Customizing

[RockinRarity 1,605]

So I was wondering if there was anypony around here who has ever customized or altered a G4 pony in any way, either to make the pony more show-accurate or to create your own pony or a pony that doesn't exist as a toy (eg Derpy Hooves).

 

I for one like to style my manes so that they are as show-accurate as I can make them. They're not perfect (and I've seen people online do a much better job than me) but I'm satisfied with them and I prefer them now than I did when I first unboxed my ponies.

 

I have styled the manes for $5 brushables who are not canon to the show. I own Snowcatcher, Lulu Luck, and Feathermay. I've given each of them a unique hairstyle that does not make them look quite so much like recolors of the mane 6.

 

I have also repainted 2 ponies: Celestia and Cheerilee. I painted Pinklestia white and she looks beautiful. I painted Cheerilee because her toy is more like her G3 character than her G4 character, so I painted her a darker purple (although it's probably too dark, but oh well) and I repainted her cutie mark. I also sorta dyed her mane a more purple color using a purple sharpie and rubbing alcohol. I hope to never need to do anything like that again...

 

Now I'm currently rehairing Rainbow Dash so that her mane and tail can become more show-accurate. I haven't bought her hair yet, but right now I'm in the midst of getting her old hair out of her head (and it's a pain in the butt, but hopefully the finished product will be awesome!)

 

So, does anypony else customize their ponies in any way?

Edited May 18, 2012 by RockinRarity

[Pencil J. Doodle 242]

I got a fluttershy doll once, and customized her mane to look show accurate using a tutorial on DeviantART

 

Here is the customizer, his/her work is impressive: http://countschlick.deviantart.com/

[Graphite 80]

yea i cut the mane's of my ponys to make them more show accurate

[Bunny_San 103]

I've done pony customs for a long time. I've got several Works in Progress. Mostly they just need eyes. Eyes are my bane ._. Here's a few of my older gen ponies that I've done though. Let me see if I can finish a couple of them today. I have TWO Lunas that just need eyes to be done with, and one is a gift. This is just the motivation I needed to finish her

 

Baby Applejack, G3.5

Baby Crumpet, G3.5, commissioned

Baby Wind Whistler, G3.5

Princess Luna WIP, She's further along now, sorry for the crappy pic, it's old and from my tablet. She has cutie marks now :3

[Proctra Music 335]

I've done pony customs for a long time. I've got several Works in Progress. Mostly they just need eyes. Eyes are my bane ._. Here's a few of my older gen ponies that I've done though. Let me see if I can finish a couple of them today. I have TWO Lunas that just need eyes to be done with, and one is a gift. This is just the motivation I needed to finish her

 

Baby Applejack, G3.5

Baby Crumpet, G3.5, commissioned

Baby Wind Whistler, G3.5

Princess Luna WIP, She's further along now, sorry for the crappy pic, it's old and from my tablet. She has cutie marks now :3

 

Luna looks REALLY good! That's a seller!

[Bunny_San 103]

Thank you! Here's a newer WIP pic of my G4 customs (as obviously no one cared for my cute 'lil babies ) All work is as of this afternoon. Big Luna's boots and eye are new, Wind Whistler got touchups on her hair and body, and little luna is awaiting her work.

 

Edit: I re-read your initial post, and if you ever need to dye a mane, rit dye is the way to go. I bet you dollars to donuts that poor Cheerilee's hair is all dried out from that rubbing alcohol : And if it's not now, give it a few months and it will be.

 

What most bronies who are all gung ho about "Canonizing" their toy ponies don't know is that some of the things they're doing are destroying their ponies in the long term. Their hair is nylon, so using harsh chemicals like alcohol, glue or hair gel (for styling) absolutely destroys the hair in the long run, chemically breaking it down over time so it becomes brittle and easy to break. I could show you HORRORS of ponies that children have destroyed in this way. But I shall spare you ._.

 

For your future reference, the only things that should ever touch your pony's hair are: rit dye (if you REALLY need to change hair color, since the dyes are natural), human shampoo and conditioner, for the sake of keeping clean, a doll's brush/comb, and a flat or curling iron set on lowest heat. And straws. Those can also touch hair. They make fabu-curlers. I had a tutorial post on hair care and safe styling/canonizing that I had done a while back. I'll look it up and post a link And if you MUST cut your pony's hair *shudder* ....please, do it responsibly.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Bunny_San

[Apple Bloom 2,933]

I actually bought my first brushables because I saw a thread about styling their hair and I thought it would be fun. So far I've only done the mane 6 though. I've tried styling a few fashion styles but I can't seem to get them to cooperate. I'll try again when I've got more time and patience.

