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Topics - Mitsukara

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I've traded the clones with JesseJames already; if you're interested in the Yoda you can still contact me but I doubt anyone is drooling for him, so feel free to close/delete this thread as needed.

First off, I would like to apologize for my previous classifieds post where I posted a WTB list and took it down shortly thereafter. I know that wasn't really very good etiquette and might look bad for future posts. However, I personally would like to give you my word that I will be leaving this post up and have no qualms about it; I took the previous thread down because I need to be saving money and couldn't afford to run around buying all kinds of stuff. Not a problem for me when it comes to trading.

That said, my collection of stuff isn't really all that exciting and I don't know if anyone will be interested. I am willing to part with. Each of these are loose, but have been handled relatively little and only really carefully posed for display/put into boxes:

Evolutions AOTC Clone (yellow version) w/ all accessories (large gun, normal and pilot helmets, E-11-esque blaster) x 1 (I have two and could be persueded to part with both depending on what's offered in return)
Evolutions ROTS Clone Commander (yellow version) w/ all accessories (helmet, duel tiny blasters) x 1 (the same goes about having two)
TSC Yoda (a ROTS reprint) with the lightsaber, plastic cloak, and stand (I'd like to keep the force lightning accessory, but a convincing enough offer could talk me out of that too)

I'm leaning on keeping him, but if you make me a good offer I could also part with a complete loose undamaged ROTS Quick-change Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader figure.

In addition, I am happy to throw in any of the following bonus items in any trade:
Loose but clean C3PO Pez Dispenser x1
Loose but clean Chewbacca Pez Dispenser (pre-ROTS version) x1
Loose but clean (and I might have one in a bag around here somewhere) Yoda pez dispenser x1
Mini-holo TSC Yoda (blue) x 1
Mini-holo TSC Luke (red) x 1/2
Mini-holo Obi Wan (red or blue)


I am willing to trade any of these on a 1-1 basis for:

POTF2 Luke Skywalker in Bespin Gear (must include hand, but lightsaber and blaster are not as neccesary)
Commtech/OTC Greedo (must include vest and blaster)
Snowtrooper (any version)
Commtech/OTC Stormtrooper

Any X-wing pilot that's not POTF2 Luke (must include helmets)


And I would trade any two (or three of the clones) for one of the following:
VOTC Lando Calrissian (minimum condition loose with no damages)
[/s]VTSC Luke Skywalker X-wing pilot (min. cond. loose with all accessories)
VOTC Princess Leia (min. cond. loose with no damages)
Evolutions Anakin Skywalker Episode II figure (preferably with all accessories/no damages)

 * I would also be interested in the tin set episode II Anakin Skywalker, but would prefer the Evolutions version because of the accessories
Evolutions Darth Vader (lightsaber is good but not absolutely neccesary; helmet required)
Tin Set Darth Vader (see Evo Darth Vader)
VOTC Han Solo (min. cond. loose with no damages)
VOTC Obi Wan Kenobi (min. cond. loose with all accessories)

I could also be talked into trading four figures for a complete evolutions Anakin set.

I am also interested in leftover customs parts if you have some you don't want. List anything you have and would be willing to part with, and I'll get back to you on it! :)


Additionally, I am willing to renegotiate my offer if you are interested in bartering. However, I would like to request that any initial offers be made in this thread rather than in private messages. I will be checking this thread any time I am at the computer and think of it (which might be daily). Thank you.

This list is subject to change and I will mark an update/bump as neccesary upon doing so.

Feel free to check my (old and untouched for several months now) feedback. Also, I can scan pictures of any of my items upon request.


Thanks for reading!

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It's too close to Christmas for what I originally had in mind now. Thank you, though ^.^ Incidentally, I would still be interested in buying nice-looking vintage repro figures of main characters, if you have any and are willing to part with them for relatively low prices ($5 or less apiece is good). I'm considering collecting a few, not for collectors value but because they resemble vintage figures and yet are arguably "worthless", and something I feel okay actually playing with and displaying in conditions where they might get banged around :)

Quote from: Mitsukara (original post)
Okay, maybe I'm reaching way out on a limb that it's too late to climb and stuff, but this just occurred to me today and I figured it couldn't hurt to post and ask.

I am looking for any loose vintage figures or good(ish) reproductions. I cannot spend more than about $10 a figure unless it's something really really cool. Most importantly, I need this to be shipped to arrive before Christmas if at all possible.

