The idea was simple. Get rid of the big backpack of the original slash KO figure and fill the hollow back of the legs in one step.



Then I got greedy and started changing more stuff:
The face was too simple for the size, so I wanted to repaint it. Accidentally removed all the features with a sanding block. Had to make a new face, and painted the head in classic Windblade colors instead of the "Combiner Hunter" colors of the KO. I want to try again later.

Cut the torso and added a double ball joint with Bionicle parts. I need to improve that too.


Added ball joints to the wrists, from undersized KO Hero Factory parts. Now she can wield her sword two-handed (forgot to take picture of that).

Also filled the hollows of her forearms, and included 5mm holes so she can use regular Transformers weapons and accesories that are not compatible with her oversized hands.


Added thigh rotation and filled most hollowness in one step.


I don't know what these parts are from (they were in a bag of second hand Bionicle pieces, but seem to be mostly incompatible with the system), but if you remove the inner beams of the thigh, they are the perfect length and width to fill the hollow, and the parts rotate at the same point the leg changes detail (in the previous picture you can see the thighs are rounded on the most part but blocky just above the knees).


Removing the backpack left the wings all floppy, but a little piece under the new backpack (the cockpit) goes between the gears that connect the wings and can lock them in a couple of nice positions.


The cockpit is still on it's original hinge, but the hinge is now on a rotating post behind the neck. It locks on the back on a Bionicle piece that also holds the wings in place.


The old backpack and now leg filler connects to the leg with a double joint, and in plane mode connects with the same Bionicle piece on the back using +posts that I added inside.


There's putty everywhere because I wanted things to stick together, and I also wanted more continuity between the pieces that are one next to the other in plane mode.


I also added a 5mm hole under the nosecone, so now she can use 3 guns in plane mode (or swords if she'd like).


On the inside of the knees/thrusters, I added these little pieces with 5mm holes, for blast effect compatibility (or for more guns)(or for more swords).




You may notice this is very much an unfinished piece, but I have been hit by a case of the hubris, and I want to make several, more ambitious changes to the figure, including ones that undo things I did already; so I decided to post it now before I ruin the figure beyond all recognition trying to improve it.

 

We will watch your custom with great interest.

 

Is better to hire somebody to do 3D printing for you, instead of scraping your own toy and then trying to put them back expecting good results. This does not look good.

You either get your hand steady and get better tools for the job, or seek alternatives.

 

Mini Electric Handheld Drill will do better drilling, cutting, and sanding than a man with a saw.
Face scoulptures aren't always had to be done with oil paint. In this case, once the write base color is established, you may try whatever color pencil you might have in hand. These things can still be erased from the face and be readjusted until you get better face paint. Then cover with another thin layer of mostly transparent covering. Instead of having your work gone facing sandpaper if you mess up, or leave it with unsatisfactory results and tell yourself that it was okay.

 

Where did you get the oversized iron factory windblade

 

Aliexpress.

 

Handheld manual tools are fine! as long as you take it slow and are carefull, they work just as well if not better for some drill holes. the pencils idea for face works ok, though sometimes I have found it leaves residue and bumps etc if your not very gentle. He never said he was done! He specifically stated its not great and needs work redone removed and finished off!

 

Bruh. Just look at that head sculpt. I'd just scrap what thing, and make another one from scratch instead of reusing it. It is completely toasted. And you believe this kind of mishandling still has room for improvement?
As a man sawed himself a couple of times I'd tell him to get a drill no matter what. It is the difference between drilling wood for the fire and using a lighter.
Don't play that "all tools and methods are equal" those kinds of nonsense with me. God planted his garden with his action instead of a command because he has a love for his craft and he got all the time he need. Man plant the garden with their hand because that's the only way. So you better do it as efficiently before winter starts. We aren't gonna have all the time we wish for playing with toys. Those good times won't last and will fade away sooner than you might be expecting.

 

Hand drills/dremels are fantastic for small details, and knives and nippers are much better than thir electronic counterparts

 

This conversation took a turn for the fucking weird.

The head sculpt is a little funky, but, you know, this is a hobby people do for fun (most of us) and not how we feed our families or whatever (which is good because my ass would be starving rn).

 

Fine, tell people to happily waste their potential. If that's how you weigh happiness over conquest over oneself. But I tell you, it is sickening me.

Building something that you thought wasn't possible would be greater joy. Not just for someone who is making it, but a chance to enlighten others. And how does the fun project goes? With the lowest standard possible? Sounds like a path to repeat failure or abandonment.

This individual deserves to use better tools to do better jobs, he or she or others just couldn't convince themself to invest in such. I say it is a must and will be worth it. Don't handicap people with shallow compliments and the unhelpful "support". This shouldn't hurt anyone's ego, just higher your standard over yourself. I don't find this WIP very promising, and Berser probably already knows what he needs to get and needs to work on from this point.