 

I also made a custom Derpy mini figure using thinned acrylic paint. I'm not happy with her though. Her cutie mark is too dark and I forgot to derp her eyes.

 

I haven't done anything else but I'm planning on making a show accurate Celestia using the solid hair figure from the gift set. This time I'm going to try using enamel paint.

 

 

What most bronies who are all gung ho about "Canonizing" their toy ponies don't know is that some of the things they're doing are destroying their ponies in the long term. Their hair is nylon, so using harsh chemicals like alcohol, glue or hair gel (for styling) absolutely destroys the hair in the long run, chemically breaking it down over time so it becomes brittle and easy to break. I could show you HORRORS of ponies that children have destroyed in this way. But I shall spare you ._.

 

For your future reference, the only things that should ever touch your pony's hair are: rit dye (if you REALLY need to change hair color, since the dyes are natural), human shampoo and conditioner, for the sake of keeping clean, a doll's brush/comb, and a flat or curling iron set on lowest heat. And straws. Those can also touch hair. They make fabu-curlers. I had a tutorial post on hair care and safe styling/canonizing that I had done a while back. I'll look it up and post a link And if you MUST cut your pony's hair *shudder* ....please, do it responsibly.

 

I agree with you for the most part, except I use a regular hair comb for styling them. I find it works better than the toy comb that comes with them. The fine teeth can be a problem with tangles but I have a clay molding tool with a point on the end that I use for gently removing them. I also use it for separating plugs and pulling strands when they inevitably get stuck in the neck or looped back in the plug during manufacture. When it comes to chemicals, I NEVER use anything other than hot water. I don't think shampoo would hurt it but I've never felt the need to use it and I just don't see the point in using conditioner. It's made for putting moisture back into hair and nylon hair can't absorb moisture as far as I know, not in the same way human hair does anyway.

 

I know what you mean about cutting their hair too. I know from experience that it's extremely easy to misjudge the length and cut it too short. (Sorry Applejack ) A rule of thumb that I read somewhere: If you think it's just right, it's probably too short. If you make it too long you can always cut more off, but it will never grow back.

[Bunny_San 103]

 

I haven't done anything else but I'm planning on making a show accurate Celestia using the solid hair figure from the gift set. This time I'm going to try using enamel paint.

 

 

I agree with you for the most part, except I use a regular hair comb for styling them. I find it works better than the toy comb that comes with them. The fine teeth can be a problem with tangles but I have a clay molding tool with a point on the end that I use for gently removing them. I also use it for separating plugs and pulling strands when they inevitably get stuck in the neck or looped back in the plug during manufacture. When it comes to chemicals, I NEVER use anything other than hot water. I don't think shampoo would hurt it but I've never felt the need to use it and I just don't see the point in using conditioner. It's made for putting moisture back into hair and nylon hair can't absorb moisture as far as I know, not in the same way human hair does anyway.

 

 

Trust me about the conditioner thing I wouldn't have recommended it if it didn't TOTALLY work. I've revived the dry hair of *vintage* 25 year old ponies to almost new condition using conditioner. I've found that ones with avocado oil work really well, but just regular cheap stuff works wonders as well. In regards to using hooman combs on ponies, if you insist on using a hooman comb, use one with big thick teeth. Using ones with fine teeth actually causes the hair to pull so tightly that it microcurls and can cause frizz. Use combs that are designed for dolls or like I said, ones with big thick teeth and take the hair in small chunks and just brush it until smooth not pulling hard. Start at the ends.

 

In regards to the enamel paint, I am about 99% sure that it doesn't stick to the vinyl that these little guys are made of. It just...sort of never really dries properly and remains tacky. Your best bets are nice acrylic paints with heavy pigments. If you want go the "expensive" route, the Games Workshops paints are really nice, I use their white for eyes because it's the ONLY white paint I've found that I can do smooth eyes in ONE coat with without thinning the paint. If you want to go the cheap but honestly just as good route, go to your local Walmart, and buy their upper grade acrylic paints. The ones I use are Apple Barrel and Folk Art, and never a day's trouble have I had. Except for white. DONT buy white. It's evil. Buy games workshop white and save yourself the trouble. And as far as your Derpy goes, she looks just fine to me, she's super cute, except for the underped eyes. We can just say stupid soccer mom's got ahold of her.

