Stormtrooper Customs/Kits

[piecemaker]

You have to remove the ZICA arms and legs and the easiest way to do this is heat a bowl of water to boiling and throw him in.Let him sit a minute or two and the arms will pop right off real easily.This is actually the easiest part of this step.Putting the mods back on is one of the hardest.The arm mods are easy but the legs are not.I fought the leg used for this pictorial for 15 minutes to get it on.Hats off to Zica for a very durable upper leg joint that withstands alot of twisting and turning,high torque and pressure without breaking.

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-b7ckpmN/0/XL/stp%20025-XL.jpg[/img]

[piecemaker]

• Next you will need the Zica wrist/arm joint piece.You can remove it from the Zica hand by slicing with a knife on each side of the piece as shown in the pic.

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-3ssrdKZ/0/M/stp%20010-M.jpg[/img]

Put that piece into the new ST hand and drill a 2mm hole and insert the 2mm styrene rod.

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-JQWK29M/0/M/stp%20012-M.jpg[/img]

[piecemaker]

You will basically repeat this step with each joint, lower/upper arm,put together,drill hole,insert pin.

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-TFhSjnm/0/S/stp%20009-S.jpg[/img]

The leg is the same,except you have to glue the Knee joint piece in the lower leg,let it set up,put the upper lower leg together and drill 2mm hole.insert pin.

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-jvJ2fck/0/S/stp%20014-S.jpg[/img]

[piecemaker]

Put the boot in place,drill hole and insert pin and that will complete the arm/leg mods.

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-8m2vqXd/0/L/stp%20023-L.jpg[/img]

Repeat for the other arm and leg.

• To put them on the Zica body.He needs to go back into the hot water and the arm joint should pop on pretty easily.The leg joint is not that easy and like i already mentioned,i fought that one for about 15 minutes to get it on.Be prepared to get ****ed,maybe.

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-STXmsNM/0/L/stp%20033-L.jpg[/img]

More to come later.

[piecemaker]

Ok,a couple more things i need to mention and then i think i've covered all the harder parts of this custom kit.

The front and back lower torso armour have pieces that are hinged so they can move when the legs are moved.Two side shield armour pieces on the front and the holster in back.All these pieces have to have a 1mm hole drilled in them and then a 1mm styrene rod put through the holes.

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-VsMVcxp/0/M/stp%20034-M.jpg[/img]

[img]http://piecemaker.smugmug.com/photos/i-GqHHpG3/0/M/stp%20035-M.jpg[/img]

[piecemaker]

A thread started today about "Head ownership" opened my eyes to a couple aspects of this custom.I didn't want to hijack his thread,i agree that even a modified version of some other customizers sculpt does not now make that your sculpt to sell. If you modify/resculpt a Mego head yourself then thats ok and its yours to resell.I think most parts of this custom would fall under the "Mego" rule where as you are modifing/resculpting an older toy to make it into something you want.BUT their are a couple things that i realized dont fall under that rule.I guess in my excitement and my wanting to be able to supply kits to the members here that wanted one,i really didn't think things through to well.The leg/arm mods are made from modified ZICA parts,remolded and cast and the boots were modified,molded and cast from a pair of Cast-Away pirate boots.Both those companies and members here put the time and money into developing and having those parts made.Even though i used modified versions of those parts to make this custom,those parts fall under the same rule as using some other customizers head that you modified,its not yours to resell.I screwed up by not thinking about this before and i know their are some people here that are going to be disappointed but i cant sell any of these kits now.I'am sorry and i feel like an idiot.Maybe sometime in the future i can come up with an alternative version that is more user friendly,but for now this project is getting shelved.

[ScottA]

Please explain the difference between using a modified Mego or a modified Zica body to make the parts you wanted. I don't see it. What if CAW said their pirate boots were just modified Mego boots. Would that make a difference?

[piecemaker]

I thought i did,but i will explain again.#1 both these body mods are from recent stuff.They are not a mod of a 40 year old Mego head.# 2 These are both from Members here who have companies that spent the time(and i'm pretty sure CA designed/sculpted that boot,i may be wrong,but) and money to both sculpt and then pay to have these produced which involves alot more money than just molding and casting material which anybody can afford.Like some have said,its a fine line but that line has to be drawn somewhere.Mego products or even products that have been "out there' for 10-15 years are fair game.They made their money off these items years ago and are no longer making money off resales of vintage items.These are recent toys i dont look at the same way and i think the companies involved would agree.Actually I think Zica sold the right to the Zica V1 body and if i'm not mistaken that is the property of Dr.Mego & CO.To me their is really no difference and i dont feel right doing it and definately dont want to step on any toes.If by chance the companies involved dont have a problem and i get the Greenlight from them,i'll go ahead with these kits.But like i already said,i'm sorry for jumping the gun on these when i hadn't really thought everything out.

[Bronxboykev]

Talk to David and Craig, being that these were their parts maybe they can do the body for you after they get their kick starter off and running. This way all you will need to do is make the outfits. Worth a shot they are good guys!

