Instamorph moldable plastic for action figure accessories

[ZMOQ]

Hi MEGO customizers. I noticed that there's no posts about Instamorph, so I wanted to bring it to your attention.

I recently bought a bag, and spent some time with it.

I was browsing THE FWOOSH and I noticed that the forum had updates on Boss Fight Studios' "Vitruvian HACKS" (Greek mythology figures). The site led me to a link at Hisstank with photos of the prototypes.

http://news.hisstank.com/2015/08/03/...t-studio-56039

I decided that wanted to make some Spartan spears for some skeletons, in their size. I didn't like the bend in plastic spears, so mine are made from wood, with real leather wrapped around it. For the spear heads, I used InstaMorph.

You dunk the stuff in hot water and pull it out and mold it with your hands. It hardens after 2-3 minutes at room temperature. If you still need to work on it some more, dunk it in hot water again.

The stuff doesn't hold detail as well as Sculpey, but it has a HUGE advantage over wood, styrene, ABS plastic, putty, Sculpey, etc... it's almost unbreakable. The fragile part of a spear head where the spear head meets the socket is actually very strong and isn't going to snap off. The sockets can be made hollow to slip over the wooden spear shafts (like real life). Bows can be made completely functional, and can shoot arrows a few feet. There is a slight flex to Instamorph, which can be tapped as an advantage.



These aren't MEGO-sized skeletons. They're smaller, but you get the idea:





To dye the stuff, I used chalk pastels. Basically, I shave off some powder from a chalk pastel stick and knead it into the plastic while it's warm. The color possibilities are endless, since a huge set of chalk pastels (36 colors) can be bought at Michael's for $4.99. Since the colors become part of the plastic, there is no paint rubbing off. The colors are permanent.

It gets better... Instamorph BINDS TO PVC! So, whatever soft PVC heads you have... you can add hair, moustaches, beards, horns, etc. and the stuff will bind itself to the heads, or hands or boots, etc. It could possibly be used to repair body and joint cracks.It doesn't stick to all types of plastic, so you'd need to experiment and find out what it does/does not bind to.

In the hands of skilled sculptor, an endless array of plastic action figure accessories can be made.

[comicmike]

that's a great head's up! thanks!!!! very very cool

[LonnieFisher]

That's really cool!

[Starroid Raiders Dagon]

I bought some red pellets like this some time back but didnt get around to using it. The place I buy my Smooth-On supplies from carry the white pellets. Good stuff.

[hedrap]

Interesting. Like a plastic version of magicsculpt.

[Confessional]

Cool tip; thanks for sharing.

Here's their website for additional details: https://www.instamorph.com

I was particularly amused by the safety section:

Warnings

We’d like to think that if you’re smart enough to realize the amazing possibilities of moldable plastic, we wouldn’t have to tell you this, but we’ll do it anyways…

Burns suck. Be careful when heating water or using your stove or heat gun to heat up InstaMorph. Heating InstaMorph above 150 degrees F increases the likelihood of heat related injuries.
Small pellets of InstaMorph could be a choking hazard. Please supervise small children when using InstaMorph.

InstaMorph can stick to different materials when it’s hot. Sometimes you want this, sometimes you don’t. It can stick to the following including but not limited to: metal, other plastic, vinyls, fabrics, acrylics (like fake fingernails or plexiglass), and styrofoam.

Because of the unique remoldable property of InstaMorph, you should keep your finished pieces away from sources of extreme heat. We would hate to see you lose your amazing creation in a tragic space-heater accident.

Although its non-toxic, InstaMorph has not yet been certified “safe for internal use” or “food contact safe”.

[ZMOQ]

Cool tip; thanks for sharing.

Here's their website for additional details: https://www.instamorph.com

I was particularly amused by the safety section:

Warnings

We’d like to think that if you’re smart enough to realize the amazing possibilities of moldable plastic, we wouldn’t have to tell you this, but we’ll do it anyways…

Burns suck. Be careful when heating water or using your stove or heat gun to heat up InstaMorph. Heating InstaMorph above 150 degrees F increases the likelihood of heat related injuries.
Small pellets of InstaMorph could be a choking hazard. Please supervise small children when using InstaMorph.

