Rebodying kens with "plug" necks?

[WhiteDove01s]

Urgh, the multiple variants of Ken necks just make me want to scream sometimes. Anyhow, I have a Surf's Up Beach Ken I'd love to reroot and make brunette, plus put on a body that has joints... but that plan has perpetually been sent to the bottom of the to-do list because he has that old style side-to-side only neck where the head has a plug that goes down in the neck. Not sure it'd go back on if it ever came off. (I have a decapitated older Ken from when I was a kid that I couldn't reassemble.)

So... I'm 95% sure I saw this online and didn't dream it, but quite some time back I came across a tutorial where someone managed to put a vintage Allan (Ken's friend, back when he was ginger-haired and freckle-faced, not when he weirdly returned as a blue-eyed brunette and missing an L. Or was the L the other way around?) on a modern poseable body after a lot of work with an exacto-knife cutting away at the neck. As I said, I have a spare decapitated Ken I could practice this on... but not if I can't find the tutorial (I don't want to massively screw up) and I've lost it. Did anyone else ever see this? I'll risk the older ken head under "extreme experiments" if I have to (I have one pending regarding 'removing' molded Ken hair, but my caulk dried out and had to be replaced - it's in the mail according to Amazon.), but I'd much prefer if someone knows where the tutorial was so I have pictures.

And, no, I haven't quit all my other OOAKs in progress, Currently holding on a reroot tool for some of them (determined to get over my reluctance to do that reroot method, and I thought I HAD a tool but it turned out to be a mini drill chuck. Whoops.) and some more hair for others. Should be ordered soon what with the check arrival. And if I get my computer assembled to free up desk space again then I can really get going on that. This is prep for another OOAKing surge.

[DollyKim]

I want to say it's someone who is a friend of Queen of Squids on Tumblr. Someone she reposts from and/or comments on her stuff.

[WhiteDove01s]

I want to say it's someone who is a friend of Queen of Squids on Tumblr. Someone she reposts from and/or comments on her stuff.

That might explain why I can't find it again. I don't think I've ever used Tumblr.

[DollyKim]

You can look at blogs without being a member. I remembered Queen of Squids name because it's unusual, she and her friends do great customization work worth checking out.

[maywong]

I have rerooted and modded the heads on all my old Ken and put them on jointed bodies. I also dye the heads to match the skin tone.

[WhiteDove01s]

I have rerooted and modded the heads on all my old Ken and put them on jointed bodies. I also dye the heads to match the skin tone.

So how hard is it? It looks externally like I could just trim the plug off and go from there to match it to one of the very-early-fashionista era type half-necked heads, but I'm pretty sure there will need to be some internal work as well.

[maywong]

Not that hard to do. I use Sugru to fill in the hole so the head fit onto the post.
The AA male doll has had is head modded.

[Kattriella]

My Froggy Stuff on YouTube might have a tutorial that could help:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yCuBb-xXOD4

The Naveen doll she uses in this video has the plug type of neck originally, and she manages to make it work for a Fresh Squad body.

[SetsunaKou]

I do this ALL the time with the Disney Store prince heads which have the plugs. I cut away with the Xacto knife most of the vinyl attached 'neck'. Not ALL of it, just from under the neck where it meets at a right angle and then follow that line all the way around:



(It's a Hans head on a Fashion Royalty body)

You can see in that image that on the sides, he still has a little of the vinyl 'neck' attached to the head. The head should now fit onto the new body's neck, but be all open and loose, sliding down to the collarbone.

Now this is the slightly tricky part but not too bad to accomplish.

Get a hot glue gun and fill the head about 1/2 to 2/3 up with the glue. Once you feel it will 'reach' the new modern body's jointed neck peg, then turn it over onto the new body making sure the hot glue catches on the peg as much as possible, but NOT onto the neck. This is so it'll still turn and swivel, etc.

Hold in place for a few minutes while the hot glue dries and then it should be good to go!

It works like a charm and I've used this method on dozens of male bodies/heads.

[WhiteDove01s]

Get a hot glue gun and fill the head about 1/2 to 2/3 up with the glue. Once you feel it will 'reach' the new modern body's jointed neck peg, then turn it over onto the new body making sure the hot glue catches on the peg as much as possible, but NOT onto the neck. This is so it'll still turn and swivel, etc.

Hold in place for a few minutes while the hot glue dries and then it should be good to go!

It works like a charm and I've used this method on dozens of male bodies/heads.

I know I have a hot glue gun or two somewhere... but now I'm curious to experiment a little and see if my go-to paintable acrylic caulk will work for building up the inner part. It tends to fuse to doll head vinyl as well as if they were molded together, and I've thought of using it to decrease a neck hole size before.

Thanks for all the info folks, I feel a bit safer about attempting this now once I've reorganized my desk space yet again to have project room.