...but how did you place your figure on the wooden piece?
I can't create the gap between the top and bottom half and I think its important to do so if the hasbro method should work, my Gung Ho has a torso that works like a cut-joint, thats why I think it's stuck, can you "tilt" yours?
Or mayby I just have to turn the torso and wack him

You don't need to make a gap. Read back through the thread. There is an indentation under the arms of these figures, like arm pits. That's there the block goes; not in the gap between the top half and the bottom half.

Sorry, I didn't know what "indentation" meant, I thought It was a word for the section between the two halfs, my bad

But thanks for explaining it for me, Now my Storm Shadow is one step closer to get his shirt-less arms.

this might be very cool to do. but until i get a few more figures i am going to hold off.
by the way if anyone does a steel brigade before i do the helmets from the tru pack fits duke's head so i know what helmet i am useing and when hawk comes out i may use his head.
so i was thinking of useing of duke for a star duster or should i use the duke upper and the lower of say firefly SE or maybe gung ho?
and my SB upper of SE and leggs of duke, zartan, GH?
i know i went overboard sorry.

NICE! I just watched the video. Good thing you had your camera, Beav, that should prove a big help. Stopping at the hardware store for a plastics hammer and a block of wood after work.

overboard? nah, you're cool.

personally, if I was to tackle a 25A Starduster I'd use Duke's torso (in traditoion, Stinger Driver arms (light enough color for easy paint coverage & appropriate long sleeves), Duke upper legs (holster comes in handy), and Gung Ho lower legs (the boots design is pretty keen).

Not to sound like a totally moron, but I was wondering if any one could post a picture of how this it done? The video helps, but doesn't show everything with the guy's hands and hammer in the way. Mainly looking for figure placement.

Also not really understanding the block. Do you place the figure on a flat spot or to you need a point to do this like a pyramid? Where do you place the arms when doing all this? Also how do you do the lower torso/waist section? I read about the under arm, but that part doesn't have something like that.

I'm one of those Star Wars guys that like the boil & pop, but if this works well enough I might try it out on the newer Star Wars figures, as some are made very similar to these new 25th Joes.

Thank you for any and all help.
momaw nadon

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http://www.joecustoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3007&p=38735&hilit=torso#p38735

Scroll down a bit and you'll see the tutorial I did.

MUNDO,

Thanks for the link. It clears many things up. Have you done the lower torso/waist parts yet? I would like to know how to do them also. Thanks again.

momaw nadon

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I've done about ten torso splits now and EVERY one of them broke. I have numerous rubber and plastic mallets, all different types of blocks, and have used different knives.

The problem I find is that the internal pegs break. That may not seem like a big issue as they are going to be reglued, but I find the lost surface area for glue really limits the durability. I'm sure they could work in a back screw somewhere if they wanted to.
I've also found not a lot of arms are compatible, and sometimes dremelling/ sanding must be done. If you are painting joints, you really need that middle ground (Not too loose/ not stiff enough to cause paint wear). So, take into account you have to dry fit stuff to get the balance right.
You can't just pinch the new torsos together - the soft plastic of the arm joint will just compress - you have to glue it and check afterwards.
Not good if you wanna try a few different combinations.
Also, quite a few people here are getting involved who haven't even cracked a torso yet. What's all that about? I think experience is what is needed here, and guesswork from those who haven't tried the method really isn't helping.
I do like the 25th figures a lot more now than I used to, but that "customiser friendly" quote is just insulting to me, and I can't get over people trying to say hitting figures with a hammer/ re-glueing is easier or more practical than just screwing/ unscrewing them. Come on.
I always thought the reason they didn't have backscrews now is cost - but then I thought of the leg screws...so... I got nothin' there...
I realise hasbro isn't gonna change things now, and I can live with it, but it will never be as customiser friendly as the backscrew.
Another thing I don't like about the new method is actually having to use glue. I hate it. No matter how careful you are, it always manages to seep, dry or get somewhere it shouldn't. Plus all glues have a shelf life, and sometimes just dries, breaks and flakes away.

Now another thing. Microman bashing. (yeah, you knew I would bite on this). I really wish some people could get over this. Yeah, there was a batch of MM that had crappy plastics (Some U.S. releases, the Batman begins stuff and a few others). But since then, they've all been good.
The Kinnikuman line is as durable as any other line I've had. I play with my toys to the exteme, and I've never had a KM figure break (In over 50 figures that I have). In around the same number of 25th Joes I've had - about ten have broke (split wrists/ ankles), not to mention back to front parts - (two GH's arms, Baroness w /two left hands). Not such a good comparison there.
I'm not trying to start an argument there, but only reporting the evidence I've found with my figures.

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Was this response out of place or were you just chiming in on a discussion from several months ago? This was only revived because some people are still trying to figure out how the process works.

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I only read it earlier today, plus it's only recently that I started torso cracking.

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All I can contribute is that x-acto cutting up into the armpit is still working perfectly fine for every figure I've used it on.

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I use a flathead screwdriver and a regular metal hammer (flathead right on that armpit joint). No real problems, as the torsos I've tried so far came right apart.

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No, I haven't done the lower torso/waist yet, but I might give it a try, seeing as how I have a few scattered around the work table. I'm curious to see how the "T-hook" looks inside. I'll let you know how it comes out.