Zob's Fun with Kitbashing (1/2)
Zobovor
I. Ideas
A. Starting Out
Custom jobs arise for any number of reasons:
--An existing figure was not, to your way of thinking, made well enough.
--The existing figure is too expensive and you want to create your own--for
less!
--An existing character never got an action figure in his or her likeness.
--A character of your own creation is dying to be rendered in three dimensions.
It doesn't matter why you want to start a particular project. You may be a fan
of a given character who desperately needs a decent toy, or it may just be a
silly idea you came up with one afternoon. After a little web-searching for
inspiration, you may even find that other fans have already come up with a
project similar to yours. (Hey, there can never be too many Arcee customs in
the world, right?)
I strongly recommend, however, that you create this masterpiece for you. You
may end up selling it it or giving it away in the end, but to create something
at someone else's whim without being particularly enthused about it--or worse,
crafting it for the express purpose of making a fast buck--cheapens the art
form and will only make your projects suffer in the long run. I pour far more
love into my projects knowing that they'll go on display either on someone
else's desk or in my studio (and on my web page, in either case) than I ever
would if I were just going to turn around and hock them on eBay. On the other
hand, there certainly is a market for customized figures (if the R2-D2/Darth
Maul hybrid I've seen on eBay is any indication), so please don't take offense
at this if you make a living from producing kitbashes.
B. The Many Faces of Kitbashing
I define projects as falling into four main categories (which increase
incrementally in difficulty and skill level):
--Repaints. This is simply taking an existing figure off the shelf and giving
it a new paint job, either to improve its appearance or to turn it into an
entirely new character. You might give it some new accessories, but the point
is the only tools required for a repaint are paint and a paintbrush.
--Customs. This is slightly more in-depth, usually involving a head-swap with
another figure (Star Wars customizers love to do this) or minor alterations to
the figure's appearance (adding or removing wings, arms, etc.) Making Rhinox a
deeper tan color is a repaint, but the instant you slice off those absurd
elephant ears, he becomes a custom job.
--Kitbashes. Kitbashes are even more in-depth than custom jobs, often
requiring a great deal of chopping, sculpting, and swapping before you get to
the final product. These probably make up the bulk of the projects out there;
"kitbash" is really a catchall for any alterations made to a figure. The line
between custom jobs and "true" kitbashes is often blurred, and it ultimately
doesn't matter how sophisticated or simple your project is, as long as you're
pleased with the end result.
--Sculptures. Basically, this is creating a brand-new toy from scratch.
Although the term "sculpture" implies working with clay or some other modeling
compound, sculptures can be crafted from wood, plastic, scrap metal, or soap.
You might even incorporate parts from action figures into its design, but if
less than 50% of your project is made from existing figures--or the figure in
question is all but unrecognizable once you're finished with it--then you've
moved beyond mere kitbashing.
I don't want to tick you off by inadvertently classifying your latest labor of
love as a mere custom, when you've steadfastly maintained that it's a kitbash.
Part of the reason I make these distinctions is so people can tell how much
effort went into my own projects, but also for beginners to gauge their own
skill levels. If all you've done so far is repainted a couple of McBeasts, I
wouldn't recommend jumping into a full-scale transforming Unicron kitbash
without a little more practice.
Of course, coming up with the concept for your project is the easy
part--figuring out what to make it out of is another can of gummy worms
entirely.
II. Materials & Preparation
By its very nature, there are very few requirements for kitbashing that are set
in stone. Just about the only thing I imagine you absolutely need are a
functional pair of hands and eyeballs (see Safety Gear below). Nevertheless,
you will probably find that there are a few creature comforts that make your
work go a lot more smoothly.
A. Setting Up
Here's a few of the things I find invaluable for my projects:
--A workplace to call your own. Your TV gets its own TV stand; your computer
gets its own computer desk. Your kitbashes deserve no less than their very own
work space; you can't work on a project effectively if you have to move it
every time the family chihuahua races through the living room or Uncle Bob
wants the pool table back. I use my drafting table, which has served me
faithfully for years.
--A surface to work on. Even if you can get away with using the kitchen
counter for projects, it just won't do to get paint all over the Formica. You
need a sturdy surface that can tolerate being used as a cutting board, a gluing
counter, a painting surface, and a storage area for whatever action figure bits
you'll have lying around at any given time. I use a wooden secretary--it's
portable, it's got room to store paints and things, and my wife doesn't mind if
I get paint and glue all over it.
--Something to protect that surface. Spreading newspaper on the floor and your
workspace is a cheap and effective way to collect paint splatters and little
bits of whittled-away plastic. Give a hoot, save a carpet.
--The comfy chair. If you're going to be sitting for hours on end, you need to
sit in something that will be kind to your buttocks. If your muscles start to
cramp, stand and stretch for a few minutes.
