightening with hot glue. Gotta do something with her hands next. I like them, but they are way out of scale.
Continue reading Shortening Prunella

Prunella the slightly unhinged

Prunella the slightly unhinged published on No Comments on Prunella the slightly unhinged

I got a package from Andrea yesterday [the first at my new address, yay!] containing, among other things, Prunella Jones. She came to me under the name Gavali, a repainted, rerooted High School Musical Gabriella head on an articulated Ballerina Barbie body drilled to accept action figure hands. Naturally, Andrea did the reroot and repaint, as well as the custom zip-up jumpsuit.
Continue reading Prunella the slightly unhinged

My CG body with the huge boobs

My CG body with the huge boobs published on No Comments on My CG body with the huge boobs

Ever since one of its legs broke off, I’ve been saving both the body and the leg, primarily because a body with that size tits is pretty rare.

Now that I have grown much more proficient in drilling, hacking and Apoxie Sculpting things, I think that I could reattach its leg using a long pin through the top of the thigh and anchored into the crotch. This fix would prohibit rotation at the thigh, but would allow swinging back and forth. That’s good enough for me. Then Anneka, even though she is now in storage, could have her body back. 

This entry was originally posted at http://modernwizard.dreamwidth.org/1539701.html. You can comment here, but I’d prefer it if you’d comment on my DW using OpenID.

The walker now fits Peter.

The walker now fits Peter. published on No Comments on The walker now fits Peter.

More correctly, I should say that Peter has been altered to fit the walker. I took at least 2cm, possibly a bit more, out of both his thighs and his ankles. Yes, I am aware that he now looks ungainly, with long arms, massive hands and short legs. I’m okay with that. Very few people have idealized proportions. ^_^

Continue reading The walker now fits Peter.

Dead version of Isabel’s improved hands

Dead version of Isabel’s improved hands published on No Comments on Dead version of Isabel’s improved hands

I tossed the dead version of Isabel’s default hands. Even after I repositioned them, I still disliked them. I made her a new set out of a pair of white Takara CG gloved hands. I carved them out, gave them a dry brush of light grey, drew in wrist bones and phalanges with permanent marker, added white highlights with white out and sealed them. Wheeee.

Continue reading Dead version of Isabel’s improved hands

Kinda freaky looking

Kinda freaky looking published on No Comments on Kinda freaky looking

I have finished the dead version of Isabel tonight. Last night I broke lots of her fingers and repositioned them in less tense, claw-shaped configurations. I also made her a skirt by hacking out a circle of black velvet with a 9-inch radius, snipping a hole in the center, pulling it over her pelvis, then sewing it closed around her spine with embroidery thread. That’s as far as my tailoring skills go.

Today her shirt came, so I lettered it first with watercolor pencil, then with white paint. The blotchiness of the paint and the smears from the watercolor pencil both worked in my favor, creating the effect of worn screenprinting. I also hacked out the hems on the sleeves and neckline.

Finally I gave the exposed portions of her body [neck, arms, hands, lower legs, feet] a wash and dry brush of light grey to a) disguise the fact that I had reshaped her hands and filled in gaps with hot glue and b) make her body match her head better. I am aware that her left hand especially looks like shit. I may improve her hands later; I’m not sure.

Here she is. She looks sad.

Continue reading Kinda freaky looking

Zoloworld/Day2Day Grim Reaper pictorial review and mods

Zoloworld/Day2Day Grim Reaper pictorial review and mods published on No Comments on Zoloworld/Day2Day Grim Reaper pictorial review and mods

I acquired a Zoloworld/Day2day 1:6 scale Grim Reaper action figure to use its skeletal body as a dead version of the protagonist of my upcoming series Zombieville. I have heard nothing about this figure, so I am providing a detailed review as a public service.
Continue reading Zoloworld/Day2Day Grim Reaper pictorial review and mods

“Spare me the bullshit.”

“Spare me the bullshit.” published on 1 Comment on “Spare me the bullshit.”

I improvised a sports bra for Isabel using a stretchy cropped tank top. Then I cut up a quarter of a tissue into strips, balled it up, then stuck it in each of her cups. Look — breast forms! And she’ll still fit into most of the clothes that I tried on previously.
Continue reading “Spare me the bullshit.”

Gougity gouge gouge: or, The State of the Fats

Gougity gouge gouge: or, The State of the Fats published on No Comments on Gougity gouge gouge: or, The State of the Fats

I broke out my N95 respirator and my safety goggles today and went outside to do the final rough-in of the first fat doll’s neck with my Dremel. I started off with a cutting disc, which was not a good idea. Then I ran out, bought some deburring bits and used them. I doubt they should be used for my purposes, but they work, so :p.

