Disassemble it Yourself Optimus Prime

Today I'm sharing the eight inch version of Optimus Prime from The Loyal Subjects series one. First off, this toy was primed before I took the pictures, which is a straight work in progress shot this time. I took this toy apart using a hair dryer for about a minute per socket. The sockets are grossly over sized and lots of trimming was needed. The  oversized sockets are scale from the three inch version- which will be a future blog.

Disassemble it Yourself Noobz

Not just for beginners. Today I took apart this guy. This is a Noobz from Blizzard. It's a pretty cool toy, but it's toys like this that inspired this series.

First off, I used a blow dryer to soften up the joints then pulled them out. It took less than five minutes to do. Looking at the mushroom sockets afterwards; I would definitely trim them before reattaching. 

After taking this guy apart around some sockets were globs of greasy goo. I'm not sure if it was mold release or due to the tight sockets the manufacturer had to lube them up before putting them together. Definitely creates the cause to wash them before working on them though.

Disassemble it Yourself Tequila edition

The second installation of this blog theme comes from Muttpop's Tequila. This behemoth stands over eight inches tall. The head is the only articulating part, however, there is more to take apart!

I used a hair dryer for about two minutes and pulled it off with some force. The Tequila is glued at the arms and waiste. I used a hair dryer here too. The glue gave way and with a little force the parts came free.

When reattaching I would trim the mushroom socket on the head. For the arms and waiste I would use PVC cement. Just make sure the connect points are clear.

Disassemble it Yourself

 There are many toys out there. Do it yourself blanks and full fledge production runs. Both are fodder to be reworked. I have struggled over the years to take these guys apart. Sometimes very successful sometimes there are broken parts. 

The goal of this blog and a few others are to talk about and show what these toys look like when they're apart.

The first issue is to consider why we want to take them apart. 

1) cleaning, there is always mold release may still hang around. Not getting that grease off my screw up your paint.

2) ease of handling

What to use when you want to start taking it apart.

1) Boil in water

2) hair dryer or heat gun

3) brute force

Boiling is slow and a tad messy. The hardest part is finding a pot you designate only for toy deconstruction.

Heat gun or blow dryer- the fastest way to soften up vinyl and pull them apart.

Brute force, the curiosity method of just pulling the parts out. This method may result in broken parts.

 

The first toy I took apart is a Fonzo by Fonzoworld.

I've always wanted to painted one of these but I've often felt the price was high. Thanks to @martiantoys I got them cheaper.

The head and arms came of with a few seconds of exposure to a hair dryer on high heat. Afterwards there was some light trimming around the sockets to make them fit in easier after the painting is done.

A long time coming

Since September, I have made over 15 tunics for folks in and around Amtgard. It's been awesome having a lot of creative freedom making garb. However, as spring approaches up here in Minnesota spray painting weather is upon us.

What does that mean?

It's prime weather to spray primer on toys! Which means toy creation is around the corner. Keep an eye out for new ideas. Here is a guyI dabbled with during my Xmas break in Texas.

I'm reinventing nature with a lantern fish.

There goes Halloween!

Halloween has come and gone. These toys were made for a Halloween party and now they are up for grabs super cheap! Twenty five bucks for the seven inch toys and $125 for the Mega Munnys. They have all be primed, painted and finishedenjoy and thank you for looking!

The theme for the party was "A Nightmare Before Christmas" and I took it a bit far going with some toys theme simply around Tim Burton characters or concepts such as Beetlejuice, Frankweenie etc. etc.

You can find these guys on sale over here: www.ricstroh.storenvy.com

Beetlejuice!

Frankenweenie

Jack Skelingtor

Duck Decoy Toy

Zombie Tweedle Dum

Zombie Tweedle Dee

Halloween Town Cyclops

My Undead Neighbor Totoro

Pew Pewter Pewtersby (Mega Munny)

Vampire Teddy Bear (Mega Munny)

Majora's Tiki Reign!

This guy among eight others are at Dream in Plastic for a show. He was rushed and will probably be reworked when I have more time. They stand at about ten inches tall.