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Messages - MintyMyndi
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31
« on: January 12, 2021, 11:39:58 PM »
Who is the yellow/blue one?
Masquerade. I wish they'd chosen a greener shade for her hair, but it looks aqua enough, I guess.
32
« on: January 12, 2021, 10:57:46 PM »
I wasn't sure whether to put this here or in the Dollhouse, but decided that here was a better place... I mean, they are fantasy horse toys, right? Maybe somebody's turned one into a My Little Pony character... I don't know.
What I do know is that I saw the cheapest one I've seen and scooped it up... The seller ripped a hole in space-time just to send it to me! I ordered it Friday or Saturday and it came Monday, which isn't a bad deal at all.
The TL;DR is that I want to know how much hair I need for her and what my best bet is to get it in there.
She's one of the original ones- Rainbow Brightstar, one of the first pair, if it matters- and she's missing a major component which allows her to poop. That's fine by me- I just think the doll's adorable! I like to think I saved some kid from the disappointment- I saw a ton of the singing ones which were obviously repackaged Christmas gifts for sale at the same time, so some kids really do want that feature! I'm thinking about putting in some sort of lights or sound activated by her bellybutton instead, and also replacing her feeding/rocking switch with wings of some sort. She'll be getting a new look, too, but I haven't decided just how far I'm going with it.
One one hand, the hair she has isn't great quality. I'd compare it to some G4 reboot pony hair. It's filthy, too- the brush I'm using to gauge the viability has black marks on it, so there definitely needs to be a wash at some point. It's also shedding like crazy, so I don't know how well it will hold up! I don't know the hairtype, let alone how well it will respond to defrizzing. And there's just. SO. MUCH. HAIR. I defrizzed three G1s last defrizzing session, and I totally killed my thigh muscles since I use my knees to hold the pony to free up my hands. A whole Poopsie unicorn? No thank you! If I were to reroot her, I'd know she'd be getting quality hair and I could choose whatever colors I want. I'd also be giving her a tail- it weirds me out a bit that she doesn't have one to begin with!
On the other hand, it'd take so much hair to reroot her. It's be expensive, time-consuming (though I would be less tempted to finish in one sitting than defrizzing), and her thick (but still soft) plastic would complicate things. I don't even know how to get inside her head! That's actually the reason I made this thread, since, despite my best efforts, I've yet to completely disassemble the doll. I can't find any instructions for customizing these, either, though if you want to make one from an LOL doll, you're very well covered!
There are four screws in the doll's back, which, when removed, don't seem to allow the doll's torso to come apart. I've come to the conclusion that the halves are glued, but I have been able to pull hard enough that the seams come apart just enough to be visible until I let go. The "butt panel," as I'll call it, opens to allow the mechanism's container (the piece mine is missing) to be removed and cleaned after each use, and the panel itself can just be popped off at the hinge. Internally, there are four screws holding the mechanism in place, and once you remove them, the internal panel can be removed (it's really hard to get it out, though!) and you get a lot of tiny pieces which are the ones that allow the bellybutton to function. I lost the spring, but it shouldn't be a problem for me- I have no clue where it was to begin with! I have the bellybutton, the only externally visible piece, so that's okay. The butt panel also has a removable part held in by two smaller screws, which I did take off, but I don't know the exact function it serves!
Once the unicorn is in this state, there's nothing else I can figure out to do. I might be able to pry the head off of the neck "joint" (the head doesn't turn) by sliding an X-Acto knife between the vinyl and the hard plastic, but my track record with that thing is pretty bad. My rerooted Triple Treat hides her neck seam with her luxurious, poofy locks, and none of my knife bites have scarred, but I'm not going to attempt that if there's an easier way.
Does anyone have experience with these? If not, could you help guide me if I were to provide pictures? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help, and thanks to all who read my latest novel!
EDIT: I have thought about just making a wig, but the horn and ears complicate things. I think I'd prefer a reroot. It'd be hard to remove all the hair without opening it- I've come to the realization that the ears are not only separate pieces, but they have rooting underneath them! Why are these things such a pain?