Here’s Isabel on the fat body after I reduced the height of the neck and tapered it further. Now I just have to sand to reduce the most egregious gouges. Woo hoo!
Continue reading Gougity gouge gouge: or, The State of the Fats

Fat doll as of tonight

Fat doll as of tonight published on No Comments on Fat doll as of tonight

Tonight I restrung the torso and legs with thinner elastic and less tension. This made the doll a little floppy while greatly increasing poseability. I must admit that one of my favorite traits of BJDs is their stringing. It can be tight for standing and/or holding long-term positions, or it can be looser for more naturalistic seated and lying postures.

Then I gouged out the front of the ankle sockets so that the feet could point perpendicularly from the calves, rather than slightly down.

I spent most of the time mangling working on the neck. A quick test revealed that, despite my earlier hopes, the 1:6 scale adult head on the 1:3 scale unadapted toddler neck did not work. Continue reading Fat doll as of tonight

Fat doll in progress!!! \o/

Fat doll in progress!!! \o/ published on 1 Comment on Fat doll in progress!!! \o/

My original plan to make a fat 1:6 scale mature BJD body was to use a 1:3 scale toddler body and splice forearms/hands and calves/feet on it from a 1:6 scale mature body. However, I recently acquired a 5StarDoll 1:3 scale toddler body with surprisingly delicate hands and feet, so, being an eminently lazy individual, I wondered if I could just swap the 1:6 scale hands and feet onto the 1:3 scale body and call it a day.

This evening, that’s what I did. I actually complicated matters a bit by modding the 1:6 scale hands to nest in the 1:3 scale wrist balls and thus provide a slightly smoother transition between the forearms and hands. I just stuck the 1:6 scale feet on the ends of the 1:3 scale legs, though, which is why they are slightly shorter than they should be, as they do not have the extra height provided by the 1:3 scale ankle balls [which were fused to the 1:3 scale feet].

Anyway, the result looks pretty good for about an hour of work, as far as I’m concerned. The ankles need modification, though, as the shapes of the sockets are preventing the feet from standing flat. This particular body also has horribly tight stringing, so it needs to be restrung more loosely. Other than that, it’s pretty much good.

Here’s a shot of Isabel [on temp body] next to the fat body in progress. It’s obviously shorter, which I like, as it adds to the impression of what Isabel would call a "dumpy" shape. Not everyone is elongated and skinny!
Continue reading Fat doll in progress!!! \o/

Today I worked on dolls all damn day.

Today I worked on dolls all damn day. published on 2 Comments on Today I worked on dolls all damn day.

Just like yesterday. First, in an effort to whiten Novella’s head, I stuck her in a shot glass of 70% isopropyl alcohol with a plastic bag rubber-banded over the top so the alcohol didn’t escape. I soaked her from 6 PM last night to 1 PM this afternoon, then cleaned her off for 45 minutes with a melamine sponge.
Continue reading Today I worked on dolls all damn day.

O_O I’m inspired!!!

O_O I’m inspired!!! published on 1 Comment on O_O I’m inspired!!!

This guy over on One Sixth Warriors [OSW] did a bash of a short, fat, wide, round character, Pigsy, who I guess is from a video game. He got into all sorts of molding and sculpting and redoing for metal accessories, joints and headsculpt. I, however, am most interested in his clever use of parts from a baby doll as the base for the torso and limbs. It’s such beautiful work!

Now I want to make some fat 1:6 women! The last time I made a short, fat woman, Margie, I started with a 1:6 male fig, shortened the limbs, added a bust with polyfill, carved up and sanded down a male headsculpt for the head and rebuilt the neck out of Sculpey. I enhanced the illusion of great girth by giving her baggy clothes. I loved her, and she was perfectly fine for a minor character, but, as with most of my customs, she was pretty raw, held together with hot glue and swear words.

I want to make more finished and detailed fat 1:6 women now. I’d love to use baby doll parts to give them wide, plush shapes, while trying not to compromise basic articulation. I want to give them actual hair and flattering clothes. Short skirts! Tank tops! Palazzo pants! Form-fitting blouses! [All of which will be very difficult because my sewing skill is limited to crooked hems in a running stitch.] I want to repaint them with lively expressions full of character. I want them to hang around my shelves being bad-ass and awesome!

Articulating another American Girl Girls of Many Lands doll

Articulating another American Girl Girls of Many Lands doll published on No Comments on Articulating another American Girl Girls of Many Lands doll

Today I finally did something constructive with dolls besides purchase them. In order to articulate my Girls of Many Lands doll #3, I mounted her bust on a Jakks Pacific Juku Couture body, which, being 9", was just the right size. As a result, my GOML, now named Isabeau, is articulated at wrists, ankles, knees, waist and neck, a great improvement from her earlier statuesque state. Her outfit obscures most of her articulation, but you can see her striking a pose below. Previous adventures in articulating GOMLs are here, and here..

