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Messages - MintyMyndi

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1
Pony Corral / Re: Can I Fix Lily Lightly?
« on: January 26, 2021, 09:20:39 PM »
Ah, the one that got away! I found a Lily Lightly at my favorite extremely lucky out-of-state flea market for five dollars. Either her batteries were dead or she didn't have any, but she looked like she'd clean up well. I was looking at her mane, thinking there was something off about it, so decided to check her tail as I was getting checked out to find a stump. Only after seeing that did I remember that she was supposed to have a Super Long mane- hers had been cut to normal length! The cashier at that booth assured me that they didn't know her hair was cut and that she wouldn't have been priced as high if they did, but she didn't have the authority to change the price and the individual who did wouldn't be there until after I would have gone home... I figured it was okay, since I wouldn't know how to open one anyway, but the more I think of it, the more I wish that I'd just paid the five dollars for her as-is. Would've made for a cool alt reroot, I think.

All that said, if you're brave enough to dissect her, the anatomy of "special" ponies is appreciated information for customizers and restorers, so do take pictures if you do open her! Even if you don't know how everything works, the images would be greatly helpful to anyone who'd need to know what it should look like in there.

Though, if you ask me, in your Lily's case it's probably just that a wire attached to the bulb has broken internally. Have you tried manipulating it to see if there's an angle it would work? That'd help you locate the break if there was. I was a headphone slayer before I discovered the magic of Bluetooth and my dad would solder the headphone wire a few times before a new pair was purchased-perhaps that's all Lily needs. Alternatively, the bulb could just need replacing; try to find a red LED that you'd use for a high school science fair project that's similar in size and brightness.

Either way, I wish you good luck in your endeavors! Even if you decide to keep her as-is, she's in lovely condition (and one of my favorite ponies, so I'm super jealous)!

2
Pony Corral / Re: Was G4.5 Fashion Squad Minty ever released?
« on: January 26, 2021, 08:58:48 PM »
I have one my boyfriend bought me from Amazon! Actually, I picked it out, having seen that she was available. I assumed that my local stores were just not getting her since they never get anything new since I live in a rural nowhere town whose most notable destination is a Walmart that's technically in the next town over. She was retail price, too. Maybe she's popular and constantly selling out and I just got lucky? I wouldn't say that her release is super limited yet; I'd give her a bit more time to start popping up. I've seen some pretty new releases pop up at Big Lots or Ollie's before elsewhere- perhaps that's what'll happen with this set?

3
Pony Corral / Re: ~Out Now and Coming Soon ~
« on: January 26, 2021, 08:01:17 PM »
I don't think we need three "My Little Pony: The Movie"s.
We already have three, if you count the cancelled G3 movie. It had a poster and everything! Four is definitely too many, though!
There was a cancelled G3 Movie?!
Yup! There was some talk about a partial script a while back, but I don't know anything about it. It supposedly centered on Baby Pink Sunsparkle and the Celebration Castle, but that may have just been speculation.
It was meant for a theatrical release at first, then was delayed, then downgraded to direct to video, then was either outright cancelled or altered into A Charming Birthday, though that latter theory is unlikely.
You can read a bit about it at the bottom of this page: https://web.archive.org/web/20030226123629/http://www.media.hasbro.com/pl/page.release/dn/default.cfm?release=124
Here's the poster which, looking at it now, is definitely a mock-up, with symbolless Pinkie Pie being the only pony drawn for it (the rest probably slapped on to get an idea of placement) and the font, Ravie, being one that comes default either on Windows or with Microsoft Office or something... Usually they'll use paid fonts, alter more common ones, or even draw its own unique lettering.
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This page also has more info: https://mylittleponyg3.fandom.com/wiki/The_My_Little_Pony_Movie

4
Customs / Re: Rerooting/disassembling a Poopsie unicorn?
« on: January 26, 2021, 04:16:05 PM »
Thanks for the write up! Interesting.
To reach inside the head, try a long hemostat - they also come curved when needed. And are as strong as a pliers when clamped!
I have two pairs, one curved and one straight. I was going to try to work off the washer with them, but my straight pair wasn't where I left them... I could try any number of things, including a butterknife, a crochet hook, or even a pair of scissors, but I currently have her mostly assembled in preparation for the photo shoot which is no easy feat with the mouth cavity chunk in place.

