Cracking Open a Figure Custom Tutorial
A guide to safely cracking open a figure's torso and keeping the pieces intact.
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Welcome to my custom action figure tutorial. Here, I’ll be showing you how to crack open an action figure while still keeping the pieces intact. One of the hardest and most frustrating parts of customizing is trying to crack open the torso of a figure. It’s not always easy to avoid permanently destroying the figure, but it is possible. You’ll need a dremel with a drill bit, a small screwdriver (I recommend a set of Stanley brand precision screwdrivers. They’re small and perfect for this, and for removing small screws from action figures), and some Krazy Glue.
Please note that this guide can be used on any action figure with a hard plastic torso in two pieces. You can use the same techniques on the upper torso, lower torso (most action figures these days have their torso in two sections to accommodate the ab crunch), and the pelvis.
Let’s begin!
Disclaimer
Customize at your own risk!
Customizing can be a fun, but dangerous hobby. These tutorials are contributed by other customizers. Some of the things recommended in the tutorials may be dangerous, such as the use of boiling water or sharp objects. You shouldn't attempt anything mentioned without adult permission and supervision. Figure Realm and/or the authors of the tutorials are not liable for any injuries or damages occurring from any attempt to follow suggestions in these tutorials.
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For some figures, if there's enough clearance under the armpit, you can try and pry there too
In theory it works, you'd end up with something like SOTA Street Fighter figures.
I'd use a brass rod, with a little left over at the tips. Hammer the tips so the rod expands to tighten the joint and mushrooms at the ends so it won't fall out.