[Apple Bloom 2,933]

Trust me about the conditioner thing I wouldn't have recommended it if it didn't TOTALLY work. I've revived the dry hair of *vintage* 25 year old ponies to almost new condition using conditioner. I've found that ones with avocado oil work really well, but just regular cheap stuff works wonders as well.

I might try using shampoo and/or conditioner if I absolutely have to but all of my ponies so far are brand new so I haven't needed to clean their hair yet.

 

In regards to using hooman combs on ponies, if you insist on using a hooman comb, use one with big thick teeth. Using ones with fine teeth actually causes the hair to pull so tightly that it microcurls and can cause frizz. Use combs that are designed for dolls or like I said, ones with big thick teeth and take the hair in small chunks and just brush it until smooth not pulling hard. Start at the ends.

 

I prefer a human comb because in my opinion it works better and it's easier to hold. I know it can cause frizz (from personal experience) but I'm always careful not to pull too hard. I go slow and gentle and if I hit a tangle, I stop and carefully remove it. Most of the tangles I've encountered are near the end of the hair, so I usually dip it in water and separate it before brushing.

 

In regards to the enamel paint, I am about 99% sure that it doesn't stick to the vinyl that these little guys are made of. It just...sort of never really dries properly and remains tacky. Your best bets are nice acrylic paints with heavy pigments. If you want go the "expensive" route, the Games Workshops paints are really nice, I use their white for eyes because it's the ONLY white paint I've found that I can do smooth eyes in ONE coat with without thinning the paint. If you want to go the cheap but honestly just as good route, go to your local Walmart, and buy their upper grade acrylic paints. The ones I use are Apple Barrel and Folk Art, and never a day's trouble have I had. Except for white. DONT buy white. It's evil. Buy games workshop white and save yourself the trouble. And as far as your Derpy goes, she looks just fine to me, she's super cute, except for the underped eyes. We can just say stupid soccer mom's got ahold of her.

 

Thanks for the info! I don't really know about the properties of paints but someone else on here made some blind bag (mini figure) customs using enamel so I wanted to try it. From my experience with plastic models, enamel dries smoother and thinner than acrylic so I thought it would be perfect for ponies. I'm still going to try it in one little spot and see how it acts. Regarding acrylics, I have a set of acrylic paints I bought from Michael's arts and crafts store. I forgot the brand but they're not the cheapest ones they had. There's only about eight colors so I usually have to mix them.

[Bunny_San 103]

OH. And I forgot to mention, when you finish your ponies, don't forget to seal the paint! What I usually use is thinned down Mod Podge, applied with makeup sponges. It makes sure the paint stays nice and safe. And a new trick I've found, (I say trick but it's probably DUR common sense,) if you need to do multiple coats of a custom mixed color, keep the paint from drying on your palette by dipping a paint brush in water and mixing it in from time to time. Minimal thinning, and it keeps the paint from drying out. One thing I love and hate about the paints I mentioned earlier is how quick they dry, so I really don't have to wait between coats. ^^

[RockinRarity 1,605]

OH. And I forgot to mention, when you finish your ponies, don't forget to seal the paint! What I usually use is thinned down Mod Podge, applied with makeup sponges. It makes sure the paint stays nice and safe. And a new trick I've found, (I say trick but it's probably DUR common sense,) if you need to do multiple coats of a custom mixed color, keep the paint from drying on your palette by dipping a paint brush in water and mixing it in from time to time. Minimal thinning, and it keeps the paint from drying out. One thing I love and hate about the paints I mentioned earlier is how quick they dry, so I really don't have to wait between coats. ^^

 

Can you get Mod Podge from JoAnn's or Michael's or any other regular craft store, or do you have to buy it online? I've heard of using Mod Podge before and I'd like to try it because the sealer stuff that I bought is too shiny.

[Bunny_San 103]

Can you get Mod Podge from JoAnn's or Michael's or any other regular craft store, or do you have to buy it online? I've heard of using Mod Podge before and I'd like to try it because the sealer stuff that I bought is too shiny.

