Figurine Tutorial/Repairs/Cutoms Guide

[AdamFenix]

scavenger drone??? im not sure i know what this guy looks like, got a picture? (of the character not the custom... not that i dont want to see your custom lol)

He's not a character, I made the idea up for a custom. He's a relentless type of Locust drone that uses anything it can find in order to kill you.

[e300]

my series 3 cog soldiers arm joint broke how can i fix that???

[AdamFenix]

my series 3 cog soldiers arm joint broke how can i fix that???

Can you post some pictures first? I need to diagnose the problem~!

[mlinwood]

Guide to creating customs.

I have had a few people asking me how I have made custom parts. So I have created this guide. All my customs are in game (expect drone from Gears 3 trailer but it was just fun using parts I already had), I have not made any from the books or comics; I try to make them as close to the game originals as I can.

I mainly use milliput which is a two part putty which you mix and it is soft like clay but dries without heating and become rock hard. Games workshop have a similar material which I tried but found it too elastic during the sculpting phase.

To paint I use a mixture of Gunze Sanyo acrylics and Games workshop paints.

Drone armour/grenadier bandolier

I use the following steps:

1. Get as many reference images as possible, I use the various art books and mostly photograph in game images.
2. I then resize and mix the images to make a template of the piece as thought it were flat. I resize it so that it is the right size for the figure. I then trace the outline and major details using tracing paper to maintain accuracy to game scale. I then cut the paper out and compare it to the figure.
3. I then start to create a mould for the piece to do this I use the plastic from the packets of the figures (I can hear all you collectors gasping in horror) but any clear plastic works. I then trace the outline of the largest area to get the general shape of the piece and cut it away. I then glue (superglue) a second sheet of plastic to the rear and cut away the next piece. I continue this until the mould is made. HINT you need to think in reverse cutting lowest pieces first and higher pieces later. I have attached photographs of the moulds I made to my photobucket page. I made the boomshield in the same manner.
4. I then coat the mould in a thin coating of talcum powder (keeps putty from sticking).
5. Then press putty into mould and peel back which will give the basic shapes (see pics).
6. I then hand sculpt the finer details mainly using a toothpick. I find impression objects work really well and use a thin lead pen (we call them pacers in Australia) for rivets. I also use spare parts like Cyclops and grappler head eye pieces for various circle features. Some parts I sculpted free hand (teeth on grenadier, cylinders of the grappler).
7. After it sets a bit and starts to becomes firm I place the part onto the shoulder and bend it into the right shape, be careful not to push too hard on the putty may stick to the figure. Leave it to harden; it should lift off easily when dry. RAAM is my only custom using these methods which does not have fully removable parts (I still keep the figures as they originally were, yes I still have RAAMs original body).
8. When hardened I paint under coat of matt tyre black (good grey like drone armour), red and gun metal. I then dry brush with gun metal.

[mlinwood]

Theron Helmets

The Theron Helmets I hand sculpted entirely I did not use moulds. The only tip I can give is that I use a helmetless Theron put a small amount of blutack around his head (to make it slightly larger) I then cut the fingertip off a kitchen glove and placed it over the head. I then sculpted the helmet using milliput on top of the glove. This way when it hardened it did not attach to the figure and I was able to remove the helmet, then the glove and blutack, protecting the figures head. The helmets are now completely removable.

[mlinwood]

Troika

I built the troika from various scrap parts including two dragon model SAW guns (back of the weapon), an AT4 launcher (stand), two coke bottle lids (magazines) two syringes (barrels). I then used milliput to fill the gaps and sculpted more detail where I could.
For the armour plate I cut the shape out of cardboard, placed milliput over the top and sculpted the detail. I painted it in the same manner as the drone armour but with black undercoat.

If you want specific advice I can try to help. It has taken me a fair while to do all these customs. What to do next………..?

[EdieKaye]

^ Wow! You are very talented. Great guide.

[AdamFenix]

Thanks for your contribution, Mlinwood!

I'm glad you decided to show us your awesome skills.

You should totally make some tutorial pictures for that!

[RAAM582]

Can you post some pictures first? I need to diagnose the problem~!

Dr. Fenix to the RESCUE!

[AdamFenix]

Dr. Fenix to the RESCUE!

Something like that.

[Beer-Belly-Man]

Nice thread. If you plan to cover a fourth objective, I'd suggest to collect tips and ideas for diorama construction. The figures aren't meant for playing with anyways and would look twice as awesome in an appropiate environment

Questions that could be covered were e.g. which tools or materials (wood, cardboard, foams, actual sand or whatever) to use for landscape and scenery modelling (rocks, rubble, walls, ruins, "e-holes" in a street's tarmac and such), how to get that artificial water you can buy in model shops to look like immulsion or what are suitable accessories for designing your diorama or how to "glass" your diorama.

