The Official /toy/ Customizing Guide

Hello! Mellow here. So you want to make an improvement to your figure, or you broke something, or you just want to build a toy from scratch... It's surprisingly easy, blanco nino. You just need the basic info and some practice, and this guide is here to at least try and facilitate the former for you (the latter is all on you).

***PLEASE NOTE*** that these are all going to be general concepts and that this guide cannot possibly cover every scenario in toy customizing; it's intended to be a solid first step and to get you through the early rough patches, and not much more. I'll just say it now, though: If you're the type that seeks easy answers in life and just defaults to asking people for help right away rather than trying shit yourself first, just fold it up now and move on because you likely won't see any of the projects that you start come to fruition anyways. The best thing to do is to take this wellspring of info and make the most of it through trial and error, and if something puzzles you beyond all hope then that's exactly where the thread itself comes in handy. Though let's be honest here, you're probably looking at this now because you asked a basic question that has been answered a million times before and someone just said "read the FAQ, dummy." It's cool, we all start somewhere, no judgement.

***ALSO PLEASE NOTE*** that this is nothing more than a general guide showing select pathways towards certain results. There is no ironclad rule for doing any one action when it comes to customizing; the best customizers will tell you 5 different weird ways to do one task, and 4 of those very valid solutions would make most "know-it-all"'s froth at the mouth with outrage over such heresy. If somebody says there's only one way to do things, fucking ignore them because they're cloistered little autists who work in binary worlds of absolute rules and have zero creativity. This hobby is all about experimenting, so keep an open mind and before long you'll be making variations to techniques that will make a whole new generation of autists upset.

Now that we've covered the intro, it's time to move into the real shit. You ready? Good. Let's start from the top.

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*TOOLS*
You ain't gonna get anywhere without the right tools, boss. Over our lifetime as super alpha manly men we'll almost assuredly amass quite the collection of random tools, but it helps to have the stuff you need on-hand whenever a crisis arises. You never know what life will throw at you so in many ways it's hard to specifically prepare for all situations. But through eons of giving toy repair advice we as a secret society of toy repair gurus have a pretty good grasp of common and useful things to have around in your cute little Hello Kitty toolbox.

1.) Adhesives, bonding agents, and other sticky messes
	-Cyanoacrylate: otherwise known as super glue or krazy glue or CA. Varies in viscosity but generally is produced as a gel-like clear liquid inside a squeezable container. Can be found at basically any hardware store and at many other places such as certain big box stores and even some grocery and convenience stores. The level of bonding that it has is moderate at best, non-effective at worst. When used on its own, don't expect lifetime results. Don't solely rely on it in areas that will see a great deal of friction or movement. Works best on its own when the applied adhesive has a rough or textured surface to adhere to.

	-Methyl Ethyl Ketone: otherwise known as MEK or Plastruct. A liquid compound with a fast evaporation rate and extremely noxious fumes/toxic effects on organic (re: living) matter; follow printed safety directions with this stuff if you don't want to develop some random cancer when you're older, or just fucking die in general. Can be bought in large quantities at hardware stores (if applicable by local regulations) and is also sold and marketed in small bottles, typically with a brush applicator. MEK doesn't act as a acrylate bonding bridge like super glues, but rather it literally melts plastic surfaces together to form a bond that is essentially identical to when the object was taken out of the mold. The level of bonding is fairly strong. When used on its own, expect moderate to successful results, but beware that it is some hard hitting shit and will absolute demolish surfaces and paint if it's applied with any run-off. Works best when the liquid compound has a rough or textured surface to work with, but can also be used on smooth surfaces as well (just don't expect them to stay completely smooth, what with the whole melting aspect and all)

	-Poster putty: otherwise known as Blu-Tack, or sticky tack. A soft, malleable rubber-like adhesive compound that can be stretched and formed to suit many tasks. While not a permanent bonding solution, poster putty serves as an excellent means to temporarily adhere one object to another without destroying or otherwise altering anything. Works well on most any surface and will typically come off clean from where it is applied (testing a small area ahead of time for possible issues is advisable). Used commonly on skewers to prop up individual pieces for painting.


2. Metal tools
	-Pliers: handy for removing one object from another, or providing a strengthened and targeted grip where needed. Pliers come in many forms, and have many various features to suit specific needs such as sharpened areas for snipping, toothed surfaces for enhanced grips, and narrow tips for fine handling. Can be found at most hardware stores, auto repair stores, and various big box stores. Can be purchased as separate items or in a set comprised of various sizes and features. Needle-nose and flat pliers are recommended as essential; typically a toothed surface is not recommended as it can leave marks on malleable plastics. Pliers with snipping edges are also helpful in tasks such as pinning or general small-diameter metal cutting.