The kind of figures I am looking for would be main characters, preferably- any versions. Vader would be exceptionally cool, or Boba Fett, either.

Figures can be missing some accessories but not anything really important- should have capes, missing/ really badly broken lightsabers aren't cool, etc.

So short version: under $10 per figure, no huge lots, vintage loose or decent repro figures of main characters. Luke/Han/Leia/Lando/Vader/Obi Wan/Yoda etc. Any versions are of interest. Vader and/or Fett would be especially cool.

I am interested in any offers more or less matching this outline. Since I'm wanting these by christmas though, I would prefer an evenly timed trade (we both send at the same time rather than the seller waiting to get my money order). Oh yeah, and I can only pay by money order, sorry :(

Also, here is my feedback from previous transactions.

Thanks for reading! ^.^

3
Original Trilogy Collection / Prices for recirculating VOTC
« on: October 19, 2006, 12:18 AM »
It's been two years since the VOTC figures came out, and as everyone knows, they've gone mostly without reprint; C3PO in the ROTJ commemorative DVD collection (which ironically, as a set, cost just as much as he did alone), R2D2 reprinted without his accessories and with a glued-on hatch, the Stormtrooper partially used then completely reprinted with modifications as the Evolutions and TSC Sandtroopers respectively, parts of Han reused/retooled for the VTSC Trenchcoat Han, and Luke's ugly head reused on the VTSC X-Wing Pilot Luke.

That said, people hoard these. Madly. Many people love to army-build with the VOTC Stormtroopers and it seems to be common that each one now costs $30, even loose- a 300% price increase over the original.

Looking around on ebay, as I have in the past, I find the prices to be consistantly high. VOTC Chewbacca is, at cheapest, $15- more commonly $20. Han, Leia, Obi wan, and Luke seem to  start out at some nice price like $7 and usually hike up to $15 (or more) by auction's end. R2D2 and mysteriously C3PO seem to hold similar prices to Chewbacca; high. Lando is usually about $12-$20, and he's supposedly still pegwarming (not anywhere that I've ever found, though sadly). Anything with Vader's name on it on eBay has an automatic excuse to charge $10 over anything that could ever sort of be reasonable. These are just my observations looking around in the past and recently.

So my question is, what should someone usually expect to pay? eBay is awful for ridiculously high prices- I see the DVD commemorative collections being sold for $30, POTF2s individually going for $15-$30 for stuff like a loose Jedi Luke- prices that are, frankly, ridiculous. Is there a better way or place to buy the VOTC figures? What's a good deal on any of these?

I bring this up because I'm contemplating buying a Chewbacca soon (as in possibly tonight/tommorrow, maybe) for $15.50 counting shipping- on "buy it now," at that. It's the best deal I've managed to find on eBay. I'm just curious to see if those who have more experience have any insights about buying these at this point in time, in general.

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I was shopping out of town today, and trying to find the Commemorative DVD repack boxes- yes, I know no one but me probably wants anything in those, but the ROTJ and ESB boxes would be pretty good deals for me, since I don't have any of the included figures. I didn't find them- they aren't anywhere in Wal Mart at all, no place I can find where they might've ever even sort of been- and no employees have a clue what I'm talking about when I ask, either.

Anyway, the point of my post is that I did stumble upon three figures in the clearance area, marked $1 apiece because they're 5+ years old. They are a Naboo Escape R2D2, an episode I Yoda, and a POTF2 Slave Leia. All on worn cards (no doubt from being thrown around/moved/who knows what over the years), but new, in-store.

I haven't opened any of these because I'm not sure of the rarity of these figures. If they're fairly common/easy to get, cool, I got them cheap and they'd make neat additions to my collection. However, if they're rare, I may want to trade or sell them. Has anyone got any advice on this?

5
Revenge of the Sith / ROTS Chewbacca - good or bad?
« on: September 27, 2006, 07:31 PM »
Okay, I've looked in the past, and am looking again, and cannot find one review for this guy. He has some kind of action feature but I can't figure out how it works, and more importantly, if it impairs articulation.

He looks good; ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, turning wrists, "standard" hips (but that's where the action feature trigger is) and either ball or swivel knees. The sculpt is so-so, but then again, I was contemplating customizing him.

