Detachable Floating Ab Joint Custom Tutorial
How to use a LEGO Technic pin to create a detachable ab joint for almost any Marvel Legends female figure.
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Paintrub is always an issue when customizing, and there can be complications when painting the figure too. Here's something I came up with on the fly that helps on both fronts.
Materials needed:
•LEGO Technic half-pin
•Rotary tool
•Sanding bit
•Narrow grinding bit (depends on your figure parts)
•Super glue
Here's the jist of what you're doing, the pin end pops into the upper body while the stud end slides over the rod in the lower body.
Use the sanding bit to thin the rod in the lower body until the Technic pin can snugly slide down all the way.
Be sure to thin the rod evenly on all sides to keep everything centered.
Test fit the joint, the Technic pin should pop into the upper body with a little force. The slots in the tip of the pin help it squeeze in there.
If the upper body is resting too high, you can try this:
•Remove some material from the stud end of the Technic pin. This is helpful if you need to lower it by a little bit. You might need to grind away the thin rim if it limits the ab's range of movement.
•You can also use a narrow grinding bit to remove some material from inside the upper body to let the pin sink in deeper. Be careful not to widen the hole, you just want it deeper.
DON'T remove material from the pin end to make it shorter, the lips on the tip give it some grip.
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Test fit and modify until you're happy. Once everything looks good, super glue the pin to the rod and let it cure completely before connecting the body parts.
If you accidentally widened the hole in the upper body and now the swivel action is too loose, find a way to thicken the pin.
In this picture I simply drew a bead of super glue around the pin and let it dry on its own. The super glue gets rock hard when it's dry, creating a ridge on the pin that creates more friction and tightens the swivel action.
You can also try wrapping a little tape or fabric around the pin.
This mod benefits both customizers and their customers.
•The detachable nature of the joint makes it much easier to paint and do touch ups if needed. It also lets you easily remove belts, sashes, holsters, etc.
•This joint is great for posing the figure without damaging the paint because you can fine-tune how much clearance you want to create! All you do is slightly raise the upper body so it isn't touching the lower body, pose it, then simply press down again.
Disclaimer
Customize at your own risk!
Customizing can be a fun, but dangerous hobby. These tutorials are contributed by other customizers. Some of the things recommended in the tutorials may be dangerous, such as the use of boiling water or sharp objects. You shouldn't attempt anything mentioned without adult permission and supervision. Figure Realm and/or the authors of the tutorials are not liable for any injuries or damages occurring from any attempt to follow suggestions in these tutorials.
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