I'm a fairly inexperienced customizer, but I'm not a complete newb either. My biggest problem is that I really have trouble mustering up the courage to make that first cut. Right now, I have an MP Skywarp that I desperately want to do the infamous leg mod on. I've researched several tutorials and have made a plan of action in my head. It seems like a fairly easy mod to do, right? Then how come whenever I turn on my dremel to make that first drill hole, I freeze up and back down? I think part of it is that I spent a good deal of money on him and I'm really afraid that I'll mess it up somehow, but I have the same issue with junkers that I just want to mess around with. So to the more experienced customizers out there, how do you work up the courage to destroy your figures in an effort to make them better?
I try to think about how much better I'm going to make the figure by making those cuts. That usually helps me.
Just make sure that the cut you're going to make is accurate and such. Measure thrice and cut once. But yeah, this is why when Tutorials are made here that I request that the artist go into as much detail as possible, even if the modification is simple. In many cases, these figures came from our hard-earned money, and especially in cases like this it can be harder to replace them. You really just gotta get to the point where you get over that jitter and jump right in. Where I've been working on my Metroplex, that's a figure that's over $100 now. Replacing that figure if something goes terribly wrong would be very difficult for me right now. But, it's something I want done. Just gotta make the choice and do it
The worst Transformers junker is still a character you recognize and care about, which might be why you're hesitating. I suggest you go to a dollar store and find something hideous in the toy section to cut into for practice. It doesn't have to be a robot, but try to find something that has a grade of plastic similar to official TF toys.
Thanks for the encouragement, guys. I finally took the plunge on MP Skywarp, and I couldn't be happier with the result. I'm not completely done yet, but I'm happy with the direction it's heading in. It's kind of funny, because as soon as I made that first cut, I couldn't stop cutting, sanding, drilling, and grinding until it was done. There were a few moments of "OH CRAP I'VE RUINED THIS FIGURE FOREVER" but they quickly subsided after I took a step back and thought about what I wanted to do next.
Done! http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/990908-masterpiece-skywarp-leg-mod.html#post11222484
