TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Buildup

[TheNickFox]

Okay, I decided to start my own thread for this, so that my posts didn't overwhelm people just looking for info on the Knockoff Mags, heretofore referred to as K-Mags.

For those looking, the original thread can be found here: http://www.therpf.com/f9/nike-mag-knockoffs-132990/

Anyway, just to catch the newcomers up on my K-Mags thus far...I ordered a set of the silver K-Mags through sbshoe.com. Despite the whole site being shady and using a PayPal clone that I didn't exactly trust (Apparently they will take PayPal if you request it specially) my shoes came in after only about 5 days.

Anyhoo, on with the pictures and video...

^ Here's how they looked straight out of the box. (Don't mind the mess, I was in the process of moving)

^ And of course I had to try them on. (And couldn't bring myself to take them off most of the time)

And here is a short video review that I did of them so you can see them in action: SBShoe.com Nike Mag Knockoffs - YouTube

Now, on to the meat. I never intended to leave these stock, I really only wanted/needed the soles, figuring I could always build uppers myself. So that's exactly what I plan on doing.

With that in mind, I began to tear them down as surgically as possible. This is the end result...

^All of the main pieces together.

^ The heel cup, including a small tab that was glued directly to the sole, making it a pain to remove, but I got it. Nick: 1; K-Mags: 0.

^The uppers removed intact. (Minus a few bits of vinyl that were glued to death to the soles)

^And the pot of gold at the end of the teardown rainbow...the soles.


I have a lot of work planned for these, including hopefully adding clear sole inserts and lights, but my main priority is going to be crafting new, more accurate uppers for the soles.

Here's a quick little workup, showing some of the changes that will be made.

I'll be sure to post as I continue to strip these things down. And hopefully I'll have a video walkthrough of the results of my teardown by Tonight, so stay tuned.

I want to make these the most accurate K-Mags ever! (Which shouldn't be too hard, since I'm really the first person to attempt to modify them this much)

-Nick


PS: If anyone out there owns the real Mags (Pitbull and GeneralFrosty, I'm looking at you) let me know if you'd be willing to take a few pictures of some parts for me, I'm curious about one piece in particular.

 

[MitasTouch]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

I really wish this company made more accurate Mags. They could just take all the nike logos and stuff off of them.

 

[TheNickFox]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

Here's a quick video update, showing the REAL guts of the shoe: K-Mag Teardown - YouTube

As always, let me know if you have any questions, or need details on any part of the construction.

-Nick

 

[Risu]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

The fabric inside the shoe looks like it might be some kind of pellon interfacing, hard to tell. I'll hopefully be ordering my pair in a couple days. Two quick questions for you.

How does the sizing run? I've worn shoes ranging from 11 to 12, with most of the boots I own being 11.5. Should I get the 11 or 12, especially considering that I'll be following your tear down on my own pair?

Second, have you looked into splitting the yellow part out of the sole yet? I'm a little worried after seeing that heel cup that they might have excessively glued that thing in there and made it impossible to remove.

 

[TheNickFox]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

How does the sizing run? I've worn shoes ranging from 11 to 12, with most of the boots I own being 11.5. Should I get the 11 or 12, especially considering that I'll be following your tear down on my own pair?

The sizing is fairly true, but I'd say size up since the toe will be losing a bit of space once it's chopped down and made more accurate. It's personal preference, but I just think you'll find the modded shoes will fit better if you have a bit of extra space to begin with.

I just made a duct tape copy of my one foot tonight to hopefully start building a last from, and just putting the foot onto the soles, I can see already how snug these shoes will be.

Second, have you looked into splitting the yellow part out of the sole yet? I'm a little worried after seeing that heel cup that they might have excessively glued that thing in there and made it impossible to remove.

Having seen how much the factory these were made in loves glue, I'm no longer sure you can get it out without destroying the yellow bits, but with some heat and a sharp blade, I think you should be able to reasonably perform the operation, leaving the main sole intact.

