Kit-bash of the Day

[renegade]

I wanted to start a fun new thread(if allowed). There has been some discussion on here on Custom vs. Kitbash. So I was thinking that members could post Kitbashes that they have done all on one thread. A kitbash would be using existing parts from Mego and Mego like companies without customizing I.E. Resin heads, Custom sewing,etc etc..... The fun thing would be anyone who posts should include the RECIPE and breakdown of costs. I'll be posting one today after the paint dries on the hands (yes you can paint the items). Well any takers????????????

UPDATE...Changed the name to Custom Recipe of the Day. Same Flavor Different Packaging :silly:

[Random Axe]

I really don't know if we need to make specific distinctions between customs and kitbashes. Whether you're using existing parts or making your own, it's customizing and using the creative processes of the mind. I don't know how you separate the two, and creating a separate thread for so-called kit bashes further blurs a line that should not exist. Just my .02.

Scott

[renegade]

Thanks for the input RA.....I'm just looking for one thread with fun quick customs if you will and how they were made. So without further adeau, Here's Speed Racer.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/renegade37076/001-11.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/renegade37076/003-16.jpg

Here's the Recipe and cost........
CTVT body-3.00
Potsie CTVT head- 1.33
Astronaut CTVT Helmut-2.00
White pant CTVT-2.00
White collar shirt CTVT-2.00
White vneck shirt CTVT-2.00
Red kerchief CTVT-1.00
Black Fonzie Boots CTVT-2.00
Fearless Fonzie Glove hands (Just a switch out so no cost) Painted tan
Royal Blue rite dye-3.00

Total Cost....18.33
I still need to make a G sticker for the shirt.

[piecemaker]

Pretty Cool,Great job! I have to agree with RA,a custom is a custom,no matter how you get there.What is your definition of a "kitbash"? and where do you draw the line between the two?

[Random Axe]

See, that Speed Racer is a custom no matter how you got there. The true definition of an artist is to make something new out of something else. You exhitibted an artistic vision as you visuallized it with your available parts. That is a cool figure, kitbash or not. A custom is a custom is a custom. Neat figure.

Scott

[renegade]

I agree with both of your logic, I was hoping more for a fun thread of customs made with parts lying around the house and the recipe and cost. My logic is I believe what most people in here think ..that all Kitbashes are Customs but not all customs are Kitbashes. If anyone would like to come up with a thread name for what I'm thinking about Please let me know what to call it. I was not looking to hijack the thread into a contraversy. Some people may not be skilled in making high end customs but may want to purchase available parts to make their own figures if it's cheap and painless. It helps out the MM vendors and the Marketplace as well as may increase support for the hobby.

[renegade]

Name of thread changed...please disreguard a few of the threads comments but not their spirit.

[apes3978]

This is a good idea for a thread... Hopefully it catches on...

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

Great idea and cool custom.

[spamn]

That's hilarious - I've been meaning to do a Speed Racer for a while now, and that's the head and helmet I'd planned on using as well.

I have an old custom I posted some time ago that's perfect for this thread. I'll (re)post it here tomorrow.

[spamn]

Pretty Cool,Great job! I have to agree with RA,a custom is a custom,no matter how you get there.What is your definition of a "kitbash"? and where do you draw the line between the two?This was discussed in a whole thread somewhere in the forums, but a kitbash is a type of custom that uses off-the-shelf parts and mimimal craftsmanship to finish.

Where to draw the line? Well, IMO a REAL kitbash is something that requires little to no effort, just a repurposing of existing factory-made parts that requires no dremeling to fit together. Something a kid could've assembled if they had the parts.

In the Speed Racer Case, making custom stickers and dyeing is an intermediate effort, but one that requires very little specialized knowledge, skill, or equipment to do (depending on how the stickers are made - are they strips of colored tape? lasercut computer printed images from photoshop? hand cut sticker paper of a printed font?) In this case, just about anyone could print out a red 'M' onto sticker paper, so it's closer to kitbash than a hand-crafted one-of-a-kind artpiece of a custom detail.

