1/6Novice wrote:1) What is the best way to take care of seamless bodies?
I saw a video on youtube that said after soap & water to apply baby powder or cornstarch or something similar to the body...Is this correct?
Yes. You might not even need soap if the body is not too dirty or stained -- just a water rinse may help. To keep it gentle and safe just in case, I'd say pat dry. You can also use make up silicone powder. All of these powders work fine, apparently, though some or most might give you a dusty look if you use flash when taking photos. You can rub in the powder with your fingers or with a soft paintbrush or with an actual make up brush.
Speaking of stains (from clothing, etc), not to worry too much. Give it a couple of days and the silicone might have absorbed them to the point where they might not be apparent. If that doesn't happen, wash gently with soap and water, then follow the process just covered. If there is still a stain, supposedly repeated application of acne products containing benzoyl peroxide can eventually remove the stain (of course, remove the protective powder by washing first, then reapply after you're done).
Here is the staining and cleaning thread:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t215-staining-and-cleaning-continuously-updated 1/6Novice wrote:2) What is the difference between TBLeague M34, & M35 bodies?
They are both meant to be Arnold Schwarzenegger's body, aren't they?
M35 is even bulkier than M34. Both are theoretically suitable for Arnold, although in some of his film appearances (e.g., in
Conan the Destroyer) he was (purposefully) less bulky than either. There are some comparison photos in my review (very photo heavy) --
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t247-tbleague-phicen-m35-updated-photo-heavy?highlight=tbleague+m35 1/6Novice wrote:3) What is the secret (if there is any) to putting on clothes on Seamless bodies?
Saran wrap or slightly harder/thicker plastic wrap helps a lot, which is not to say I always use it. Sometimes it is difficult to get off the figure once you've put it on -- depending on how tight and covering the clothing involved is. You certainly don't have to apply it over the whole figure (e.g., if it is a question of helping you with a pair of jeans, wrap the two legs separately -- and if possible not too tightly, so that you could pull out the wrap later -- and that should be enough). Remember that the silicone flesh is squeezable, and use that when you try to stuff it into tight sleeve and pant leg openings -- in essence you can massage the muscles into them. A good coating of protective powder is also a good start, as it makes the silicone surface less tacky.
1/6Novice wrote:4) How...fragile/delicate is the rubbery material that is used on Seamless bodies? Will it melt above a certain room temperature? Relating to
#3, will RC Shock oil damage them? I assume something with Petroleum distillates would.
It is not that fragile -- I've purposefully cut up one (as have you), and that took quite an effort. It will not melt at any room temperature. Heating the hard plastic hand sculpts with a blow dryer (or hot water) is a good idea when swapping them, and even that does not damage the neighboring part of the seamless body -- though I would advise doing it carefully and sparingly just in case. Of course, I wouldn't put it in the oven or throw it in the fire and expect it to come out ok. I think humidity is a bigger problem than heat, so keep that in mind, and store with the silica desiccant packets they come with. And keep them well-powdered.
1/6Novice wrote:5) I've only bought Phicen/TBL bodies, Are the other seamless/nonseamless bodies as 'good'? Jiaou, Hot Toys, Etc?
No. Jiaou comes closest, but it uses TPE instead of silicone, and that is a more fragile material (someone explained it is made of the same stuff as Styrofoam) and easier to damage, especially if you're trying to modify it with oil pastels or whatever; it also stains more easily. Jiaou bodies have almost the same range of articulation, but not quite, and no full metal skeleton (only metal joints), which makes the experience both more limited and more frustrating. There are some issues with the sculpt, too, although they provide more skintone choices (though beware of "black" which is not). That said, I've dedicated a few Jiaou bodies to some figures. Hot Toys does not have a full seamless body; the partial seamless applications they have are reputedly limiting articulation and not very hardy. Stryker can tell you about a true fully seamless body out there, but it comes only as a single female model and has its own issues and limitations.
1/6Novice wrote:6) Do HT & TBL hands use the same size/shape wrist connections? If I bought a HT product, would it need to be altered to fit a Seamless body?
Yes, about the same. HT hands, by the way, are very often oversized (notoriously so), in part because they are scaled to look good with clothing in this scale, which is itself often slightly off scale. The TBLeague hands (smaller) and feet (larger) are scaled correctly to the bodies themselves. Most 1/6-scale hands would work with TBLeague wrist pegs (it is advisable to heat up the hard plastic before removing or popping on).
1/6Novice wrote:7) If I wanted to build a diorama, what material would be best? I.E. Most durable, yet soft enough to cut easily.
That really depends on the diorama in question. Foam board might be a good idea, but don't get it wet or it will warp. Typically, a diorama would be made up of a number of parts, so I'm assuming you mean the overall background. For that you can have high-resolution photos printed out on large sheets of matte paper and taped/pinned/held by magnets onto foam board or some other backing. You can also use a printed image as the flooring. Then populate the area in front with furniture and figures, etc. Like here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1986-avengers-deleted-scene-revealed-no-spoilershttps://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1862-star-wars-a-lone-scoundrel-storyhttps://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t611-fanboys#9195You might even get away with using the bottom part of your background image as the ground -- provided it is suitable and that you have enough of it, like here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t442-jurassic-pratt#7575https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1973-star-wars-sandtrooper-kitbash-custom-updated-with-part-ii (desert)
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1794-teutonic-knight-by-china-toys-review (forest)
Or, if you have a large enough and high-resolution enough screen (and high-resolution enough photos), you can try projecting the background by displaying it on the screen, like here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2799-star-wars-the-further-adventures-of-darth-maul-updated-with-part-ii-may-2020https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1854-new-superhero-revealed-fire-man-nsfw-updated-with-part-ii-july-2019https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t792p41-conanesque-a-fantasy-warrior-kitbash-update-5-february-2020#33752 (post 73 and several more after that)
Hope this helps.