help me define "Re-Casting" AHEAD of time:

[REMOVED]

Well said Lori...nice to see you back.

thank you. that is very kind.

[TrueDave]

I posted I was looking for a some MEGO original heads specifically and a member came to me with already shrunk heads.

It was only four 12" scale MEGOs . I can buy originals myself and shrink them. Heading back to EBay . . . .$$$$$$
Thank you .

[TrueDave]

As in many cases in life, "Do unto others" is certainly applicable here. Since you're just beginning, you could really play it safe and post what heads you intend to cast and ask if anyone sees any issues. Supplies aren't cheap, and you may find the whole process is such a pain that in the end you prefer to buy from someone like Laurie who has honed their craft.

These are action figures/ candy heads I own that have shrunk,enlarged/resculpted :
Peter Cushing
Claude Rains
Lon Chaney ( Phantom)
Christopher Lee
Frank Gorshin
Jim Carrey (Riddler)
Jack Nicolson (Joker)
GI Joe 64
Superjoe Commander
Cobra
Major Bludd w/Arm
Beastman
Man at Arms
Webstor
Stratos
Falcon (Famous Covers)
Hawkeye or D-Man (Famous Covers)

[REMOVED]

I posted I was looking for a some MEGO original heads specifically and a member came to me with already shrunk heads.

It was only four 12" scale MEGOs . I can buy originals myself and shrink them. Heading back to EBay . . . .$$$$$$
Thank you .

what heads are u looking for?

[TrueDave]

Revelation:

If I were to be having this discussion in a Aurora Forum:
If I wanted to make 5 painted Mummy models to sell to collectors who do not paint for themselves I could buy 5 kits from my local model shop. Then sell them for the price of my purchase,building and painting. Aurora got thier money.
OR:
I buy one and use my education to reproduce five more Mummies. I sell them to recoup my cost of molding/casting , building and painting.

The thing is Universal Monsters doesnt get tHIER share which is the copyright guy.
Which in a MEGO discussion would translate to the original casting.

Therefore if I wanted to make 6 MEGO Mummy customs. I should buy six heads from the Dr Mego Shop . NOT one and cast it , then make my addtional five alone.

EXCEPT: The odd thing here is it's open game for me to buy a vintage Mego Mummy head and do what I want with it. At least from the collector/customiser position? Grey Area?????

Great Talk, Thank You.

Forgive me if I don't know the details of this exchange - I am coming
in late to the discussion.

MEGO sculptors were paid for their work. The real issue is if the heads
are celebrity likenesses or licensed characters.

It doesn't matter what size the original head was, if it was a
Spider-Man head.

If the head was made by someone else - as a custom - it's a
courtesy to find out who and try to contact them. If you can't
locate the author through reasonable means, then making some
sculpting alterations makes it a new piece.

[johnmiic]

Let me say that in Model Kit Builders world, if you are labeled a Re-Caster, you're done. Re-Casting is a dirty word. What you described doing with Aurora Kits will make you an outcast in that community. Some people will buy them but someone is going to find out eventually and they will "out" you.

If you buy a head from Dr Mego, Cast-a-way, Reproheads, Mattel Retro Action, etc. and copy it and then make multiple copies to sell, I think you're going to get into a bit of trouble in Mego world too. In a case like that you are stepping on the toes of someone who is currently in business and making those heads.

I don't see why you are dragging this out or worrying about legalities here. Put out a call out for the heads you're looking for unless you intend to get seriously into copying, shrinking, enlarging, etc. which is a lot of work from what I hear. I think for all the money you spend you would be better off buying a head that is available rather than copying someone elses. That is unless you are sculpting it yourself.

[TrueDave]

I don't see why you are dragging this out ...unless you intend to get seriously into copying, shrinking, enlarging, etc. which is a lot of work from what I hear. I think for all the money you spend . . . . unless you are sculpting it yourself.

EDITED

Sometimes I need to have things explained to me a couple of times.

I'm a puppetter ,Ifound the forum originally in a search on how to shrink my sculpture.
The "By Products" this self education can help out some other Toy Fans.
I just started this Thread to find out how to do my best not to **** people off.
It's easy work because theres no "Original" thinking. I'm not distracted by my subject matter .
Have I explained myself ?

[johnmiic]

Have I explained myself ?

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

[CrimsonGhost]

Let me say that in Model Kit Builders world, if you are labeled a Re-Caster, you're done. Re-Casting is a dirty word. What you described doing with Aurora Kits will make you an outcast in that community. Some people will buy them but someone is going to find out eventually and they will "out" you.

Well, let's slow down here. If someone recast, built, painted, and sold an Aurora model kit it would be pretty hard to mistake it for an original given the repro would be in resin and not styrene. Furthermore, you're assuming the seller is being dishonest by not telling the buyer it's a repro.

Of course, it's repro-ing resin kits that causes problems. But that's not the example we were given.

