Gallade Reconstruction
Another find I came across was a Gallade figure that looked like one from the Bandai Nintendo Box Toy Pokemon Clipping Figure Set 2 from 2007. It only cost a few bucks so I went ahead and bought it for my collection. Turns out, it was a Chinese bootleg copy made from some sort of rubber-like casting. Like most bootlegs, the paint job was lackluster and you probably also noticed the blank black spot in this first initial picture of it. But I decided to take a bad situation, and make it something worth keeping.
The image on the left is the stock image of the Bandai Nintendo Box Toy Pokemon Clipping Figure Set 2 from Japan. The image on the right are my TOMY Gallade, and the Bootleg Clipping Figure to show a height comparison. The Binder clip is being used because the clipping bootleg could not stand on his own...at all. He needed support just to stand, so I knew that was something else I would need to fix.
Going back to the work bench, here is everything I planned to use to reconstruct the bootleg into something I would be proud to show off in my collection. I kept the TOMY figure near for color comparison for the painting stage.
So the first thing I noticed on this figure was severe damage done to his left leg. I would guess this was one of the casting break away points from the runners and sprue with most mass production injection molding processes. But since the figure was made of some rubber-like casting material, the cast wouldn't just breakaway. It looked like they just ripped the figures off the runner with force instead of cutting it away, and this tore out a chunk from the leg. So I needed to repair it before I can really get to work.
I first had to cut away the shredded parts of the damaged area with my X-Acto Scoring Blade (it was my smallest), then I used the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic to fill the hole in the leg. I set it up on a binder clip to be balanced while it dried for the 3-hours it needed. Once it was dried and hardened, I used my X-Acto Scoring Blade to cut the excess Mod Podge down, and used sand paper to smooth it out and make it flush with the rest of the leg.
After the leg repairs were done, I looked over the figure carefully to identify any linking joints. I only identified one linking joint, at the neck where the head attached. This made it evident that this was more so a bootleg, since most figures are in 3 or more pieces for assembly and consistency in production. I tried the Hot Water trick first to try and separate the head from the body, but the amount of Super Glue and the stretchy consistency of the rubber-like material rendered that method null and void.
My only choice was to start with the paint and glue removal with my Acetone. As previously mentioned in my previous reconstruction post:
***Do be warned!!! Acetone is a volatile, and flammable liquid. Use only in a work place that is well ventilated, and away from high tempertures! Gloves are recommended too. If you do not wear gloves, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after use, and do not touch your eyes!
If you are like me and want to repair or repaint a figure, and you want to remove paint and glue with acetone, you MUST take care with soft PVC toys. Acetone will act almost like an acid and will not only remove the paint, but it will start to break down the figure's surface with prolonged contact and exposure.
When I use Acetone, I only use a Q-Tip to apply it to the affected area, and then I use a pin or an X-Acto blade to gently scrape away the softening glue.
For removing paint, I simply dab away the paint with the Q-Tip. Never rub because that will push the acetone into the "skin" of the figure and eat away at the soft PVC. It does seem like a long and tedious process, and it is...but it is worth it for top quality finish and reduce the chance of permanent damage to the figure.
Removing the paint didn't take long, but the glue that was holding the head to the body was a struggle. I did my best and after a couple hours of peeling and scraping with a T-pin (the area was too small and tight for an X-Acto blade), I finally got the head off. Much to my dismay...during this process, I discovered that the assembly of the bootleg...it appeared the painters glued the head on after everything was painted...and they spilled the glue over half the head, and halfway down the chest, and around the shoulders. That's why you still see paint on those areas of the figure in the image. It took a few more hours to get the glue removed from those pieces because it was just thick with glue. I finally managed to get all the glue and paint off without damaging the figure.
After removing the paint and glue from the pieces, I submerged the pieces into a soap water bath. For this jar, I used Lemon Scented dish soap, about 2 tablespoons in warm water, and stirred with a spoon so that bubbles would not form. The pieces then settled and soaked for about an hour to neutralize and remove any acetone. I rinsed them with warm water afterwards.
After cleaning this figure, and drying it out, I started to figure out a way to balance the figure on his own two feet. The Hot Water option that can be used to re-position most soft and hard PVC plastics would not work for this rubber-like figure. My only option was to try and adjust the balance with its only other weight counter...adjusting the head position. It was a long shot, but I was surprised that turning the head about 90-degrees to the left, basically looking over his shoulder, worked! He was able to stand on his own, and honestly...the pose looked more dynamic, like he was ready to fight whatever was coming from behind, and I liked it!
Next I started on the paint job putting the head on a toothpick and using binder clips to hold the pieces steady while I worked. Using the TOMY figure as a reference, I had to mix some colors to get the crest and "horn" (that thing in the chest and back of Gallades and Gardevoirs. ;) ) colors just right.
For the green, I selected to use a "Christmas Green". It was a little lighter than the standard Gallade green which was more of a Forest Green, but I selected to use the Christmas Green because it was a more...alive color to me. The body was painted an Eggshell White.