I'm not going to even try that though until I can get the soles under rubber so I can clone the waffled pieces later.

-Nick

 

[Risu]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

I'm not sure if I actually want to clone the section, I might try to sculpt a new one that's more accurate, with the inverted waffling and the flared bottom, etc. No idea exactly how I'm going to do that, but I think it'll require that I remove those bits first.

 

[McFly88]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

great write up so far can't wait to see the rest of your plans come together

 

[TheNickFox]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

Okay, no major updates from here on out, it seems. The templating phase is a slow one with no thrilling pictures to show, since most of the generational changes are so slight.

Basically, after cutting up a bunch of craft foam and paper over two nights, I created this...

...and then with some more refinement (The heel is a big pain in the A**) I ended up with this:

I'm calling this Ankle Template Alpha, since I'm sure there will be many more refinements ahead. (Especially once I cut that top section off, representing the white piece)

I just have to make a last to heat form the toe area, and then I'll have a better sense of what else needs to be adjusted before I skin this thing in fabric.

-Nick

 

[Risu]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

I guess I have to live vicariously through this thread now, I missed my chance at a pair of the shoes by a day.

 

[TheNickFox]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

I guess I have to live vicariously through this thread now, I missed my chance at a pair of the shoes by a day.

Always happy to have you, but I swore there was a secondary site you could buy the shoes through.

...but if you don't feel like trudging through the other thread for the link, I hope the manufacturer was serious about offering up a new version of the shoes.

Hell, I still might grab another set if they end up being much more accurate. (And if they exist)

-Nick

 

[Risu]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

Well, I went ahead and ordered them through the other site. Very uneasy about that process. It was $5 cheaper though, I guess that's kind of cool.

 

[MitasTouch]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

I know this is going to be awesome just by looking at it.

 

[McFly88]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

Well, I went ahead and ordered them through the other site. Very uneasy about that process. It was $5 cheaper though, I guess that's kind of cool.

I hope you don't get screwed over with their process like I did...i had to file a dispute claim with my bank to get my money back. Hope it all goes well

 

[Risu]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

Out of curiosity, which of the two payment sites did you use, the rppay or 5upay? I used rppay because of the two I trust the one that uses text speak less.

 

[McFly88]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

Out of curiosity, which of the two payment sites did you use, the rppay or 5upay? I used rppay because of the two I trust the one that uses text speak less.

I'm pretty sure I used that one as well. I was emailing them continuously with no luck of a response. Very shady process but maybe I just got an idiot for customer service. LoL. Which ones did you order? I ordered the silver and after my money was taking off the credit card thats when they told me they were 'no longer in stock'. If you could I would wait for the revision of the SBSHOE. They seem very knowledgeable and GREAT customer service. :thumbsup

 

[Risu]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

I ordered the silver in size 12. I'll see how it goes. At least you didn't get your bank account emptied out. That would be a little tougher to fix than a charge reversal. Those aren't too bad. I'd be more disappointed at not having the shoes than having to go through the trouble. It could be years before the new wave is made.

 

[McFly88]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

I ordered the silver in size 12. I'll see how it goes. At least you didn't get your bank account emptied out. That would be a little tougher to fix than a charge reversal. Those aren't too bad. I'd be more disappointed at not having the shoes than having to go through the trouble. It could be years before the new wave is made.

Yeah I got my Silver ones from SBShoe before they were sold out about 2 months ago. SUPER happy with them. Hopefully all goes well with your order though.

 

[MitasTouch]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

Could you possibly make printable templates from this?

 

[TheNickFox]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

Because the toe cap requires heat forming, unfortunately, there's no easy way to create templates from this.

-Nick

 

[NakedMoleRat]

Re: TheNickFox Presents - Knockoff Nike Mag Teardown (PIC HEAVY)

I'm confused! :confused With all of the extensive re-working you're doing, there is isn't really any of the original shoe left. Why didn't you just scratch build the shoe?