Modding ARAH Backpacks for 25th figs

I'm thinking about giving Breaker and Tele-Viper (And Short-fuse when he comes out) their original backpacks. My thought was to just whittle down the RAH peg to a size that will fit in the 25th back hole. My concerns are 1. the peg is not long enough and the BP will fall off constantly and 2. the placement of the BP will look bad due to poor alignment of peg and hole - as the 25th back hole is higher on the shoulders.

So, has anyone tried this, or other methods of modding older RAH backpacks?

What I have done is, first cut off the peg of the backpack you want to use and sand it down flat. Then a cut the peg off a 25th backpack leaving a little surface area attached to the end of the peg. Then figure out where the peg needs to be glued on the backpack for it to sit in the right spot then glue them together. On the vintage backpacks that do not have enough surface area to glue to, I fill it in with epoxy putty or green stuff then sand and glue. Hope that helps.

Kama

Pretty sure it was on that Break-out sheet that hasbro gave out at one of the Cons...but you can find the specific diameter of the 25th posts....and then buy styrene rod in that diameter.

that way you can place the pack in the most appropriate place on the figure's back.

If you want to keep the original post, a few swipes witht he dremel sander on the 4 sides of the ARAH backpack makes it fit with ease.

I wonder what that diameter is.

I wonder what that diameter is.

3mm

Your best bet is to cut the peg off the vintage pack, get 3mm doweling and a 2.9 mm drillbit (RC stores will have them) and drill a hole for the new peg at the top of the backpack, to get better placement on the figure.

Conversely, if the figure is a custom, you may want to consider drilling a proper vintage size peg hole on the back of the figure in the right place. You won't be able to do it with some of the smaller figures, but with the bulkier ones, you should be able to pull it off.

- R

the sprue from model kits seems to be exactly the right size for 25th backpack holes. That's what I've been using anyway.

the sprue from model kits seems to be exactly the right size for 25th backpack holes. That's what I've been using anyway.

If that be true, buy one Microman military figure from Smalljoes for $4.99 and you'll get enough for about 50 backpacks..

- R

This is a mod for any backpack for any figure. A friend of mine (who is totally anal) pointed out that mostly, all figures have a backpack but the figure doesn't have any straps. The back packs seem to be floating on the bodies. I tried an experiment once, see my Red Tide custom. What I did was, I completely removed the back peg (which I realized later I didn't need too) and glued on thin strips of cloth covered elastic straps. The elastic straps can be found at most craft stores. The are usually used in sewing to add elastic to clothing. The straps are about an inch wide and ,with an exacto knife, can be trimmed. Glue one end to the top of the back pack, just below the finished edge. Then mount the backpack on the figure and measure the length to go to the bottom of the back pack. Don't worry if the strap is a little short, it's elastic and will stretch. Once you've measured it out, trim the length and glue it to the bottom. Repeat the steps forn the other side. Once the glue dryed, you can paint the straps. Since they are white, the take any color well. The flexability and elastisaty of the straps makes it easy to put on a figure and looks more realistic.

I've had luck using 1/4" dowels for backpack pegs, I think I remember Richard Woodhouse saying that's the size he used at his customizing seminar at the '07 convention.