Forum Rules,TOS and Privacy Policy | By visiting this website and viewing the pages within, you accept and agree to be bound by and comply with our Rules Of Conduct, Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy
agent0013 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 24, 2024 12:01 am
Wow, you've had a really busy and productive day!
I've been chuckling at this for awhile: Dolly, looking very complete. Elsa, looking very complete. Frost and Harley, looking like they could be complete. Ivy? Covered in scotch tape.
It's all looking good so far, SF! Can't wait to see these new stories!
Thanks pal! Hopefully… the wait won’t be forever!
On that subject… and the “completion” state of the characters… I’m going to attempt to do something I’ve been aspiring to for a while now.
Have FUN Now!
The Agents tale has been in limbo for a loooong time, 2 years at least. This has been my own fault… because I kept telling myself too much needed to be “finished” before beginning. I recognize this is just another insidious creative block. Once I’ve got my major cast members sorted out, I’m gonna start shooting the story.
Indeed, several of Minoo’s minions are near completion, but details can often take a while to finish up. Dolly, the Super Cuties and other figures won’t actually be relevant to the tale for a while yet. There’s no reason why I need to delay starting the story until they are finished.
In fact… it’s probably best I begin BEFORE they are done…
As I frequently discover with the Minxes and their adventures, the tales they are telling have a life of their own. It would be “normal” for the story’s true direction to change in the course of shooting it. I might discover that the Minxes have other plans for their characters… it wouldn’t be the first time.
I will focus on finishing up what needs to be done to get this tale underway… primarily, completing Minoo and making her a lair. Every Arch-Villainess needs a lair, right??? The completion of her minions needs to drop down the list a bit.
Sorry bud… Ivy’s gonna be covered in tape for a while yet!
I think I’ve finally got this issue solved… for now… lol.
Nothing is ever permanent… right??? Of course, a key component of getting Minoo’s feet finished was to make an ankle cuff for her shoes. This wasn’t just to hide the seam, but I also wanted it to contribute to stabilizing her wobbly ankles.
I stitched and glued up a blingy collar this morning…
Minoo’s Ankles 1.JPG (1.95 MiB) Viewed 597 times
I LOVE fabric trims! I’m actually heading to the fabric store shortly to look for more goodies.
This strip of “rhinestone” trim I bought has come in super handy for making stuff for the Minxes. In this case, I stitched up a cuff to a back strap and bonded it all together with superglue. It should be durable enough to hold up to Minx abuse!
As far as the ankle connection has gone… I added an additional random rubber bit…
Minoo’s Ankles 2.JPG (1.26 MiB) Viewed 597 times
You won’t find this conical piece on a shelf anywhere. It’s actually a trimmed piece of a bicycle part… super random!
I discovered that the earbud piece on its own just wasn’t stable enough. I had these bike parts in my bin for possible Minx use, and decided their shape suited the inside of Minoo’s feet.
I also discovered… by repeatedly pulling her feet on and off… that the bead crimp I used to adapt her foot pegs were happily staying inside her feet. This meant I didn’t have to worry about wrecking them and having to reinstall another every time I pulled a foot off… Yay!
Here’s the installation sequence… the above photo is the first.
Minoo’s Ankles 3.JPG (1.24 MiB) Viewed 597 times
Minoo’s Ankles 4.JPG (1.08 MiB) Viewed 597 times
Minoo’s Ankles 5.JPG (1.37 MiB) Viewed 597 times
Minoo’s Ankles 6.JPG (1.44 MiB) Viewed 597 times
After putting the cone, earbud and cuff over the joint and installing Minoo’s foot, I simply taped down the back strap. Her shoe just fits over to give the appearance of it being connected to the cuff.
I’m pretty pleased with this solution so far, but as usual, it’s better that I walk away before doing the other foot. I’ve discovered that progress frequently brings new innovations… but they take time to surface.
Besides… it isn’t like I don’t have other projects!
Overall, the rest of her details came together quickly.
I decided she would need bracelets and a choker to match her shoes. Both of these, like the cuffs of her heels, would be useful in covering unsightly joints.