33
« on: January 12, 2021, 08:49:32 PM »
Well, the McDonald's ponies aren't in the US. I look at a Facebook fan page in addition to the Happy Meal site to predict the next toy; the fan page said that the next toys, which came out yesterday, would be Hasbro, which seemed promising! Alas, we've got Hasbro Gaming toys in the US for now. Sad me is sad. Has anybody posted all the Secret Rings yet? There's an image of all of the first wave. Of course, Rainbow Dash's hair is all red... Targets are starting to stock them, but of course the one closest to me isn't! If yours has them, do check them out- I want firsthand pictures and confirmation of Fizzleshake's coloration! And here's a bit of speculation. Here's an image that was found on Taobao (?) which seems to show not only a second wave of these, but (potentially) the G5 logo! The logo speaks for itself, but note the magenta bases and the twelve ponies in the bottom right. The bottom six are clearly the Mane 6, but who are those six above them? They're inconsistent with the ones we've already seen! They could just be prototype renders, though.
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« on: January 12, 2021, 08:37:49 PM »
Thank you!
35
« on: January 12, 2021, 08:18:27 PM »
Wonderful idea! That color is perfect for Peach Blossom, too. Theoretically, you could just find any old thing with wings you like and use the tabs to make them compatible- amazing!
36
« on: January 12, 2021, 08:10:38 PM »
Definitely one of the ponies I most want to get my grubby hands on! She's gorgeous!
37
« on: January 09, 2021, 06:52:20 PM »
Okay, here's mine! G1Variety is something I'll agree on and probably my favorite part! I also like how grand and magical G1 Ponyland feels, with different interpretations in different forms of media. It's a fantasy land where anything can happen, really, so any medium with its own rules doesn't feel out of place, unless you look at characters that are characterized differently, for example. Tales does have a different vibe, though, but that's not necessarily a bad thing! Looking at Nirvana ponies is especially interesting; whatever worldbuilding you can get from backcards and stuff can vary wildly. It's a wonderful thing! G1 was also quite resourceful with its symbol designs. If you look at every single G1 pony, you'll notice that not a single one has any more than three colors in their symbol. But, if you look at, for example, the Rainbow Curl ponies, you'll see excellent use of negative space to create a four-colored rainbow! G2G2 ponies are just high quality. They have the same color limit on their symbols as G1s, but they rarely use more than one; still, a lot of G2 symbols are intricately drawn. The ponies have neck articulation as a standard and, of course, the eye gems add so much to them! But, perhaps the most interesting parts are their accessories. A good chunk of them were made just for the pony they came with, and each pony came with quite the selection. It's a shame that my G2 collection has yet to include any of them; their world feels so fleshed out with all those accessories! Also, it gave us this commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcHr5STmIQ4A commercial for a rereleased G1 playset for G2 ponies with animated G3 ponies, the G3 logo, and the G3 My Little Pony theme- what a wonderful thing! G3A lot of things about G3 are really great, but one of my favorite things is the bold character design. G1 and G2 have subtlety and G3 is unafraid to be wild, which are both different, but good things! For instance, let's look at the eyes. G1 ponies had a single-colored iris and, at most, bicolored eyeshadow. G2 still had solid irises, but upped the ante with the lovely eye gems! G3s have a main iris color, at least one colored stripe (some ponies, such as Scooter Sprite and Rainbow Dash, have more than one!), and a smaller highlight in yet another color that is usually one of three shapes, but can deviate from the norm! Moving on to the hair, early G3s were either "glitter" or "rainbow," no matter what set they were from; this means that they either had multicolored hair or iridescent tinsel, and later gimmicks were added, like "shimmer" (metallic tinsel); only a few G3s ever had plain, solid-colored hair! Some ponies had as many as nine stripes (or maybe more!) in their mane, though that includes repeating colors. G3 embraced the fact that tails don't always have to match the manes, and there are many ponies with three colors in their mane and three entirely different colors in their tail! So many colors can be added to a color scheme, making rainbows bright and pretty and even spicing up monochrome ponies! And, finally, their lovely symbol design. A lot of them can be seen as overly cutesy, but there's so much detail here. Gone is the three-color limit of yesteryear in favor of choosing many for several details, such as subtle outlines, added sparkles, dots, and other particles, or just making cluster symbols a bit less boring (not that they were exceptionally so)! Later ponies can have digitally-printed symbols with lovely gradients, while a good chunk of poses allowed for 3D symbols that weren't always the set's gimmick! While the quantity of a pony's symbols has been halved, the quality has been improved, at least in my eyes. And, after all that, the vast majority of the ponies have this lovely, subtle pearly sheen. Throw in random gradients, glittery foreheads, and other little touches here and there, and G3 has such lovely variety! G3.5The quality! Their massive, bellbottom hooves are solid, not hollow! The three ponies with bang have three