Save the Planet of the Apes!!! - PIX ADDED!!

[Ironman1188]

Maybe I'll try and add this guy to the collection

 

[Jessica]

Not on a Hasbro ape, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Anything can be done if you put effort into it.

 

[Jessica]

Here's my Link, Ironman. What do you think? He looks a little bit big compared to the boy's head because he's a little forward when I took the shot. I didn't want to smoosh his ear by accident.

 

[galactiboy]

That's a nice looking link sculpt... one thing I found that helped with complicated sculpts like that is that if you sculpt and bake in stages you can work on fiddly parts (like hair and ears) w/o fear of ruining what you've already completed and like.

I'll usually sculpt the face (leaving some grooves for ears and hair so the sculpey can adhear) then bake, sculpt he ears bake again then do the hair. Seems to work well and I find myself having to redo less work.

 

[Jessica]

I've tried sculpting in pieces and baking as I go. I was tempted to do this with Link, but then I had to stop sculpting to bake him...and I was really raring to go. I have to strike while the iron is hot. GB, what do you use for sculpting? I was told to try the sculpey firm, but have to order it online.

 

[Ironman1188]

Jess, That Link looks great. I showed my 7 yr old the figure in 'Link pose" and the first thing he says is "not with that head, right?" LOL
Hey! If you can teach me how to rehair those hasbro apes........

 

[Jessica]

Go for it, Ironman:

https://home.freeuk.net/pewty/tips/reroot.html

 

[wax murderer]

Okay, here we go.First, thanks to Wookster for that bit of good news(and you guys were all set to panic.Silly monkeys)...
My wife's suggestion to 'de-poof' the fur: wet itthoroughly,smooth it down, then wrap it with Saran Wrap and let it dry. I haven't actually decided if I'm going to do it;I kinda like 'em as is.
Two things for Jess...I've seen the fake fur at Micheal's, an arts and crafts chain, though in small bits. As to Sculpey, you will really do better to use the method previously described. I've been using it for over 25 years, and it's never failed me(I was using Sculpey before anyone knew about it)...
Finally, I have to ask...why would anyone in their right mind WANT to use a Hasblo head on the HT figure. To my thinking, that's like hanging big fuzzy dice from the mirror of a mint Corvette...PS

 

[Jessica]

For anybody willing to try the de-poof, PLEASE post photossss!! I am getting ready to cut down my gorilla's hair this weekend. It's now or never.

Paul have you ever boiled your sculpey to cure it vs. the oven method you told me about?

 

[Ironman1188]

Finally, I have to ask...why would anyone in their right mind WANT to use a Hasblo head on the HT figure. To my thinking, that's like hanging big fuzzy dice from the mirror of a mint Corvette...PS

Variety my good ape, variety!
The only fault so far that I have with Hot Toys is the gorilla Captain and soldier share the same face. If hasbro apes can be rehaired then there is hope for less "twins" on the planet of the apes.

 

[wax murderer]

Jess, I've never tried boiling; in fact, i've never heard of boiling to cure Sculpey.I have used a heat gun for small sections, which works okay though will never be my preferred method. I put the piece in the oven when I turn it on and let it heat up gradually with the oven. I rarely set it higher than 270. I've found that a slow, low heat bake gives better and more consistant results than hotter faster bakes. I also leave the piece in the oven until it is completely cooled;this minimizes fractures in the Sculpey(a problem with very large pieces).
IM, I cede you the point, though there has to be a better alternative than Hasbro.I used a bit of Magic-Sculpt when I altered the face on my 2nd SST gorilla. Worked pretty well...PS

 

[Jessica]

I love the method you showed me about the slow bake/cool, Paul. I've tried a BBQ lighter as well for spot-curing...but you have to be careful or it will burn and it does produce a sheen.

I'm afraid that for my Lawgiver, made up of a mishmosh of Apoxie, air dry clay and Sculpey...I'm going to have to spot-cure it.

The boil method was just mentioned to me and I had never heard of it before...

 

[Ironman1188]

Awww, c'mon. Look solely at the gorilla faces from hasbro. They reallly aren't all that bad. I think that the hair really spoils the head. I may give that method jess gave the link to a try. I also cut the face off another hasbro, but have to build the nerve to pull the HT apart.

 

[Jessica]

If I have some time this weekend, I'm going to be styling some gorilla hair!!

 

[Jessica]

Link is done! YAY!!

 

[W.G]

Awww, c'mon. Look solely at the gorilla faces from hasbro. They reallly aren't all that bad. I think that the hair really spoils the head. I may give that method jess gave the link to a try. I also cut the face off another hasbro, but have to build the nerve to pull the HT apart.

I'm with you Iron ! Hasbro needs a rehair and brighter eyes but the sculpt is very good. He's an ugly gorilla, like the hot toys soldier. The sideshow gorilla is prettier (for a gorilla) and maybe more charismatic. What is strange with the hasbro head is that they sculpted the ears.

thanks to wax murderer for the method. If someone could post step by step photos, it would be great.

 

[Ironman1188]

Ok. Two things I'm jonesing for today:
1- POTA artwork. Anyone know any sites with newer POTA art? I wonder if somewhere there is a file with old work, from Larkin, Ploog, Norem, Barr... Stuff that didn't get approved or the concept was "off"

2- Switching HT ape faces. I'm really looking at how to do this without screwing up the HT head irrepairably. Ideally, I'd like to find a way to put a open mouth face on the HT head. I know Angel's solid molded heads are out of the question. His method of filling a regular production head might work, but I'm unsure as to how one would fill the face when its seperated from the rest of the head....
An open mouth on a HT would look awesome though!!

 

[Jessica]

Ironman, if you want to, you can get a nail clipper--or something not so sharp so you don't cut into the plastic...but wedge this between the edge of the Hot Toys gorilla face and the hair...and work it off. You will find that it's really not that difficult to pop it off--much easier than getting the SS Ursus helmet off (for me at least!).

Then, what I would do is dust the head part (use a paintbrush) with talcum powder or with cornstarch and press a glob of super sculpey there, onto which I would work the Hasbro gorilla face onto...until it looks like it fits well onto the head. Then remove your Hasbro/sculpey carefully (it should be a cast now of the cavity that was there) and bake this in your oven for 20 minutes at 260 degrees fahrenheit (Thanks, Wax Murderer!). Start with a cold oven, put your Hasbro/sculpey guy in there on a piece of foil and bake away...leave in there to cool off). When it's completely cured and cooled off, you can glue this down.

 

[Ironman1188]

Will the heat of the oven affect the original head?

 

[Jessica]

Will the heat of the oven affect the original head?

No it won't. That's how I baked my other gorillas under Sculpey--and also Burke's hair.

Oh...I thought of another thing! You should put saran wrap over your gorilla's hair and dust the top side of this with talcum powder or corn starch--that way when you smoosh in your sculpey, you won't have to worry about getting bits of that on the hair.