The hands Minoo uses have an odd shape at their wrists… leaving a pretty wide gap. Even with the flared cuffs of her sleeves, the super-slender arms of the S36 body do a poor job of filling the gap.
But.. nothing a blingy bracelet can’t solve!
Minoo’s Finished 1.JPG (2.7 MiB) Viewed 554 times
A much more serious problem however, would be filling the huge gap at Minoo’s neck and head joint!
As many may know, I LOVE the heads made by Super Duck with movable eyes! Minoo is no exception… but the direct connecting “ball-socket” of these heads is often problematic. In Minoo’s case, the scooped-out underside of her chin area is MASSIVE and not a very good match for the tiny neck of the S36 body.
Minoo’s Finished 2.JPG (2.3 MiB) Viewed 554 times
Honestly, I’ve got no idea what SD was thinking… would any Phicen neck fit this???
Regardless, I’m committed to the S36 for Minoo. This “anime” body, as TBLeague bills it, has the distorted proportions that I feel suit Minoo’s head perfectly. I’m generally not too bent out of shape by having neck gaps visible, but even with Minoo’s long hair, something extra would have to be done.
In addition to the large gap under her head, the ball socket is sized to fit a “normal” Phicen head ball… the S36 uses the “small” size ball. First modification was to increase the ball size and thicken up her neck a little. I used my pal LoneRanger’s method with a piece of vinyl tubing.
Warm the tubing and slide it over the ball. I continued to slide it further down, and underneath her TPE neck. This causes her neck to swell up a little, getting just a bit thicker.
Minoo’s Finished 3.JPG (4.04 MiB) Viewed 554 times
Minoo’s head now fits the ball perfectly… but there’s still an air gap between her head and neck!
To solve this, I cut off the bottom portion of a head adapter plug and fitted it over the neck peg. This leaves just the ball at the very top.
Obviously, there’s now an extra seam to cover at her neck. The rhinestone choker comes to the rescue, covering the seam and making everything blend together visually!
Minoo’s Finished 4.JPG (3.93 MiB) Viewed 554 times
Minoo’s Finished 5.JPG (4.5 MiB) Viewed 554 times
After sorting out Minoo’s neck, I only had one last puzzle to solve… attaching her barrette.
For this, I’ve gone back to my use of tiny magnets. However, instead of gluing a magnet into Minoo’s head, I buried a steel pin into her scalp. Then, I glued a magnet to the underside of her barrette. It stays in place well, but not aggressively.
But that’s ok… I don’t plan on playing rough with Minoo!
Minoo’s Finished 6.JPG (2.52 MiB) Viewed 554 times
Minoo’s Finished 7.JPG (2.12 MiB) Viewed 554 times
I’m pretty pleased with how Minoo has turned out… even if she took FOREVER to arrive! I’ve made one more thing for Minoo… but you are gonna have to wait to see it.
I can’t reveal all of the Enchantress’s secrets here!
EAC53203-5B62-49F7-86F9-F94A717BA70F.gif (26.31 MiB) Viewed 479 times
Elsa came together pretty quickly! Let’s catch up…
First off, let me say, her title isn’t just something clever I wrote… it’s got actual meaning in Elsa case. More than any other doll I’ve created, Elsa was born out of “crap” in my bins I’d given up on. And it all began with her body.
Elsa sports the Phicen S44A “teen” body. This is probably my least favorite body of the more recent releases of TBLeague. As you all know, I like my Minxes naked… and this body doesn’t appeal to me this way. Unfortunately, it also has no “secret parts”… not even a hint! Ever since I purchased this body, I’ve struggled to find a use for it.
But Elsa’s bulbous head matches pretty good!
Elsa came as an “extra” doll in a lot I bought on eBay. She was an odd size doll. Her head is bigger than the Monster High dolls, but smaller than the Super Hero Girls. As such, I couldn’t envision a transplant right away. However, I did discover her skin tone matched Phicen “pale” pretty well… and she had a guest appearance disciplining Mr Hops over on Lustful Shadows…
For that series, Elsa borrowed Mitzi’s body… but that couldn’t last. Mitzi wouldn’t tolerate it!
