There are some great custom LJN threads on here and I was hoping to add one more. I grew up with LJN's. In fact, it was my love for LJNs that led to my love of WWF wrestling! Not the other way around.
I started collecting LJN's in 1985. 5 years old and relying on my mom to drive me around, I scoured the city week after week in an effort to build my collection. For whatever reason, the Hart Foundation, The Killer Bees and Snuka were nowhere to be found in my area. It wasn't until the past few years that I was about to purchase these long elusive figures on eBay.
Over the past few months - in need of a hobby and stress reliever - I've tinkered around with customizing and restoring some of the beat up LJN's I've scooped on eBay. (My original collection will always remain untouched) Based on the many threads on this site, there are a million different ways to approach this. I'll share here what has worked best for
me, along with some of the products I've found to work best. I respect that other people might take a different path or use different products. If you do, please share, as I am always open to trying new avenues.
PRODUCTS
PAINT- Material wise I've found that Craftsmart brand SATIN finish paint is a nearly exact match to LJN paint. LJN's have a glisten to them but NOT a gloss. Also, just as it does when used on the walls in a home, gloss paint pulls out a lot of imperfections in figures. On the other end of the spectrum, the flat lines of acrylic paint result in a chalky look - once again missing the look of the original LJN's.
The satin line has less color varieties than other lines of Craftsmart but the finish is perfect. I pick it up at Michaels but it might be available at other places as well.
SCULPTING- Recently I've made the switch from Sculpey III to Scupley Premo. Premo goes on much smoother and shows much less variation.
I haven't had any issues with the oven. If you follow the heating directions there will not be any problems. That said, anytime you use an oven you should do so cautiously. Also, older ovens might not be as accurate temperature wise and it might not hit the exact temp of 275 that the product calls for.
PICTURES
I'm going to be posting some pics soon. It is hard to decide when one is done because of how much detail the 8" figure calls for. In some cases, simple repaints with the LJN's can be the best call...Even restoring them to their original state. That said, right now I'm putting the finishing touches on:
Kane
Brooklyn Brawler
Lord Alfred Hayes
Bezerker
Repo Man
Earthquake
Undertaker
New Version of Beefcake
New Version of Captain Lou
New Version of Macho Man
New Version of Hillbilly Jim
New Version of Heenan
New Version of The Iron Sheik
I'll also share some "in progress" pics in the case they might be helpful to anyone else that works on LJN's.
Here is a pic of a Kane I am working on that I have not cooked yet.
FIGURE: Kane
MADE FROM: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. No alterations to the original body. Full red body paint with black additions using Sculpey III.
I look forward to sharing some more images and thoughts soon!
