As I’ve explained elsewhere, one aspect of my action figure hobby is creating unique looks for the various GI Joes in my collection. This particular situation involves a 1996 “Hall of Fame” style figure. The Hall of Fame bodies have rather poor articulation – they are just bulky and clumsy looking. Their hands are thick and curved, making it difficult to hold items or weapons. For static, upright display, however, they can work fine. They also have a very limited head / neck combination. It can turn side to side, but has no movement to look up, down, or at any angle.
I intended to swap out his head for an off brand one I picked up online (I have no idea what brand it is – probably a clone of something that was a clone of something else.) This posed a problem, as the head I wanted didn’t fit. Not even close! The hole in the neck part of the head was WAY too small, and the post on the body had a strange swivel, on a thick neck, so there was no compatibility there.
Here’s the solution I found:
I decided to make him an Adventure Team themed guy, so prior to doing any construction (actually DEstruction) with the head, I first flocked it with a fine dark grey from Scale Finishes (Not a sponsor or anything -I just bought their product and liked it.)
In the neck swivel of the body, I added a large wood screw (as shown)
Along the jawline of the head, I cut away the neck.
Inside the top on the head, I glued a rare-earth magnet. I’m not sure of the size – looks to be about 2mm think, and 10mm across. I used 5 minute epoxy, as I wasn’t sure of any other glues that would stick well.
Once the glue was set, the head just pops on or off. It can turn side to side, up or down, and at various angles, but it is removable.
Since it was the first time I tried this, my cut under the chin was a little rough, so I used a turtleneck sweater with him. It hides the seem really well. My next one will probably be a lot smoother, so I doubt any compensation will be needed.
Thanks for tuning in!
-Toph
