Kamjin's Amazing Magnetic Heads!

[AcroRay]

I'm a lucky owner of John Moscato's incredible 1/72 Kamjin/Khyron kit, which you lucky few know comes with two excellent cranial options: helmeted and unhelmeted. Both look great, and it is rather difficult to choose which to adorn the buildup with. So I applied a feature I know well from my other hobby - the Micronauts - and used a magnetic attachment system that worked well enough for Baron Karza and the rest of the "Magno Power" Micronauts. Now, I can use either head I want for display, and they fit firmly and snugly:

The Micronaut Magno-Power toys are similar to - but much better than - today's Magnetix and whatnot. A massive magnet in the figures' torsos provided a powerful magnetic flux, holding the figures' heads and limbs interchangeably to the torso by attracting a screw or ball-bearing at the end of the limb or head firmly into a socket on the torso. You could easily scramble a drive or erase an audio-cassette with one of these 8-inch super robot guys! I adapted the same method for Kamjin.

Kamjin is smaller, so with the help of a modern popular magnetic toy building piece (kindly donated by my daughter), I fitted Kamjin's neck-hole with a very powerful magnet, and a couple of small round-headed bolts provided attracting points at the bottom of his head.

To share a quick how-to:

Make sure the magnet you use is strong, and will firmly lock to a steel surface, requiring a little bit of force to pull free. (You don't want one of those cheap ones that'll fall apart if you bang the table its standing on.)

Get a couple of small, round-headed nuts or bolts - be sure to check that they'll click firmly to the magnet - then cut the threaded post down to a quarter-inch or so, and carefully Dremel out a hole in the bottom of the head where you can glue in the bolt. Attach the shortened bolt. (Use super-glue or epoxy, since you don't want it to pull free. You also don't want to actually use the threads to hold it into place. That would likely crack the resin.)

Now the difficult part: Dremel out a socket in the torso's neck hole that will fit the magnet, but be recessed enough to allow the head with its bolt to fit flush and proper to the torso. If you have a good and strong magnet, you don't have to worry about the bolt actually coming in physical contact with the magnet. The flux will be enough to hold the head in place. I Dremeled out a hole in the torso deep enough to fit the magnet and almost allow contact with the bolt. Then I widened the hole a tiny bit more, and pressed the magnet into place using Tamiya 2-part epoxy putty.

Now I can use either head on the buildup, or even display one head separately - perhaps on a magnetic pike... But the connection easily withstands casual shaking and bumping, or turning upside down.

If I were more adventuresome, I could probably do the same thing with the arms to add some posability. Similar methods could probably be used with other resin kits. (I believe the method is also being used for cast-off clothing elements on girlie kits.)

Edited June 15, 2009 by AcroRay

[cool8or]

Great! I want to do the same... thanks for sharing!!

[grapetang]

Great tips for a fun mod! Thanks!

[big F]

I was wondering what to do with mine the other day.... Now I know use both heads and raid the toy shop Thanks for the idea.

[AcroRay]

I'm glad some of you folks found the mod useful!

I'm slowly getting close to finishing the kit. Just primed the completed sub-assemblies on Saturday. Have a tiny bit more filling to do on a part I damaged and on his left wrist, then painting & final assembly!

[MechTech]

So tell the truth, did you bust up your kids Magnetix Now I know why Kamjin was such a knuckle head, your picture shows he has a screw loose! Seriously though, cool mod a great way to have your cake and eat it too! - MT

[AcroRay]

So tell the truth, did you bust up your kids Magnetix

Heh-hah! Honestly, I did ask her for one and did tell her I'd be breaking it.

(I didn't just keep one of the dozens I regularly pull out of the couch, or the half-dozen I've found clattering around the vacuum cleaner!)

[big F]

Heh-hah! Honestly, I did ask her for one and did tell her I'd be breaking it.

(I didn't just keep one of the dozens I regularly pull out of the couch, or the half-dozen I've found clattering around the vacuum cleaner!)

You can use them for the next figure John does.

[Ghadrack]

That's a great idea, thanks for sharing!