rows of plugs for them! Heck, Cheerilee even has a full head of hair! Their symbols are as lovely as G3s', and the eyes add details with eyeshadow, though the variety is impeded by limiting the generation to ten characters. Each of the Core 7 has a unique head mold (with one singular release being an exception), giving them unique faces, and only two of them share a body mold (with the same exception)! Their brushes are amazing for detangling, so, even if you have no interest in G3.5, it's worth owning one for large ponies or even other dolls with matted hair! This is also my favorite art style, but that's a matter of opinion! (As if the rest wasn't!)This is also where unique hairstyles became the norm for artwork, giving each character that little bit of extra personality! G4The marketing! The accessibility! The popularity! G4 is probably where you'll find the most variety in types of licensed products available; in fact, I can't think of a single one that previous generations had and this one lacks! Prove me wrong! G4 also has a lovely art style not just for how it looks (it's not my favorite, but I do like it), but how it makes use of it. The hairstyles are unique, but not as intricate as G3.5, and the ponies are made of simple shapes; G4 ponies are easy to draw and relatively easy to design. Their symbols are unbound from the color limits present in G1 and G2, but subtlety returns; the shapes are easy to recognize, since they're going on such tiny butts! And then there's the cartoon. Wait! Drop your pitchforks! I'm not discounting the previous series! They have a lot of charm and lovely ideas, and I love them all just as much (or more in some cases)! FiM does have (arguably) higher quality animation, generally better voice acting, and overall better production value; if you look at the writing, you'll find fewer "eh, the kids won't care" moments, at least proportionally, and it just feels like more care was taken overall. G4 paved new ground for "girls'" cartoons and wasn't afraid to get deeply emotional at times, which it was set up well for with its small, consistent group of characters. Does that mean FiM is objectively better? Not at all! It has its ups and downs and isn't a perfect work of art, but it was still something special. Love it, hate it, or anything in between, FiM proved the viability of "girly" subjects to a wider audience and has made a deep cultural impact. That makes it noteworthy, at least to me. G4.5The art style is... an acquired taste, but one that was swiftly acquired by me! The eyes are expressive and sparkly, the large ears are charming, and the neck joints are just amazing. This isn't necessarily a bad direction, just a different one! (I certainly wouldn't mind if G5 went a bit more equine, though.)
38
« on: January 08, 2021, 10:02:40 PM »
I would try sun fading, but I'm worried her back will turn a different color than the front since only the back needs it.
Do you put the the cream all over or just on the spots?
Thank you for all the help 
I'd apply it all over since she tends to burn, but on a pony known to fade well, applying to just the spots could save on cream. I'd stand her upright on a mirror to fade evenly; best case scenario, it brightens her white, which is something you'd want to see all over! If you do cover her vinyl with foil and leave only the spots exposed, put a layer of paper towel underneath, as I've seen reports of foil discoloring ponies. If you do opt for this, though, be prepared for the spots being whiter than the rest of her!
39
« on: January 08, 2021, 07:21:46 PM »
Pink Dreams looks about right for how Taffeta describes her packaging. I'm going to say they were excess stock. It's possible that some of these were sold like this in the US, but we don't have any documentation of such a thing happening. If it did happen, it was probably in small numbers.
40
« on: January 08, 2021, 07:16:30 PM »
Try it at your own risk, but some people have had success removing cancer with hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide can even prevent or remove sunburn! The most common method is a hydrogen peroxide soak, with the pony in a transparent container in the sun, but it has some drawbacks, including: -Drying out the hair -Killing mane glue -Damaging Twinkle Eyes, Princess symbols, and loosening glitter symbols -Causing vulnerable colors to fade -Causing neon colors to bleed -Pretty sure it's not good for flocking, either A lot of this can be avoided by removing the hair and replacing it afterward, but that's an issue in and of itself. Another method you can use is similar to a normal sunfade. Cover her hair with foil and the painted areas with thin, cheap acrylic paints, which will come off with rubbing alcohol when you're done (though I don't know how safe this is on glitter symbols). Instead of just placing her as-is, cover her surface with hydrogen peroxide gel or cream; I've seen a recipe for a homemade gel somewhere, and creams can be found in beauty stores as hair bleaching cream. You'll need to reapply it every twenty-four hours. This method is a bit safer, but it may be slower due to the lack of penetration. Whatever method you use, though, you should keep track of it and disclose that it's been done should you decide to sell the pony. It also should be noted that spots have been known to return months after the treatment, but a temporary fix is better than no fix, right? There are still uncertainties when it comes to long-term side effects, but if the risk is worth it to you, then go for it! More info here: http://www.mlppreservationproject.com/body.html#SunFadingGood luck!