InstaMorph can stick to different materials when it’s hot. Sometimes you want this, sometimes you don’t. It can stick to the following including but not limited to: metal, other plastic, vinyls, fabrics, acrylics (like fake fingernails or plexiglass), and styrofoam.

Because of the unique remoldable property of InstaMorph, you should keep your finished pieces away from sources of extreme heat. We would hate to see you lose your amazing creation in a tragic space-heater accident.

Although its non-toxic, InstaMorph has not yet been certified “safe for internal use” or “food contact safe”.

Yep, it's true that you probably shouldn't put any Instamorph creations on your car dashboard. But anywhere in your house that's not over a range hood or in front of a heater should be fine. Apparently, word has spread around among people without dental insurance about Instamorph. A lot of the reviews on Amazon indicate that people use it to repair their teeth or bridges or dentures!

The moldability of Instamorph varies based on the water temperature you use. If the water is at a rolling boil, then Instamorph becomes VERY moldable... my preferred temperature to knead in colored pastel powders. At the "barely boiling" water temperature, you can put a bend on an already-molded piece, or flatten a tip. I'd say that the greatest risk for burns is from the boiling water, not the Instamorph itself. I use tongs to pull it out of the hot water, then pat-dry it and it's reasonably safe to mold by hand. I wouldn't recommend it for children under 12.

I really am tickled pink about making the miniature functional bows and arrows. The semi-flexible nature means you can make custom-sized right angle plastic clips to hold together Dida-like wall panels made from foamboard (so you can take them down anytime).

To make removable accessories for action figures, you'd need to put some sort of barrier on your figure, like Saran Wrap (so it doesn't weld itself to your figure). Once the Instamorph sets, you can take it off. I was able to have some success with some armor pieces, but a helmet was completely hopeless, so I reverted to Sculpey for the helmets.

Made from Instamorph:

All bows and bowstring clip
All arrows
Dagger in the hand of child skeleton
Armor collar on the skeleton in the back
Axe head
Spear heads
grey colored belt buckles (functional)




By the way: Don't do your Instamorph work on the same kitchen countertop that you use to store Arborio or Calrose rice! They all look alike!

[Brown Bear]

You can't tell, but I just raised an eyebrow like Spock. Fascinating

[Brown Bear]

I wonder if this is what I should use for a False Face mego mask?!

[Grimjohn]

Fascinating stuff...I will have to experiment with it sometime.

[emeraldknight47]

This stuff sounds a little like Friendly Plastic Compound, another molding material that melted and became pliable in hot to boiling water. I made myself a pair a vampire fangs with it that fit so well over my actual teeth, I could speak without a noticeable infraction. I'll have to check this stuff out...

[lilbrosj66]

Hi MEGO customizers. I noticed that there's no posts about Instamorph, so I wanted to bring it to your attention.

I recently bought a bag, and spent some time with it.

I was browsing THE FWOOSH and I noticed that the forum had updates on Boss Fight Studios' "Vitruvian HACKS" (Greek mythology figures). The site led me to a link at Hisstank with photos of the prototypes.

http://news.hisstank.com/2015/08/03/...t-studio-56039

I decided that wanted to make some Spartan spears for some skeletons, in their size. I didn't like the bend in plastic spears, so mine are made from wood, with real leather wrapped around it. For the spear heads, I used InstaMorph.

You dunk the stuff in hot water and pull it out and mold it with your hands. It hardens after 2-3 minutes at room temperature. If you still need to work on it some more, dunk it in hot water again.

The stuff doesn't hold detail as well as Sculpey, but it has a HUGE advantage over wood, styrene, ABS plastic, putty, Sculpey, etc... it's almost unbreakable. The fragile part of a spear head where the spear head meets the socket is actually very strong and isn't going to snap off. The sockets can be made hollow to slip over the wooden spear shafts (like real life). Bows can be made completely functional, and can shoot arrows a few feet. There is a slight flex to Instamorph, which can be tapped as an advantage.



These aren't MEGO-sized skeletons. They're smaller, but you get the idea:





To dye the stuff, I used chalk pastels. Basically, I shave off some powder from a chalk pastel stick and knead it into the plastic while it's warm. The color possibilities are endless, since a huge set of chalk pastels (36 colors) can be bought at Michael's for $4.99. Since the colors become part of the plastic, there is no paint rubbing off. The colors are permanent.

