new customiser looking for resources!

TaraLJC

Bushwoolie
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
23
I used to restore Hasbro Jem and Kenner Darci dolls, and am looking to start cleaning up and in some cases restoring G1 ponies! So please do point me toward your resources, especially which shades of Cartwright glitter matches which cutie marks, and which Restoredoll nylon hair matches vintage ponies. I'm excited to learn.
 
Hello & welcome to the MLPTP @TaraLJC! I’m super excited to see someone else looking at getting into restoring MLP. :D

So, to get you started The MLP Preservation Project is an invaluable resource for all things restoration in the pony world. A lot of these techniques can be applied across all generations of pony too.

As far as ordering hair, there’s a few places a lot of us purchase from. As with the internet, all have had their own drama and all have different feedback. These are most popular in the MLP community:
Restore Doll, RetroDollUS & Dollyhair.
There’s a guide for exact colour matches of hair that @skig was so wonderful to have put together.

Aside from that, you can always post photos here and we can help guide you with any questions or concerns. Always feel free to send a dm my way too, I’m always happy to help. :)
 
I've gone ahead and ordered 5 different colours of opaque gold glitter, to restore the Sunbeam I bought to practice on. Hopefully one will be a close enough match! I've bought nylon hair from Dollyhair before, but am looking at RetrodollsUK primarily for nylon at the moment. As soon as I've sanded down the neck where the vinyl had 'melted' together (Jem dolls do the same thing) over 30 years, and touched up her blush, I'll post before & after photos of the Sundance I cleaned up, and the Sunbeam whose cute mark is a mess as soon as she gets here.
 
I've gone ahead and ordered 5 different colours of opaque gold glitter, to restore the Sunbeam I bought to practice on. Hopefully one will be a close enough match! I've bought nylon hair from Dollyhair before, but am looking at RetrodollsUK primarily for nylon at the moment. As soon as I've sanded down the neck where the vinyl had 'melted' together (Jem dolls do the same thing) over 30 years, and touched up her blush, I'll post before & after photos of the Sundance I cleaned up, and the Sunbeam whose cute mark is a mess as soon as she gets here.
I am looking forward to seeing what you do. :) Doll hair matches can definitely be a bit of a chore when it comes to MLP matches but as far as I'm concerned if it's close enough then it's fine. It's a 35 year old toy that's been refurbished as it is and having something new and a bit different is nice sometimes.
 
Welcome to the herd
 
Welcome! I'm always happy to know another person is going to restore and give new life to my beloved ponies. Good luck! (Be sure to post some pictures for us to be in awe over)
 
Has anyone replaced the stainless steel washers with nylon ones that don't rust? If so, what inner diameter should I be looking for?

ETA: I pulled Sundance's tail out to examine the washer and the crimp, and I think 15mmx5mmx1mm looks about right. I figure since the Sunbeam I'm planning to restore has no tail and I'm giving her a brand new one, I might as well use nylon since the metal wire inside a twist tie might rust. I'll post pics in a thread once I get her in the post (USPS being what it is, I'm presuming by next week-end).
 
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Welcome~
That's so cool that you restore vintage toys :ponylove: I'm also interested in seeing your hard work when it's done:flutter2:
 
Welcome! I look forward to seeing your customs!
 
Does anyone have scans of the Hasbro dealers/toy fair catalogues with the G1 ponies? I have the Jem pages, but not MLP. It would really help to see how the pinies are styled in the prototype photos.
 
Does anyone have scans of the Hasbro dealers/toy fair catalogues with the G1 ponies? I have the Jem pages, but not MLP. It would really help to see how the pinies are styled in the prototype photos.
All I can find is these on My Little Wiki. I’m not sure if they’re what you’re looking for but they’re pretty nice to look at anyway
 
zomg that's just what I needed, thank you! It's not gonna solve all my 'How curly should this tail actually be to be right amount of curly' dilemmas, but it's lightyears beyond where I was at this time last week! Thank you!!!
 
Welcome, fellow restorer :) It's an addicting behaviour, this Pony rescue stuff! Can't wait to see what you do, and happy to help with any questions, etc.
 
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Hello & welcome to the MLPTP @TaraLJC! I’m super excited to see someone else looking at getting into restoring MLP. :D

So, to get you started The MLP Preservation Project is an invaluable resource for all things restoration in the pony world. A lot of these techniques can be applied across all generations of pony too.

As far as ordering hair, there’s a few places a lot of us purchase from. As with the internet, all have had their own drama and all have different feedback. These are most popular in the MLP community:
Restore Doll, RetroDollUS & Dollyhair.
There’s a guide for exact colour matches of hair that @skig was so wonderful to have put together.

Aside from that, you can always post photos here and we can help guide you with any questions or concerns. Always feel free to send a dm my way too, I’m always happy to help. :)
Hi there's us in the UK , we ship worldwide too. We have also have some brilliant pony collectors putting together a Pony hair guide.
 
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