The reason I'm asking now is because I'm thinking of buying a Heroes and Villains reprint one if I should find one, but I don't know if there's something horribly wrong with him because I have very little information. Just pictures.

Additionally, if he is an okay figure, does anyone know if headswapping would be possible/reasonably easy on him? I was thinking of using a different Chewbacca head on one- probably the Millenium Falcon Mechanic Chewy- to make a ROTJ Chewbacca. Of couse, the VOTC is better, but a custom would be kind of fun to do- assuming I get the chance to work on it- and much cheaper for me- then I could still buy a VOTC chewie eventually, be able to use my leftover parts for a different wookie custom or an ANH-style chewy, or whatever. Not a popular idea, I'm sure, but I'm just wondering if what I want to do is actually doable.

Plus if I made one, I could pair him with my Han custom, and the VOTC one- if I get one- with my VTSC Han. Ahh, customs no one technically needs to make, yay.

Anyway, any information on this figure would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

P.S. - Yes, I know this is a little inconsistant with what I said about both leaving and putting off the hobby for a while, but I am trying to not miss too many opportunities to buy things while they're still in stores. I'm not sure how long H&V will clog the shelves, so that's why I'm asking this now.

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Okay, I'm not really here and stuff, but I found this and wanted to post it in every forum I go to so that more people know about it.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=325&objectid=10400645

Now this all sounds good and interesting in theory; so many aspects of it to study, and what it could teach us about the universe. On the other hand, there's a risk, with a BS number attached for ease of the public mind- according to one person I've heard, negative numbers are never used in real risk calculation- that it could destroy the planet.

I think it's interesting on one hand, but ultimately I don't think that's worthwhile.

Anyway, just wanted to get this out there for more people to learn about and think about.

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Watto's Junk Yard / Leaving for a while (or since a while?)
« on: September 18, 2006, 10:13 PM »
Okay, I'm not sure how many of you know me or anything, until a few weeks ago (or maybe a month or so) I posted around various places on the forum, and was working on some custom figures. Sadly, those customs all sit in the same box they were when I was posting, or in half-completion sitting out in my room.

Like some other hobbies before it, I have found I do not have the time and energy to focus on my customizing nor my collecting right now, and I haven't been/don't really feel currently like weaving my way any further into the community here (though it is a very nice one from what I've seen). Therefore, I just wanted to announce that I'm taking my leave. I'll poke my head in occasionally to look around, but I won't be very active for a while. I will finish my custom figures eventually, and may post here again towards that time, but I simply don't have the time or money to work on them the way I want to... yet.

That said, I will still be collecting here and there. I just have more important concerns that come first for me; moving, living, college, and my primary hobbies to boot (namely anime/manga collecting, and videogames).

Thank all of you who sold me stuff, each deal was nice and I was pleased. Thank you for all the advice and help and comments, as well. I hope someday I do return and have some cool customs to post ^.^

Until then, farewell. *bows*

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Star Wars Universe / The Lady Luck (Lando's ship)
« on: August 6, 2006, 11:04 PM »
Introduced in Heir to the Empire, Lando apparently picked up a cruise-ship kind of a thing with which he cavorts around the galaxy (when he hasn't got "real" work that is), the Lady Luck. It's not nearly as fast or handy as the Falcon, but it was used in the Thrawn Trilogy and several other EU books for various purposes. So it's kind of an old staple piece of the EU, kinda.

Anyway, I don't remember any sort of statistics or class name being listed in HTTE, (though there might've been) but I was kind of hoping to find some pictures of the ship. Would anyone happen to have any or know more about the subject? It would be very helpful, thanks :)

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Toy Reviews / TSC Battle of Endor Wave #042 - C3PO
« on: August 1, 2006, 04:27 PM »
I was shopping out of town yesterday and, to my surprise, found Endor Wave figures at a Wal Mart there! Are these even supposed to be out yet? I'm not sure, I could post one of those store reports things maybe if they aren't (I also saw Moff JerJerrod, Darth Fuglyous, and Chief Chirpa). Also, if anyone wants pictures of 3PO, his chair, or the packaging, I could scan some upon request.

Anyway, I grabbed one of the C3POs of course (R5-D4 too ^.^), and I have to say, I love this figure. So, I figured why not give a review, right?

Sculpt: 4.5/5
This is the best looking C3PO I've seen... for the most part. I have to knock down half a point because he's got some noticeable flaws, but they did everything else so right I had to give it a near-perfect score anyway.