5
Pony Corral / Re: POTD 1/26/2021 Breezie
« on: January 26, 2021, 02:49:07 PM »
She's alright, but I don't have her. I can't stop finding her accessories, though- I've found her helmet like four times (none of them with the visor) and seen her scooter at least twice- though the scooter was way overpriced both times. It was $7 once and $15 another! That's a pretty good reason to leave it behind, I think.

6
Customs / Re: Rerooting/disassembling a Poopsie unicorn?
« on: January 26, 2021, 01:56:50 PM »
I wrote all this last night and had to save it in Notepad, so... yeah. I used some weird terminology but I think I was able to explain everything...

Video dissection, or at least slideshow dissection, will soon be in the works. That's right, I've done it- she's been disassembled!
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...Mostly, anyway, but I know how every piece I need to deal with goes together, and that's fine by me! I just need to figure out whether it's easier to break certain pieces... more on those later on.

I'll start with the pieces you need heat to remove, then work in a way I feel is logical. I hope you can follow all this, but if you can't, there will be visual aid soon!

The eyeballs can be pried out of their sockets quite easily with heat. Each one has four pieces and none are identical to the other side, though the iris/pupil piece is similar, so keep track! The iris and pupil are printed on a plasticky film on the back of a clear plastic piece; this film is very fragile, but peels off easily! This piece fits into a white cornea piece, and, once together, can be slid downward into the black eyelid piece. This piece has two prongs on the back which fit into holes in the eye sockets. The eyelashes fit between the eyelid and cornea and should be placed before the eye is reassembled.

The limbs pop onto joints sticking out from the body and are also quite easy to remove once heated. The arm joints are only attached to the back half of the torso, but the leg joints are formed by both halves. You technically don't need to remove the arms to take her apart, but I recommend it as they can get in the way of the neck seam. The legs are easy to tell apart, but the arms are more difficult; I recommend marking them somehow on the flat part that is invisible when she's assembled.

The torso's outer shell has three pieces: the front, the back, and the butt panel. In front of the butt panel (and, therefore, concerningly in front of the buttcrack) is the heart-shaped poohole, formed by the front and back pieces. Is it even a butthole? I feel like she needs to see a doctor, judging by the things that come out of it...

The butt panel has a hinge at the bottom which can be popped apart with minimal force. It has a spring-loaded latching mechanism which I haven't deconstructed, but don't want to. There are two "switches" (I guess that's what they'd be called?) attached to two "bars" on the inside which hold the panel closed. They are held outward by an internal spring, which will be coiled by pressing both switches to bring the bars closer together and allow the panel to open. (I feel like I dumbed that down a bit too much...)
There's also another piece on the inside of the butt panel, down by its hinge. It's held in place by two screws which are smaller than the ten (yes, TEN) other screws throughout the unicorn. I'm unsure of how it functions other than helping to hold the slime container in place, but it has the main part with two screw holes and a spring-loaded "tail" which sticks out slightly.
Also, if you want to give her a tail, you'd want to drill a hole right above the buttcrack, right? Well, there's a flat piece of plastic on the inside that complicates that... You'll see what I mean later.

I feel like I'm throwing the term "buttcrack" around too much... I feel that I should replace it with something more professional. From now on, I'll be using the scientific term "intergluteal cleft." It feels a bit more dignified.

The front torso panel has little to write home about externally except for a second, smaller heart-shaped hole for the belly button. It's located exactly where you'd expect it to be.

The back torso piece has a slit at the top for the feeding/rocking switch to fit through. It also has a gaping hole for the butt panel. There are four screw holes: one at each side of the neck and one at each hip. They must be removed in order to separate the halves... obviously... Eh, it's typical of me to underexplain, so I'd rather err on the side of overexplaining to get my point across... It needs all the help it can get until I get the pics!