All I know about Isabeau is that she is a member of the Colonials, the oldest vampire clan in New England. She is probably one of those people who died young, but acts much older than her death age because she has had years in which to mature. She strikes me as less of a girl and more of a small woman.
Continue reading Articulating another American Girl Girls of Many Lands doll

Articulating American Girl’s Girls of Many Lands

Articulating American Girl’s Girls of Many Lands published on 1 Comment on Articulating American Girl’s Girls of Many Lands

When I first made Qingting, a Hun type vampire and associate of Chow Bang, she was an American Girl Girls of Many Lands doll on a cut-down Obitsu body, but I didn’t like that because it was too tall and the arm fastenings too frail. I now have a new body for her, closer to her original height of 9". See photo below for how I transferred her original torso, hands and feet onto a 23cm Obitsu framework.

The next photo shows another GOML I’ve worked on recently. She was original a Yupik Native Alaskan character, Minuk, but she has now been repurposed and rearticulated to be Maggie, Absinthe’s sort-of niece.Continue reading Articulating American Girl’s Girls of Many Lands

Qingting the Chinese vampire, or, Hacking up a collectible doll

Qingting the Chinese vampire, or, Hacking up a collectible doll published on 3 Comments on Qingting the Chinese vampire, or, Hacking up a collectible doll

When I first saw that someone on 13doll was selling American Girl’s Girls of Many Lands dolls for a steal, one of them called out to me. Spring Pearl, portraying a Cantonese girl in 1857, charmed me with her sweet wondering look and her beautiful, bright, brocaded outfit. She told me right then and there that she was a Hun type vampire, and she needed to come home and be with Chow and Baozha and the rest of the Hun, not to mention the whole LHF cast.Continue reading Qingting the Chinese vampire, or, Hacking up a collectible doll

Something very bad happened to Cindy.

Something very bad happened to Cindy. published on 2 Comments on Something very bad happened to Cindy.

She started off as an innocent, perkily smiling Colonial Barbie head and turned into a shambling disaster! I was going to do a simple repaint on her, since I found her face cute in a somewhat manic way.

To reduce the appearance of derangement, I wanted to cut out her teeth and glue her mouth shut. I did not make a clean cut, however, and she seemed to have fangs or broken teeth worthy of some sort of undead creature.

The unhinged lower jaw, head wound, anxious look and bloody garments followed from there. What an improvement! Continue reading Something very bad happened to Cindy.

Quickly and sloppily articulating a Kelly doll

Quickly and sloppily articulating a Kelly doll published on No Comments on Quickly and sloppily articulating a Kelly doll

So I decided to add a character to the LHF cast. More accurately, I decided to make a doll of an extant, but currently unseen, LHFer: Junior. Junior is Margie’s grandson, between 2 and 3 years old. Absinthe takes care of him sometimes when his parents, Margie’s daughter Laurie and Laurie’s boyfriend Johnny, are at work.

Anyway, I had a spare Kelly lying around from Kinjou, who gave me one so that I could try making the default Mattel idiot grin into something with more character. Kellys and Tommys actually have cute headsculpts, but their use among action figures is very limited because of their minimal articulation. Here you can see the swivel head and single axes of rotation at the shoulders and hips. Ugh.  Continue reading Quickly and sloppily articulating a Kelly doll

Fat LHFers

Fat LHFers published on 5 Comments on Fat LHFers

On the subject of fat dolls, D7ana informs me of Play Along’s 2007 Tracy and Edna Turnblad dolls, which were actually fat, not to mention really cute. I do like regular Tracy’s ’60s flip, as well as her big smile, but I don’t want to get a doll without a character. That being said, I clearly need more fat people in LHF.

I count the following characters as fat: Andrew, Rori, Justine and Margie. Gemini might also be fat, but it’s difficult to tell what’s going on underneath her incredibly baggy clothes.

I got the genius idea last night to make ZaeZae fat, or, more specifically, to try out my new fats-sculpting technique on her: namely, adding fat to a headsculpt, rather than carving fats out of it, the way that I did with Margie. Adding fats to ZaeZae’s head won’t be a problem, although she will require a complete repaint to blend the Sculpey-colored fats in with her skin tone. Making her body fats may be more difficult, as she is currently on a stalk-like articulated Barbie body.

I also got the genius idea this morning to sculpt fats onto my forthcoming Alicia doll. Her default Martha Jones body is more robust than an articulated Barbie, so this might be easier than enlarging ZaeZae.