41
« on: January 08, 2021, 04:22:18 PM »
Pretty carnation pink suits her so well! But, she's oh so expensive. One of the ones from the alt set I like more, but not one I'd actively hunt down. Although, she DOES have a white body, so if you have a common version in reroot-candidate condition, this is an idea. They wouldn't be identical with a simple reroot, but it would look a bit nicer to have one that doesn't have the same body, hair, and eye colors as thirteen other ponies! If you were to go the replica route, you'd need to change not only the eye color, but the symbols; not just the color, either, but the angle of the symbols- the alts don't mirror the symbols on the other side!
42
« on: January 08, 2021, 03:41:44 PM »
Were they called Mail Order because they were in plastic bags? Were they from Europe, perhaps? It's possible they were excess stock. Toward the end of the line, the Slumber Party Gift Pack ponies were known to be thrown into playsets at least in the UK just to get rid of them. I think Pink Dreams and Baby Nightcap have come with the Kitchen playset; maybe the twins as well, but just one at a time. These ponies didn't come with names or any hints to their origin (other than "Made in Hong Kong"); they were just jammed in the box. Another way these guys were purged was in a plain plastic bag stapled to a cardboard piece with just the rainbow logo printed on it in grayscale. Other ponies sold this way include Mail Order ponies such as Tux 'n' Tails. If I'm interpreting this right, every pony from the set has been found like this except for Pillow Talk. Here's how they were released: visitors can't see pics , please register or loginSource: Taf's Scrapbook site http://www.etherella.com/scrapbook2/1987_slumberpartyset.htm
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« on: January 07, 2021, 08:45:36 PM »
Where can I get it?
There's supposed to be an airbrush that you can get for cheap with "Yeah, sure, it works, but you get what you pay for" quality. I remember people recommending it here and there a while ago. It's become apparent that my brush-painting skills need work, if the last McDonald's pony I mauled is anything to go off of (don't worry, she'll live). I think I'm going to hunt this elusive creature down!
I looked for something like it the last time I was at Michael's (which doesn't happen very often; the nearest one's quite a drive) and saw a kit that was ~$40 (give or take) which included a bunch of browns and greens useful for camouflage (which it was designed for) or perhaps plants, but not so much for pastel fantasy horses. I decided to pass.
Can somebody point me in the direction of a good-enough airbrush for relatively cheap? Or is this just a fairy tale? Thanks to anybody who can help!
44
« on: January 07, 2021, 06:09:56 PM »
It's basically off-brand Play-Dough if that helps. And thanks for the tip.
The best thing I can recommend for that is to use a different clay! This site has recipes with things you may be able to find around the house and even tells you the strengths and weaknesses of each kind! If your piece is relatively small, the no-glue cold porcelain may work well, but does have its drawbacks, including cracking easily while drying and being stiff and inflexible once dry; but, it is very easy to make! You can even make it in the microwave! https://www.clay-it-now.com/modelingclayrecipes.htmlThe YouTube channels Maqaroon and Cute Life Hacks, run by the same person, have videos on a lot of air-dry-clay-related topics, including brand comparisons and tips and tricks. I've curated a small selection below, all with good tips for making your own pieces: 10 Things You Must Know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8bhR7KZUB4Paper Clay Brand Comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mROzkwuoFIsHomemade Paper Clay vs. Daiso and Banggood clays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAk5TSLRQdM3 Different Recipes with Household Ingredients: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtBmz6ltHfgPlay-Doh and similar substances aren't made to dry to make permanent pieces, so they'll shrink, crack, crumble, and turn funny colors while doing so. The finished piece will be quite crumbly as well. Do consider trying something else- it'll do your skills more justice to use a quality product! As for a sealant, I'll recommend a product I find underrated: Duraclear Ultra-Matte varnish! I've painted one of those army-men like ponies you can find 20-ish to a pack at Dollar Tree and sealed her with it, and it's done its job quite well. Unlike Duraclear Matte varnish, it's actually matte, but it still has a certain "sheen," similar to the surface of a pumpkin. If gloss is your thing, I've heard good things about Liquitex, but I've never used it myself, so grain of salt! Good luck in your endeavors! I'd love to see what you end up with!
