Well you gotta start with something so find a beat up figure and let's get to work. You can pick up figures like the one in Fig 1 for anywhere between $10 -$30 on Ebay. You can also find them at toy shows but like it or not, your best bet is Ebay. These figures can be in pretty much any shape. We can even repair severed limbs, and nipped noses if we have to. The heads are a little tricky to restore so try to find a figure with a structurely decent head. However they can be easily repainted so paint is not an issue.
The first thing to do is remove the head and put it in a safe place for later (see it's already gone!). If the flag on the figure is in good shape (most are) do not take it off when cleaning the figure. These flags are pretty hard to replicate by hand so this will save you as much greif as it does time!! Use your exacto to cut around the flag (inset Fig 1) so it won't be peeled off with the rest of the paint. Now you're ready to strip off the paint. I have heard of a few products that supossedly make this process easier but I prefer to use good old elbow grease. You can soak them in a little soapy water over night and that tends to loosen up the paint a little. With many figures you can tell right away if the paint removal will be easy or hard. Use your thumb (Fig 2) to just push the paint back off the figure. You can start at a spot thats already missing some paint. Take your thumb and just push across the surface and the paint will roll/peel back. You can sometimes take the "rolls" and peel them back with you fingers, kinda like when your skin peels. Use this basic process to remove the bulk of the paint from the figure. For the tight areas use your thumb nail or an exacto blade. If you use the exacto be very careful not to cut the figure, or your finger. Finish off the figure by using a stiff bristled tooth brush to clean between the cracks and "dust" off any remaining flecks of paint, you can also use canned air to accomplish this task.
This is a pretty good time to tell you what tools and material you will need to rewire your figure. Painting supplies will be shown later. These are by no means the only thing you can use but It's what I use.
A) Rebar Tie Wire (it works as good as any and it's cheap!)
B) Sythetic Steel wool
C) Small candle or votive (needs a pretty good flame)
D) Exacto knife
E) any Armor All type product
F) Needle Nose Pliers
G) Regular pliers
H) Steel Rod
(I use a rod from a "Clip" Type Clothes Hanger)
I) Scrap wire (used for making new boot wire sleaves)
J) Small Brass tubing
K) FUTURE GLUE (not pictured) |