The mouth was so tiny, I used a thin quilting pin to "paint" the mouth with a thin black line to make it visible.
The eyes "sclera" were painted with a different glossy white paint so that they will be more distinguishable after they are coated with a finish. The iris colors are the same color as the "Horn". I used my smallest brush, a 10/0 round size, to paint the colored iris and the black pupil. For the little white highlight dots, I again used the quilt pin to apply small dabs of white paint to finish the eyes.
After painting the pieces, I then put the head on to make sure the figure would still be able to balance with the head attached. Putting it on normally still caused it to fall over, so I turned it 90-degrees to the left again, and he stood perfectly. So it seemed to still work. Now I could start with a single coat of clear coat finish with my Tamiya X-22 on the pieces before I start to put the figure together.
The pieces looked very nice to me after I applied a single layer of clear coat finish to make sure the paint would not run when I attach the head. With this rubbery figure, I wanted to take no chances that the paint could be ruined, and I hoped the X-22 would harden the figure so it would hold its pose, and not bend like the soft rubber that it was. You can just barely see the different white colors between the face and the eye in this image too!
I then turned to using my Mod Podge Dimensional Magic to seal the head onto the body with the 90-degree turn to the left. Again, I prefer to use this as a sealant versus Super Glue. It takes 3-hours to dry and seal, but it is strong and firm with a resin hold.
After applying 3-clear coats appropriately, the figure was hardened and was was no longer as soft and flexible as it was, and it was able to stand perfectly balanced on its own. Standing next to the TOMY Gallade, the colors look good, even if the green is a slightly brighter green.
Remember that damaged leg? Take a look at it now! You can't even tell it had a hole in it! :D
And, for a final turn around, the finished figure! I actually liked this figure, despite the troubles to reconstruct it, it is a unique figure that comes from rare origins. Generally, you cannot find Bandai Nintendo Box Toy Pokemon Clipping Figures easily or at all, so the fact that there are bootlegs out there gives a little chance of getting at least a memory of these figures, and remembering they do...or did exist for fans in one way or another.
I actually got another just so I could make my own customized Shiny versions!
Yes, I know, Shiny Gallades are a lighter Blue and have Orange "horns", but I like the darker Blue and red colors. To make them MORE shiny, I used metallic white paints for the body and silver for the crest! ^.^
Customization puts a little of your own little loves and desires to make the figures more unique and beloved by their owners. It is part of the reason I do these for some of my collection. I was debating doing the same to my Jakks Gallade figure...but I only have one. I will usually make custom colored shiny versions only if I have two figures so that one keeps the original appearance. Call it a pet-peeve, but I have to have one figure of the original color scheme before I can customize another in my collection.
Anyhoo! I hope this was helpful and enjoyable for others to read and learn! Feel free to post comments, critiques and any questions you may have regarding my reconstructions!
The image on the left is the stock image of the Bandai Nintendo Box Toy Pokemon Clipping Figure Set 2 from Japan. The image on the right are my TOMY Gallade, and the Bootleg Clipping Figure to show a height comparison. The Binder clip is being used because the clipping bootleg could not stand on his own...at all. He needed support just to stand, so I knew that was something else I would need to fix.
Going back to the work bench, here is everything I planned to use to reconstruct the bootleg into something I would be proud to show off in my collection. I kept the TOMY figure near for color comparison for the painting stage.
So the first thing I noticed on this figure was severe damage done to his left leg. I would guess this was one of the casting break away points from the runners and sprue with most mass production injection molding processes. But since the figure was made of some rubber-like casting material, the cast wouldn't just breakaway. It looked like they just ripped the figures off the runner with force instead of cutting it away, and this tore out a chunk from the leg. So I needed to repair it before I can really get to work.
I first had to cut away the shredded parts of the damaged area with my X-Acto Scoring Blade (it was my smallest), then I used the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic to fill the hole in the leg. I set it up on a binder clip to be balanced while it dried for the 3-hours it needed. Once it was dried and hardened, I used my X-Acto Scoring Blade to cut the excess Mod Podge down, and used sand paper to smooth it out and make it flush with the rest of the leg.
After the leg repairs were done, I looked over the figure carefully to identify any linking joints. I only identified one linking joint, at the neck where the head attached. This made it evident that this was more so a bootleg, since most figures are in 3 or more pieces for assembly and consistency in production. I tried the Hot Water trick first to try and separate the head from the body, but the amount of Super Glue and the stretchy consistency of the rubber-like material rendered that method null and void.
My only choice was to start with the paint and glue removal with my Acetone. As previously mentioned in my previous reconstruction post:
***Do be warned!!! Acetone is a volatile, and flammable liquid. Use only in a work place that is well ventilated, and away from high tempertures! Gloves are recommended too. If you do not wear gloves, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after use, and do not touch your eyes!
If you are like me and want to repair or repaint a figure, and you want to remove paint and glue with acetone, you MUST take care with soft PVC toys. Acetone will act almost like an acid and will not only remove the paint, but it will start to break down the figure's surface with prolonged contact and exposure.
