Modern-style neck adapters for Corps figures
Feb 9, 2018 10:02:43 GMT
tk421, jknox33, and 2 more like this
Post by MagicWazard on Feb 9, 2018 10:02:43 GMT
Since Lanard loves to reissue the same Corps figures repeatedly, it's very easy to wind up with multiples of the same figure. Depending on your skill and comfort level with customizing, it may be hard to find a use for these duplicates. A solution I came up with was neck adapters which would easily allow figures to adopt heads from modern-style lines such as GI Joe, Marauder Task Force, etc. This would create an easy option for folks like myself to customize figures with a minimum of effort or risk of ruining the figure. I've been working on a design using 3ds Max that can be 3D-printed and used with little to no extra preparation. There's still a bit of work yet to be done on the design, but they're far along enough that I think I can start showing them off.
Right now I have two styles of adapter ready to print--a smaller one for 2005-model swivel-necked torsos, and one for 2010-model swivel-necked torsos. Because 2005 heads typically fit 2010 torsos, the larger version of the swivel adapter may not even be necessary. I need to test some more before I can say for sure, though. (I am prepping versions for 2003 ball-jointed torsos as well as limited-articulation figures, but don't have anything to show off yet.)
Here's what they look like in 3ds Max.
Here they are printed. They're kind of rough looking at the moment (not to mention oblong, which is not desired*). Unfortunately I haven't gotten the tolerances of the prints quite right yet, so they don't fit entirely properly into the neck cavities of the torsos--the torsos won't quite fit together flush with the adapters in. The plugs are a still just a little bit too thick, and need a bit more vertical clearance. Because the 3D printed material (ABS-based) is very stiff, the fit needs to be very close to perfect. Luckily, heads pop on and off the ball at the top with no issues. So far the 3D printed material seems sturdy enough that the neck doesn't appear to be at risk of breaking from popping the head on and off the ball. Even if it does, though, the neck itself would be easy to replace.
*Instead of printing them right-side up, I have these laying at a 90-degree angle on the print bed in order to minimize the amount of support material I need to remove from the peg. Otherwise, the peg would be nearly entirely encased in support material, which would be a hassle to clean off. This orientation seems to make them sag a little bit, though. This doesn't really affect the fit much, but is still undesired.
Here's a couple of adapters attached to Troll and Bolder. You can't really tell from this angle, but the torsos don't fit together quite flush. They're pretty close, though!
And here's Troll with an MTF balaclava/rebreather head. The head fits pretty much perfect onto the neck ball. Thanks to Troll's torso proportions, the neck length is just about perfect too!
Note that Troll was real difficult to take apart. The seams on the sides of the torso are a little worse for wear as a result. You can also see in this pic that he doesn't quite fit back together 100%, either.
Here's Bolder with an MTF balaclava head. The neck is just a bit short here due to the high collar, but it does the job. I'm pleasantly surprised by how well the color matches, too.
Chap Mei figures use the same size neck peg as 2010-model Corps figures, so the same neck adapter can be used for them as well. Here's Patch with an MTF trooper head. Again, the neck seems a touch short due to the collar, but overall it looks very nice.
The limited-articulation figures have a slightly different neck peg than other swivel types--the peg is a bit longer, and is tapered a bit towards the bottom. I don't have an adapter specially designed for them yet. That said, I was able to wedge the smaller version into Recoil's neck just enough to get a picture of him with an MTF Sentinel head. Once more, the neck will need to be slightly longer, but the result looks very good!
Anyways, as mentioned, I still need to tweak the dimensions of the model to get the plugs to fit into the neck cavities properly. The neck length is a bit short on the majority of figures, so I may create longer and shorter options. The results so far are pretty promising, though.
Right now I have two styles of adapter ready to print--a smaller one for 2005-model swivel-necked torsos, and one for 2010-model swivel-necked torsos. Because 2005 heads typically fit 2010 torsos, the larger version of the swivel adapter may not even be necessary. I need to test some more before I can say for sure, though. (I am prepping versions for 2003 ball-jointed torsos as well as limited-articulation figures, but don't have anything to show off yet.)
Here's what they look like in 3ds Max.
Here they are printed. They're kind of rough looking at the moment (not to mention oblong, which is not desired*). Unfortunately I haven't gotten the tolerances of the prints quite right yet, so they don't fit entirely properly into the neck cavities of the torsos--the torsos won't quite fit together flush with the adapters in. The plugs are a still just a little bit too thick, and need a bit more vertical clearance. Because the 3D printed material (ABS-based) is very stiff, the fit needs to be very close to perfect. Luckily, heads pop on and off the ball at the top with no issues. So far the 3D printed material seems sturdy enough that the neck doesn't appear to be at risk of breaking from popping the head on and off the ball. Even if it does, though, the neck itself would be easy to replace.
*Instead of printing them right-side up, I have these laying at a 90-degree angle on the print bed in order to minimize the amount of support material I need to remove from the peg. Otherwise, the peg would be nearly entirely encased in support material, which would be a hassle to clean off. This orientation seems to make them sag a little bit, though. This doesn't really affect the fit much, but is still undesired.
Here's a couple of adapters attached to Troll and Bolder. You can't really tell from this angle, but the torsos don't fit together quite flush. They're pretty close, though!
And here's Troll with an MTF balaclava/rebreather head. The head fits pretty much perfect onto the neck ball. Thanks to Troll's torso proportions, the neck length is just about perfect too!
Note that Troll was real difficult to take apart. The seams on the sides of the torso are a little worse for wear as a result. You can also see in this pic that he doesn't quite fit back together 100%, either.
Here's Bolder with an MTF balaclava head. The neck is just a bit short here due to the high collar, but it does the job. I'm pleasantly surprised by how well the color matches, too.
Chap Mei figures use the same size neck peg as 2010-model Corps figures, so the same neck adapter can be used for them as well. Here's Patch with an MTF trooper head. Again, the neck seems a touch short due to the collar, but overall it looks very nice.
The limited-articulation figures have a slightly different neck peg than other swivel types--the peg is a bit longer, and is tapered a bit towards the bottom. I don't have an adapter specially designed for them yet. That said, I was able to wedge the smaller version into Recoil's neck just enough to get a picture of him with an MTF Sentinel head. Once more, the neck will need to be slightly longer, but the result looks very good!
Anyways, as mentioned, I still need to tweak the dimensions of the model to get the plugs to fit into the neck cavities properly. The neck length is a bit short on the majority of figures, so I may create longer and shorter options. The results so far are pretty promising, though.