The head sculpt seems to be reused from ROTS C3PO, but they've done the neck differently; it's much lower set into the torso, and to me, this looks much, much more accurate. The torso is amazingly similar to ROTS C3PO but doesn't seem to be identical; there's a new little raised bump on his chest. Oddly, the mid-section wiring on his back is identical to ROTS C3PO, but the front wiring is totally different, going all in straight lines- which is, I believe, accurate to the movie (it maches the picture on the packaging at least). Also, the upper torso is much better-positioned on the bottom torso, with the appropriate amount of room to show the wiring; my ROTS 3PO always tends to cover too much of the wiring in the front and too little in the back, but this guy has a good balance where it should be.

The arms are also very ROTS C3PO like, but the thumbs are more detectable; I think maybe they noticed the proble mand reworked the sculpt. The arms hang in a very similar position overall, though I swear the right arm leans in a little more than before... hard to say. They have the same non-seperate elbow piston things, but overall most of the details look sharpish- better than ROTS C3PO a little I think. However, it's here that the worst flaw is found, too; for some strange reason there's this really smooth drop on his right shoulder. It looks kinda like a doorknob; it's like the upper arm leans too far back in the "shoulder joint" (keeping in mind this is all one piece of course) and there's this smooth part in front of it. It's not horrible, but it definately doesn't look good, either.

The legs, then, are the all-new part of the sculpt, and they look pretty good to me. The feet have sort of an angularness to them; I'm not sure if it's accurate, but it looks accurate to someone who didn't do research at least ^^. The knee joints look surprisingly good sculpt-wise, and are not disappointing at all. For some reason, though, the thighs have screws in them, on the inner side...

The hip joints don't blend in as well as past C3POs for some reason; it's good in that the hip/thigh looks like an appropriate seperate piece of plating, but there's kind of a weird space, and the lack of paint on this area- which I'll get it in a minute- really make it more noticeable. It's okay, but it looks a little wonky sort of. I think it might be related to the way the articulation is done, however, which I'll also get to in a minute....

I don't know how to explain it. He's got flaws, but somehow looks far better than ROTS C3PO to me; he doesn't look like a skinny beanpole, but rather very much like the real C3PO, in some subtle way. The neck in particular is a huge improvement, as is the midsection; and I think the new legs are larger in diameter, which is also, I believe, more accurate. He's no VOTC C3PO, that's for sure.

Articularion: 4.8/5
Okay, I can't bring myself to give him a 5 because his arms are no better than a POTF2 and so on, but this C3PO does everything right any C3PO has ever done right, plus the ever-awaited knees, and a nice surprise or two... he's the best yet, definately.

The arms are pretty much like ROTS C3PO; they're even detachable. The head, however, I'm not sure; it might be removeable, but it seems to be in there kinda tight. It moves around from side to side a little, so I *think* this might actually be a 1999-esque ball-jointed head! I'm not sure; it leans forewards and backwars a little bit. If it is a ball joint there's not much of a range; I really think it's probably just a removeable head. It's hard to tell, but whatever it is, it works.

The knee joints are great. He can sit, he can stand, he can kneel, he can run for his life in a way he was never able to in any movie or book... what can I say, they're working hinge joints, and they're very solid. They're an improvement that's been a long time coming, and I love them. C3PO finally makes some other figures look bad in this department, from his own wave even!

The waist is much like the ROTS waist, but as I said, better positioned. It feels a little more moveable here, more sturdy. I can't ask for more from this waist, really.

And then there's the surprise... maybe my figure is broken, but it seems to me that his left thigh turns. His right thigh doesn't do it, and it's a little loose, but it turns... that means the whole leg turns. This means he can take a little more advantage of his knee to look like he's walking or crouching somehow, or he can just stand a little differently. I'm not sure if it's intentional, but it's nice, and I love it. In any case there definately seems to be a seperate piece attaching the upper leg and the main hip joint. In fact, I really have to wonder exactly how these legs are assembled; like I said, there's a screw on the inner-side of each thigh, for some reason.

Paint: 4/5
The vacuum-plated gold is a sheen golder than ROTS C3PO, and I think it's a good thing; ROTS 3PO looks a little bit silvery. Likewise, the silver leg joint here looks okay, at least as good as say, Millenium Minted Coin 3PO's silver leg part. The eyes are painted in the same style as ROTS C3PO, as well.

