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Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
https://joecustoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=23844		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  AdrienVeidt [ Sat Jun 12, 2010 6:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
Black Widows #13 (Natasha Romanova) and #14 (Yelena Belovna).
Author:  Tanstoys [ Sat Jun 12, 2010 9:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
both look great AV...you did good :-D
Author:  gijoey [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 10:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
Great figures, I'd buy both.
I never liked the blond widow but I'm diggen her here.
Author:  Chief [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 10:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
Yeah - really cool. Yelena is definitely stolen, and I like the tweaks you made on Natalia.
Author:  drbindy [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
dr. bindy :hearts: AV. Seriously, I've been complaining about that horrible cut waist - at least the placement of it - to anyone who would listen. Glad to see that you not only had the same complaint, but actually did something about it.

Would love to know how you modded the upper torso to swivel instead. I assume you had to crack open her torso, which I've had trouble doing on the Ms. Marvel base - but
I'd be willing to try again. Especially to do arm swaps easier than the fusing I did on my BW.

I also dig Belovna, and will probably run off to copy pretty quickly.
Author:  AdrienVeidt [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
Thanks, everybody. Glad y'all like. I forgot to mention in the Parts and Construction Notes bit that since I hacked off and tossed Natasha's feet and lower calves to put in the Rex boots, I used the ankle bits to give her swivel elbows. I had to file the outside of the loop so it'd fit in the elbow slot on the forearm, and file the inner hole so the peg would fit thru, and drilla hole in the hindarm for the peg to go into; but it's worth it to make her a proper post-1983 action fig.

As to parting the torso, I've actually begun to do it to the abdomen instead of the chest, when I can. Natasha allowed me to do it this way, but I hadda go the older way with Yelena.

I spun the abdomen 90 degrees to the pelvis and wedged the knife into the abdomen's seam. I've found they don't use a lot of glue to hold the abdomen halves together so popping them apart is usually a cinch. Once the abs are out of the way, I can then shave down the backside of the boobs a bit, maybe 1mm at the most. It's the ovalic cross-section of the torso that prevents a decent range of spinning movement at the boob joint, and nothing more, so sidening out the oval a bit has been working to give them a total range of motion of about 90 degrees, 45 to either side. It's good enough, and frankly they'd look too weird if they went any further.

Then it's just a matter of gluing the abs back together again (altho I usually take the opportunity to shave out an extra mm or two at either end of the groove that allows them to bend forward and back, just because I think they don't make them as long as they could), while also gluing them to the pelvis and its peg. This usually ends up showing how much the above-swivel belly protrudes further than the below-swivel belly; but that just gets filed down when filing out the glue/putty used to fill the waist seam.

Cracking the chest I do the same way with 25A/RoC figs: spin 90 degrees so they're facing sideway, then wedge my x-acto into the armpit seam and the back of the hinge groove and push up. The amount of glue they used determines how much shoving I gotta do as opposed to twisting-and-popping; but they always come apart in the end. Be careful to line up the shoulder so the hard joint bit is lined up with the armpit seam lest you risk cutting into the hindarm or even slipping into the seam and cutting it off the shoulder bit entirely. Once the chest is apart, shaving down the back side of the boobs is even easier than the other way, and arms can be swapped. I don't recall any problems with the Helix arms fitting in the Marvel chest.
Author:  Chief [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
AdrienVeidt wrote:
I forgot to mention in the Parts and Construction Notes bit that since I hacked off and tossed Natasha's feet and lower calves to put in the Rex boots, I used the ankle bits to give her swivel elbows. I had to file the outside of the loop so it'd fit in the elbow slot on the forearm, and file the inner hole so the peg would fit thru, and drilla hole in the hindarm for the peg to go into; but it's worth it to make her a proper post-1983 action fig.



I'd LOVE to see a tutorial on this - that's just an awesome idea and apparently works perfectly.
Author:  AdrienVeidt [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
I'll see if I can remember to take pics the next time I need to do it. It's really not difficult, aside from the smallness of the bits involved compared to my giant sausage fingers. It's most definitely a [LASER BLAST] when the ankle and elbow aren't the same color, tho.
Author:  Iron Will [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
Great work all around!
Author:  past nastification [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 4:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
They're both good. I'm especially impressed with the paint detailing done to the hair.
Author:  drbindy [ Mon Jun 14, 2010 3:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
I should probably add both a thank you and a damn you to this thread (j/k). I spent most of my free time last night re-working 4 Ms. Marvel based customs (and starting 4 more) based upon the ideas in this thread. Mainly, eliminating the horrid waist joint while modding the upper torso to swivel more freely. so thank you very much for the idea, but damn you for all the extra work :-P

I've been upgrading the arms while I am at it (have not yet used your ankle joint swap because I've thus far had enough fodder as is).

the only problem I've had, is a tendency for the necks to snap/tear if working too hard to separate the upper torso halves, but even that damage is easily fixed, and the benefit is worth the risk of that.
Author:  AdrienVeidt [ Mon Jun 14, 2010 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
I haven't had any of the necks bust on me. How are you getting the chest halves apart? I cut with a fairly new x-acto more than pry apart by twisting. It does seem pretty stupid on their part to no make them as solid pieces connected to the front half like the Joe figs, altho I could see them thinking it's an aesthetic choice due to superpeeps not having any convenient clothing seams at which to make the molding seam.

Also, all them worthless Trek figs are good for donating pieces for MU chick elbows, and you get a bit of a wider color choice, too.
Author:  Cap [ Tue Jun 15, 2010 2:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
Awesome AV. I am a sucker for many things Russian and even a larger one for redheads. Also, I was looking for a body to do an update to my previous RAH Ada, and I think I am liking the recipes here. A lot.
Author:  Oneforceleader [ Tue Jun 15, 2010 11:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Universe Asunder: Beware the Widows' Bite!
I like alot, this is the kind of imagination that brought me here in the first place and keeps me going. Excellent no critiques.
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