How To Article Chapter 1: Set up - Getting into gear

This is the first Chapter of an exclusive series of Alterations How To Articles. Thanks to alterations master Shinobitron for his dedication and time in putting this together for us all.

Chapter 1: How To Set up - Getting Into gear
Before you can start any alteration you need to have the right gear. Doing anything less would be like jumping into a Decepticon nest on one quart of energon and a single bullet (OK that might work if you're Grimlock, but I wouldn't take my chances).

Tools:
Be sure that you have the tools necessary for the job before beginning. For the most part you are going to need the following items Hobby (Exacto) Knife, Screwdrivers, Wire cutters, pliers, and a Dremel tool (small hobby drill as pictured). Not all projects are going to require all of these items but they all are very valuable to have around. Be sure to have a variety of Screwdriver sizes available as most TFs have various screw sizes.


Sculpt:
Sometimes the right piece is not available and you have to do it yourself. Many of my projects have resculpted heads to make them look more like their G1 counterparts. Their are many types of sculpt to choose from but for TFs with moving parts you need something that is going to last.
Aves apoxy sculpt and propoxy/ hercules sculpt is the best to use for ultra durability. Aves turns rock hard when fully cured and is very difficult to chip but takes a long time to cure. It can be purchased from aves website. The other is the Hercules / propoxy. This can be bought at local hardware stores and places like Home Depot and Lowes in the plumbing section. The main use for this is to fix leaks in pipes but has equally useful toy applications. The plus and minus with it is that it takes 5 minutes to cure steel hard.

Paints:
Finally comes paint. I use a wide variety of brands of paint in all my pieces. When choosing a paint however do not use the $.97 stuff from Walmart as this is more for Canvas painting and wood and tends to chip very easily. Their is an exception to the Wal Mart paint rule however and that the metallics. These are just as good as the expensive metallic paints. The best paint to use in my opinion are Citadel, Vallejo transparent, Reaper Master Series and Krylons. Krylons of course are a spray paint but make for a very effective base coat. Try to stay away from the Krylon gloss and use either the flat or Ultra flats as these make painting over top much smoother. The other paints, along with Tamiya can be ordered thru hobby/ comic shops and run about $3.00 a pot.


Now that you know what gear to get and you're all set up, our next lesson will be making an Energon Strongarm into everybodies favorite arms dealer Swindle!
Keep an eye our for our Alterations How To articles - Chapter Two.