E.g. if you want to use prefab scenery parts, those in a 1:10 scale fit quite good in terms of size. There are some nice accessories for WWII dioramas (sand bag barricades, destroyed walls and such) that could fit a Gears diorama with some minor paint jobs. Unfortunately, most of these are only avaiable in a 1:34 scale or smaller (still searching for a shop with a satisfying variety of 1:10 scenery parts).

These days, I stumbled upon a shop that sells diorama accessories for real-life themed designs, with beer boxes, beer barrels and such. Among these items was some kind of white gas bottle which looked a lot like the gas bottles from Gears 1 where you had to get to Chap's.

[AdamFenix]

Nice thread. If you plan to cover a fourth objective, I'd suggest to collect tips and ideas for diorama construction. The figures aren't meant for playing with anyways and would look twice as awesome in an appropiate environment

Questions that could be covered were e.g. which tools or materials (wood, cardboard, foams, actual sand or whatever) to use for landscape and scenery modelling (rocks, rubble, walls, ruins, "e-holes" in a street's tarmac and such), how to get that artificial water you can buy in model shops to look like immulsion or what are suitable accessories for designing your diorama or how to "glass" your diorama.

E.g. if you want to use prefab scenery parts, those in a 1:10 scale fit quite good in terms of size. There are some nice accessories for WWII dioramas (sand bag barricades, destroyed walls and such) that could fit a Gears diorama with some minor paint jobs. Unfortunately, most of these are only avaiable in a 1:34 scale or smaller (still searching for a shop with a satisfying variety of 1:10 scenery parts).

These days, I stumbled upon a shop that sells diorama accessories for real-life themed designs, with beer boxes, beer barrels and such. Among these items was some kind of white gas bottle which looked a lot like the gas bottles from Gears 1 where you had to get to Chap's.

A lot of the Ultimate Soldier/Extreme Detail (TM) 12" accessories would be appropriate for that exactly. The problem is that a lot of these items are discontinued and hard to come by. But the sandbags and what not would be easy to make with a cut up potato sack and some sand and/or bean-bag materials poured into each neatly trimmed piece.

[RAAM582]

My COG Soldier's hand broke off, and the little thing that's on the back of the Boomers back fell off. Should I see if I can get a replacement?

[AdamFenix]

You could try that and if it doesn't work, get me some pictures and I'll see if I can come up with a fix.

[RAAM582]

*sigh*

I can't get pictures...

Let me just see if I can get some replacements.

[AdamFenix]

*sigh*

I can't get pictures...

Let me just see if I can get some replacements.

Well... if it's any help...

The same thing happened to my Series 5 COG soldier...so I simply super glued the hand in the most desired way I saw fit and it's stuck in place since. It doesn't really bother me and I can still post the body just fine (which I used for Baird to give him better articulation from his first, crappy body).

[RAAM582]

Yeah, I can put it where it's suppose to be, to move it, I have to push and turn, but one little touch of the hand and it falls off.

With the Boomer, the little chain on his ass fell off, guess I gotta glue it, but it's on it's back so you're never gonna notice it.

[AdamFenix]

Yeah, I can put it where it's suppose to be, to move it, I have to push and turn, but one little touch of the hand and it falls off.

With the Boomer, the little chain on his ass fell off, guess I gotta glue it, but it's on it's back so you're never gonna notice it.

The chain is an easy fix with super-glue, no issue there.

[RAAM582]

So I'm getting a replacement on the COG Soldier and a refund on the Boomer since they don't havev it anymore. I'll be fixing both of them, butif it's still in it's 90 day warranty having a replacement or refund is good. BBTS is a great store, I can't believe they are doing this.

[Flame]

That's weird that they are giving you a replacement for those figures since they are open and you broke them yourself.

[RAAM582]

I guess they have a 90 Day Warranty either for the figures or on the site (BBTS)?

[AdamFenix]

That's weird that they are giving you a replacement for those figures since they are open and you broke them yourself.

That's why most other websites or business don't do it--they think people say stuff like this just to get free multiples.

[RAAM582]

Anyone e-mail NECA Customer Support before?

[AdamFenix]

Nope.

I've considered it but I didn't think that they would respond to one lowly person...


Flak--Can we request a sticky for this thread?

