The Energon Pub

how do i learn to become a customizer, ive read some guides on tfw2005 in the raicons section, but they are not specific enough for me.

also if i want to learn how to make new heads/accecories/body parts but have no skill with anything like that, how do i start learning? like i know people use styrene and remolding to make new heads/accecories/body parts or take existing heads and make them into different characters, but how do i learn to do it? do i jump right into learning how to use styrene and do remolding even if ive never done customs and just practice or do i have to have other skills first and if so what would those skills be?

and how do i learn what to remove when taking apart a transformer to customize? like with pins and screws?

also are people on this forum helpful and will they answer questions or will noobs just be ignored like on tfw2005...

Hey there, I am new to these forums and scratch building/customizing. I haven't customized a figure but will be doing this soon enough. After I get my first scratch build project completed.

I think it all depends on your comfort level; but I would say the answer is part: educate yourself first and part: jump right in. I did some research on using styrene from a few model train threads -- they use a lot of styrene and have great tips and tricks. that hobby has been around a lot longer than TFs. You can also look at starship modeling resources for some information on scratch building techniques. Making TF heads is something I have no experience with...so not sure about resources for that. Although I have seen folks take spare TF heads and disassemble them and "edit" them with styrene and modeling putty etc...and there is of course 3D modeling/printing for making heads/custom parts....

There is some information available in the Kitbash/Paint Resource and Tips and Tricks threads, as well as through out the customization forum threads.

Google, Youtube(disassembling TFS and removing pins etc) and your local bookstore are also very helpful when you are looking for information on a specific topics, techniques or how tos.

My tips are:

See what you have laying around that you can re-purpose into your project, like Legos (I have seen these used in a lot of projects) but anything you have (toy or material wise) can be re-used for a project you might have in mind.

Start small and expect to make a lot of mistakes, or as others might call it practice before you get your skills honed.

Like donny said, start small. maybe start with simply repainting a figure. Shapeways can be a good source for custom parts if you dont feel ready to make your own. just credit the people who make the parts

Best advice i could give is to take your time and have fun with it.

goobahead1 wrote:how do i learn to become a customizer, ive read some guides on tfw2005 in the raicons section, but they are not specific enough for me.

also if i want to learn how to make new heads/accecories/body parts but have no skill with anything like that, how do i start learning? like i know people use styrene and remolding to make new heads/accecories/body parts or take existing heads and make them into different characters, but how do i learn to do it? do i jump right into learning how to use styrene and do remolding even if ive never done customs and just practice or do i have to have other skills first and if so what would those skills be?

and how do i learn what to remove when taking apart a transformer to customize? like with pins and screws?

also are people on this forum helpful and will they answer questions or will noobs just be ignored like on tfw2005...

Go on ebay and buy cheap Transformers being sold as junk/for parts. Now you have practice materials to try out whatever techniques you want or to experiment with. Practice and experimentation are good ways to learn.

these should help as well
http://www.jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com/guides.html