PDA

View Full Version : Anyone ever customized a Talkin' Turtle


Garfield
08-05-2014, 06:07 PM
THe Talkin' Turtles from 1990.

Been thinking about trying this for a while.

I like the sculpt of some of those figures, Raph in particular but the big manhole cover shell gimmick gets in the way of what I'd see as a great figure and I saw a guy selling shells from the Storage Shell Turtle figures. I'm thinking of getting a used Talkin' Raph and a Storage Shell Shell of Raph and going to work on it. Get the gimmick manhole shell off of Raph and getting the shell from storage shell Raph on his back. Have any of you out there done this, and how did the process go for you?


Thanks

cinzel
08-06-2014, 11:49 AM
that's something i would like to see

rickwj324
08-06-2014, 12:22 PM
Stand by... I'll show some pics soon! This is something I've been working on for a while now actually..just haven't had time to finish. :twink:

tmntman
08-06-2014, 12:37 PM
Are you planning to retain the talking feature when you are done or get rid of it entirely? Both seem like it would take a lot of effort.

If you want to retain the feature, you need a much larger than normal shell to cover the speaker. You would still need to have openings so you can hear it. And you also still need to maintain the access to the holes on either side of the torso to feed the sound strips into the figures.

If you are trying to get rid of the feature, you are going to be left without a back half of the figure and a large hole to fill in.

rickwj324
08-06-2014, 12:44 PM
Are you planning to retain the talking feature when you are done or get rid of it entirely? Both seem like it would take a lot of effort.

If you want to retain the feature, you need a much larger than normal shell to cover the speaker. You would still need to have openings so you can hear it. And you also still need to maintain the access to the holes on either side of the torso to feed the sound strips into the figures.

If you are trying to get rid of the feature, you are going to be left without a back half of the figure and a large hole to fill in.

No.. I'm not keeping the talking mechanism. I'm using standard bodies (front and back) and the 2 flat standing legs. I liked the heads from the talking turtles and wanted them on regular bodies. Though the Donnie head is being used for Mikey (the tongue sticking out fits Mikey better than Donnie).

I'm also doing something different for the belts. Will share pics soon.

Rick

Garfield
08-06-2014, 06:13 PM
Are you planning to retain the talking feature when you are done or get rid of it entirely?

I'd get rid of the talking mechanism completely. I'm not in any way enough of an engineer to be able to gimmick the figure to keep the talking mechanism and have a regular shell.



If you are trying to get rid of the feature, you are going to be left without a back half of the figure and a large hole to fill in.

That's where the Storage Shell turtle shell comes in. I'm going to figure out how to use it as a replacement.


No.. I'm not keeping the talking mechanism. I'm using standard bodies (front and back) and the 2 flat standing legs. I liked the heads from the talking turtles and wanted them on regular bodies. Though the Donnie head is being used for Mikey (the tongue sticking out fits Mikey better than Donnie).

I'm also doing something different for the belts. Will share pics soon.

Rick

It will be great to see when you finish.

psychoandy
08-07-2014, 08:17 AM
Back when I originally had the Talkin' Turtles, I removed their talk-boxes to see what was underneath. Their backs are completely flat, with two white pegs that the talk-boxes plug into. You can't really add the Storage Shell Turtles' shells to the Talkin' Turtles bodies, without SIGNIFICANTLY modifying the torsos of the Talkin' Turtles...I know, because I tried.

I would recommend instead removing the parts you like from the Talkin' Turtles, and add them to another turtles' torso.

But you're certainly welcome to give it a shot. Maybe an adult you can do a better job than 10-year-old me was able to do. Best of luck!

Panther10
08-07-2014, 09:17 AM
"This paint is giving me lead poisoning!." --Turtle Talkin' Donatello

Garfield
08-07-2014, 06:35 PM
Back when I originally had the Talkin' Turtles, I removed their talk-boxes to see what was underneath. Their backs are completely flat, with two white pegs that the talk-boxes plug into. You can't really add the Storage Shell Turtles' shells to the Talkin' Turtles bodies, without SIGNIFICANTLY modifying the torsos of the Talkin' Turtles...I know, because I tried.

I had a Talkin' Raph as a kid and I played with it so much that the manhole speaker shell came off and I remember it having a whole with a white peg sticking out where the gimmick shell was. The peg eventually fell into the torso just leaving the hole it came from and the flat shell less turtle back. I don't remember a second peg.

I would recommend instead removing the parts you like from the Talkin' Turtles, and add them to another turtles' torso.



That's a good idea to. Granted I'm no good at busting figures open. Just not my thing.