The wiring on the front is painted awesomely, with very smooth, accurate details... then the back is a bit of a mess. Missed spots and silver specks on colored wires. I don't get it. Anyway, the colors for the wires are silver/white, red, and blue, and overall it looks fairly accurate to photographs really.

Now here's the bad news: the knee joint and hip joints are completely unpainted. Thus a (possibly transclucent?) beige color is quite visible. This is probably because of the way the knees work; paint would scrape right off. I don't really understand the hips though, I don't think they'd need it, unless the thigh-swiveling is an intended articulation point.

Also, while it's no surprise, it's a bit sad to see the painted wiring on the back of the knees from ROTS 3PO absent here. Alas, just more beige.

Accessories: 5/5
It's darn well time 3PO had any sort of accessory, so it's approriate he get one big enough to account for all the plastic Hasbro and Kenner never used on any previous incarnation. The chair looks great; the sculpting is pretty good overall. There's some assembly requied, and the posts that go in the arms have an annoying habit of being loose and sometimes falling/pushing out if you aren't careful. The chair is subtlely two or three tones of brown; it looks like a plastic imitation of wood, which is to say, not wooden, but appropriate for most action figures. It fits in surprisingly well with the mini-diorama from my old POTF2 "Jedi Spirits" display, actually. 3PO sits pretty well in the chair if you pose him right, and if you really want to, you can plop down an older C3PO (or a human/alien or ewok possibly) in the chair; it's just that the legs will stick up a bit comically unless they have knee joints. Overall a fun and interesting accessory.

I can't complain about the red mini holos as much as I thought they could; if you care about collecting, these look kind of nice in their own way; if you want to paint your holos realistically Red makes a good Vader/Maul/Sideuous because you can keep the original color on the lightsaber. If you want a chess set or to divide the "Good" and "bad" figures, red and blue ae good; indeed, it's the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire colors. But still... they're just holo figures, so I'm not too worked up. On the plus side I happened to get a Luke with this guy, and I kinda like him... even though his cloak/lightsaber make him inaccurate for any scene of hte movies, he can be an EU Luke I guess. Whatever.

The stand is nice; 3PO has a hole a little too big on his foot so it's slightly loose, but it works. It has the ROTJ logo embossed on it as usual, and simply says "C-3PO" on the stand keeping it nice and versatile (though some older C3POs don't fit on this peg).

Packaging: 4/5
The TSC packaging is nice, yadda yadda. Exclusive to 3PO's package is a nice, tree-filled endor backdrop, an insert with a nice, standard picture of C3PO- which I believe actually is from Return of the Jedi, though he's not in the chair- and the comments on the back aren't toxic this time. Actually, I like how they say he "was able to make his disinterest in a nice meal composed of Luke, Han, and Chewbacca clear" or whatever exactly it did say; it was chuckle-worthy.

Overall 5/5
Okay, those numbers don't add up, but this is the best C3PO made to date. I hope Hasbro never reuses an older mold, because this guy is great; he looks good, and the articulation is the best any protocol droid could ask for at this point. Throw in some angle-cut elbows and you've got darn near perfection. The accessory is great for (careful) play or for display or dioramas. This is the only C3PO yet that I would even consider paying $10 for; ROTS C3PO may've already made a mockery of VOTC C3PO, but this guy just makes the VOTC look all the worse.

All in all, an excellent C3PO, an excellent protocl droid, a fitting companion for newer R2D2s... I'm happy. If I never have a better C3PO, I'll still be satisfied. But if they make a better one that'd be cool, too, of course...

10
EDIT: maybe this should've gone in the "Hey Hasbro" section or something, sorry. >.<

Okay, as every collector everywhere has complained by now, Hasbro has never, ever liked articulating legs. It's obvious; the priority for ball joints is the head, then the shoulders, then the ankles (mysteriously), then the knees (which almost never get it, and only do so at the price of ankle articulation usually- although that's okay). Ball joints are never on hips; there is exactly one Star Wars figure in this scale that has them, VOTC Luke. One figure in 11 years.

I have no idea what's up with this. Legs need to move almost as much as arms, and knees especially are extremely important for the playability, so a figure can run and sit and such. Why would anyone want a boot swivel or even ball-jointed ankles when there could be knees? I can understand Hasbro wanting to use less ball joints because of cost prices, but why would they ever, much less repeatedly, put them on the ankles instead of the knees?