--Proper ventilation. The simple fact is, paints and glues do not have a
pleasant odor, and can kill off your few remaining brain cells if you're
exposed to them for too long. Open a window or turn on the central air while
you work, and if you start to get a headache, step outside for a while and get
some fresh air. If your head is still throbbing, it's probably a tumor and
doesn't have anything to do with kitbashing, so you can get right back to work.
--Artist smock. You may be the most meticulous person you know, but sooner or
later you're going to get something sticky on your person. I recommend wearing
junk clothes in the first place when you kitbash, but you would do well to wear
the smock anyhow (you'll be less likely to get paint on your skin, and it will
serve as an extra layer of protection if your knife slips). It doesn't
necessarily have to be store-bought--it can be an old spring jacket or a
sweatshirt (I use a smock from my old job as a grocery store clerk)--but you
need to resign it to this singular purpose, and keep it near your work area.
Pockets are a plus.
--Safety gear. If you're like me, you're very careful with sharp instruments
and might be inclined to skip this section entirely. Let me warn you that
there's a reason your seventh grade woodworking teacher made you wear safety
goggles, and "I haven't lost an eye yet!" is not a valid reason not to wear
them. I wear glasses as a matter of course; while they're not safety goggles,
they're better than nothing. Remember that your eyes are not replaceable--and
without them, you also can't make any more kitbashes. Gloves make working
with anything so small as an action figure quite the difficult proposition, but
I recommend using a thimble when cutting very tiny pieces (the smaller the
object, the more likely your fingers will slip). Sometimes I even bind my
fingertips with masking tape. That said, you are invariably going to cut
yourself at some point along the way. Assuming it's not serious, just find
yourself some Neosporin and a Band-Aid, give it a few days to heal, and get
back to your project.
B. Tools of the Trade
Okay, that's it for the practical stuff, now on to the actual implements of
your work:
--Paints. When I was a kid, back before I knew anything about paint, I used
household implements like permanent markers and White-Out. They worked to an
extent, but they also tended to fade and/or and chip off after a while,
particularly if I continued to handle the toy. Nowadays, Testors brand paints
are my preferred choice, which can be found in just about any hobby or craft
store. They're relatively inexpensive (about a dollar for a 1/4 oz. jar) and
come in a variety of colors. Enamel paints and acrylic paints work equally
well on hard plastics, but enamels have the curious effect on some soft
plastics of bonding to the plastic instead of hardening, producing a tacky
figure that will never, ever dry. A coat of acrylic primer on the plastic
beforehand usually takes care of this problem. I recommend getting a jar
of paint thinner as well, for cleaning your paintbrush and, well, for thinning
out paint. \
--Paintbrush. Just about any small brush will do; for around five bucks at
Toys "R" Us you can get a paint set that comes with five colors of paint and a
plastic modeling paintbrush. Expect to go through quite a few of these.
You'll get more life out of them if you remember to clean your brush (I am
notoriously bad about this). The nice thing about used brushes is that even
after the bristles spread out irreparably, you can snip off all but a few of
them and use the brush for fine detailing work (like eyebrows, eyeballs, etc.)
--Airbrush. You can create some fun effects with an airbrush, but since they
tend to be ungodly expensive, the frugal kitbasher can usually make do without
one. I was lucky enough to find a $50 set at Toys "R" Us on clearance for
twelve bucks. One of the most important things to remember is to take the
thing apart and clean it after each use, so the parts don't gum up with dried
paint. Because you're spraying particles of paint into the atmosphere, use the
airbrush outside whenever possible. Barring that, try spraying into a
cardboard box, and be sure you have adequate ventilation.
--Mixing tray. Sooner or later you're going to need to devise your own custom
paint colors (in fact, I use them straight out of the jar less than 50% of the
time). Again, a lot of paint sets come with a plastic tray as well; in a pinch
you can also use just about any non-porous container like Dixie cups or empty
paint jars. I don't recommend newspaper because it tends to erode and get into
your paint mix. Two things I strongly urge about special paint mixes are to
make more than you think you will need (it's better to have too much than too
little), and to paint the project in one sitting (once that batch of paint has
run dry, it's virtually impossible to recreate that exact shade of
turquoise).
--Sharp knife. The X-Acto brand knife has always been good to me. The blades
are replaceable once they dull down, and they are available in a variety of
weird and wonderful shapes and sizes. I usually keep a sharp blade on hand for
cutting plastics, and use my old dull ones for whittling plastic and working
with modeling clay. You can buy a pack of 100 X-Acto blades at Staples for
around $20, which--while pricy--I figure will last me the rest of my natural
life. I don't like the Testors knives because once the blade turns dull, you
have to throw the entire knife out.
--Screwdrivers. If you can disassemble a figure, it makes it a lot easier to
work on. Many figures are held together with simple screws (while others are
glued together, requiring other means to get them apart). A set of
screwdrivers, ranging from around 0.5 mm to 8 mm, can be found for only a few
dollars at your local hardware store. Screwdrivers also make excellent
makeshift drills, although they tend to hurt your fingers a bit.
