I got this off of ebay but have no clue how to put it together
Any help would be appreciated
I got this off of ebay but have no clue how to put it together
Any help would be appreciated
That looks like its a recast of a Horizons Batman returns kit. Did it come with the box?
Last edited by Hobo Wan Kenobi; Aug 8, 2012 at 1:38 AM.
use a hair dryer on the parts to make them soft and cut the holes in insert the parts. You will need some filer. I have some vinyl kits done on my profile albumns.
Welcome to the forums!
Looks like a typical Taiwan recast. Heat the parts with a hairdryer or run under hot tap water, cut off excess flange around plugs and insert into cut open sockets using an xacto knife. Use superglue to secure the parts. Paint with acrylics and put on shelf.
Then,
Read about recasting here on forum. Search for real Horizon, Bilikin, or other original kits. Buy one and then marvel at how superior the originals are over the $8 recasts. Buy one, assemble and paint the same way= much happier!
use a hair dryer on the parts to make them soft and cut the holes in insert the parts. You will need some filer. I have some vinyl kits done on my profile albumns.
Just to add, when you heat the parts to straighten them, hold them in place and run under cold water to set them.
Also wash all parts really well with dish washing soap and warm water before you paint anything.
And I've found it better to prime all the parts before any filling is done. The filler seems to stick better to the primer than to the vinyl. This way you can sand the filler and primer. It's very difficult to sand vinyl, thats what I've found anyway..
Cheers
Phil
Great advice from everyone above. I also recommend filling the feet and lower portion with BB's or something else very heavy, to give it a lower center of gravity and not as easy to knock over.
i have built three of these dodgy recast kits, two batman and one dredd. i reshaped and washed them at the same time. After trimming the kits i submerged them in pretty hot water with a dash of detergant. Submerging it rather than using a hair dryer allows you to get equal heat to the whole part at the same time, once they're soft gently adjust the shape then hold under a running cold tap (make sure the tap is running first as i forgot the first time and had to reheat the part). I also filled the legs with standard wall filler to add weight. and as tk1608 said, prime them first before filling any seams else it'll probably not last.
Great advice from everyone, just one thing though, be very careful when cutting warm vinyl, if using a sharp blade, it cuts like a hot knife through butter!
If you plan to get into vinyl and resin "Garage Kits" then I would suggest getting David Fisher's 2 DVDs.
Also a wealth of information and kits over on the Club House Forum.
Just be aware that there is ZERO TOLERANCE there when it comes to Recasts.
Vinyl kits can be challenging for even the best of builders. I can honestly say I've never finished one. I had a vinyl endo skull, I found that a pot of boiling water made quick work of de-warping the kits. I also had a Boba Fett model made of vinyl.
When you finish the kit, make sure you don't leave it in a warm spot, put it on a shelf where it will stay in the shade for 90% of it's life.
Another tip for vinyl figure models: fill the hollow parts with something like tightly packed strips of newspaper or expanding foam. Filling the parts will help keep them from deforming over time. Also, I found that super glue was not a very good adhesive for the larger parts, so I use a thick 5-minute epoxy (J-B Quick Weld) for the big joints. And I'll second the recommendation to get David Fisher's DVDs; the tips & tricks he shares is awesome.
Just remembered, I poured plaster of Paris into the legs up to the waist. It gives plenty of weight to stop them falling over, and prevents any sagging over time. I've heard the the plaster gives off heat as it sets and can cause problems, but I've never had any trouble with it myself...
Phil
Don't fill up too much with plaster. If you drop it, it might shatter, vinyl or no vinyl. I've done many of these types of kits and never had that happen, but I've heard stories. (The kits I did were all first runs, not potential knockoffs, but I am not casting any judgement. just FYI)
You can check out my assortment, none of which I actually own, all were done for clients, at RGP FX Gallery - Models, Miniatures, Costumes | Facebook
All the other advice sounds good. I tried the great-stuff expanding foam filler once on a hulk, but there must have been a void in the head area and it actually shrank!. I was able to slice an airhole in the back of his head and the blow drier returned him to normal. Made him calmer too.
For the rest, I stuffed with paper towels and glued with little tubes of liquid type super glue.
I did not notice anyone touch on it, but vinyl is sensitive to certain solvents, especially acetone and the solvents in most aerosol paints. I usually used a water based primer by DAP that is no longer available, or later I usually did a few light dust coats with Testor primer and then gave it an airbrushed acrylic base coat. With a coat of acrylic, the vinyl is safe from lightly applied enamels, like metallics, that need to go over certain areas.
Good Luck,
RGP
Last edited by RGPFX; Aug 9, 2012 at 9:19 PM. Reason: lousy typing
Use warm water or air to bend them back into shape if deformed, and to make it easier to trim. Use epoxy for the large parts, though I've used superglue for the small parts, if any.
Fill the legs with plaster or expanding foam (be careful or you'll have a bloated part from the expanding foam. It will definitely need some weight to keep it balanced.
Lastly, don't use oil based paints on vinyl, use acrylic paints only. Alternately, prime it fully with acrylic, then use use oil based paint over that.
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