Each body piece has a ridge at the neck to allow the halves of the neck joint to hold them together. Which brings us to those stubborn guys...
The neck joint is essentially a flat disc with a hole in the middle. The back half of the neck joint is basically shaped like half of a donut. The front side is similar, but has a flat portion at the front. These are the main pieces which prevent head articulation; obviously, the concept of a turning head isn't exactly compatible with the mechanism; the hole in the middle of the neck joint has one half that's more egg-shaped and one that's like a rounded rectangle; this is true of the corresponding torso halves. They aren't too far off of a circle, but only fit on the torso one way. You could probably sand the torso to allow for articulation... I'm debating trying it myself.
The neck joint pieces are held together by a screw at each side. They are glued to the vinyl head and are one of the most difficult pieces to remove. You can do it neatly or quickly, but not both. I was being careful on one side, but got impatient halfway through; it's immediately obvious which is which, as you'll see soon enough.

I probably should address whether to use heat. Glue and vinyl are stubborn without it, but very easy (perhaps too easy) to cut with it. Pick your poison; mine was already in need of a fix for some scratches, so I opted for making mistakes but quickly making progress, since I could fix them at the same time. I've learned from the experience, and, should I claim another victim, it'll go a lot smoother the second time around.

The mouth hole in the muzzle fits onto the mouth cavity, which is inside the torso; you may need to remove it to remove the body from the head. I'm not sure if it's necessary, since I didn't detach the neck seam fully before detaching the muzzle. There's vinyl behind it, and it's glued on good, so you will probably need to cut some vinyl to maintain your sanity. I recommend being very careful on the edges, since that's the part that'll be visible, then just cut the bottom until you can lift the muzzle off of the mouth cavity. If you do any more damage than that, you'll probably come to regret it like I do. It's probably an easy fix, but it would be easier had I done it "right."

Once you've detached the neck seam and maybe the muzzle, you can open the torso. You could technically access a lot of this stuff before through the opening for the butt panel, but you couldn't fully separate the two halves. This is all part of the pooping mechanism, so I don't think I described it yet (and I'm too lazy to read my ramblings from before). If you want to maintain even partial function, you'll need to know which pieces do what and how they can serve your purposes.

So the biggest chunk that I haven't dissected is the mouth cavity, esophagus box, and feeding/rocking switch, which are essentially one piece, at least for my purposes. They sit between the two halves of the body and extend upward into the head to attach to the muzzle.
The mouth cavity has two halves, with a seam perpendicular to others we've seen so far. It's just big enough to allow you to feed the unicorn and pour it into the slime container.
The esophagus box is perhaps more accurately an esophagus slab; it's thinner than it seems at first glance. It has rubber seals on its underside for the slime container, and I'm pretty sure it glues onto the mouth cavity. It certainly isn't easy to separate them and, since I'll be ditching the functionality, I don't really feel like trying. It does not have a visible seam, let alone a seam in the same direction as the mouth cavity's, so I'm confident in saying they're separate pieces.
The feeding/rocking switch fits between these two pieces. It's pretty simple- in the feeding position, a hole aligns with those in the other pieces, allowing ingredients through, and in the rocking position, there is a solid portion of the switch blocking the hole. If you were to get your hands on one of these dolls and wanted to be a massive troll, you could open this section and flip the switch around to cause chaos when someone tries to use her for her intended purpose. Then again, would it really be worth the effort considering what it took to get to this point?

Attached to the front half of the torso is a panel with four more screws to work with. It has a square hole for the "heart square," a rectangular hole in the middle which is likely for the slime container, and a gap at the bottom for that portion of the "belly paddle." It also is really difficult to remove through the open butt panel, so I recommend separating the torso halves before attempting to mess with it. Also, the back side (or front side, since it lines up with the doll's front) has a spring attached to it near the neck and I'm not sure what it does. Anybody who can tell me what it does gets a limited-edition feeling of accomplishment with free two-day shipping. Oh, and I'll say thank-you!
Once removed, you can remove a long, thin piece (the "belly paddle"), a square piece with rubber on it (the "heart square," named for its location), a small spring roughly the diameter of a standard drinking straw (mine fled the country, so likely will not make it to the photo shoot), and the belly button itself.
The best way to explain the functions of each piece is to describe them going back together. The belly button goes into the heart-shaped hole in the belly; the spring (probably!) goes in the circular spot where the heart would be if the unicorn had situs inversus; the heart square goes over it, pressing it down, and the belly paddle has pegs which fit into grooves up by the heart square. The panel will hold everything in place.
When everything's in place, pressing the belly button will also press the belly paddle. It has a button-pushing "finger," if you will, which will open the bottom of the slime container to allow its contents to escape via the poohole. At the same time, a portion of the belly paddle presses down on part of the heart square and therefore (probably) the spring, allowing the belly button to come back forward a bit.