Afterwards, Elsa bounced around the Minx Mansion trying on a lot of bodies before landing on the S44. Once Minoo revealed herself, it was time to get Elsa sorted out… but I expected her to take longer than she did!
Her corset is one of the first 1/6 accessories I bought when I started the hobby. It had a zipper in the back and two odd shaped “bikini” flaps to cover the doll’s boobs. I cut those flaps off right after it arrived. However, you can still see one of the weird flaps…
Because it forms the front of Elsa’s thong!
Irritatingly, the zipper in the back of the corset was flawed from the moment it arrived from China. I was only ever able to get it to catch after wrestling with it for a LONG time. On Elsa’s tiny waisted new body though, the corset was way too big anyway. After briefing contemplating sewing on some kind of new fasteners… I realized there was a simpler solution.
Cut it and glue it together!
Mistress Elsa 1.JPG (2.81 MiB) Viewed 479 times
Ugh… why haven’t I used fabric glue more often??? Soooo easy…
Speaking of shitty zippers… Elsa’s boots next on the disaster list. I paid $25 for these boots several years ago from a “set breaker” on eBay, and the second time I zipped up the back of the left boot, the slider came off…
Over the years, I’ve tried to put it back together many times… with no success. I’ve contemplated buying another pair, but had no immediate need. I also tried to imagine some way to replace the zipper… tedious!
But Elsa said she’d wear these boots… and told me what to do.
“Weld them!”
Mistress Elsa 2.JPG (1.49 MiB) Viewed 479 times
Mistress Elsa 3.JPG (1.38 MiB) Viewed 479 times
I grabbed my soldering iron and just melted the back of the boot together. FIXED!
By this time, I’m starting to realize what Elsa is doing. She’s digging around in all my “crap” boxes and saying…
“Hmm… I can use this!”
Almost everything she’s got has been sitting around for far too long… unused and unloved. Her hands are a pair I bought way back that don’t match any others I have. Her whip was disappointingly short… and her sword, way more massive than I imagined it to be when I ordered it. Elsa likes them all.
Even attaching all her accessories went easy and simple. An earring clasp to hold her whip and a simple jump ring to hold her scabbard.
Huh… what’s going on here??? It’s almost like my Creative Block Monster is on vacation!
Mistress Elsa 4.JPG (2.39 MiB) Viewed 479 times
Mistress Elsa 5.JPG (2.46 MiB) Viewed 479 times
But Elsa was saving her best resurrection for last!
Shortly after creating Elsa’s nipple rings (with their little pink rosebuds ), I realized I wanted some sort of shoulder pad/collar top to complete her outfit. Out came the bin of unused bits, and way down in the bottom was a cut apart halter-top jumpsuit I’d tossed in long ago.
I don’t even remember what I was trying to do with it anymore… or why I cut it up. It was at least 4 years ago now.
“Ooo… nice! Snip snip!!!”
Mistress Elsa 6.JPG (2.83 MiB) Viewed 479 times
Mistress Elsa 7.JPG (2.24 MiB) Viewed 479 times
To say I’m very pleased with how Elsa has come together would be a VAST understatement!
She still has some surprises in store for us, I’m sure… not the least of which is that tiny heart lock she’s carrying around. I’m still uncertain what it’s purpose is, but she’s definitely claimed it. That little charm is probably the most significant discarded treasure she’s got.
Because I found it laying on the trail when I was out in the Forest last year!
Mkay... What you're saying is 'look at all this old stuff that I haven't found a use for until now!' But what my brain is hearing and remembering is 'never throw out anything, it might be useful later!' And that's a problem because in minis 'useful' can be as small as, well, her thong!
I kid.
She's looking amazing! Those shoulder pads were an amazing addition compared to the photo without. I too love some bare skin, but sometimes the clothing can make it better!
But that little heart lock... Found in the forest... I wouldn't want to be Elsa when Cedar comes looking for it! Nor would I want to be SF when she finds out how she got it!
Vicvic wrote: ↑Sun Mar 31, 2024 3:32 pm
A beautiful customisation!
Thanks Victor!
