Jason, from We Are Small, has this fix for the issues with the CTVT reproduction bodies. Thanks Jason!
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CTVT FIX
First, I need to point out that I'm pleased as punch about the fact that new Mego- inspired toys are available for sale, and from more than one quality source. My parts and clothing bins runneth over, and this translates directly into both fun and joy for me.
However...
I have noticed that CTVT figures fall down (a lot), and when I can get them to stand up on their own they often look like they have painful gas, are pigeon-toed, have curved spines and other wacky issues that result in less than satisfactory postures. Like poor Bergman here:
What follows is a process I have developed to correct these problems. Maybe it will work for you, too.
The source of the trouble as I see it is the way CTVTs are strung. The rubber bands are too tight, and often freakishly twisted for no apparent reason. My solution is to toss out the offending parts and restring the figure much like a Type 1 Mego. Here is my process:
1. Cut the rubber bands. Remove all the metal hardware. Remove the plastic hip pins. Chuck all this junk in the trash:
2. Restring the body much like a Type 1 figure:
A: Remove the head and lay the figure's parts out in their proper positions. Using round chord elastic, go in through the neck hole, out the torso's right arm hole, through the loop in the right arm, and back into the torso's right arm hole. Then thread the elastic down through the torso, down through the pelvis, and out the pelvis's right leg hole.
B: Stringing Type 2 legs without hip pins is pretty easy. With the elastic coming out of the leg hole in the pelvis, you simply thread it through the hole in the hip, wrap the elastic around the ball at the top of the leg, and then thread the elastic back through the hole in the hip. I always wrap the elastic in a butt-to-front direction. Keep pulling the slack out of the elastic as you go.
C: Next, thread the elastic up and over the bar inside the pelvis before moving on to the next leg. This helps prevent Mego "leg splay" problems, just like the corrective procedure for Type 1 figures.
D: Thread the left leg just as you did the right one; out the hole in the hip, wrap around the ball of the hip, and then back into the hip hole. Here is a shot of what it looks like after both legs are restrung this way:
E: Thread the elastic up through the pelvis, up through the torso, out the torso's left arm hole, through the loop in the left arm, back into the torso's left arm hole, and finally up through the neck hole. Pull out as much slack in the elastic as possible. It helps to yank on the legs a bit as you are taking up the slack - the legs should snap into place if the tension is right. When the elastic is tight and the figure is firmly strung you can tie the ends of the elastic together (the knot will sink into the torso), trim the ends, and squish the head into place.
F: Lastly, I usually take an extra bit of elastic and tie it in a knot just behind the loop of each arm. This brings the threaded elastic together so that the arm rotates from a central point and give one more control over the arms.
3. My final suggestion may not be for everyone but I find it very helpful. CTVT plastic is pretty slick stuff and that presents slippage problems. To correct this I wrap a few layers of floral tape around the balls of the hips, the balls behind the biceps, and sometimes around the ball-end of the torso. The tape is tacky and helps to keep the various body parts in the poses you want them maintain, and it is hidden by the figure's clothing. If you want your figure to hold very specific postures that go beyond a Mego's range of motion, this is a great way to make it happen.
Well, that's my fix! It isn't exactly pretty to look at when they are naked, but you can get great poses that you can actually control, and in the end they end up looking like people rather than toys.
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Now here's Steve Moore's method.
For this exercise, I am using arguably the worst CTVT design out there, the first series monster body(Pic 1). As delivered, these were basically useless. But with a little help, they are just fine.
Step 1 - Gather your tools and materials - Pic 2
Needle nose pliers
2' elastic cord(must be the thicker kind)
4 craft store jewelry rings - keychain style
Tweezers
Step 2 - Remove all CTVT innards
The safest way to do this is to pull the shoulder joint out just enough to slip off the arms. Too much tension during this step will bust the hip pin, and if you have a colored body you'll have to live with knowing there is a flesh replacement part in itJ
Step 3 - Add rings to CTVT arms and legs - Pic 3, pic 4
The arms are easy - just slide the ring on as if you were putting a key on a key ring. The hips are a little more work: First, drill or ream the hip hole so that the hip pin can spin freely. Next, take the ring and gently compress it with the pliers into an oval shape. Be careful not to pinch your fingers or let the ring slip out as you are squeezing. Last step, place the ring on the end of the pin and reinstall it in the hip.
Step 4 - Thread the elastic through the body in the ridiculously complicated manner that follows - Pics 5 - 9
http://megomuseum.com/albums/CTVT-Body-Fix/frank5.jpg
The first phase of adding the elastic is relatively simple. Thread the elastic through each ring twice, letting each end exit towards the torso. Pull tight - as tight as you can without breaking the hip pins. Next, thread the elastic through each arm ring twice, and exit both ends through the neck hole. Snug things up, but do not over tighten. Then - and this is the toughie, send the ends back through neck hole, and through the torso and pelvis. Once each end is out of the hip joint, then tighten as tight as you possibly can. This step may require that you turn the arms and legs a little as you pull on the cord so that all slack is out of the pattern. Lastly, thread one end across the pelvis and tie it off as tightly as you can.
If restrung correctly, the figure will now pose and "feel" much more like an original Mego body(Pic 10). As cheap and plentiful as these figures are now, I am a big advocate of using them for customs. CTVT sells Mad Clowns in their Ebay store loose with a BIN of $15 for a set of four. Hard to beat, and with a little work a good alternative to cannibalizing Ponch or Bo.
