Character Doll Help (finished-ish)

[Gift_in_Edge]

So I'm getting the 2013 Lone Ranger and Tonto Disney Store dolls for Christmas. I though it would be great to have Green Hornet and Kato too. After trying to make a Tron doll, I have learned I can't start from scratch. Lucky Big Lots had their power team elite dolls in. I grabbed two of them.


Britt Reid/Green Hornet is on the left. I gave him eyebrows and lighted his hair. All I need for him now is 1940's clothes and non gloved hands. The man on the right won't work for a Kato because I'm picky. (Hair is not right, too tall, etc)

I need help with a Kato doll. I have a 1980 asian barbie head that I'm rerooting. It has a light tan with a pink tone to it. It kind of matches Liv Jake.

So in short could a natural skin tone Obitsu work for Kato? Where can I find 1940's style doll clothes or patterns?

[DollyKim]

The regular Obitsu guy is just a bit shorter than the Power Team Elite http://dolfielittles.com/ency/boys23.jpg The neck on the head on the Obitsu is a bit long but it doesn't make up that much of a difference. There aren't that many 25cm guys to chose from. It might be easier to make the Green Hornet taller.

The Monster High boys might be the right height, Deuce is the darkest caucasian and his arm paint can be removed.

As for matching the Miko Barbie head I can't think of anyone outside of another Barbie.

[Gift_in_Edge]

Yeah. I've been thinking of using the Miko for someone else. Kato is about a head shorter then Britt. I just got a Liv Jake body, not sure what heads might work and still match in size.

[MeltedCaramel]

Hey there Gift_in_Edge!! I don't know how much help I'm going to be, but as for Kato, the female head looks a little too...female. There is an Asian male ken doll that I think could easily be altered to fit Kato. He still retains the roundness and "softness" evident it Kato's features, but the thinner lips and male outline make for a more convincing look. I'm sorry I have so little to offer on the subject, but here's a good close up of him. He's called "Japan Ken".



Maybe he would work for your custom? He's also a "special edition" doll so he may or may not be jointed enough to actually not even need a custom body? Someone who knows barbies better than I do should be able to answer that one for you, but hopefully this is better than nothing?

Edit: Body isn't articulated. ORZ;; But at least his head is still pretty? ^^;;

[maywong]

The Japanese Ken doll is not jointed.

[MeltedCaramel]

Heh, that's why I edited my reply. He's still got an awfully pretty headsculpt. Normally Ken dolls don't tempt me in the LEAST but honestly he's a'tempting me! Even though he's not even articulated and is completely historically inaccurate (I'm not a fanatic about these things but he looks like he's wearing a woman's clothing XD) he's just a pretty doll. I thought he would make a good Kato because his features lean towards the feminine side without being too androgynous, and since his head is Ken-sized it can be put on a smaller framed doll without overwhelming the frame.

[Studio 126]

Classic Collection GI Joes are a little shorter. There is a younger Japanese sculpt known as the "Horace" sculpt that might work.

He is known as Kato in my troupe...

[MeltedCaramel]

I didn't expect to see "Japanese sculpt" and "named 'Horace'" in the same sentence, EVER. Hmmnnn, both look like good choices. I guess it all depends on Gift_in_Edge's tastes, whether they prefer their Kato to be a bit more on the feminine side (he seems a bit like that from the comics montage Gift_in_Edge posted, not that this is a bad thing!! ) or if they want the more realistic GI JOE look, but his hair would need to be resculpted, just like Japanese Ken needs a reroot or a sculpt-over for hair (I would go the sculpting route if you're able, Gift_in_Edge, to keep either-or sculpt a bit more uniform with his partner. Use the four hour double-mix apoxie since it dries hard as rock and can be sanded/dremeled/whatever into submission and with such a tiny head it should give you plenty of working time before the apoxie starts to cure. But that's an entirely personal aesthetic choice!! )

There's also a money issue, depending on which is cheaper. Also, you might want to tell Gift_in_Edge what to search for, Studio 126, because "Horace" doesn't bring up anything under G.I. Joe for me, they're all labeled by job description.

[DollyKim]

They've started changing neck styles and sizes on some Ken heads. The Twighlight guys are smaller than Cpt Jack Sparrow in many ways.

If you are stuck with the Power Team Elite guy you can change his hair. The heads are mostly solid plastic that you can tim down with carving tools, I did that with Colbert and Stewart. You just need something heartier than an Xacto. I haven't taken a head off yet but heat might do the trick.

[MeltedCaramel]

I think Japanese Ken may be a normal sized Ken head, but I think Gift_in_Edge is implying that she wants Kato to be smaller, as he is in the comics, which is why Ken popped up in my dolly head instead of another similar sized doll. Ken's head is small enough that she can get away with putting him on a smaller frame. As for smaller frames, I don't know how you feel about the body type, but a Monster High guy might work? Also, I'm not sure of the size of Power Team Elite figures, you'll have to ask DollyKim (she knows most of the sizes!! <3) or someone with similar knowledge, but I do know my True Type Basic body is pretty short for a 1/6 doll compared to dolls like Hot Toys, so if Hot Toys and Power Team Elite are in the same size range, you might want to try that for a base body?