If you buy a head from Dr Mego, Cast-a-way, Reproheads, Mattel Retro Action, etc. and copy it and then make multiple copies to sell, I think you're going to get into a bit of trouble in Mego world too. In a case like that you are stepping on the toes of someone who is currently in business and making those heads.

I don't think you can lump all these names into the same example. There's too many different sources. I don't see how repro-ing Mattel Retro Action is any different than repro-ing vintage Mego. Usually a customizer can't sculpt on a vinyl head very well and it's necessary to have a resin copy.

Put out a call out for the heads you're looking for unless you intend to get seriously into copying, shrinking, enlarging, etc. which is a lot of work from what I hear. I think for all the money you spend you would be better off buying a head that is available rather than copying someone elses. That is unless you are sculpting it yourself.

It sounds like to me he DOES intend to seriously get into it and has the skills to do it. And he does have the heads he wants, that's not the issue.

TrueDave: Your original question stemmed from wondering if the person you bought repro shrunken Mego heads from would be upset if you made molds and sold them. Have you talked to the seller about it? I mean, even if you buy the original Mego figures and shrink them yourself to sell, although you have done nothing wrong in my opinion, it may be perceived that you ripped someone else off. So it's up to you and that's my two cents!

[johnmiic]

This discussion has been hypothetical. However, with all respect, I stand by my conclusions.

Any seller might be considered dishonest if it is not revealed the item is a copy/re-cast.

Go on CultTVman or Starship Modeler's boards and advertise you are re-casting classic kits for sale. See what kind of reception you get. Re-Casting carries a stigma with it. If you can re-cast something chances are you can re-cast anything. The Admins of those site will blacklist you asap if you are re-casting. People who sell resin kits may refuse to sell you items because they can. CultTVman has publicly stated on his forums that he does not condone re-casting. He did not state any exceptions.

I bet if you got caught selling copies of Mattel Retro-Action heads and they found out about it they would send you a C&D. If you copy their heads while their product is on the shelves-the line is in production-you are competing with them. Again they have a liscense and you would not have a leg to stand on.

If TrueDave shrinks his own heads and sells them I think he is in the clear.

[TrueDave]

Just bid on one of the originals on E' Bay.
I'll shrink it/enlarge it, and do whatever else perverse I can think of with it.
ITS MINE*! That's why the $ changes hands.
( By the way I AM reworking/sculpting these heads extensively)



* well maybe not according to Warner Bros. . . . . . .

[CrimsonGhost]

[QUOTE=johnmiic;708622]Go on CultTVman or Starship Modeler's boards and advertise you are re-casting classic kits for sale. See what kind of reception you get. Re-Casting carries a stigma with it. If you can re-cast something chances are you can re-cast anything. The Admins of those site will blacklist you asap if you are re-casting. People who sell resin kits may refuse to sell you items because they can. CultTVman has publicly stated on his forums that he does not condone re-casting. He did not state any exceptions. [\QUOTE]

I agree with your statement for the most part. However, not too long ago, I saw an issue of Amazing Figure Modeler where the writer had ordered a resin copy of the original Aroura Batman tree (with "BATMAN" carved in it) as well as the owl and original head. All were resin copies of parts that were either changed or not included in the reissues so perhaps it was ok because the parts arent available They included the address where you could order these parts in the article I think the issue was #43 or #44 I'm not sure but it has the Batman kit on the cover. I guess in a way we're both right since it seems to
be on a case by case basis.

[QUOTE] I bet if you got caught selling copies of Mattel Retro-Action heads
and they found out about it they would send you a C&D. If you copy their heads while their product is on the shelves-the line is in production-you are competing with them. Again they have a liscense and you would not have a leg
to stand on. [\QUOTE]

Depends how you play it. If I made a copy of Lex Luthor and sell it unpainted and call it Bald Barry what is Mattel going to do about it? There's nothing unique about that head that anyone owns. In the end, it's just a bald guy and no one hold the license or copyright to the human face. Same with Bruce Wayne and Aquaman. It's all case by case again.

[Meule]

( By the way I AM reworking/sculpting these heads extensively)

I hope so for your sake or this isn't gonna end well

[Bizarro Amy]

I hope so for your sake or this isn't gonna end well

If it's an original 12" Mego head, and he shrinks it to 8" scale himself, that doesn't seem to be a problem around here. There are people who enlarge and shrink heads from other lines for sale, and no one grumbles about it. I'm not saying that it doesn't count as recasting, but that shouldn't get Dave into trouble here, as it's already done pretty frequently.

[thunderbolt]

^^^ I don't see that as a problem with other casters, its if he bought a preshrunk General Zod head from head store A and then copied that head for resale, that's where the problem would start. At that point he's not doing his own work on the shrink. Especially if the owner of head store A noticed it, and spoke up that he/she sold him that head in the past.