[SKORGE]

^Burger Fenix, how would one go about cleaning these so called figures? I'm talking about dust, grime, markers, all that?

[AdamFenix]

^Burger Fenix, how would one go about cleaning these so called figures? I'm talking about dust, grime, markers, all that?

Nail polish remover does wonders for markers and paint. Just don't rub away too hard or you'll remove the actual paint... and use nail polish sparingly, you don't want to get high or make a nasty mess.

A moist wash cloth is good for cleaning figures larger parts while using an ear-swab works well for smaller places. This works well for dust and grime.

[Beer-Belly-Man]

Anyone e-mail NECA Customer Support before?

Yup, me. Asking for a replacement for the NECA lancer's battery lid. Never ever got an answer.

[RAAM582]

So should I try e-mailing again, or what? I just want a better Theron Guard head, and a better Torque Bow.

[SKORGE]

Stickied - congratulations BurgerFenix.

[AdamFenix]

Thanks!

I felt that the community needed this; as I can diagnose and treat "sick" figures.

[quiggle]

I've had a couple of Gears NECA figures and they all broke, just adjusting them ever so slightly so i don't buy them anymore. it's just too much of a risk and wondering if the next one will also break like the ones before.

[AdamFenix]

I've had a couple of Gears NECA figures and they all broke, just adjusting them ever so slightly so i don't buy them anymore. it's just too much of a risk and wondering if the next one will also break like the ones before.

Jerky movements do that. You've got to gradually and very gently move the joints. Visual inspections are key before posing your figures to see if the joints are damaged from shipment.

[Luck V3]

Yeah I've had 2 break (I have like 30 loose). One was the Series 2 Marcus which has been known to break so I moved his left arm and *SNAP* no more left arm. The second was aSeries 5 Cog Soldier. I moved bent his knee and it snapped off. Luckily I switched the bottom part of the body with a Lt Kim fig I had. Some of the armor has fallen off a few but nothing some super glue couldn't fix.

[Threnody]

I've had to fix a Torque Bow, an ink grenade and 3 Lancer handles with super glue by now. xD

My Series 3 Marcus' left forearm also pops off with ease, so I try not to change his pose too often... same with my Series 1 Dom's forearm.

[Luck V3]

I have a question for the people who paint custom figures...What specific paint color would best match that Cog blue/teal color? I'm looking to touch up on a cog soldier. Thanks.

[AdamFenix]

I have a question for the people who paint custom figures...What specific paint color would best match that Cog blue/teal color? I'm looking to touch up on a cog soldier. Thanks.

Which part? Armor or visor?

Also, where do you live?

[Luck V3]

Which part? Armor or visor?

Also, where do you live?

Well...I painted the headsculpt and was looking to touch up on the goggles/eyes of the character. I live in the US. I had a Cog soldier Series 5 helmet and originally just wanted to paint some parts darker to look like Carmine but the paint I used was really black and didn't look very good. I was dissapointed so I for sheets and giggles sanded off the mouthpiece/nose of the Cog series 5 so It looks more like the Ben Carmine headsculpt(which I prefer) now I like what I did but just need to touch up on the goggle of the Cog.

Edit:
I'll try to post up some pics on my photobucket soon...it's funny his head is really round. But I like it MUCH more than the COG S 5 Headsculpt. The paint for the COGs5 is really light blue and really overall light which I didnt like.

Edit 2: Some pics are up on my photobucket. Really wanna salvage the headsculpt.

[AdamFenix]

You want the goggles to look lighter? If so, I'll browse through my paint collection and find the matching color set. It's something I picked up from Wal-Mart, but let me find the proper color.

[mlinwood]

Luck, try citadel colours (Games Workshop) paint 'Hawk Turquoise'. It is the colour I used for my gears customs and is a close teal blue which looks like the armour colour, have a look at my customs, I used this blue on Tai and the Cog soldier with A. Carmine head and Fenix body.

[Dhyego]

Theron Helmets

The Theron Helmets I hand sculpted entirely I did not use moulds. The only tip I can give is that I use a helmetless Theron put a small amount of blutack around his head (to make it slightly larger) I then cut the fingertip off a kitchen glove and placed it over the head. I then sculpted the helmet using milliput on top of the glove. This way when it hardened it did not attach to the figure and I was able to remove the helmet, then the glove and blutack, protecting the figures head. The helmets are now completely removable.

I really need to ask you this.
Don't you want to sell some Custom parts to Locusts?
I would buy your "Theron Helmets" and "Drone shoulder pads" in seconds.
I'm asking you because i bought 2 new Locust Hive boxsets.