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Hey guys,
I am planning out a cyberverse commander class Hoist. I will be using the Ironhide mold and scratch building his tow equipment.
I am also in need of a head to use. Does anyone have any ideas on what would be a good idea? I was considering a Legends class Trailbreaker as the heads are nearly the same size but a spare trailbreaker is hard to find here.
Anyways, I digibashed/photoshopped an Ironhide to somewhat give an idea of what he might end up looking like.
Any Ideas on things to make the final product better is greatly appreciated.

...

Okay,
So I have finally had a chance to really spend time with this custom.
Other than a repaint years ago and my somewhat well known Vinyl Wraps on the DOTM Roadbuster, this is my first serious custom. First head swap, first scratch built parts etc.

So for the main color I decided to go with a metallic green. In this case Mystic Emerald. It's a slight bit darker than I had hoped but I love it none the less.

I used a legends Hoist head and cut and trimmed the backingso that it appeared to be just the head and I left the bottom on for a solid flat surface.

I took Ironhide and popped off the head and saw it was on a t slot. So I cut off the tabs and made that surface as flat and smooth as I could. Ten I took the backplate that was on the head of Hoist and trimmed away the trademark lights or whatever they are and glued those to the backplate of Ironhide. Then I glued the head on.
That's the main modification to the figure. The only other changes will be a scratch built tow hook set up using an arm and hook from an old hotwheels.

I started the painting a bit and got a bit close with the spray and it left some blemishes in spots. I haven't decided if I want to sand them and repaint or if I want to leave them. I kinda like the rougher look as it gives him a bit of a battle tested look.

here is today's update. I have built the basics for the tow arm and finished primary assembly. really all that is left is detail painting on the bot itself and then painting and detailing the towing parts.

I got my first in-hand look at Hoist today at my local TRU store and I have to say I love your choice of green over the original color. Great job all the way around. I keep looking over my shoulder at my own CC Ironhide on the shelf behind me and debating on whether or not I should pick up another one to play around with modding one myself. If I did I would probably gravitate towards a Brawn modification since he's one of my favorite characters.
Great work with the add-ons you did. That tow hook and the extra panels really finish it off well. Kind of makes the truck look like a Chevy Avalanche.

Thank You.
Yeah you're right. It does resemble an Avalanche a bit. I hadn't noticed.
Honestly as this is the deepest into a custom i have ever gotten it's been tougher than it looks. The small scale is the biggest challenge for me.

I tried to paint the orange secondary colors using ModelMaster Lacquer. BUT I ran into an issue where the paint tried to wash away the green. Not sure why or how to overcome it. Maybe I need to switch to a testors enamel???

Here is a robot pic:

Is the green an Enamel? Because painting Lacquer over Enamel is a big no-no. Solvents used in lacquers are stronger and faster evaporating than enamel solvents and the lacquer solvents can "dissolve" the enamel paint underneath them. That may be your issue.

No actually the green is a Lacquer. it was a Testors One Coat Lacquer.