Which option may help in succeeding the potential? Git good or git hobbyist positivity? The "positivity" tells people to stay where they are. Knowing to work toward the next ideal does hurt anyone's feelings but will help them get their work done. And real hobbyists won't quite upon few failure or discouragement. Lies that got packaged as kind words do trap people, making them stuck in a loop, slowly lose their interest.

So don't cast your baby virtue on this future master. You are not his or her babysitter.

 

i am not trying to say, nor actually saying, that hand tools are objectively better, you are saying that electronic tools are better and hand tools are a waste and he should move up to better tools. why are you still just randomly throwing in insults at this decent early attampt at an unfinished custom! juts leave him alone! you've given your feedback on thinking electronic tools would help, and your not even answering any of my other arguements, unless your insane, fake deep ramblings are meant to mean something.
Your saying im handicapping him and i dont see how, How do you even know that he doesnt have electronic drills, like i have previosly said a hand drill is slower and gives you more control, and there arent many tools;pliers, pinpunches, nippers, scissors, sculpting tools, that hes probably used in this project that you can even get electric versions of, the only suggestiong would be a screwdriver or drill(or airbrush, but you yourself are saying he should use pencils for finer detils, and didnt critique his other painting). But a hand dremel and hand screwdrivers would work fine anyway!
start listening to people and leave him alone. (also how the fuck have you managed to say he has no hope and also say hes a future master lol)

 

I might have missed a few things from you if you want specific answers that I didn't provide just list them.

When did I say he has no hope or hand tools are a waste? You Look at his craft he is likely around 15 or so. Guess what parents do to kids around that age? Neglect. Those people are the ones most likely to use the crappiest tools available and going to hurt themselves doing so.
Your advisement is like telling someone to do 3D sculpting with a Chromebook left unwanted four years ago. That is handicapping, impossible standards even. How many accidents you experienced were caused by hand tools? I never had problems with drills but most cuts on me were done by the hand tools. And in your suggestion stick with the less effective, more dangerous option as an act of justice?
I might be riddling too much but you are more insane than I am. And your justice is going to be more hurtful than protecting someone's feelings.
Tell him that he deserves advanced appliances so he can have a reason to negotiate with his parents. Make his work easier for him, do better crafts, and get more sense of achievement within himself. Embracing someone’s ineffectual is equally discouraging their innovations.


"i am not trying to say, nor actually saying, that hand tools are objectively better"
I am saying hand tools are still essential, but objectively worse. More dangerous, less effective.
"you are saying that electronic tools are better (yes) and hand tools are a waste (no) and he should move up to better tools (yes)"
"why are you still just randomly throwing in insults at this decent early attempt at an unfinished custom! juts leave him alone!" please don't take my judgment as insults, I only speak about what I see. I don't think this is decent. I don't think this is the right direction for him to work on either.
"you've given your feedback on thinking electronic tools would help" So he will find himself in new gain power and establish a higher standard. Instead of me getting meaner on roasting how his DIY could falt badly and disappoint himself. Which could badly discourage him, which none of us would want to see.
"and you're not even answering any of my other arguments" List them, please. I can not read so I need help.
" unless your insane, fake deep ramblings are meant to mean something." Can't tell you about it. But I think what we are doing here is quite obsolete, and we might gonna have less time that we want to do our crafts.
“Your saying I'm handicapping him and i don't see how” Please see how, I've already said it.
"How do you even know that he doesn't have electronic drills, like i have previously said a hand drill is slower and gives you more controls" My bad, "hand dremel" I didn't check my translation. Hand dremel is the thing. If such a thing is in his arsenal I don't see any evidence on this early prototype yet.
(Yes do get an airbrush those are must-haves. Pencils for finer details are something I can come up with, that will work out for the least acceptable aspect of this project specifically. IDK what other things he will make tomorrow, but I care what he could make best for his project for now.)
" a hand dremel and hand screwdrivers would work fine anyway!" You are right, but having more of what you expect would be better than don't have them when you need them. Again you are right. Those two things can get most of the job done flawlessly, but won't cover the entirety.
"start listening to people (yes) and leave him alone. (no)" I disagree with your babysitting, and I’m gonna fight you in front of the child. Take the kid away from you and run.

 

aight, some of what you said is fair about the tools, but i still dont get why you cant be nice and say kindly that he could use some electric drills and such to help him, and that pencils for finer details might be easier than painting or soemthing like that rather than saying things like its at the 'lowest possible standard' and will 'lead to repeat failure and disappointment' just seems waaay to extreme rather than giving some small tips. your clearly quite skilled qith this kind of thing so i wont disagree with your tips anymore, but i just think you could maybe be nicer and stop calling him a baby. Hes fucking 34 btw, not 15! and its a huuuuge assumption to say hes been neglected just by quality of a custom.

 

Thanks everybody for your support and suggestions XD

Yes, I do have some of those "better tools", while others are just unavailable in my country (only this year I found a place that sells casting resin in my whole country, for example). But that's fine. I was always more of thinking what to do with what I have than coming up with ideas and getting what I need to complete them. That's how I built the most original decks when I played Yu-Gi-Oh! and that's how I'm facing customs now.

