Hot Toys – MMS204 - The 1/6th scale ED-209 Collectible

[Anthrapoid]

"If happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away."

 

[Lee in MI]

Fawking awesome video. Love the humor and the splicing and editing was fantastic!!!

Encore!

 

[EndoSickness]

If all goes according to schedule, the new printed decals will arrive in 5 days, and I'll post the sales thread on Friday, maybe sooner.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited to add these things to my new robotic baby!
View attachment 108839

Looks excellent, Anthrapoid. Really outstanding work.
Will you post a tutorial in your salesthread too?
Cause I don´t know if I would be able to get the coat you use here in germany too and besides that problem:
How long will you be selling these?
I won´t see ED until June.

and 2nd subject of this post:
Great video, really fun to watch.

 

[Anthrapoid]

Looks excellent, Anthrapoid. Really outstanding work.
Will you post a tutorial in your salesthread too?
Cause I don´t know if I would be able to get the coat you use here in germany too and besides that problem:
How long will you be selling these?
I won´t see ED until June.

Thanks Endo, glad you like them.
Yes, I will be posting a tutorial, but I'm going to go ahead and sell the decals when I get them. Some people won't need my tutorial; Some buyers will already be familiar with applying and sealing water-slides, so I won't make them wait for my tutorial to be posted before I sell.

About the clear gloss lacquer:
We have some options. Maybe you can order it on ebay or at a hardware store type website. You don't NEED to use WATCO; surely you must have a place near you where you can find a clear lacquer spray. Read the label, and make sure it has the following properties:
1) NOT water soluble (if it IS water soluble, it's not lacquer.)
2) Fast drying
3) Will not yellow over time
4) Durable
I think the chemical technology has reached a point where all the spray lacquers will have these four properties.
Also: I can give your decal sheet a free coat of WATCO lacquer here before I send them to you if you want.

I have already almost finished writing the sales thread in text, and here's a quote from it:
"WARNING: The type of ink used in the printing of water-slide decals is very fragile before being coated and protected. It can be scraped off the transparent film with a fingernail if you're not careful. I strongly advise you to spray a coat of clear gloss lacquer onto the entire decal sheet, before you even start cutting the decals apart. I use WATCO brand clear gloss spray lacquer, and I swear by it. DO NOT use liquid clear-coat from a bottle to coat the decals by hand with a paint brush!!! This can wipe the ink right off the film. Gloss lacquer is NOT water soluble, so you can place the lacquer-coated decals in water in the usual way, after the initial pre-coat is dry. After the decals are coated and cut apart and applied, a second spray-coat of clear gloss lacquer is necessary to seal them in place and protect them. Spray gloss lacquer is an extremely strong and effective sealant for these decals, to be followed by a light spray-coat of clear matte to restore the original dull appearance of the figure surface."

I can give you the first coat for free, to protect the ink. After you apply the decals, you should add another coat of gloss lacquer, then matte. I'm sure you will be able to find spray cans of these somewhere. I've seen them both on ebay.

You asked, "How long will you be selling these?"
The full page I ordered has 10 decal sets on it, and I am keeping 2 sets. I have no way of knowing if the eight sets will sell fast, but they might. I suggest you get yours early to be safe. Besides- when I receive the decals here, June will be only 2 weeks away.
One more thing you should know: The printer raised his price for a full page a bit since the last time I ordered from him 2 years ago, so the price will be $23 within the USA including shipping, and $25 including shipping for all other countries. Sorry about that, but I didn't know until I placed the order online. If there is sufficient demand, I will have another full page printed.

Here is a preview of the tutorial;
If you choose to use the black and white text decals on the inside of the legs, these two are the ONLY decals which require some painting after. The HT decals in these two places (and the animation models in the film) fill the entire rectangle. However, the life-size prop is different; The two black and white text decals on the life-size prop fill only the top 75% of the rectangular area, while the bottom 25% is exposed metal.

 

[jrice73]

That video is off the chain!!! Hilarious!

