Is anybody interested in a shrunken Robin head?

[LonnieFisher]

If there is enough interest in a shrunken Robin head, I will make a mold of this head. It's the right size for the Lion Rock bodies. If not, I'm giving it away, not to be copied.

[SeattleEd]

Yes. I would.

[dr_cyclops]

I'll take one.

[LonnieFisher]

I'll take one.

You're who I shrunk it for. So, I might make a mold of it, but the shrunken head is yours. I'm also shrinking Batman, Penguin, and Captain America right now.

[PNGwynne]

How does the shrink ratio work? Does a 1/9-scale head become Lion Rock/TT sized, or a 1/6 shrink to 1/9?

[LonnieFisher]

How does the shrink ratio work? Does a 1/9-scale head become Lion Rock/TT sized, or a 1/6 shrink to 1/9?

It's kinda strange, but individual heads shrink to their own drum, if you know what I mean. It depends on how thick the head is. Some heads are pretty thick, and some are really thin. Some heads shrink a lot, and others don't shrink at all. The '70's gas crisis made the toy plastic become lesser grade, and that has a great deal to do with how much some shrink. Most of the 1/9 scale heads shrink to what the Lion Rock bodies wear really well. I haven't tried any 1/6th scale heads, but the 1/8th? scale heads did nothing but give me trouble. (Flash Gordon heads)

[PNGwynne]

I see what you mean, it's not like hydrospan ratios? I recall when Dave Mc/Paul Evans offered some shrinks, the 12" Capt. America shrink looked nice.

[The Bat]

Can you shrink this head? It's a bit thicker plastic than a Mego.

[Gramercyplace]

I just shrunk this head this morning (sort of)! I actually started shrinking it a month ago, and I woke up this morning and plucked it out of the shrinking jar, made some coffee, and plopped myself in front of my computer. I logged unto the Mego forum to amuse myself with my coffee, and the first post that caught my eye was this one. Imagine my reaction when I saw the above image on THE BAT's post!
A very long time ago I read a post on this forum of how someone used Naphtha paint thinner instead of acetone to shrink a head. The results were profoundly slower (a month's time), but the goo successfully shrank the heads without stripping the paint. Naturally this intrigued me, as acetone dissolves all the paint off the head, and my repainting are a bit suspect. I've never read anything else about it since. In any regard, I got some off Amazon, and started experimenting a year ago. I did a few Robin heads and got them down to Titans size, and that was about it...until FTC started producing heads with a touch of hydrocephalus. The new Batman head is particularly watermelon-esque. So far I've shrunk to normal size Nightwing, Batman, Ras Al Ghul, the Flash, First Appearance Robin(boy, that head was big), as well as some bald original Mego Daisy Duke heads. They're all normal looking now. The only side effect is they come out hard as a rock. However, with a little heat from a blow-dryer, they instantly become soft and pliable, for just long enough to squeeze them unto a body before they harden again. As a finishing touch, I blow-dry the head once it's on the body, this evens out the head, removing any squish marks my fingers left behind from jamming it into the neck-hole!

-I would have posted this all sooner, but in fact, I rarely post anything for fear that someone is going to ask me to post pictures, and I've never been able to figure out how to do that. (I'm just barely handling the basic mechanics of modern living, as it is). If someone would like to pm me simple directions, I'd be happy to oblige.

[PNGwynne]

Don't apologize for not posting pictures here, most folks don't worry over it.

And thanks for the advice about the Naptha--many, many of us here are interested in tweaking the FTC heads.

[LonnieFisher]

Can you shrink this head? It's a bit thicker plastic than a Mego.

I could throw it in the acetone and see what happens. Some types of vinyl don't shrink very much. Some don't shrink at all. You want to ship it to me to try?

[LonnieFisher]

Here's the shrunken head and a head freshly soaked in acetone. You gotta make them enlarge before they shrink.

[The Bat]

I'm just afraid it won't shrink...then my figure is ruined.

[LonnieFisher]

It shouldn't ruin the head if it doesn't shrink. It might take the paint off, but the paint also might survive intact. The only way to find out is to just do it and hope for the best.

[LonnieFisher]

The new one is getting smaller, but it takes a few days to slowly shrink. It might get as small as the one I shrink first. I'll post another picture in a couple of days with the progress.