It gets better... Instamorph BINDS TO PVC! So, whatever soft PVC heads you have... you can add hair, moustaches, beards, horns, etc. and the stuff will bind itself to the heads, or hands or boots, etc. It could possibly be used to repair body and joint cracks.It doesn't stick to all types of plastic, so you'd need to experiment and find out what it does/does not bind to.

In the hands of skilled sculptor, an endless array of plastic action figure accessories can be made.

I just got some Instamorph and it seems like there are endless possibilities! The pastels that you refer to, do they actually say "Chalk Pastels" on the packet? I want to know what I am looking for. Don't want to end up with the wrong stuff. Thanks!

[ZMOQ]

I just got some Instamorph and it seems like there are endless possibilities! The pastels that you refer to, do they actually say "Chalk Pastels" on the packet? I want to know what I am looking for. Don't want to end up with the wrong stuff. Thanks!

Hi! Sorry I'm late responding. I don't check here every day.

There's basically 2 kinds of pastels. Compressed chalk/soft pastels and oil pastels. You want the compressed chalk/soft pastels. Those shave into powder. Don't buy the oil pastels.

I think Michael's has the best prices. 36 pastels for $4.99 and you can get a 40% off coupon from their site, making it like 3 bucks!

[chalwa]

Thanks for the tip! I really like the idea of not having to paint it.
I'd love to try some helmets with this stuff. I normally use sculpey and this would eliminate a lot of sanding and reworking time.
Only concern is the bonding/high temp issue. If a situation arose where you'd be transporting your work to, say Megomeet or a Con and your A/C went out or perhaps you had to store them in a room that got hotter than you thought it would...
Could lead to the stuff being sealed to heads, bodies, cloth costumes or other items. Does it unseal when reheated? Since it bonds to cloth, it could ruin vintage costumes if not.
Handy, but you'd have to be careful with your creations in the long run.

[ZMOQ]

Thanks for the tip! I really like the idea of not having to paint it.
I'd love to try some helmets with this stuff. I normally use sculpey and this would eliminate a lot of sanding and reworking time.
Only concern is the bonding/high temp issue. If a situation arose where you'd be transporting your work to, say Megomeet or a Con and your A/C went out or perhaps you had to store them in a room that got hotter than you thought it would...
Could lead to the stuff being sealed to heads, bodies, cloth costumes or other items. Does it unseal when reheated? Since it bonds to cloth, it could ruin vintage costumes if not.
Handy, but you'd have to be careful with your creations in the long run.

Well, the instructions say the melting point is 150 degrees. In my tests, 120 degrees (using a meat thermometer) is hot enough to get it to bend a little. I would not suggest leaving it in an outdoor parking lot in Death Valley. If you were in a hotel and the A/C went out and the rooms got to 120 degrees, I would think that the health and safety of humans would be of far greater concern for the hotel management (heatstroke, death). They'd have to do something, quickly.

Airplane baggage compartments and USPS/FedEx mailing facilities should not be a problem. After all, people mail chocolates all the time.

You could try some sort of barrier between the Instamorph and the figure, like clear acrylic or clear urethane or simple white glue. Any binding to cloth is not really a problem, since it can be peeled off cloth if you pulled hard enough. In fact, pressing it into cloth, letting it harden and peeling it off after it sets impresses a cloth pattern into the Instamorph, which can be desirable.

The binding to PVC is permanent, from what I can see. For body repair, or intentional head modifications, the permanency is exactly what you'd want.

Yes, there are some drawbacks and compromises to a plastic that is moldable by hand. 120-150 degrees is still within safe handling range. If the melting temp was 170-200 degrees, it would no longer be hand moldable nor safe.

Instamorph is not a complete replacement for an injection molding machine or a vacuform machine. But it's a delightful addition to a hobbyist's toolbox using tools that everybody has in their kitchens. I would have loved to have moldable plastic back in the 70's. I could only dream of toy plastic that I could mold myself! We made-do with Sculpey, and Instamorph is way harder and durable than Sculpey.