And, finally, we have the head. Inside, you'll see the rooting and how the ears and horn attach. As a result, you'll know why I couldn't just pop off the horn. I thought it may be able to just pop out, since I'd seen one of these sold with the horn missing, but that one was definitely broken. If you know how safety eyes work, you have a pretty good idea of how the horn attaches- there's a plastic washer that is made to only go one way. It can be done, but it's VERY hard to work off the plastic washer without breaking it, though mine won't see play (by a child, anyway) so I think I can live with breaking that one. The ears are similar, but each one has two... "shafts?" I guess?... that have one supermegawasher shaped like the ear securing both of them. They may be essential to holding the scalp's shape under the ear, but I don't know. I can't figure anything out for these, but I need to for rerooting. It's not like I can use my hands, either; the hole is too small for adult hands and it's mildly sharp due to the X-Acto knife misbehaving. If you have anything I could try, do let me know!

And that's about it. If I seem out of it, it's because I am. I had too much coffee today, forgot to eat much of anything, and have slept weird due to a bump that appeared on my scalp/neck/hairline the other day... Don't worry, I think it's getting smaller! If I made up words or just overall made no sense, I apologize for that. Pictures are in my future plans, but for now I'm taking a break.

7
Pony Corral / Re: One Twin Has Fuller Hair?
« on: January 26, 2021, 01:38:38 PM »
Could be a batch thing or a wear thing. Do their hoof markings match?

8
My plush Surprise has a similar thing going on. It fluoresces under blacklight, but doesn't continue glowing in the dark. It does, however, look much brighter than any other color when there's only dim light. It'll catch my eye just as I'm starting to fall asleep, then I'll have to start over!

9
Pony Corral / Re: She'd be perfect if I changed just ONE thing...
« on: January 25, 2021, 05:12:27 PM »
This is more nitpicky than some of the others, but the fact that the Silver Glow pose is obviously based on Twinkle Twirl's but can't rear in any circumstances is so annoying. The hair lays funny, and I couldn't get my Twilight Pink's hair to do anything but stick out straight for the longest time. Even now, if she could rear, her hair would sit so much more nicely... I occasionally stand her up on her other back foot just to get a glimpse of her rearing. I've considered making a stand, but I can't think of a way to make it invisible!

From one group of G3 pegasi to another, we have StarSong and her many releases. I like G3 StarSong on her own, but the fact that she's the only pegasus not like the others is irksome. I like the ridiculously tiny wings and find them cute, but there's not a "normal" StarSong. I know why they made her wings that way (if you don't, it's for the plastic clothing). But McD's StarSong has normal wings and itty bitty Dolly Mix StarSong's wings are almost the same size as the standard size pony's! It doesn't help that her artwork is constantly tauning me with giant, elegant wings (which I like just as much as tiny ones- it's the extremes that get me)! If I were to nitpick her even further, I'd make her hair a bit warmer and her eyes a bit greener, but she's lovely as-is and one of my favorites, if you couldn't tell. I guess I just have high standards for those I love!

"Diamond Dust" and "Blazing Star," the names I've given to the storybook exclusive characters from Wishes Do Come True, would be perfect if they were real! They share a lot of Star Catcher's features since she was the only official pegasus character when the book was made and exist solely to show that more pegasi live on Butterfly Island, but I want them so bad!