45
« on: January 07, 2021, 05:20:43 PM »
I don't have her, and I do want her. But only under certain conditions: I would like a BAIT version of her that I could rehair with red, possibly with white streaks. As pink... is not a Christmas colour in my book. And as she is supposed to be a Christmas themed pony she should look the part to me. So I will wait patiently until such a pony comes my way because I could never do this to one in good condition.
Try looking for one from a hotter climate if you can; her hair color is more prone to hair rot, which seems to be brought on by heat!
Is that when the hair goes so brittle it snaps from just brushing??? Had that on a Pony once. Needless to say she was Customised & upgraded.
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Spoiler It varies, really. On my Baby Sweetsteps, Baby Romperooni (pink only), and Rainbow Flash (all colors, but pink is the worst), the latter two being childhood ponies, it crumbles whenever you even dare to touch the hair, let alone brush it! Baby Sweetsteps only loses a bit at a time, but it's still a sad thing to see. On my Tangerine Twinkle, a bunch of her pink snapped at the root (well, maybe "snapped" is the wrong word, as it just came off!) when I unbraided her hair from how it was styled in the thrift store bin and, with the slightest tug, the rest decided to follow suit! Her purple and tinsel were entirely unaffected, though. It should be noted that she has quite a bit of glitter that's dissolved already. I keep her pink hair in a baggie in hopes of finding a match.
Speaking of matches, Baby Sweetsteps has a darker color I've only seen on G1s (which is supposed to match Dollyhair's Heartthrob, but I've yet to compare), the childhood pair a slightly lighter color I've only seen on G3s (including, but not limited to, Sparkleworks, Sunny Daze, and Baby Pink Sunsparkle), and Tangerine Twinkle a warmer, ever-so-slightly more vibrant color than other G3s, which I've only seen on her. That's three different colors! I've yet to observe this phenomenon in Tales-era pink (as seen on Patch), Twilight Pink's pink (which may be the same color), or Tink-a-Tink-a-Too's pink (which is the same color, but non-matte). That doesn't mean they aren't more prone to it, though, since the only ponies I have with any of these ponies are the ones I've named the latter two colors after. If anyone has a pony with these colors and hair rot, do share (especially if their other colors are better off)!
In addition, on MLP Preservation Project's site, it shows a DB Stardazzle who has also been afflicted and rerooted in DH Heartthrob, which seems about right for her as well.
I've also had a Core 7 Rainbow Dash and a G3.5 TAF Toola-Roola whose pinks were considerably frizzier than their other colors and more stubborn to defrizz. I've never tried to compare their colors, though. I've observed this frizzing phenomenon in others' ponies as well.
Since this phenomenon has been widely observed in Avon ponies (who may have been stored in a hot warehouse, but that's just a theory), I believe that there's some chemical reason that dark pink hair is more prone to frizz and rot. It must be a common dye between the at least three colors I've seen this happen to.
Because of this, I give a small section of dark pink a tug on any pony who happens to have it to make sure they're safe. I wish there was a safer way, but if the hair's rotting, it should probably be replaced anyway.
As for why I'm thinking heat, Baby Sweetsteps is from Florida; the childhood pair were in a hot garage for a while; and Tangerine Twinkle, as mentioned before, has dissolved glitter, which is also heat-related, IIRC. Correlation doesn't mean causation, but I think there's something to this.
And finally, for my afflicted girls, I just try not to handle Baby Sweetsteps too much, as her hair is otherwise really nice and the rot is relatively mild; you can see the broken hairs up close, but she's got quite a bit of factory curl! I plan to reroot my childhood ponies once I find decent matches, even though they're common ponies; I was always frustrated as a kid that Rainbow Flash wasn't "pretty" since her hair has always been exceptionally frizzy, and Romperooni shares two of three colors with her (and is also HER Romperooni)! I'm pretty sure I still have their barrettes as well, but I'd have to check. If there's a good match for Tangerine Twinkle, I'll replace her stubble as well. I've upgraded the Toola-Roola, but I still want to try using my relatively new curling iron on her and RD to see if I can fix it. It'll fix one of her flaws before I sell her, at least.
I jammed all that in a spoiler and added the short answer at the top since it's a bit long and off-topic. Sorry for writing a novel!
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