UA-100768763-1 Jump to content

Cappy's Customs


Cappy

Recommended Posts

So I had a few extra FCBD minimates, some decal paper and an idea. With much patience and hand-holding from Timbo, I got into the swing of the decal thing and was suddenly cranking out new designs -- too much fun!

Well, not exactly high-end customizing, compared to the quality work that showcases in this forum. But after their debut in the instant-classic Wizard World Tour over at MinimateHeadquarters, there was much clamoring for a return engagement.

Okay, a couple of people wanted a closer look. :rolleyes: So here then, are Cappy's Logo Mates, Wave 1:

CappyLogos01.jpg

Ivan gets full credit for the "Obey" graphic on the center mate.

And what wave wouldn't be complete without a Spider-Man variant:

CappyLogos02.jpg

Finally, the Bomber Mate hangs with some new-found ... friends. The Bomber is a Timbo original, not my handiwork.

CappyLogos03.jpg

So, any one care to name all seven designs in this wave? :D

Edited by Cappy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

great stuff Cappy, wont be long before everyone is clamouring for you to make them Cappy mates... WHat's the bets Danny is the first to ask for a 'bustymate' :P

T.

All bets are off - I already have :D

Great stuff Cappy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 years later...

It's been a long time coming, even by Cappy standards, but the time, motivation and materials aligned themselves in the house of Scorpio presaging a synergy of customizing. I finally set about dyeing some figures. It's been roller coaster learning process, the kitchen stayed relatively stain free and the results were, well, let's step through it.

I've always known Minimates were made of differing plastics, but that lesson hammered itself home when I dropped my first subjects into simmering purple dye:

baddyejob.jpg

These victims started out as white FCBD blanks, stripped of their decals. Obviously, some of the plastic took the dye quite niceley. All the dark purple parts were in the bath only a couple of minutes. It should be noted here that I completely disassembled the 'Mate, including pulling apart the elbow and knee joints, so each piece was able to soak as long as needed. And apparently, the lighter parts needed forever. I tried every hint the internet offered: rubbed them down with alcohol, put acetone in the dye mixture: no joy. The lighter, scratchy purple on the chest block is where I had done some light sanding to remove the decal. The dye seems to have landed in the resulting texture, but not in anyway that I could use that to my benefit.

Very disappointing start, to say the least. For some reason, I persevered, partly because I had other toys to boil anyway. I carefully examined a clear blank I had prepared. The plastic on that 'Mate seemed to be more uniform in its make up, so into the pot went the test subject!

And this time, the payoff was great:

holo%20purple%20b.jpg

All the parts that are white in the first 'Mates (chest, pelvis, etc) had to soak longer than the others, but at least this time they took the color eventually. A day to thoroughly dry, then some glossy coat and the above is the final result. He really is a pride and joy of mine.

So dyeing a Minimate is possible, but really only recommended for clear 'Mates. Coming soon: more colors! But until then, since we just had Valentine's Day, I leave you with PINK!

holo%20pink%20a.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great job - these are beautiful. Please tell me that making them was far too difficult and not worth the hassle - I'm trying to stop myself from making a set for myself.

Looking at these, I really wish Diamond would produce more translucent Minimates. If they can produce Father's Day Minimates, why not a translucent Rainbow set?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guess would be RIT dye, found in super markets. I am making this guess based off of one thing, I tried this a few years ago with a blue dye (probably to do Cobra Commander, lol) and got the same results as the first ones shown...It was my only attempt at it......wish I stuck with it, because those clear mates are beautiful. :D very well done my man!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My bet's on RIT too. Although I only worked with transparent Minimates, I had a similar effect where different pieces absorbed the dye at different rates. I seem to remember yellow having the greatest discrepancy. I've been meaning to make some better greens but finding clear base figures is getting harder all the time.

Looks great Cappy. I didn't gloss coat mine, should I?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it's RIT -- powdered in my case, but sources on the web say the fluid stuff works just the same.

Ivan, yeah, I'd encourage coating them somehow. The dye is just a surface layer and can be scratched off.

Okay, as promised, here are more pics with more colors:

(clicky for larger pic)

th%20holo%20blanks%20spectrum.jpg

My first creation, Purple Blank, turned out too dark to fit in with the SDCC 'Mates, which was my original intention. Bah, the SDCC were always too light for my taste anyway, so I went about creating a matched, more saturated set. Here's a comparison, with the SDCC counterpart on the left of each pair.

th%20holo%20blanks_sdcc.jpg

Finally, the whole bunch, including those outside of the rainbow:

th%20holo%20blanks%20crowd.jpg

If there's an interest, this weekend I'll post a brief how-to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...