I’m very happy with how Minoo turned out… and surprised by Elsa! Dolly will be next up on the Tinkering bench!
agent0013 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 6:45 pm
Mkay... What you're saying is 'look at all this old stuff that I haven't found a use for until now!' But what my brain is hearing and remembering is 'never throw out anything, it might be useful later!' And that's a problem because in minis 'useful' can be as small as, well, her thong!
Useful indeed! Not that I need even more reasons to keep EVERYTHING…
Kidding aside tho, I wrestle with disappointment mightily when I spend money on things and they don’t work out. Sending them to trash heap is almost impossible for me… even tho that’s the best course of action.
The clutter is getting BAD!
agent0013 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2024 6:45 pm
But that little heart lock... Found in the forest... I wouldn't want to be Elsa when Cedar comes looking for it! Nor would I want to be SF when she finds out how she got it!
Uhhh… shit, I hadn’t considered that!
But maybe I’m safe… I mean, I haven’t heard anything about it yet… and Cedar is usually quick to demonstrate her displeasure. Besides, she seems to prefer shiny blingy stuff. The little lock doesn’t seem to be her style.
After all, I did give her a new jewel last Fall… and she hasn’t shown me what she’s done with it yet!
ShadowFun wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 4:49 amUhhh… shit, I hadn’t considered that!
But maybe I’m safe… I mean, I haven’t heard anything about it yet… and Cedar is usually quick to demonstrate her displeasure. Besides, she seems to prefer shiny blingy stuff. The little lock doesn’t seem to be her style.
After all, I did give her a new jewel last Fall… and she hasn’t shown me what she’s done with it yet!
Yeah... More like:
Only Cedar knows the truth for sure, but what I'm seeing is that the Lady of the Woods shyly offered up the lock to her heart, giving you the opportunity to find the key to unlock it and...
13FE53CA-BAD5-4898-81E5-B667C9B4576C.gif (29.35 MiB) Viewed 351 times
Dead-Eye Dolly
Minoo’s Petite Muscle
Dolly has been a long time in the making, and… as is typical for me… her delay was due to all my “BIG” dumb ideas.
Unlike Elsa, virtually all of Dolly’s outfit and gear were purchased specifically for her… or, for Minoo actually. I mentioned this before, and if you look back thru this thread, you will find early version of Minoo as my “Gamer Girl” in this outfit. Those early tinkerings ground to a halt as I kept adding more and more gear and “high concept” items to her creation.
Indeed, as I continued to focus on my imagination, instead of listening to what my dolls wanted, I kept searching out and purchasing more stuff for this outfit. At least 50% of it all has ended up being unused… *sigh*
Thankfully, Minoo and Dolly snapped me out of it!
Ok, let’s take a peek at the making of Dolly’s battle suit!
First, a big thank you goes out again to Agent for posting up his excellent success using fabric glue. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t been using it… it’s been in my kit for 4 YEARS! Ugh… oh well, better late than never… Right???
Dolly’s outfit uses fabric glue extensively. The glue I’m using is made by a company called Beacon and it’s called “Fabri-Tac”. I purchased it from a doll and puppet making supplier years ago and it was recommended as safe for TPE contact. I imagine that the Dritz brand stuff is super similar.
Dolly’s onesie came from eBay as a sexy cat suit… including the earband. Her skirt is made out of trim from the fabric store. I used the glue to finish the hems of the skirt, put the heart on the front of her suit, reduce the breadth of the chest area on the onesie and install her belt loops. The only stitching I did was to put on the tiny skirt clasp.
Here’s a bunch of pics showing various states of the process.
Battle 1.JPG (1.69 MiB) Viewed 351 times
Battle 2.JPG (2.98 MiB) Viewed 351 times
Battle 3.JPG (2.46 MiB) Viewed 351 times
Battle 4.jpg (1.95 MiB) Viewed 351 times
Battle 5.JPG (1.86 MiB) Viewed 351 times
The most tedious portion of her outfit making ended up being the clasp on her Colt’s holster.
I tried gluing tiny magnets on and buttons, they all came off. I probably could’ve glued on a small piece of Velcro, but I didn’t have any white. In the end, I stitched on one half of a tiny snap clasp and just poked a hole in the strap to pop it into.
It holds great!
