(Spider-Man) I'm too tall! (Magneto) I'm too short!
When I got Marvel Universe Secret Wars Series 2, Magneto was one of my wanted characters, so I was disappointed that Hasbro opted to use the Daredevil / Bullseye body from way back in the first series of Marvel Universe figures. That body is plagued by a really short torso, and any superhero-sized character will be too short when using it.
Luckily, Magneto has one feature that is going to make this really easy to fix – his big wide belt. Here’s how to do it.
Basically, we’re going to cut Magneto in half, raise his torso, and then cover the horrific surgery with that oversized belt that he comes with. Simple, right?
Stuff You’ll Need
- Magneto from the Marvel Universe Secret Wars Spider-Man and Magneto set (available for $14.99 at ToysRUs.com)
- Craft saw or exacto blade
- Filler – I used craft foam but you could use a sculpting material like Sculpey
- Superglue
Step One: Cut Magneto in half
Magneto’s cape and belt aren’t glued down, so they’ll slide right off. You’ll want to cut him on his waist, right where the red and purple meet up. This is easiest to do with a craft saw that you can buy at any hardware store and will come in useful for all sorts of home improvement, like cutting PVC pipe or other fun chores. If you only have an exacto or something similar, you’ll find the cutting much easier if you’ve softened the figure by dropping it in some boiling water for half a minute or so.
Step Two: Figure out how much to lift the torso
Now we’re going to see how the figure will look with the torso lifted. Ideally, you will want to use the height of the belt as the maximum you want to lift it, because we’ll be using the belt itself to hide it all.
I had a piece of extra thick craft foam that I decided to use. I cut out a octagon-shaped piece and tried it out with just a non-glued stacked view. It’d look good with that much height added, but since that would extend a little bit over the top of the belt, I sanded the foam down just a little, since I wanted to hide all the ugliness of cuts and filler under that big Magneto belt. And since I could hide the stuff with the belt, there was no reason I had to sculpt a smooth edge when connecting the two halves. This keeps it really simple.
Step 3: Assemble and you’re done!
Once you have the filler the right size, it’s just a matter of lining up the pieces and gluing them back together. I glued my piece craft foam to the bottom half first, then retested the fit. If you’re using Sculpey or some other sculpting compound, you’ll want to cure the filler first. I’d make sure the belt is on the figure now, so it’s easier to get it around his waist. You can slide it down over his thighs while you’re reconnecting the parts. When that’s done, slide the belt up and hide ugly gaps. You’re done!
Some things you could do but aren’t really necessary:
- Paint the filler purple – that way if there’s something that the belt isn’t covering, it still looks somewhat normal – I used a purple Sharpie.
- Fill in the gaps – because I used a randomly cut piece of craft foam, there’s big gaps all around it. You could use some sculpting compound to make a smooth transition from the waist to the chest. I was lazy, and since the belt was going to hide it, I didn’t do this.
- Glue the belt in place – I did this so it wouldn’t accidentally slide down, exposing my shoddy workmanship.
Good luck with your modding!
The finished product - still a little shorter than Spider-Man, but he's too tall anyways!
Did you like this article? Want more?
We've got three ways to stay up-to-date with our latest pics, reviews, and news. All three are free, and we will never, ever, sell your e-mail address or send you spam.| Subscription Service | Instructions | |
|---|---|---|
 | E-Mail Newsletter We'll send you an e-mail digest, at most once per day, with our latest articles and pictures. Plus, you'll get the chance to win Free Stuff! |
|
 | Facebook We'll send links to your Facebook wall whenever we publish an article or pictorial. |
|
 | Twitter We'll tweet a link whenever we publish an article or pictorial. |
|
I don’t have any of the Universe figures, but it is always fun to see how people fix the mistakes of the producers.
Do you think that these smaller figures tend to have more problems in appearance? It seems that a small mistake can become a much larger mistake on a smaller figure.
You had time to do this, but not tally up the Fwoosh top ten votes? Shame!
Seriously though, great write up. Can’t believe how small Mags is, but looks great once you’re done with him.
When you compare an MU Daredevil to an MU Iron Man, DD is missing one whole abdominal muscle! They should have given him at least half an ab more.
Your Mags looks great. Any thoughts on whether a swivel here for an extra artic would be worth it?
@Logan – I used to think that making smaller figures was harder, but with what we’re seeing in the 3 3/4-inch scale from Hasbro, NECA, and Mezco, I think the technology has improved such that we can see great detail and paint apps in smaller figures. I think the variability is introduced by the use of different factories – some are better than others.
@Hagop – I’m tempted to fix Daredevil and Bullseye, but that would require so much more work. and to borrow a phrase from our beloved toy PR folks – stay tuned for the Fwoosh Top Ten!
@Prem1x – I’m a big fan of the mid-torso articulation that is done very well on most of the Marvel Universe figures. it combines a swivel and crunch, so I don’t think a waist swivel would necessarily add anything to Magneto.
Nice! I think he could still use a bit more height, but that looks much improved.
[...] too big, but I think it would be fine if the figure was better proportioned. I am very tempted to fix him like I did the Secret Wars Magneto, although there would be more work [...]