[sprytel]

Factors to consider here:

1. What are you actually selling? In my mind it would be different if you were selling your leg/arm mods or the modified boots separately vs. simply as an ingredient in your custom Stormtrooper.

2. How extensive are the modifications? For instance, would anyone have recognized those boots as CAW pirate boots if you didn't tell us?

3. Are the original products still for sale? I think it is more forgivable to cast your own version, if you can no longer purchase them from the source.


But it is definitely a judgment call. To quote Obi-Wan: "You must do what you feel is right, of course."

[piecemaker]

Talk to David and Craig, being that these were their parts maybe they can do the body for you after they get their kick starter off and running. This way all you will need to do is make the outfits. Worth a shot they are good guys!

Well thanks for the suggestion.I know you are just trying to be helpful here,but i think those guys already have enough on their plate and thats not something i would ask of them.I created my own problem here when i didn't think things out before agreeing to make kits for the people that wanted them.I really didn't expect the reception this custom got or people even wanting kits and not wanting to disappoint i hastily agreed to do them.Right now,it looks like thats all i managed to accomplish.I think what needs to happen is a little redesigning of this custom.Maybe sometime down the road,when i'm not as frustrated and ****ed off at myself.

[boss]

I think you're drawing a line in the sand that isn't really there. The kits you're suggesting are exactly like other kits that have been offered here before - modifications of existing parts. There are very few customizers on the boards that make everything from scratch (I think Type3 and Capt Mego are the only two that scratch build - everyone else is doing a version of what you did) The fact that you used castaway or zica parts versus mego or mattel or whoever to make your mods shouldn't make a difference. Both of those companies have long been supporters of customizers (and like mego... neither of them have inventory to sell).

I think the point of the other thread (regarding heads) is that if someone customized a head, then sold it to you and you made minor changes, and then molded and cast it for resale that could potentially be a no-no (although that point is debatable, too). It's the nature of the beast.

[piecemaker]

Factors to consider here:

1. What are you actually selling? In my mind it would be different if you were selling your leg/arm mods or the modified boots separately vs. simply as an ingredient in your custom Stormtrooper.

2. How extensive are the modifications? For instance, would anyone have recognized those boots as CAW pirate boots if you didn't tell us?

3. Are the original products still for sale? I think it is more forgivable to cast your own version, if you can no longer purchase them from the source.

But it is definitely a judgment call. To quote Obi-Wan: "You must do what you feel is right, of course."

I just wanted to be honest here and avoid any potential backlash from this in the future.Technically the arm/leg mods will only work on the Zica body,that somebody would have already had to of bought,But i used their basic design as the "base" for those mod pieces.Whether its reconizable as what it used to be is really not the point,i know what it was and i'm pretty sure that the person who sculpted it would reconize it.It is a fine line but i would think that body parts,arms,legs and boots would fall under the same "unwritten" rule as heads.I'm not sure if the original products are still for sale from the original source but that doesn't really matter.These products are fairly New.

Mego or other older toys seem to be fair game and people dont have a problem with them.

I modified a Brick head for my Brickenstein custom.It was a one time thing and i wouldn't have even dreamed of molding,casting and selling those heads.But in 20 years if someone was to do the same thing and sell them,i dont think anybody would care.

[piecemaker]

I think you're drawing a line in the sand that isn't really there. The kits you're suggesting are exactly like other kits that have been offered here before - modifications of existing parts. There are very few customizers on the boards that make everything from scratch (I think Type3 and Capt Mego are the only two that scratch build - everyone else is doing a version of what you did) The fact that you used castaway or zica parts versus mego or mattel or whoever to make your mods shouldn't make a difference. Both of those companies have long been supporters of customizers (and like mego... neither of them have inventory to sell).

I think the point of the other thread (regarding heads) is that if someone customized a head, then sold it to you and you made minor changes, and then molded and cast it for resale that could potentially be a no-no (although that point is debatable, too). It's the nature of the beast.

I might be.I do think there is a difference in this case for a couple reasons i already mentioned.Other members may not have a problem with it but it boils down to the companies ZICA(or whoever owns the right to the Zica body now,maybe DrMego?) and Cast-Away Toys not having a problem with it.If they say "we dont give a ****,go for it" then i will, but like i already said,to avoid some potential backlash and problems later,i have to cease and desist on this project now.

[David Lee]

I won't speak for Craig, but I say if you want to modify our old Castaway stuff, that's cool by me. You are doing the one thing I have ever asked which is give credit where credit is due. If you use our design when you make something? point it out... make a point of giving credit back to the original. We are not some big faceless company, we are guys on these boards with you! We are doing the same kinds of things everyday...

Your not doing what CTVT did in taking our parts and sending them to China and selling them without even a tip of the hat for F- you very much...that was a d - bag move.

This, in my opininon, is totally in the spirit of what we do as customizers bro. Thanks for keeping it alive.

Dave