EDIT: Making fats for Alicia may be easier than making fats for ZaeZae, as Alicia’s neck connector is at the base of her neck [rather than under her chin], allowing me to make chin fats that will not impede her neck articulation.

Yay! Fat doll success! Here’s Margie.

Yay! Fat doll success! Here’s Margie. published on 3 Comments on Yay! Fat doll success! Here’s Margie.

Here are the results of another lazy project of mine. I was going to make Margie, Absinthe’s foster mother, as a complete, separate doll, but I got bored, so I just finished her head and stuck it on Davry’s body. I redressed Davry’s body and gave Margie some breasts made out of polyfill under her shirt. Voila.

Margie is posing next to Mark because Mark represents what Margie’s head looked like before I started work on it. To make Mark’s headsculpt into Margie’s, I carved down the forehead and the brow ridges. I also narrowed the nose and chopped a lot off the tip. I took a lot of width out of the jaw and the chin. Then I sanded with 220 grit sandpaper until most of the nicks from my crappy carving were sanded out. I gave Margie a new paint job mostly with pastels, painted her hair and made her a bun from Barbie hair.

I have now successfully made a dumpy, homely character!Continue reading Yay! Fat doll success! Here’s Margie.

Short characters in LHF

Short characters in LHF published on 1 Comment on Short characters in LHF

Kathlen arrived today! She’s such a cutie. Her head is perfect for Absinthe’s upgrade, especially the serene sleeping face. However, Kathlen’s body is much too short. Below, Kathlen stands in a line-up with some of the shortest LHF characters with my 1:6 Frank for comparison. From left to right, they are Kathlen, Susie, the old version of Absinthe, Davry, Little Will and then Frank [not an LHF cast member]. I’d like Absinthe’s upgrade to be shorter than Little Will.Continue reading Short characters in LHF

Fat doll

Fat doll published on No Comments on Fat doll

One thing that pisses me off about 1:6 dolls is the lack of variety in body shapes. In terms of easily available bodies for fems, you’ve got the Cy Girl shape [curvy, busty and hippy], the Barbie shape [scrawny and pointily boobular] and the Obitsu shape [slim and roundedly boobular]. However, the average woman is pear-shaped, therefore best approximated by a wider Cy Girl pulled down by gravity. Thus, I have no average-shaped women in my cast, though I do like to make them meaty and broad in the beam by using CG bodies as a base for most.

Not only do I have no really average-shaped women in my cast, but I have no fat women! I mean, God forbid that anyone make a doll with a double chin, wide neck, saggy tummy rolls, massive thighs and jiggly upper arms! I would totally get one.

Since no company I know makes fem dolls with realistic fats, I have to make one myself. She’s going to be a minor character, Absinthe’s sort-of foster mother, Margie, a mortal Native American hairdresser whose last name escapes me at the moment, but it’s something French-Canadian, I think.

I’m thinking that I will use a male body, probably a Dragon one, for the base, since that will provide some bulk across the chest, arms and legs. I’m also thinking that her breasts and her fats around the upper arms, upper legs and torso can be created by cotton batting. The cotton batting will create the appropriate girth, while also being compressible and thus poseable.

As for Margie’s head, I’m looking for a headsculpt that’s full and round already. CG02 [Jet/Kat/Sky] is a possibility. Mattel’s Rosie O’Donnell doll is also a possibility, but I really don’t like that stupid smile of hers. I’m sure there are some male sculpts that could work with a little carving. [I swear…so many of the male sculpts have HUGE schnozzes.]

New improved Will: from brawny to scrawny

New improved Will: from brawny to scrawny published on No Comments on New improved Will: from brawny to scrawny

My concept of Will’s physique has always been closer to that of my 1:3 Jareth doll, rather than the ridiculously muscular soldier’s body he’s had for years. Unfortunately, the custom head that I use for Will won’t fit on any of the skinny male bodies…until now. Tonight, after a long silence, I broke out the Dremel and my drawer of bodies in an attempt to transfer the brawny neck assembly from a Dragon male body to the scrawny slender Obitsu male body.  In order to balance out the thicker neck, I imported Will’s original muscular arms [so he doesn’t have twig-like upper limbs]. I have yet to ream out the torso to allow for neck poseability, but you can see a mock-up of how I want Will to look below.

I’m swapping his body not just because I envision Will as skinny, almost to the point of weakness. I’m also narrowing his body because that way he can fit in all the cool clothes for female fashion dolls [his pants are My Scene] that he couldn’t before because he was too wide. Only clothes for fem figs come close to achieving the proper look for Will.

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