Battle 7.JPG (1.89 MiB) Viewed 351 times
Battle 8.JPG (1.88 MiB) Viewed 351 times
Originally… way back when… she was gonna carry a big white ammo rig on her back.
I realized that looked dumb and un-sexy only after putting a ton of effort into it. But I did find a neat belt pouch. It’s from an “Imperial Snowtrooper” set. Overall, I was pretty pleased, and content to leave this minimalist setup on her… but this morning, I spotted a pink plastic backpack in the stash and decided she needed it.
Well… SHE told me she needed it… lol.
Battle 6.JPG (2.48 MiB) Viewed 351 times
D6260BBC-1E80-4636-A7CF-854DB2651661.gif (20.68 MiB) Viewed 351 times
The last detail Dolly asked me for was some bling for her top. Tiny white hearts to the rescue!
In keeping with my K.I.S.S. theme, I strung the little beads on some stainless wire and connected them between her backpack straps. As with most of the doll outfits I’ve created in recent years, Dolly is never taking off her battle suit. If she needs to wear something different for another purpose, she’s just gonna pop her head onto another body!
Battle 9.JPG (2.09 MiB) Viewed 351 times
With Dolly’s completion, Minoo’s main team is all sorted out. Now it’s time to work on her lesser minions.
The one coming to the Tinkering bench next will surprise everyone!
Boy is Minoo’s servant and all-around substitute male. He aspires to be Minoo’s love slave, but she’ll have none of that. Instead, she uses him to practice new enchantments on… and fetch stuff. Boy is just useful enough… and cute enough… to be allowed to continue to hang around.
As you all know, I don’t play with male dolls… I did enough of that in my youth. Consequently, the “males” that show up in the Minx Universe are typically sideshow characters or creatures… like Graoully… or myself.
Because let’s face it, I’m nothing more than a freak show character either!
Boy is a “Bratz Boyz” fashion doll… and he’s awful.
Oh, I get it… the Bratz fashion dolls are popular for a reason. Style with attitude is the motto. But these dolls, male or female, tick none of the boxes that are important to me. Consequently, Boy will be the only Bratz brand doll to ever join the ranks.
The horribleness starts with their symmetrical feet!
Boy 2.JPG (2.71 MiB) Viewed 280 times
Why? Why?? WHY????
Ok… it’s no secret that I’ve got a thing for sexy feet and shoes. Symmetrical feet are NOT sexy! When I first got Boy, I spent a lot of time trying to see if there was a right or left to his feet… I just couldn’t believe there wasn’t. For this reason alone, Bratz dolls will never become Minxes!
But the weirdness doesn’t stop there. As an action figure, Boy is also failing. His arms and legs are basically sticks… and his hands can’t hold anything. I think these dolls are designed to stand around looking all disaffected and cool… but do NOTHING!
It’s obvious why Minoo isn’t interested in him… lol.
I decided early on that Boy would need to be overcompensating with cuteness. The pink nighty and bondage accessories are his feeble attempt at pleasing Minoo. Of course, she requires him to keep his “thing” locked up too.
“Nobody wants to see THAT hanging out!”
Boy 3.JPG (3.83 MiB) Viewed 280 times
But Boy’s real commitment to Cuteness are his tattoos.
As a hard body doll, I’m able to put on some of the water slide tattoos I bought to use on the Super Hero Girls. The Bratz dolls are a little softer blend of vinyl… or whatever they are… so the decals don’t sit great, but they work ok.
Boy’s back tattoo was the main one I was going for. Time will tell if it will hold up, but he isn’t gonna see a lot of action anyway, so I doubt the tats will come off.
Boy 4.JPG (2.98 MiB) Viewed 280 times
Boy 5.JPG (2.44 MiB) Viewed 280 times
That’s it for Boy Z… what’s next for the Tinkering bench???
I think I’ve hit the point where I need to work on Minoo’s lair and the other scenes. Now that my characters are mostly complete, the story can begin soonish… providing there’s a location for it!
Thanks for sharing! 
Proud servant of 
), I realized I wanted some sort of shoulder pad/collar top to complete her outfit. Out came the bin of unused bits, and way down in the bottom was a cut apart halter-top jumpsuit I’d tossed in long ago. 