 

Yeah, and you can get it at Walmart too if you have one that has a craft section. Given Walmart's recent urge to turn EVERY walmart into a *DUNDUNDUUUUUUN!* SUUUUUUUPER Walmart, your walmart will probably have it, and if not, will get it soon. I recommend getting the matte version for bodies, and if you like, a bottle of the shiny for use on eyes. I like shiny eyes... You can get the makeup sponges in the makeup section of the store And for brushing on the eyes, just use your nicest paint brush so as not to leave brush strokes. And DONT let it dry. Made that mistake once. Ended up with a rock hard paint brush << Thankfully it washed out pretty well.

[RockinRarity 1,605]

Yeah, and you can get it at Walmart too if you have one that has a craft section. Given Walmart's recent urge to turn EVERY walmart into a *DUNDUNDUUUUUUN!* SUUUUUUUPER Walmart, your walmart will probably have it, and if not, will get it soon. I recommend getting the matte version for bodies, and if you like, a bottle of the shiny for use on eyes. I like shiny eyes... You can get the makeup sponges in the makeup section of the store And for brushing on the eyes, just use your nicest paint brush so as not to leave brush strokes. And DONT let it dry. Made that mistake once. Ended up with a rock hard paint brush << Thankfully it washed out pretty well.

 

Cool, thanks!

 

But... my Walmart is sooooo ghetto... it's so cluttered and things are put in the wrong sections and other things have fallen onto the floor and everything... it's not getting turned into a Super Walmart anytime soon... lol

[Twilicious 150]

I recently got the mane 6 in the Royal Wedding collection at Zellers and Wal-Mart.

 

My collection started with Pinkie Pie when my mother came to visit me for Victoria Day and gave me the Pinkie Pie that she had found at Wal-Mart. I found that her hair was oddly pin straight. It was like seeing her on the rock farm and it made me a little sad so I tried to puff her hair up a bit:

 

 

The following week I dropped the money at Zellers because they had a buy one get one half off and I completed my Royal Wedding set. Fluttershy and Rarity look OK:

Their hairstyles remain fairly true to the show with just a little combing.

 

The issues arise with Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Applejack.

 

 

I'm thinking about cutting Rainbow's hair to be a little shorter and shaggier but I haven't yet because I'm afraid. The other changes I have made are changeable with a little water and a combing, whereas cutting is permanent. For Twilight I'm thinking about straightening her hair and then giving her some bangs. What do you guys think?

 

The problem with Applejack should be fairly obvious, she doesn't come with her hat! I have been looking for a good little Barbie cowboy hat but I've had no luck so far. Does anyone have any advice surrounding where to find one? or perhaps how to make one?

[MVC NVMXD JVRXD 2,406]

Don't cut the Rainbow Dash hair unless your completely sure of its outcome.

[Bunny_San 103]

The problem with Applejack should be fairly obvious, she doesn't come with her hat! I have been looking for a good little Barbie cowboy hat but I've had no luck so far. Does anyone have any advice surrounding where to find one? or perhaps how to make one?

 

I can recommend that if you want to make one yourself, try using sculpey, which is a bake to cure clay. It gives you lots of time to make sure you get your sculpting just right and is very easy to work with. Bake on a cookie sheet on top of a paper towel at 215-220 for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven. Sand with a fine grit sandpaper to remove any fingerprints left in sculpting, then paint with acrylic paint. Or if you're feeling daring, and like spending a little more cash, Apoxie clay. Takes about 4-6 hours to dry and cure and is a little stronger

 

In regards to cutting pony hair, my suggestion is Don't. <--Note the Capital "D" DONT. Pony hair, like people hair is very challenging to cut, and unless you know what you're doing, it is VERY easy to mess up. And unlike people hair, Pony hair doesn't grow back for another go. So if you are relatively OK with how your ponies look as they are, just let them enjoy what hair they have, and don't force them to bear the scars of a botched bob. It just makes more work for pony collectors down the line, who have to *droneydraggyvoice* Maaaatch the haaaaaaaaaair colorrrrs, maaaaaaaake 50 BILLLION plugs, then REEEEEEEEEROOOOT the haiiiiiiiiiiiir.....http://mlpforums.com/public/style_emoticons/default/dry.png Most pony styles can be achieved using the methods I had mentioned earlier If you need, I can repost my straw curling method for Pinkie's hair.