 

[EndoSickness]

Thanks Endo, glad you like them.
Yes, I will be posting a tutorial, but I'm going to go ahead and sell the decals when I get them. Some people won't need my tutorial; Some buyers will already be familiar with applying and sealing water-slides, so I won't make them wait for my tutorial to be posted before I sell.
About the WATCO clear gloss lacquer:
We have some options. Maybe you can order it on ebay or at a hardware store type website. You don't NEED to use WATCO; surely you must have a place near you where you can find a clear lacquer spray. Read the label, and make sure it has the following properties:
1) NOT water soluble (if it IS water soluble, it's not lacquer.)
2) Fast drying
3) Will not yellow over time
4) Durable
I think the chemical technology has reached a point where almost all the spray lacquers will have these four properties.
Also: I can give your decal sheet a coat of WATCO here before I send them to you if you want.
I have already almost finished writing the sales thread in text, and here's a quote from it:

"WARNING: The type of ink used in the printing of water-slide decals is very fragile before being coated and protected. It can be scraped off the transparent film with a fingernail if you're not careful. I strongly advise you to spray a coat of clear gloss lacquer onto the entire decal sheet, before you even start cutting the decals apart. I use WATCO brand clear gloss spray lacquer, and I swear by it. DO NOT use liquid clear-coat from a bottle to coat the decals by hand with a paint brush!!! This can wipe the ink right off the film. Gloss lacquer is NOT water soluble, so you can place the lacquer-coated decals in water in the usual way, after the initial pre-coat is dry. After the decals are coated, cut apart and applied, a second spray-coat of clear gloss lacquer is necessary to seal them in place and protect them. Spray gloss lacquer is an extremely strong and effective sealant for these decals, to be followed by a light spray-coat of clear matte to restore the original dull appearance of the figure surface."

I can give you the first coat for free, to protect the ink. After you apply the decals, you should add another coat of gloss lacquer, then matte. I'm sure you will be able to find a spray can of it somewhere.

You asked, "How long will you be selling these?"
The full page I ordered has 10 decal sets on it, and I am keeping 2 sets. I have no way of knowing if these will sell fast, but they might. I suggest you get yours early to be safe. Besides- when I receive the decals here, June will be only 2 weeks away.
One more thing you should know: The printer raised his price for a full page a bit since the last time I ordered from him 2 years ago, so the price will be $23 within the USA including shipping, and $25 including shipping for all other countries. Sorry about that, but I didn't know until I placed the print order.

Here is a preview of the tutorial;
If you choose to use the black and white text decals on the inside of the legs, these two are the ONLY decals which require some painting after. The HT decals in these two places (and the animation models in the film) fill the entire rectangle. However, the life-size prop is different; The two black and white text decals on the life-size prop fill only the top 75% of the rectangular area, while the bottom 25% is exposed metal.
View attachment 108931

Ahhhh...I see.
Thanks for the detailed answer.
Well...to be exact...I have to see if I can come up with this sort of laquer.
It´s a small place where I live and even getting a type of modelling clay is a hard task, you know?
I just looked up german amazon and...they only sell laquer for outside stuff, nothing for model sets or something like that.
I may have to skip due to these circumstances, cause I don´t wanna get those and ruin ´em.
Bummer...

 

[Anthrapoid]

Ahhhh...I see.
Thanks for the detailed answer.
Well...to be exact...I have to see if I can come up with this sort of laquer.
It´s a small place where I live and even getting a type of modelling clay is a hard task, you know?
I just looked up german amazon and...they only sell laquer for outside stuff, nothing for model sets or something like that.
I may have to skip due to these circumstances, cause I don´t wanna get those and ruin ´em.
Bummer...

The WATCO Lacquer I use IS for outside, inside, craft and art purposes. It's not a special 'hobby/model' product.
Here's the exact same product I use, from a website that sells it for $5.33 plus shipping, and they DO ship internationally.

https://www.gatzies.com/p-13745-wat...ap=TRV416647&gclid=CI37obfbpb4CFaZm7Aod8jkAKw

 

[EndoSickness]

eBay is blocked at my work, but I´ll compare those german product, I told you, to the one in your link.
Thx, mate.