Kitbashes are differentiated from more detailed customs because they don't have hand-sewn/screenprinted outfits, custom painted heads or parts, and original sculpted/cast parts. But even that line is a little blurry if you didn't do any of the work yourself. Though in my mind - SOMEone did, so it's still less of a kitbash. Like Random Axe said, the creativity comes in the repurposing of existing pieces to make something new. Sort of like collage versus painting. Both are still 'art' and creative endeavors.

But hopefully this makes it a little clearer.

[spamn]

Looking at the date, this thread was started on Sunday, so I'll post one of my old kitbashes today.

I give you appropriately scaled Herman and Grandpa Munster! Made before CTVT released their Munster figures.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/joespam/toys/customs/made/IMG_0573.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/joespam/toys/customs/made/IMG_0453.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/joespam/toys/customs/made/IMG_0452.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/joespam/toys/customs/made/IMG_0449.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/joespam/toys/customs/made/IMG_0569.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/joespam/toys/customs/made/IMG_0570.jpg

Grandpa is on an EMCE Keeper body, and Herman is on a Maxx FX body.

The heads and outfits are from two Hamilton Gifts/Presents stuffed dolls. They're long since discontinued, but available on Ebay. If you go hunting, look closely at any that you're bidding on because there's another company that made stuffed squishy head Munsters figures, but they're at least 15" tall. You don't want to open the package when you get it to find out you bought the wrong figures.

The outfits are very baggy on the new bodies - I used paper clips to take in the waists on the pants.

You can see that I snipped part of Herman's head to make it easier to put on the 9" body.

Grandpa is wearing Flatt Dracula shoes and socks, which are kind of pricey to obtain nowadays. But you could get black shoes from CTVT and whites socks from them as well and dye them black.

Herman's wearing Big Jim boots.

It bugs me that Herman's body skin tone isn't blue. The kitbash solution is to paint or permanent marker his hands black, as if he's wearing gloves. Ideally I'd prefer to find a way to dye/stain the caucasian body to a matching blue-grey. Then I could give him black fingernails like I imagine he has. But that's leaving kitbash territory, and I'm lazy.

Assuming you already have the EMCE and Maxx FX base bodies lying around, if you get the right auctions, you could make each of these for under $20. It's really dependent on the cost you get the Hamilton figures for. They're not super rare, so it's not worth paying $40 or more for a single one.

[apes3978]

Pretty nice figures...

As far as the blue skin tone you're looking for, maybe you could use a pair of EMCE Andorian hands?




It bugs me that Herman's body skin tone isn't blue. Ideally I'd prefer to find a way to dye/stain the caucasian body to a matching blue-grey. Then I could give him black fingernails like I imagine he has. But that's leaving kitbash territory, and I'm lazy.

[renegade]

Great Job Spamn, Lets keep the recipes cooking!!

[piecemaker]

This was discussed in a whole thread somewhere in the forums, but a kitbash is a type of custom that uses off-the-shelf parts and mimimal craftsmanship to finish.

Where to draw the line? Well, IMO a REAL kitbash is something that requires little to no effort, just a repurposing of existing factory-made parts that requires no dremeling to fit together. Something a kid could've assembled if they had the parts.

In the Speed Racer Case, making custom stickers and dyeing is an intermediate effort, but one that requires very little specialized knowledge, skill, or equipment to do (depending on how the stickers are made - are they strips of colored tape? lasercut computer printed images from photoshop? hand cut sticker paper of a printed font?) In this case, just about anyone could print out a red 'M' onto sticker paper, so it's closer to kitbash than a hand-crafted one-of-a-kind artpiece of a custom detail.

Kitbashes are separate from more detailed customs because they don't have hand-sewn/screenprinted outfits, custom painted heads or parts, and original sculpted/cast parts. But even that line is a little blurry if you didn't do any of the work yourself. Though in my mind - SOMEone did, so it's still less of a kitbash.

But hopefully this makes it a little clearer.

Thanks, thats an excellent explanation.I have an idea for a Quickie Custom Kitbash.......well it will be quick when i dig through a few boxes and find all the parts i need.:smiley1: I'll post him here when i get him done.