Anyway, I've been thinking abou this for an idea, and the review for Garindan brought it to mind again; remember the Commtech line? It was like "wow, knees that... MOVE!! amazing!" Star Wars figures never had ball joints then, so hinged knees were an amazingly cool thing. Looking at Commtech Han now, I have to admit his knees are still better than most new figures on the shelves.

So is ball joints are so expensive, why not adopt Commtech-style knees- at least have a hinge, so figures can kneel and sit? If the commtech style is expensive, surely they could come up with some new kind of hinge or at least incorporate some kind of angle cut a la the debateably sucky POTJ Rebel Fleet Trooper- it beats nothing. Or maybe even GI-joe style knee hinges.

I could stand to see wrists go or an old peg-mounted swivelling head instead of a ball head, if it meant there was some kind of knee joint. For that matter, if it's all about saving plastic, I think everyone would much rather have some knee joints on their figures instead of a stupid little hologram figure, right?

Hasbro is obviously stubborn, and all about money, and soforth and so on. But I think it could be beneficial if people started really stressing this point- even compromise, lamer knee joints, not neccesarily ball joints, would be good. Something so they don't have to constantly stand in one position. It's not 1995 anymore, and no competing toy company stiffs knee joints- look at those ugly The Corps figures, cheap ugly crud, yet guess what? Their knees move!

Sorry if this is a bit of a tirade, I don't hate all figures without knee-joints or something, but it really bothers me to see Hasbro continuing to do this. I'm sure a lot of people agree, it's lame and disappointing, and as visible in the current figures, it's a constant flaw infesting the entire line. All that seperates most new figures legs from POTF2 or even vintage figures is the sculpt quality. That's it, and that's sad.

Anyway, just my thoughts. *shrugs*

11
I finally got my hands on a TSC Boba Fett the other day after looking for one since January, and I have to say that for the most part, I'm pleased. The sculpting's all good, the legs of course are awesome, I even like the flame stand better than I was expecting... but that action feature reeks of 2002 in a horrible way. His arms cannot be made to stay up, unless they're all the way back and then he's got his arms flailing over his head. otherwise, it's drop-city, and who wants that?

So, I was wondering if there's a good customizing fix for this. I really don't care for the intended action feature at all- I mean, you push down on his jetpack, which is a wacky place for a button anyway, and so both of his arms swing up? I could maybe see one arm as a "quick draw" feature, but both?? Why? What is he supposed to be doing? Dancing? Celebrating his victory Final Fantasy-style? Panicking because Luke chopped up his nice gun? Who knows, but I wouldn't be heartbroken in the least to have it gone if need be.

The trouble is, I'm not too sure how he's assembled. It's not really my goal to remove the action feature insomuch as to maket the shoulders tighter, so that they can stay in lifted stances, But I have no clue if those are mutually exclusive, inclusive, or if it's possible or not.

So, if anyone knows anything about how this figure is assembled or has had success in fixing this problem in the past, such information would be very helpful. Thanks!

12
All right, these are my first custom Star Wars figures, and my first custom figures whatsoever that aren't in 1:6 scale (and in those cases, 97% of what I did was just gathering seperate outfit items and assembling them). Additionally, I've used some pretty old stuff here, and other than Han these customs look like they came from 2000, not 2006. So, bear with me here...

Also, I'm sorry for taking so long to get these done. Just today I managed to get another scanner we had hooked up, and it scans these to at least a seeable condition. Still, the picture quality is pretty bad, but at least it's something, right?

Custom #1: Luke Skywalker in traditional Jedi garb

Head: POTF2 Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise (note the collar)
Body: Episode 1 Obi Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel)
Lightsaber: POTF2 Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (spare from Escape the Death Star game)

I made this back in December, and I have to say I'm not really all that wild about it >.> Actually, my first thought after seeing some Star Wars custom figures was that I wanted to make one of these ^^ But the painting didn't go that great and I think I'm going to try to strip it and redo it someday. As it stands, Luke is painted with Apple Barrel acrylics- the cheap stuff- and sealed with cheap Wal Mart acrylic sealer. I think I put too much sealer because Luke got this kind of sticky, glossy coat (despite it being flat sealer)- most of the really noticeable stuff I was able to get off, but as you'll notice he still looks kind of "shiny" and his "skirt" piece seems to attract tiny dirt and stuff over time. The lightsaber sealed great though, and isn't too sticky and hasn't worn.

