Christmas. When you are a kid, toys beneath the tree are the best thing in life! But when you are a parent, you have to suffer how much "Evil Toys Megacorp" makes you expend a lot of money for only for a big piece of "Made in China" plastic with a famous logo.
Don't get me wrong. I like toys, I love action figures and some of their vehicles and playsets are pretty cool. But, when we talk about the heroes/villains average headquarters playsets, a lot of those are overpriced things for children who will destroy them in the worst case scenario or stop playing with them in the best. Depending of the size, an playset for action figures costs between $45 and $200 in US, and if you live in South America, the price triplicates.
(And don't start with the classic G.I.Joe playsets, from $500 to thousands of dollars).
Do you want to know something? You can build your very own and personalized playset for much less, using upcycled plastic things and a lot of imagination. No limits for what you want to build for your favorite heroes/villains. A new mass destruction weapon for Cobra Commander? You got it! A great garage for your Cobra HISS Tank? Checked. Destro and the Baroness want a hot tub? Why not?
As example, I made a Cobra naval base playset for G.I.Joe action figures and the Cobra MANTIS vehicle. I used a big discarded tape recorder, some printer pieces and other found plastic stuff. The maritime base has a dock, Cobra Commander's last Annihilation Ray and a defense droid I called CRAB (COBRA Rapid Attack Bot).
So... LET'S PLAY!
(G.I.JOE, COBRA and all characters, vehicles and names related, are trademarks and propierty of HASBRO)
Don't get me wrong. I like toys, I love action figures and some of their vehicles and playsets are pretty cool. But, when we talk about the heroes/villains average headquarters playsets, a lot of those are overpriced things for children who will destroy them in the worst case scenario or stop playing with them in the best. Depending of the size, an playset for action figures costs between $45 and $200 in US, and if you live in South America, the price triplicates.
(And don't start with the classic G.I.Joe playsets, from $500 to thousands of dollars).
Do you want to know something? You can build your very own and personalized playset for much less, using upcycled plastic things and a lot of imagination. No limits for what you want to build for your favorite heroes/villains. A new mass destruction weapon for Cobra Commander? You got it! A great garage for your Cobra HISS Tank? Checked. Destro and the Baroness want a hot tub? Why not?
As example, I made a Cobra naval base playset for G.I.Joe action figures and the Cobra MANTIS vehicle. I used a big discarded tape recorder, some printer pieces and other found plastic stuff. The maritime base has a dock, Cobra Commander's last Annihilation Ray and a defense droid I called CRAB (COBRA Rapid Attack Bot).
So... LET'S PLAY!
(G.I.JOE, COBRA and all characters, vehicles and names related, are trademarks and propierty of HASBRO)
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Signing UpStep 1: Safety precautions, materials, tools and tips
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
Remember: You are making a toy for kids (or some geek friend). Not recommended for children under 6 years old. Use plastic from reliable and no hazardous sources. Don't use easy breakable plastic. Don't leave any pointy or sharp part that could injure your children. Wash and desinfect the parts of this toy before giving it to any child. Check the cautions in the label of the painting products before using. Take any precaution possible.
MATERIALS:
Materials can variate depending of what you have on stock or what you can find. Note that I don't know the name of some materials or where they came from because I found them in flea markets or in the street. So if you have any doubt, just look the pictures and find something of similar shape. For decoration try to get pieces with the following colors: grey, black, red and blue. I used:
For the base:
Have around a G.I.JOE action figure and the MANTIS (or your vehicle of choice) as reference when you start building the base.
TOOLS
Dremel Rotary Tool
tweezers
screwdivers
scalpel
pliers
Wire cutters
Screwdriver kit
Soldering Iron
Super Glue
And don't forget:
1. If you don't have it, replace it!
2. Use protective equipment (dust mask and goggles)
3. Beware of drilled and soldered hot surfaces
4. Work in a good ventilated area.
5. Always have junk in stock.
6. Have fun.
7. COOOOOBRAAA!
Remember: You are making a toy for kids (or some geek friend). Not recommended for children under 6 years old. Use plastic from reliable and no hazardous sources. Don't use easy breakable plastic. Don't leave any pointy or sharp part that could injure your children. Wash and desinfect the parts of this toy before giving it to any child. Check the cautions in the label of the painting products before using. Take any precaution possible.
MATERIALS:
Materials can variate depending of what you have on stock or what you can find. Note that I don't know the name of some materials or where they came from because I found them in flea markets or in the street. So if you have any doubt, just look the pictures and find something of similar shape. For decoration try to get pieces with the following colors: grey, black, red and blue. I used:
For the base:
- 1 Big tape recorder plastic case
- A lot of printers pieces (or any king of rigid plastic pieces. See the pictures in case if you have any doubt)
- 1 PC screen base
- Damaged toys
- Iron angles
- screws and bolts
- Sandpaper
- Primer (for plastic) in spray
- Gray paint in spray
- A damaged DaVinci handheld (or any gadget that looks like a computer display)
- Printer pieces
- Plastic rectangles
- Something that looks like stairs (I use one from a girls toy and made one with plastic shreds and a printer long piece)
- Acrylic disc
- Plastic cap
- Plastic toys pieces
- Long screw and bolts
- Printer pieces
- Plastic toys pieces
- 1 LED
- 1 Buzzer
- 1 AA Batteries box
- Wire
- 1 Switch
- Joystick handle
- 1 AA Batteries box
- Wire
- 1 Switch
- 1 motor
- Cylinder from a toy revolver
- 2 big caps (I found two blue ones from air filters)
- 2 oven knobs
- 2 weapons from action toys (I used two pieces from a Max Steel weapon I found in a flea market)
- 1 plastic square (I use one from a lamp)
- 4 breathalyzer mouthpieces.
Have around a G.I.JOE action figure and the MANTIS (or your vehicle of choice) as reference when you start building the base.
TOOLS
Dremel Rotary Tool
tweezers
screwdivers
scalpel
pliers
Wire cutters
Screwdriver kit
Soldering Iron
Super Glue
And don't forget:
1. If you don't have it, replace it!
2. Use protective equipment (dust mask and goggles)
3. Beware of drilled and soldered hot surfaces
4. Work in a good ventilated area.
5. Always have junk in stock.
6. Have fun.
7. COOOOOBRAAA!
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And printers are awesome for doing things!
Congratulations to you, too! :-)
Question- what specific kind of spray primer do you use? I've been meaning to learn how to use it, but I'm not sure when to apply it (eg before or after spray paint).
This is one of the best uses of stuff that I've seen all year, thanks for showing us it.
L
I will probably do something else with 'em though.
L
Sunshiine