--Power tools. Again, the average kitbasher probably doesn't have the
disposable income to invest in a bandsaw or a power drill, but they do make
things a heck of a lot easier if you have access to them. I recently splurged
in a Black & Decker cordless drill in order to put up a bookshelf for the kids,
but I have since found that it makes drilling holes about 50 times easier than
using a screwdriver. Be sure to exercise all safety precautions when working
with power tools of any kind.
--Super glue. Inevitably, you will want to stick some foreign object onto your
project and want it to stay there; cyanoacrylates are my preferred way of doing
that. My favorite brand is called Quick Tite; it comes in a handy plastic
container. I've been using super glue for over ten years, and I do not care
for the metal toothpaste tubes or the pen applicator it sometimes comes in;
both invariably tend to jam and/or leak. Be stingy when applying it--just a
dab'll do ya! (Also, some brands such as Krazy Glue tend to leave an
unsightly white film when it dries in large amounts, requiring you to paint
over it.) Be sure the parts you're gluing together "mate" (i.e., are
reasonably flat surfaces) and are devoid of paint (you may have to scrape some
off at the contact points). Also, needless to say, the stuff will bond skin on
contact, so be careful not to touch the project while it's drying. Super glue
does not bond metal to metal, and it won't work on certain kinds of soft
plastic.
--Tweezers. They come in really handy when trying to secure a tiny part with
super glue.
--Modeling clay. Back in the days of old, my favorite sculpting medium was the
miracle we know as Play-Doh. It's colorful, cheap, and easy to work with.
Unfortunately, it also has a tendency to shrink while drying, crumble once
it's finished drying, and a salty coating of white film can accumulate on it in
humid areas. An application of Puzzle Coat or some similar air-hardening glaze
can resolve this problem, but Play-Doh is still not a durable medium, and I've
never used it in conjunction with a kitbash. Sculpey brand modeling compound,
when cured, has much greater longevity. It also comes in a wide variety of
colors, is relatively inexpensive (a couple of dollars for a 2 oz. block) and
not difficult to find (I get mine at a craft store called Michaels). Sculpting
new part is the best answer when there are simply no existing parts available
to get a figure to look a certain way. You need to bake Sculpey at 275ş F
for 10-15 minutes for it to harden, or cure. Most action figures will not
survive this temperature, however--more on this later.
--Modeling putty. I mainly use this for filling screw holes and gaps created
when pieces were cut away or glued together. The stuff air hardens so there's
no need to bake it, and you can paint right over it after a few hours. In a
pinch, you can fill up holes with Elmer's glue. Bear in mind that the stuff
shrinks when it dries, so you'll need to apply it several times, and it's still
water-soluble when dried.
--Sandpaper. A metal nail file works fairly well, too, and doesn't need to be
replaced after multiple uses.
--Rubber bands. Mainly I use these to hold together projects while the glue is
drying on them. I don't recommend squeezing your project in a vice, unless
you're absolutely certain it won't crack under the pressure.
--Other stuff. All sorts of unusual household supplies can be used as
kitbashing tools. The tip of a mechanical pencil makes excellent punctures in
Sculpey or putty. The tip of a sewing pin can help with painting minuscule
details. Even an old toothbrush dipped in paint can add that "frosted" look to
a figure that Hasbro has been particularly fond of lately with their Star Wars
figures.
C. Intangible Assets
And here's a few spiritual commodities you would do well to stock up on:
--Time. You might have every tangible supply in the world at your disposal,
but without a good chunk of time at your disposal, you'll never be able to put
your other materials to good use. Make sure your other responsibilities (work,
school, chores, loved ones) are attended to before you sit down in front of
your masterpiece for a few hours; it won't do you (or your project) any good to
be worrying about what else needs to be done. Personally, I like to kitbash at
night once the kids have been put to bed. What ever time of day works for you
is fine, as long as you can spend a little bit of the day (or night)
uninterrupted.
--Patience. This goes along with having plenty of time. Don't rush your
project because you're eager to see it finished; you'll only end up sabotaging
it at the end. Sometimes I'm tempted to cut corners, eager to get to the end
result... but then I convince myself that the project will look ten times
better if I take the time to do it right.
--Commitment. Again, another resource that you may not consider is the
motivation to actually see the project to its completion. If the scope of the
kitbash is greater than you think you're ready for--or if you're just not
particularly excited about it to begin with--move onto something else. No
project ever finished itself. Ultimately (here comes the cheesy bit), the most
important material for any kitbash is you!
D. The Price is Right
Most kitbashers are not independently wealthy creatures. Collecting figures
can drain the wallet enough as it is without chopping them up and all but
destroying their market value. Of course, some people can afford to repaint
Fortress Maximus to make him look like he does in the cartoon, but most people
should resign themselves to either buying toys at reduced prices from the
retail shops, or picking up figures on the secondary market. More on this in a
bit.
The complete "Zobovor's Fun with Kitbashing" can be found at
http://zobovor.webjump.com/kitbashing_guide.html
Questions, comments and monetary contributions welcome! (Particuarly that last
one.)