 

[Anthrapoid]

eBay is blocked at my work, but I´ll compare those german product, I told you, to the one in your link.
Thx, mate.

Read my post again, I updated it with a better option- and a MUCH better price... $5.33

 

[Eisselmann]

Hey Timo.
Go to amazon.com or so to see if they offer the laquer.

You can order there or maybe even at the marketplace of amazon.de.
I ordered some Milliput there a few years ago when I made my replacement dome for the old ED209.

 

[EndoSickness]

I can´t use amazon.com, cause I still don´t have a credit card.
But I will look it up if they got this laquer there later...

 

[ashkanls]

View attachment 108841

LOLOLOL Love it!

 

[Reinhardt]

Anthrapoid - is there a fear that if one uses a gloss spray on ED, and then a matte spray, that it won't look the same as the original paint? Will it look like some parts are sprayed, and others are not? Are you able to show us with a video how you apply one decal? I trust you, but currently am not comfortable spraying anything on a $400 fig!

 

[coll83]

Hi guys and girls!!!
Got my ED209 last Friday from a distributor in China as I got sick of Forbidden planet keep being delayed here in the UK..
All I can say is what a model!! I felt like a 10 year old again when I assembled him when I got back from work. Cant wait for Robo now, hope the sound isn't as dodgy or he will have battery's removed aswell!!!

 

[Anthrapoid]

Anthrapoid - is there a fear that if one uses a gloss spray on ED, and then a matte spray, that it won't look the same as the original paint? Will it look like some parts are sprayed, and others are not? Are you able to show us with a video how you apply one decal? I trust you, but currently am not comfortable spraying anything on a $400 fig!

Reinhardt, I totally understand that feeling. I could make a video, but it would be crap quality - all I have is a Fuji Finepix camera that takes good stills, but very low-res video.

I am currently working on creating an illustrated tutorial which will address all the possible challenges I can think of. Most of the decals can be safely applied AND sealed in a very straight-forward manner, simply by bagging the whole figure and cutting small holes in the bag to expose the areas to be sprayed, then framing the spray areas with masking tape.

The issue you mentioned, is the spray coats matching the surrounding surface appearance. I have faced this problem before, and I know how to handle it. Some decals can easily be isolated as I mentioned above, with all surrounding areas masked. An example of this would be the large rectangular 'MAX PSI' decals on the outside of the legs. Other decals require a small panel be isolated WITH the decal and sprayed, like the orange triangular decals. The fine black text decals on the sides of the gun arms require a different technique. They can also be masked, but in a different way.
All this will be photographed and made plain, as soon as I apply the decals to my own ED-209. Believe me, I wouldn't be doing this if I thought it would cause any harm or people couldn't handle it- even novices. I'm very good at explaining things clearly, so I'm confident the tutorial will help make the process safe for everyone. The final result will be safe to handle and pose.

If you stand back and look at ED, there aren't really that many decals to be applied, even considering the few missing ones that I included in the set. The decal preview pic I posted contains 53 separate decals, so it might have given the impression that this will be a huge job - but most of them are extra duplicates, and many are optional too, depending on which version of ED you like best.

I'll keep everyone informed in the sales thread about the techniques I'll be using to apply each decal, and I'll supply plenty of photos. I will also experiment with my Fugi, making a low-res video; because it will be close-up, maybe it will look ok... I'm not sure yet.

Thanks for your input, it's important to me.

 

[Hologram AI]

Incredible attention to detail Anthrapoid. Bit sad that I missed out on your War Machine decal run since that's something that has bothered me on the figure.

I don't have this figure yet as I plan on getting it with Robocop but I'll have to pick up a sheet when you put it up.

Are the decals something that can be taken off without any damage/change to the figure?

 

[Reinhardt]

Thanks for your response Anthrapoid! It's clear you have a passion for what you do.

So, based on your note, all that needs spraying when the decal has been applied, is the decal itself? Not the decal AND some of the figure around it to "blend" the decal onto the figure? If it's just the decal, then I'm with you on the masking.