I've thought of making custom G3.5s that represent the artwork a bit more faithfully, with full heads of hair and better eyes, but I've only barely acted on that. They had more accurate eyes at one point, but those had thin outlines and pointed in opposite directions and looked just all-around creepy... but okayish from the side!

I wish G4 Breezies had brushable hair. At their size, it'd be way to big for them to have hair, but have you seen them in the show? Their hair is already too big for them! It'd be perfect!

I wish that Flurry Heart would make up her mind about what size figure she's supposed to be compatible with... Blind Bags are too small for her, but brushables are too big! Her pose specifically (so that includes My Baby Mane 6 Twilight as well) has balance issues since the tail sticks out lower than her butt. They also appear to have something against getting her eye color right. But the mold is really cute!

I'm sure I could come up with more, but I'll take a break for now!

10
Pony Corral / Re: ~Out Now and Coming Soon ~
« on: January 25, 2021, 04:39:11 PM »
I don't think we need three "My Little Pony: The Movie"s.
We already have three, if you count the cancelled G3 movie. It had a poster and everything! Four is definitely too many, though!

11
Customs / Re: Dyeing articulated G4 ponies?
« on: January 25, 2021, 04:28:24 PM »
I imagine it'd work to some extent, but her different pieces would probably take it differently. I know that some Monster High customizers dye the doll first then repaint, mainly to bring the joints closer to the final color so that the inevitable chipping will be less noticeable...

Dollightful has also showcased a method using just MSC and chalk pastel, but I imagine it'd be quite expensive. MSC is a hard-to-find-locally product for many people, and this uses a lot of it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ss9lvlHjc0

If you can get her apart completely without breaking her (good luck with that!), you could dye the pieces individually until they're the desired shade. They do have a screw on their underbelly...

12
Pony Corral / Re: Restoration Question - How do you curl pony hair?
« on: January 25, 2021, 04:17:18 PM »
If a pony even shows signs of factory curl, I'll just do a condition and comb. Gently wet it, add conditioner, comb the curls around your finger, then rinse just as gently. Dry as described in the next paragraph, which is what I'll do if this doesn't get satisfactory results- either not curly or just really dry/frizzy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUL3JfdseZY
I follow this tutorial, but I hold the curls for ten seconds, let them cool, comb them around my finger, then repeat until I like the curls I've made, applying drops of water with my fingers as necessary. I rinse gently with cold water while supporting the curls.
I let the hair dry with conditioner in it for 48 hours (makes the hair super shiny!), then gently rinse it out. When you let the pony dry both times, comb the curl around your finger and lay the pony down so that the wet curls aren't as affected by gravity, so basically in a pile next to her. Resist the temptation to touch the hair until it's dry.
That gets a natural curl look, similar to factory curls; it doesn't work very well on metallic tinsel, though.

If you want to use curlers and boiling water, that will get curls that look a bit artificial, but can be neater and tighter than the first method. Rustling them with your fingers afterward can make them look a bit less stiff.
If you have a stubborn pony whose hair refuses to accept curls, smuggle some coffee straws out of Mickey D's and use those. They'll result in tighter curls, which will become normal curls after some slight loosening if it occurs.
A little while before you start setting the curls, get a dish that the hair can be dunked in and fill it with cold water and a couple of ice cubes, and place the dish in the fridge. Let is sit for a few minutes to make sure it's nice and cold.
I use a wide-mouthed mug for the boiling water. I fill it with hot sinkwater and nuke it for two minutes just before I use it.
Place the dishes close together on a towel, because there WILL be drippage! Dunk either the mane or tail in the boiling water for thirty seconds, then into the ice water for thirty seconds. Gradually decrease the time while going back and forth; I usually go 30, 20, 15, 10, 5, then just immediately dunk back and forth a few times for good luck. After I'm finished with one part, I'll move on to the next one.
You can dab the pony dry a bit, but wringing out may make it set weird. Just put her somewhere on a towel with maybe a fan or two on. It takes a little while for the hair to dry, but you should only remove the curlers when it's bone dry.