[piecemaker]

He's my lame contribution to this thread,not what i originally intended to do (couldn't find all the parts for him).Anyway here he is,just a generic Cowboy Badguy.Chopper makes a great badguy in any era.:smiley1:http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/Other/piecemaker-photos/201010052/1035191170_DC2DW-M.jpgHe kinda reminded me of Bill McKinney as Redlegs in The Outlaw Josey Waleshttp://piecemaker.smugmug.com/Other/piecemaker-photos/capnredlegs/1035191183_kHex3-M.jpg

[Megospidey]

Really, really like that Speed Racer custom. Couldn't wait to watch it every day when I came home from school.

[renegade]

Piecemaker...will you post the RECIPE and the costs involved? Perhaps where you got the parts?

[renegade]

Thanks MS, thats high praise from the one and only Mego Spidey. I've always aspired to your level of quality.

[piecemaker]

Piecemaker...will you post the RECIPE and the costs involved? Perhaps where you got the parts?

Sorry,heres the breakdown,the hat,holster and shirt are original Mego Wild Bill Hickok,not sure of the cost on those.The coat is i believe from the Wizard from Mego WOZ,I dont know the cost on the clothes because i got them out of my parts box.The pants are off a Classic TV Toys Fonzie.The gun is not Mego and i have no idea what line it is from,but it looked good so i used it.The body is Castaway 7.00 and the boots are also Castaway 2.50.The head is Mego "Chopper" from the Starsky and Hutch line.

[spamn]

Sorry,heres the breakdown,the hat,holster and shirt are original Mego Wild Bill Hickok,not sure of the cost on those.The coat is i believe from the Wizard from Mego WOZ,I dont know the cost on the clothes because i got them out of my parts box.The pants are off a Classic TV Toys Fonzie.The gun is not Mego and i have no idea what line it is from,but it looked good so i used it.The body is Castaway 7.00 and the boots are also Castaway 2.50.The head is Mego "Chopper" from the Starsky and Hutch line.Nice! I see the resemblance to Redlegs!

[renegade]

It's the weekend, let's throw those parts together and take a few pics :wink_y:

[apes3978]

******

[renegade]

Taking Pics even as we speak.

[renegade]

Here's Arcade the owner of Murderworld and all round pain in the arse of the Marvel Universe.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/renegade37076/006-5.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/renegade37076/005-6.jpg

Recipe time........

CTVT Body-3.00 (switched out fearless fonzie hands)
CTVT Ralph Malph -1.33 (repainted hair brighter red)
CTVT white suit-3.00
CTVT Al Bundy shirt-2.00 (dyed green)
CTVT white shirt-2.00 (cut and glued to vest size)
CTVT white shoes-2.00
Craft foam tie-.17?

Total Cost $13.50


I still need to put red stars on his shoes and take a Zorro hat and paint it to look straw and make a white cane. Hope you like and perhaps build your self.

[spamn]

Here's Arcade the owner of Murderworld and all round pain in the arse of the Marvel Universe.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/renegade37076/006-5.jpg
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/renegade37076/005-6.jpg

Recipe time........

CTVT Body-3.00 (switched out fearless fonzie hands)
CTVT Ralph Malph -1.33 (repainted hair brighter red)
CTVT white suit-3.00
CTVT Al Bundy shirt-2.00 (dyed green)
CTVT white shirt-2.00 (cut and glued to vest size)
CTVT white shoes-2.00
Craft foam tie-.17?

Total Cost $13.50


I still need to put red stars on his shoes and take a Zorro hat and paint it to look straw and make a white cane. Hope you like and perhaps build your self.

Awesome! Malph is a perfect head for Arcade!

[jho2]

Security Guards Star Trek-
a tad pricey for head swaps I guess...
took no more than 10-15 mins to snip-n-pull off the gold braids from the cuffs

Three Scotty Repros (18.00 each from Dr Mego)
Galahad repro, Will Scarlett repo (full doll 4.99 each - ebay)
Shazam head original (10.70 off ebay)


http://megomuseum.com/mmgallery/files/4/3/0/3/TrekSecurity.JPG

[renegade]

They look great...shame they have to DIE! ;)