When I use Acetone, I only use a Q-Tip to apply it to the affected area, and then I use a pin or an X-Acto blade to gently scrape away the softening glue.
For removing paint, I simply dab away the paint with the Q-Tip. Never rub because that will push the acetone into the "skin" of the figure and eat away at the soft PVC. It does seem like a long and tedious process, and it is...but it is worth it for top quality finish and reduce the chance of permanent damage to the figure.
Removing the paint didn't take long, but the glue that was holding the head to the body was a struggle. I did my best and after a couple hours of peeling and scraping with a T-pin (the area was too small and tight for an X-Acto blade), I finally got the head off. Much to my dismay...during this process, I discovered that the assembly of the bootleg...it appeared the painters glued the head on after everything was painted...and they spilled the glue over half the head, and halfway down the chest, and around the shoulders. That's why you still see paint on those areas of the figure in the image. It took a few more hours to get the glue removed from those pieces because it was just thick with glue. I finally managed to get all the glue and paint off without damaging the figure.
After removing the paint and glue from the pieces, I submerged the pieces into a soap water bath. For this jar, I used Lemon Scented dish soap, about 2 tablespoons in warm water, and stirred with a spoon so that bubbles would not form. The pieces then settled and soaked for about an hour to neutralize and remove any acetone. I rinsed them with warm water afterwards.
After cleaning this figure, and drying it out, I started to figure out a way to balance the figure on his own two feet. The Hot Water option that can be used to re-position most soft and hard PVC plastics would not work for this rubber-like figure. My only option was to try and adjust the balance with its only other weight counter...adjusting the head position. It was a long shot, but I was surprised that turning the head about 90-degrees to the left, basically looking over his shoulder, worked! He was able to stand on his own, and honestly...the pose looked more dynamic, like he was ready to fight whatever was coming from behind, and I liked it!
Next I started on the paint job putting the head on a toothpick and using binder clips to hold the pieces steady while I worked. Using the TOMY figure as a reference, I had to mix some colors to get the crest and "horn" (that thing in the chest and back of Gallades and Gardevoirs. ;) ) colors just right.
For the green, I selected to use a "Christmas Green". It was a little lighter than the standard Gallade green which was more of a Forest Green, but I selected to use the Christmas Green because it was a more...alive color to me. The body was painted an Eggshell White.
The mouth was so tiny, I used a thin quilting pin to "paint" the mouth with a thin black line to make it visible.
The eyes "sclera" were painted with a different glossy white paint so that they will be more distinguishable after they are coated with a finish. The iris colors are the same color as the "Horn". I used my smallest brush, a 10/0 round size, to paint the colored iris and the black pupil. For the little white highlight dots, I again used the quilt pin to apply small dabs of white paint to finish the eyes.
After painting the pieces, I then put the head on to make sure the figure would still be able to balance with the head attached. Putting it on normally still caused it to fall over, so I turned it 90-degrees to the left again, and he stood perfectly. So it seemed to still work. Now I could start with a single coat of clear coat finish with my Tamiya X-22 on the pieces before I start to put the figure together.
The pieces looked very nice to me after I applied a single layer of clear coat finish to make sure the paint would not run when I attach the head. With this rubbery figure, I wanted to take no chances that the paint could be ruined, and I hoped the X-22 would harden the figure so it would hold its pose, and not bend like the soft rubber that it was. You can just barely see the different white colors between the face and the eye in this image too!
I then turned to using my Mod Podge Dimensional Magic to seal the head onto the body with the 90-degree turn to the left. Again, I prefer to use this as a sealant versus Super Glue. It takes 3-hours to dry and seal, but it is strong and firm with a resin hold.
After applying 3-clear coats appropriately, the figure was hardened and was was no longer as soft and flexible as it was, and it was able to stand perfectly balanced on its own. Standing next to the TOMY Gallade, the colors look good, even if the green is a slightly brighter green.
Remember that damaged leg? Take a look at it now! You can't even tell it had a hole in it! :D
And, for a final turn around, the finished figure! I actually liked this figure, despite the troubles to reconstruct it, it is a unique figure that comes from rare origins. Generally, you cannot find Bandai Nintendo Box Toy Pokemon Clipping Figures easily or at all, so the fact that there are bootlegs out there gives a little chance of getting at least a memory of these figures, and remembering they do...or did exist for fans in one way or another.
I actually got another just so I could make my own customized Shiny versions!
Yes, I know, Shiny Gallades are a lighter Blue and have Orange "horns", but I like the darker Blue and red colors. To make them MORE shiny, I used metallic white paints for the body and silver for the crest! ^.^
Customization puts a little of your own little loves and desires to make the figures more unique and beloved by their owners. It is part of the reason I do these for some of my collection. I was debating doing the same to my Jakks Gallade figure...but I only have one. I will usually make custom colored shiny versions only if I have two figures so that one keeps the original appearance. Call it a pet-peeve, but I have to have one figure of the original color scheme before I can customize another in my collection.
Anyhoo! I hope this was helpful and enjoyable for others to read and learn! Feel free to post comments, critiques and any questions you may have regarding my reconstructions!