Also, if you use bobby pins, consider taking anti-rust measures, since I've had even brand-new pins stain hair, and it suuuucks. It mostly washes out, but it still suuucks. You can buy coated wire at Dollar Tree, but I haven't tried it yet. Latex elastics will survive hot water, but latex-free elastics will snap the second they touch it, so do be careful if you go that route.

If all else fails, you can leave conditioner in indefinitely and it will act as a sort of hairspray. It will give the hair an odd texture, though, and seems to make it more rough and/or tangly. Try it and decide if you like it or not. When in doubt, grab a G3 Happy Meal pony and use her as a guinea pig. My "Experimental StarSong" has a place of honor in my herd due to her sacrifice!

Whether you take any of my rambling advice, I wish you good luck in your pony-curling endeavors! I'll never forget the time a few years ago when I accidentally gave my Twilight Pink an afro, but it was a loose wave the next day and completely straight the day after. It was super discouraging. Now she's got pretty, shiny ringlets that I'm really happy with! I hope you get results you love, too!

13
Pony Corral / Re: I made extremely cheap replacement flutter wings
« on: January 25, 2021, 03:32:19 PM »
I just had an idea what we could maybe do with the leftover dolls. I heard somewhere that Creamsicle may have come/been seen as a prototype with a doll called Alyssa... does anyone know any more about this? I've completely forgotten! I was looking for a doll bait to make an Alyssa doll for Creamiscle anyway. If I had one of these they look like a good candidate.

Can you link me info/pics of her? Never heard of this.
They would definitely make good reroot candidates - soft head and not many plugs so you can define the hairline, plus the hair is falling out on its own already
Maybe I'll try making one :)


I found it! http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/File:Prototype-pony-friends.jpg

Zigzag: Zinnia
Creamsicle: Alyssa
Spunky: Cornelia
Kingsley: Kendal

If you CTRL+F 'Pony Friends' on this page: https://mylittleponyaccessories.weebly.com/page-4-paradise-baby---prom-queen-shs.html there is a further description saying that the dolls were in the style of Molly. The Molly dolls do look younger but maybe a new face-up would work. The proportions look OK. Just an idea.
I swear I've seen a piece of merch that featured these, too; it was either a poster, bedsheet, or something else flat with creases. I bring this up not only because they were illustrated instead of photographed, but at least one (I forget which) had a different name! I'll have to go digging for it...



If Kelly clones are what you want, I recommend the Sparkle Girls ones over the cheaper ones since they're quite a bit higher quality. The DG dolls have visible seams on their limbs and each individual piece is a slightly different color; I'm not sure about their Dollar Tree sisters, but I imagine they're similar due to being at a similar price point, if not worse due to the inclusion of wings or the little furniture sets they can come with. I have been thinking about getting one of these and giving it a plush body to be a sort of American-Girl-type doll for dolls, but I haven't actually bought one yet; I don't like the seams on the DG dolls and I don't know if the Sparkle Girls would come apart quite as easily!

14
Pony Corral / Re: Permanently rainbow-fying Rainbow Roadtrip tails?
« on: January 19, 2021, 08:45:43 PM »
I haven't seen these in action to tell, but be prepared for the possibility that the plastic is white and the color is the paint, in which case you'd actually have to paint them rainbow to get the effect... Or you could try to do whatever happens to Watercolor Baby Seaponies to get them stuck, which is either extreme heat or plain old aging, the former being easier than the latter to bring about intentionally!

Thermal pigment capsules break down at a certain high temperature, which would certainly stop the color changing, but what color they'd be afterward may not be what you want, not to mention what may happen to the plastic itself. If you're brave enough, you could try it on your least desired pony from the set and, should things go awry, replace her with the single release with the tail painted.

If it is a layer of white, you could try sanding it or scrubbing it with a Magic Eraser to have more control over what layer is removed. It wouldn't be totally safe (and, in the latter case, would require the world's supply of elbow grease), but it would be something to consider if acetone worries you.

In the end... Do what you're comfortable with, and have a backup plan should it go wrong.

15
Pony Corral / Re: One says 87, one says 83??
« on: January 15, 2021, 09:41:23 PM »
The year they are marked with is the year the pose was copyrighted. Exceptions are some altered poses with updated years.

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