Thanks!

 

[Anthrapoid]

Incredible attention to detail Anthrapoid. Bit sad that I missed out on your War Machine decal run since that's something that has bothered me on the figure.

I don't have this figure yet as I plan on getting it with Robocop but I'll have to pick up a sheet when you put it up.

Are the decals something that can be taken off without any damage/change to the figure?

The printer I send my images to still has the War machine decals on file, so I can have a re-print made anytime. I haven't had requests for them in a long time, so I would need to print a full page, which is a bit costly. If you pm me, we can discuss that.

To answer your question: I'm afraid this has to be a permanent upgrade- there's no going back. The gloss lacquer sealer coat is like an ultra-thin layer of plastic or glass over the decals for maximum protection, and it is forever. I conceived this project intending to completely erase HT's flawed decals for all time.

I could, however, have the decal images printed as vinyl stickers which CAN be removed. That comes with a risk though: I have never used stickers over the top of HT decals before; when you remove them, they might leave behind a gummy sticky residue that would be hard to clean off. Another problem with that is the same as the War machine; I'm sure the demand would not be great enough to pay for the full sheet that I would be required to order. I've heard so many people say they hate stickers, and with good reason. If you REALLY want stickers that can be removed, and you are in a position to pay a fairly high price for them, we can discuss that too.

 

[Hologram AI]

The printer I send my images to still has the War machine decals on file, so I can have a re-print made anytime. I haven't had requests for them in a long time, so I would need to print a full page, which is a bit costly. If you pm me, we can discuss that.

To answer your question: I'm afraid this has to be a permanent upgrade- there's no going back. The gloss lacquer sealer coat is like an ultra-thin layer of plastic or glass over the decals for maximum protection, and it is forever. I conceived this project intending to completely erase HT's flawed decals for all time.

I could, however, have the decal images printed as vinyl stickers which CAN be removed. That comes with a risk though: I have never used stickers over the top of HT decals before; when you remove them, they might leave behind a gummy sticky residue that would be hard to clean off. Another problem with that is the same as the War machine; I'm sure the demand would not be great enough to pay for the full sheet that I would be required to order. I've heard so many people say they hate stickers, and with good reason. If you REALLY want stickers that can be removed, and you are in a position to pay a fairly high price for them, we can discuss that too.

I'll be in talks with you via PM for a a set of decals for War Machine when your ED-209 list goes up. Depending on how the pricing goes at that time I might pick up a set for ED and War Machine. I'm not a fan of stickers myself, they look cheap. Only benefit is that it is reversible. I just didn't think that the decals were a permanent upgrade but can see why since you need to layer it with lacquer. Would the installation instructions for ED apply to War Machine as well if I pick that up?

 

[Anthrapoid]

Thanks for your response Anthrapoid! It's clear you have a passion for what you do.

So, based on your note, all that needs spraying when the decal has been applied, is the decal itself? Not the decal AND some of the figure around it to "blend" the decal onto the figure? If it's just the decal, then I'm with you on the masking.

Thanks!

The isolating/masking technique applies to the vast majority of the decals. In a few cases, it's best to coat a whole panel, like the orange triangle decal; the triangular decal sits upon a small rectangular panel, about 2 centimeters wide; coating the whole panel will make that whole panel look uniform, while sealing in the decal as well.
The small black text decals on the gun arms require some special masking; the maximum amount of nearby shapes and panels will be masked off, then the actual spray action will be focused on the decals only. There WILL be some over-spray above them, but all the geometric shapes will be masked at seam lines and corners. For example, the long gray rectangular shape that sits on top of the gun arms will be completely masked, and the front end of the gun arm that transitions to a cone shape will be masked too. This technique will produce a singular panel that has been sprayed, but mostly concentrated on the decal itself, and fading away the further you look above the decal. Remember, the whole decal sheet receives a pre-coat before they are cut into separate pieces, so this second coat is light. Finally, the matte finish is sprayed on, while all the masking tape is still in place. It's a very surgical application process, but one which can easily be understood with photos.