- Joined
- Mar 21, 2023
- Messages
- 246
Hi friends! It's been a while. I've been working on pony projects when I can but I haven't kept up on documenting or posting them. So here it goes!
To preface, I received the Celestials as(much requested) Xmas presents, but clearly couldn't open them! So my wonderful tribe bought me doubles-so I could open one and keep one nrfb.
I wanted to try customizing one, but still couldn't bring myself to damage a new pony for it! They're MWB! lol
Soo for my birthday they got me a triple of Celestial Milky Way, which I had mentioned I had ideas for, but that I'd try one before deciding if I'd do another.
With great care I prepped the pony for surgery. I was careful NOT to not put the "Deedleyboppers" with the stars on their heads in boiling water, they are stiff plastic and didn't want to break or warp them.
I let the water chill a little and poured on the neckline. Carefully I removed the head, cut the hair.
To my absolute horrorwe encountered the first issue. The light swirls on these beauties comes off! Quite easily. Look carefully, you can see the rubs where they removed. IMO I don't think these gals will withstand children playing with them, they certainly won't hold up in the bathtub.
This was a little nerve racking. That head plug isn't customization friendly at all!
It was like working on my Ducks! Small hole to do the floss method(my preferred method)
So look closely, the swirls begin to rub off! Sooooo sad, y'all. Sooooo sad. Don't worry, I felt terrible about it. I'm experimenting so you don't have to/or can learn from my mistakes. Maybe, maybe don't use boiling water, but the body is not the soft vinyl of our beloved OG Gen1 ponies, it's a very rigid plastic, maybe harder than the Hgcqg1(you know what I mean lol) so good luck getting them off without at least heating them up somehow? Not sure! Will experiment differently if a second Celestial custom happens.
At this point I was questioning my decisions but I'd already been bold enough to get this far. Sad manufacturing discovery #2, these ponies have very loose tails. Imo, they won't endure vigorous, enthusiastic brushing. I ask you, do children brush tails any other way? All these decisions I'm guessing were cost based on Hasbro's part. This pic does it no justice, apologies.
It's hard to see in a pic-maybe I'll make a video for Instagram on it, but the tail hair has a VERY loose clamp which isn't clamped onto the tail hair AT ALL. I tossed the original spacer in my hardware bin, but that wouldn't stop hair slippage.
So skin paint that rubs from "excessive touching"(wut!?) and tail hair that will undoubtedly be brushed out from play, not great choices on manufactures part. I don't know how many of you own them, but they were VERY expensive around Christmas, but have dropped in price significantly.(I'm seeing why)
Now I don't mean to talk smack, I am a huge MLP G1 collector, and love doing g1 restoration and custom hair on bad bad hair bait ponies, but these choices by Hasbro made me disappointed. If I, a careful adult was encountering these design choice flaws, will they survive regular play? Will anyone be restoring these ponies in 40 years? I want them to, but unfortunately I kinda doubt it.
I've also encountered some hair plug hole ripping if your plugs are too big. So if you're a masochist like me and try this, be wary! Hair plug holes seem more fragile.
In temporary conclusion;
Is she finished? Oh my no. While I love doing rehairs this has honestly been really challenging. I get to points in the process where if it stops being fun, it's time for me to set it down and come back to it later.
Happy accident- I was especially tired one night and started the "wrong color'' but ultimately it was so hard to remove a mistake with the head plug hole being so small, I left it. Instead she'll have cool, "reversible" hair, which I've tried before but not sure I've posted that one. (It looks pretty cool!)
Now all I need is the wherewithal to finish this project! Lol Wish me luck. And if you've been with me for a while, or you just joined and made it this far-thanks for joining me on this crazy pony journey! Much love, friends!
To preface, I received the Celestials as(much requested) Xmas presents, but clearly couldn't open them! So my wonderful tribe bought me doubles-so I could open one and keep one nrfb.
I wanted to try customizing one, but still couldn't bring myself to damage a new pony for it! They're MWB! lolSoo for my birthday they got me a triple of Celestial Milky Way, which I had mentioned I had ideas for, but that I'd try one before deciding if I'd do another.
With great care I prepped the pony for surgery. I was careful NOT to not put the "Deedleyboppers" with the stars on their heads in boiling water, they are stiff plastic and didn't want to break or warp them.
I let the water chill a little and poured on the neckline. Carefully I removed the head, cut the hair.
To my absolute horror
we encountered the first issue. The light swirls on these beauties comes off! Quite easily. Look carefully, you can see the rubs where they removed. IMO I don't think these gals will withstand children playing with them, they certainly won't hold up in the bathtub.This was a little nerve racking. That head plug isn't customization friendly at all!
It was like working on my Ducks! Small hole to do the floss method(my preferred method)
So look closely, the swirls begin to rub off! Sooooo sad, y'all. Sooooo sad. Don't worry, I felt terrible about it. I'm experimenting so you don't have to/or can learn from my mistakes. Maybe, maybe don't use boiling water, but the body is not the soft vinyl of our beloved OG Gen1 ponies, it's a very rigid plastic, maybe harder than the Hgcqg1(you know what I mean lol) so good luck getting them off without at least heating them up somehow? Not sure! Will experiment differently if a second Celestial custom happens.
At this point I was questioning my decisions but I'd already been bold enough to get this far. Sad manufacturing discovery #2, these ponies have very loose tails. Imo, they won't endure vigorous, enthusiastic brushing. I ask you, do children brush tails any other way? All these decisions I'm guessing were cost based on Hasbro's part. This pic does it no justice, apologies.
It's hard to see in a pic-maybe I'll make a video for Instagram on it, but the tail hair has a VERY loose clamp which isn't clamped onto the tail hair AT ALL. I tossed the original spacer in my hardware bin, but that wouldn't stop hair slippage.
So skin paint that rubs from "excessive touching"(wut!?) and tail hair that will undoubtedly be brushed out from play, not great choices on manufactures part.
I don't know how many of you own them, but they were VERY expensive around Christmas, but have dropped in price significantly.(I'm seeing why)Now I don't mean to talk smack, I am a huge MLP G1 collector, and love doing g1 restoration and custom hair on bad bad hair bait ponies, but these choices by Hasbro made me disappointed. If I, a careful adult was encountering these design choice flaws, will they survive regular play? Will anyone be restoring these ponies in 40 years? I want them to, but unfortunately I kinda doubt it.
I've also encountered some hair plug hole ripping if your plugs are too big. So if you're a masochist like me and try this, be wary! Hair plug holes seem more fragile.
In temporary conclusion;
Is she finished? Oh my no. While I love doing rehairs this has honestly been really challenging. I get to points in the process where if it stops being fun, it's time for me to set it down and come back to it later.
Happy accident- I was especially tired one night and started the "wrong color'' but ultimately it was so hard to remove a mistake with the head plug hole being so small, I left it. Instead she'll have cool, "reversible" hair, which I've tried before but not sure I've posted that one. (It looks pretty cool!)
Now all I need is the wherewithal to finish this project! Lol Wish me luck. And if you've been with me for a while, or you just joined and made it this far-thanks for joining me on this crazy pony journey! Much love, friends!