	-Screwdrivers: handy for adding some torque to those wimpy wrists of yours. Screwdrivers come in many forms (including proprietary ones), but typically the average household only needs phillips and flat head screwdrivers to suit 99% of all needs. Can be purchased as separate items or in a set comprised of various sizes and features. For toy purposes, factory screws inserted into figures (such as diecast goods and GI Joes) will typically be phillips headed and will range in size; thus it is recommended to have screwdrivers in mini size (such as in glasses repair kits), small size (with tips less than 5mm across), medium size (i.e. a normal screwdriver), and large sized. Beyond the consideration of factory screws on toys, flat head screwdrivers are also recommended, as they are a useful tool in popping figure torsos apart and general prying. Typically only mini, small, and medium flat heads are required in toy customizing and repair.


3. Cutting tools
	-Hobby knife: otherwise known as an X-Acto knife. A handheld, often pen-shaped device that works in conjunction with a specialized blade for the purpose of cutting surfaces. Typically features a system by which older blades can be swapped out and replaced as needed, often with a threaded head acting as the means of enclosure. Many types of blades exist, from standard angled blade heads to more exotic (and less used) saw-toothed or rounded blades. Can be found at hobby shops, stationary stores, crafting stores, and some big box stores. It is recommended that the user maintains awareness of the condition of the blade, as they give their best results when sharp and in new/like-new condition; dull blades and snapped blades can give unpredictable results.

	-Hand saw: otherwise known as a toothed saw. A handheld device, typically made of metal, that seats a fixed blade for the purpose of sawing. Can be found at hardware stores and some auto stores. While sizes vary widely for this tool, it is recommended that a "portable" or small hand saw be purchased, and more specifically one that allows swappable blades. The blades themselves come in a wide array of variations, with the most distinguishing features being the amount of teeth per inch of length as well as the direction of the teeth themselves. While seen as "cumbersome," the hand saw can provide extremely precise cuts on harder materials and can be an ideal solution for circumstances where noise is an issue.

	-Rotary tool: otherwise known as a Dremel. This is an electronically powered device that provides a fixed point of rapid rotation; paired with certain attachments it can facilitate a wide array of functions, such as drilling, cutting, sanding, polishing, and coring. Can be found at hardware stores and some auto repair stores. Seen as the workhorse of the toy customizing community, the rotary tool has a wide library of specialized heads that open the device up to many functions that otherwise would need to be handled by numerous other tools. Can be found in both corded and battery powered models, each with its own drawbacks and advantages; it is advisable to weigh all pros and cons before making a purchase. Select models may also support "flex shafts," an extension piece with a typically long and flexible shaft that extends the rotation ability of the tool to a smaller, more precision-oriented head; this is ideal for fine detailing and for tasks where a high degree of precision is desired.


4. Sculpting materials and related tools
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5. Painting materials and related tools
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6. Stripping agents
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7. General repair items and other miscellanea
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*****************************IN PROGRESS ROUGH

*TOY REPAIR*

Almost everybody has a broken or mangled toy at some point. It happens. Thousands of units are made of any one toy, in a factory managed and operated by people that likely can't even afford shoes, and with materials and techniques that are designed to stretch a dollar as far as possible. Somewhere along the way an air bubble gets trapped, or a blob of molten plastic isn't extruded right, or a factory worker sneezes while running their station and an extra .02% of paint runoff splashes into a joint cavity; or maybe you just completely fuck up and apply too much force on a new figure while moving its arm like the dumbass caveman you are rather than taking things nice and slow and SNAP! Whatever the case, fixing a flaw or break in a toy seems to be one of the most common issues that come up in the custom thread so we'll endeavor to cover as much of that as possible, in as general of terms as possible.


I.) BREAKS - No matter where a break may occur on a toy, three general principles of repair will always be recommended first as options: you can bond, you can sculpt, or you can replace. We'll run through some typical scenarios and discuss techniques to get you through this traumatic experience using those three principles.

-SCENARIO 1: My, what a nice little imported flavor of the month anime school girl toy you have there! Nothing creepy at all about that one! Y-yeah, I see, but no thanks, I'm not really too interested in what color her sculpted underwear is... Say, how is the range of motion in her elbows? Care to show m- OH GOD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! You sheared the joint peg right off inside the arm! No, don't cry, we can fix it!

Solutions: