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Mr Franz wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 4:27 pm
What about just using a piece of thin cardboard. Wet it, temporarily affix it to the plastic sunroof to give it the shape you need and let it dry. Paint it, glue on your material. Did that a few times when I was into building scale model cars.
I’ve definitely considered this route, sort of paper-mache like, but I know the folded sunroof needs to be more robust than that. I’m sure the Pixies will be rough with it… and I’ll be worse!
Probably, I’ll manhandle it in and out of pockets and bags… dropping it frequently!
Yeah, I've seen them in action. LOL
Thin sheet metal maybe or aluminium flashing? Fairly strong and not that hard to shape.
Mr Franz wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 4:47 pm
Yeah, I've seen them in action. LOL
Thin sheet metal maybe or aluminium flashing? Fairly strong and not that hard to shape.
Yes… VW collectors around the globe would cringe to see what they put their splitty through!
I’m heading to work this morning and am going to scour the shop for some waste packing plastic. I recall seeing quite a few pieces of flat black polyethylene in the past. It could be the perfect base material. Plus, it’s relatively abundant and totally disposable… unlike the original yellow roof.
I’ve decided not to cut up and use the roof. It is ultimately the wrong shape. Since it represents a “closed” sunroof, it sits on top of the body, outside the sunroof cutout. My base for the “folded” sunroof needs to sit inside the cutout.
I’ve been musing a lot over the last few days about what the next levels of customization for my beautiful Minxes will be…
Re-Sculpting their Curves!
I’ve tinkered often over the years with their little bodies… foot needle bones, Chartpak markers, different hand pegs and other minor adjustments… but actually modifying their TPE is something I’ve dreamt of, but only done hesitantly. I certainly enjoy the variety and details of TBLeague’s female bodies, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think I can’t improve them.
Particularly when they are nude…
Let’s face it, I’m on TDF posting my 1/6 ladies because I like them to be naked. I’m not a “mainstream” 1/6 doll hobbyist. I don’t buy boxed sets, and I don’t follow characters from popular movies, comics, anime or any other pop culture. I never did when I was a kid, and I’m not gonna start now.
For me, comic book heroines… in their skin suits… were always undressed by my teenage eyes. While I fully acknowledge that there is plenty of erotic power in the dressed female form… I prefer skin.
Many of Phicen’s ladies look excellent when undressed… and I think they are paying even more attention to naked details with their recent releases. It seems to me, that their early bodies are clearly designed to be dressed. Doll outfits can have bulky fabrics and awkward seams. Getting the doll to look correct when dressed often means that their body underneath needs some compromises. The Barbie doll landscape is filled with these examples.
Again, recent releases seem to be better sculpted, but many have weird omissions which seem to defy their “better nude” body sculpting.
Particularly… the complete omission of any vulva detail.
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I wrote previously about the missing “secret parts” on the S44 body… it’s not the only one.
Sky’s S40 body was also smooth as a Barbie in this area. The region itself is well molded, with a nice pubic mound, just no details at all. Of course, I immediately knew I’d need to do something about this omission if this new body was ever going to work for Sky.
Because this Minx LOVES to flaunt her sex appeal!
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“Haha! Should I tell you my secret???”
Shortly after installing Sky’s needle foot bones, I dove headlong into giving her underside some personality…
I haven’t posted about this before, and I’m not sure why. Unlike a lot of my tinkering, I didn’t do much in the way of practicing and just started cutting. I told myself that I couldn’t tolerate her body being plain, and if I screwed up badly, I’d just buy her another body.
But what happened was unexpected… I did a reasonably good job on my first attempt.
This created its own problem. Now I needed to REFINE what I’d done… without screwing it up. To do that, I’d need a way to control how her TPE flesh melted and smoothed out… over her very tiny delicate details.
Details I actually ADDED to her body.
I didn’t just cut away material from her body… I actually added a labia to her. I created it from a tiny piece of pink colored TPE. I shocked myself when it stayed in place and kinda looked correct. Really, the entire surgery had gone so well thus far, that I was content to leave Sky in this state until I developed some additional skills.
“Don’t be shy… Haha! Take a close look!”
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Of course, my surgery hadn’t just been about her frontside treasures…
I also re-sculpted Sky’s ass. Mainly, this involved opening up her crack and giving her some cheeks. Phicen gave her body plenty of meat to work with in this area. I’m sure the lack of depth here, like all of their bodies, is mostly to do with the limitations of mold-making.
Just like Sky’s delicate front, I came to a pretty satisfying place quickly with her derrière… and stopped there. I was going to have to master the elusive ability to refine her new surfaces before anything else could be done.
But amazingly… I got her cheeks to move independently…
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“I like it when you stare… Haha!”
So what’s next???
First, I need to figure out how to precisely control the temperature of my hot knife. TPE is a tricky material to melt. It goes from solid to on fire in a very small temperature window. The only way I was able to have the success I did was by turning my knife on and off. Even tho the knife has a temperature controller built in, I discovered the minimum temperature on it was still too hot for the TPE… by just a little.
I tried hooking the knife up to a variable speed controller that I use with my rotary tool, but so far, this hasn’t helped. Of course, heat control alone isn’t going to do the smoothing I need… I’m also going to have to add mineral oil.
There’s a lot of good info on TDF about repairing and modifying TPE love dolls. Certainly, I’ve got more research to do. But Phicen bodied Minxes are different than my “big” girls. I’m likely to need to develop techniques specifically for them.
Especially if I don’t want to melt away their tiny delicate bits!
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Congratulations on Sky's body transformation! I didn't know some Phicen bodies didn't have molded private parts. And thanks for sharing your experience!
Vicvic wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 10:53 am
Congratulations on Sky's body transformation! I didn't know some Phicen bodies didn't have molded private parts. And thanks for sharing your experience!
Thanks Victor! Hopefully, my ambitious plans don’t cause the ladies any harm!
So many plans…
On that topic, I think it’s time I wrote about those plans. Of course, Sky’s detailing was something I dove into out of necessity, but many of the other things I’d like to modify on my ladies aren’t as critical, because they look pretty good as they are.
Back to Cedar and Ta’rah… both of their bodies are molded with “secret parts” and I don’t feel compelled to change those areas. But their bums, like all Phicens, lack a deep “crack” separating their cheeks. Since both ladies spend their time mostly naked, I’d like to detail and enhance this area some.
More significantly, I’d like to do some breast re-sculpting. Phicen girls don’t require bras to support their ample bosoms… they have built-in Wonderbra support! While this certainly has a lot of practicality for the dressed ladies, it definitely can look odd when they are nude. For Sky’s anime-like proportions, it doesn’t bother me, but Ta’rah definitely should have a more natural bust.
And some under-boob…
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This is gonna require practice… and patience!
Fortunately, I have been playing with Phicen dolls long enough now to have some “old” bodies laying around that I won’t be using again. Once I figure out how to control my hot knife, I will practice cutting and shaping on these bodies.
The rough idea for Ta’rah, is to cut her breasts away from the underside along the seam where they meet her torso and reposition them lower, and slightly wider. This should “stretch” the still connected upper part on her chest down and smooth it out. Of course, this is all just theory… hence, the need for practice.
More ambitiously, I’d like to do a massive breast reduction on a S34 body down to an A cup. This is the model body Cedar uses. Depending upon the outcome of this project, it’s possible Cedar might claim this new tiny bust body, or maybe she’ll have a new Forest friend. In any case, I’ve got a lot of learning ahead of me before attempting this major surgery!
I’ll say it again, I’m super impressed with how well much of this Playmobil stuff looks with the Pixies. Tough and bright plastic… I know it’ll stand up to the girl’s type of FUN!
I looked through a seller’s store on eBay and ordered some stuff that I thought would work well and everything is perfect! The new picnic basket, extra cameras for Zimzoo (in case I lose hers), some binoculars for Bisboo and more!
When I spotted the red plastic tub, I envisioned using to hide the steering servo under the beetle’s hood.
It’s exactly the right size!
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I’m most likely going to cut off the bottom of the tub and it will slip right over the servo. Couple this with my plans to hide the rest of the electronics with a suitcase, and the trunk will have proper junk in it!
But we’re not stopping there… did you see the two flower vases? I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do with them, but they were too cute… so in the cart they went! Once I got them here, I saw that they would fit perfectly on the rear parcel shelf.
And be visible through the rear windows!
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Over and over, my dolls show me they have plans that I don’t know about… lol. It doesn’t seem to matter how big or small the girls are, they lead me around like I’m on a leash. I guess I don’t mind if they want to keep their secrets…
All of that stuff scales perfectly! If someone told me that was made specifically for 1/12 dolls I wouldn't even question it! Those two are going to have an amazing summer!
Vicvic wrote: ↑Wed Feb 28, 2024 12:35 pm
The Pixies want to go picnicking in the woods and take photos... hurry up and finish the little 4x4!
You are correct Victor! I promise to work on their sunroof this weekend. Spring is coming!
agent0013 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 7:41 pm
All of that stuff scales perfectly! If someone told me that was made specifically for 1/12 dolls I wouldn't even question it! Those two are going to have an amazing summer!
I think they will… in a shiny new blue beetle too!
What’s weird about the scaling of B & Z, the Playmobil stuff and their Bugaloo, is that I find they all work well together… but I’m not sure any of it is 1/12 scale exactly. If you recall, I was struggling to find drivers for my beetle way back when. I bought a Figma girl and some others before trying out the Phicen “anime” girls and falling in love.
With their big “bobble” heads, B & Z look like larger dolls than the “normal” head size 1/12 Phicens, even though they aren’t. Next to Bugaloo, the normal headed Phicens, probably more truly 1/12 scale, look too small to me. And the Playmobil stuff looks too big, even though it’s all meant for SMALLER figures!
What is this madness???
“Nope, Bisboo… I’ve got no clue why that chick’s body is pink!”
“Weirdos… Haha!”
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I’m just gonna call it FUN scale!
Over the course of my adult life, and my experiences as a sculptor, I’ve developed a keen sensitivity to spatial resolution… I can see what fits where, and I often pride myself on this as a talent I possess.
Something different is happening when I play with my dolls. There’s an additional element that is informing my choices, and it’s particularly evident in my time with Bisboo and Zimzoo…
Childlike Wonder!
We are Whole beings. Inside myself, is the 5 year old ShadowFun who played with unbounded imagination. I’m certain this young Self of mine walks with me throughout my daily adult life, but most of the time, he plays quietly beside me. But not so with my dolls… young SF tells me what’s FUN and what’s not.
Maybe this is why so many of the solutions for B & Z come so effortlessly? There’s no denying that hours just melt away when I’m playing with them in the Forest. Some would say that the goal of Life is to learn to be your true authentic and whole Self.
I never imagined that dolls would be helping me find my Nirvana!
A quick update on the folded sunroof… I think I’ve got my structural material set.
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This thin and flexible piece of polyethylene I brought home from work should be perfect.
I’ve decided I need to make a base panel that fits inside the sunroof cutout and that the top can be fixed to. The plastic I found is stiff but still flexible enough to bow with the curve of the roofline.
Before cutting anything, I made some templates out of index card. The inside base panel is not a simple shape… but once in the roof, does what I’d hoped it would…and follows the roofline.
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I’ll also need to cut some external pieces of the polyethylene to form the stiff underside of the top at the front and back. The original idea was to glue the marine vinyl to these two panels and then fold the top between them, gluing down the folds across the “ribs” of the sunroof.
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But, I’ve come to the conclusion that the marine vinyl won’t work…it’s too stiff.
I might try ironing a tight crease to see if it’ll take, but I’m doubtful. Ultimately, the folded top needs to drape and look soft. This vinyl is just too heavy. I’ll search around the Mansion and see if the Minxes have squirreled away anything I can use… but a trip to the fabric store is likely.
I found some fabric that is the right thickness and texture for the sunroof.
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But not without some reluctance.
I’ve always struggled with a being a somewhat of a hoarder.
It’s not quite to the point of it being an addiction or a disorder, but I definitely have trouble letting go of things that have a “purpose” or plans… even if I will never use them. I discovered the perfect fabric to make the convertible top yesterday right away. It was part of a elastic net that fits across the back of my car, meant to organize the back hatch area. I always thought it was useless… and it was still brand new and stored in a box in my basement.
Ultimately, I wrecked the rest of my afternoon yesterday trying to find something else to make the top out of… even though I knew this fabric was perfect. I always struggle with “ruining” something that has a unique purpose. Thankfully, I woke up this morning being able to let it go.
Proud servant of Arachne Baenre, the drow elf.
hurry up and finish the little 4x4! 