I am very much a newbie at customs. This is the first heavy modification I have made on a figure. I do have a couple previous works made from scratch but those weren't made to look like an existing character so no one can compare them with the real thing like with this Windblade.

I am also new to all tools related to customs, even Exacto knives, and any work I do is practice. That's why I work only with bootlegs and broken toys.

My current results are of course very far from what I want to accomplish, but I post it all anyways because I know I've had streaks of perfectionism, and if I wait until I am satisfied before sharing something, I'll never share anything, because I am never totally satisfied.

Again, thanks everybody. Expect an update once I find a way to include articulated feet without overcomplicating it all.

 

Honestly, you don't need fancy power tools or anything like that if you're already comfortable with the tools you have. What matters most is that they're safe and that you like using them.

 

Looks awesome for early custom! use what u need and find easiest, not always what people tell you is best!

 

Alright, you have a point. And I did mistake people's age by judging from their work. Berser might be late for his game, and he has the right to take all the time he needs to skill up or improve.

However, I can't stand you or any creators bearing this idea that "any immature attempt of art and craft are all still good". For anyone that is ignorant, that is a satire upon themselves. They should get out of that stage as soon as possible. For anyone that is not, such consolation won't help them to really cope with expectations. Insist as such would equality be lying to oneself, Insist this to others would be just lying to others for comfortability. This is a mindset that makes people weak and puts competent people out of competition. Not just in creative fandom but in everything that requires some level of entrepreneurship. Where you get the tool for yourself, get the job done by any means that is available to you. Nobody else, but you, are in charge and to be responsible for whatever outcome is about to be.
Accepting underperformance today and you will be expecting underperformance tomorrow. Then over time, it will become a sticker that screams for your character instead of expressing what you really are or can be. Only is that one might don't see themselves as a potential successor anymore. Since they have already been "succeeding", how would they dare to wish for more upon this point?

You find his strive and exploration through his work, that is your virtue. But you might gone with the automated positive response without thinking. You willingly choose to ignore what goes obviously wrong with the fundamentals of this piece of work that has already been shown. Further polishing isn't gonna fix a completely waxed face, gaps, and compromised design choice. These are gonna be really ugly to speak about, and I do worry this would hurt the maker if a critique really goes ruthlessly honest.

I picked one aspect that I find won't ruin someone's self-estin to begin with. Your right to disagree, but since we already went this far I might just put this piece of thought in the open.
You are placing a dangerous sticker just like almost everybody else is doing, you don't see it but I do. I know what it can do to people, so I encourage you to be more honest with the people you are empowering. You crafted a few things from the past, and you have a standard on yourself too. This is not something you would allow yourself to make right? Will you be happily accepting complement if you switch places with Berser? Knowing that we, somehow just couldn't be honest with you? Almost as not taking you seriously? If that is not treating someone like a baby what is it even?

About child neglect. This is me being overreacting, and that is on me. I've experienced with teens around those ages and see their craft from time to time. This piece just happened to resonate with me. No offense, but what Berser made there aline with those age groups. (Not saying that the maker of this custom is behind, we all start somewhere.) And that long-time contentment I had with standardized or goal-based parenting still got the bitter of me. Don't know if there is a word for such a thing, but what I see is most preteens with extraordinary gifts usually end up having no use of their talent. They eventually face the bottleneck, whether it is forced to abandon something for a more noble cause, or have no chance to invest in their passion, or just couldn't get their hands on a piece of tool or hardware. When requested by the kid it usually ends up with arguments about how they don't need it, and it was all just kids think that then they just want, or the crappy stuff they have are just the "same" as the high-end equipment that was allowed to play with just once or twice. Under the supervision of strangers that they won't meet again next week. And I'm not wealthy enough to hand these kids a tablet or something. Not to mention what they are interested in I might just know nothing of. Other times harmless thing just isn't allowed in the name of "discipline". Or whatever greater insanity that you might think I'm today. Good thing that we are adults that can choose for ourselves, you can decide to choose some better option that fit your need than someone do the choosing for you. Many times that kids' and parents' interactions are very ugly back and forward, even forcefully backward due to bad idealogy. And I do appreciate open-minded parents who do care about their children's thoughts and accept new things. Not as if I despite the entirety of humankind. I was human, I am still human, not as if I was not human.
Been off track, but that's my thought process. I find it worth sharing, maybe some of you would have experienced such. IDK, if anyone cares.

Appreciate your negotiation and reasoning too.
If no further suspicion on me, I wish to be bothered no further. Nobody polices me on doing what I find necessary. That's my ignorance, you may have a laugh at it.

To Berser, your work does appear underwhelming so far. Just keep doing your best and it is your choice to ignore my opinion. Or choose what to believe in and who to trust. This man tried to make me say that your work is good, and that aren't happening. Don't be discouraged by the mean thing I said above. Your work is good when you set yourself a standard and succeed in it.

 

sorry for wasting so much thread space on a pointless arguement, feel free to delete all my comments as most were unneccesary.