I'm not sure when this Luke would really chronologically fit in- I planned it before I'd read any EU books and made it not too long after reading Heir to the Empire for the first time. I decided to paint the little "buckles" on the boots silver to add something different (and I was kind of thinking of Anakin's glove), and the color scheme I made up partially for easyness (wasn't brave enough to repaint his whole outfit). For some reason I had the hardest time getting the head to pop in, taking about an hour and a half to do it- I don't think I was doing it right. Later customs have gone much more smoothly though.

Custom #2: Han Solo in Stormtrooper Disguise (bet you've never seen one of these!)

Head: POTF2 Commtech Han Solo (Cantina)
Body, Helmet, Gun: Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise

Once I got experimenting with making my other Han Solo, I found myself with some leftover Cantina Han parts, and I had a stormtrooper disguise waiting to be filled from my Luke custom. So, rather quickly, I whipped this guy up. Later, I went back and added some paint details when I repainted my other stormtroopers.

The body is terribly lame of course, but I like this custom better than the pictures I've seen of the official POTF2 Hantrooper; he had this weird pose with his arms, and the Cantina Han makes a better young Harrison Ford likeness. The collar is a small rubber band which I painted black. The blaster, along with several of my other POTF2 E-11s, has some silver paint (Apple Barrel of course) added in areas I think might maybe be accurate from a search for pictures of the prop.

Finally, I decided for some reason to try to paint his head some- I don't much care for the tannish brown Cantina Han was painted with, and he lookd kind of cartoony. I think I used Burnt Umber, and I wiped it off with a napkin immediately after application- this worked great on the hair after doing it a few times. The trouble was, it made the eyebrows look horrible, so I attempted to repaint them with a needle. The results aren't very good and probably need reworked eventually, especially if they chip/rub off sometime.

Custom #3: Paint Enhanced POTF2 Stormtroopers


I think I just won "Boring Custom of 2006." All I did here was use some black paint- testors on the torso and Apple Barrel on the legs, "neck," and helmet- to add some details and make these guys look more accurate. I think I'll do this to my future POTF2 stormtroopers, but perhaps I'll try popping the limbs first, and using enamel and dullcote.

Sadly, I was unable to magically remove the mega-buffness.

Custom #4: Han Solo (New Republic)

Head, torso, arms: TSC Han Solo (Carbonite)
Legs, pelvis, vest, blaster: POTF2 Commtech Han Solo (Cantina)

Yeah! A custom that's kinda cool in some way! Basically, I torso cracked Cantina Han- cracking quite a bit actually >.< - and after a bit of effort managed to remove the lower half from the upper half (mostly by destroying the upper half). Carbonite Han is made entirely of the soft plastic that used to be reserved to limbs/heads/accessories, so his torso actually pops off pretty easily via boil and pop.

I toyed with the idea of trying to cut and swap the posts for the torsos, since they didn't match, but in a moment of boldness I instead decided to try rewarming the Carbonite Han torso and then just pushed the post in and to my surprise, it worked and retains the articulation after cooling- though I suspect it warped the inside of the torso to do it. Nevertheless, it worked, so I'm happy about it :)

I decided to paint Han's pants black with yellow bloodstripes, to match the way the Heir to the Empire comic books (haven't read them, but I've searched around and found pictures) portrayed him. I think a number of other comic books like this combination, and I thought, why not. Painting was problematic though; I tried to use Testors enamel, and then seal it with dullcote, but it took way too many coats to dry I think, and even then it wouldn't dry around the joints. As it turns out I think I was supposed to prime the figure beforehand, but alas. So I spent about an hour stripping off all the paint and redid it with apple barrel acrylics which I carefully sealed, masking off the top half since it didn't need any. It might get changed later on, but it works for now- although there's a sport on the back of one leg where it's already chipped off slightly.

The blaster is simply painted with apple barrel acrylics, wiped away while wet, and that process repeated a few times. It makes the gun look kind of worn and retains some of it's metallic look, and it hasn't chipped off yet even in the holster or Han's hand. And the great thing is that this blaster fits near-perfectly in his hand.

I took a few more pictures of Han but figured not everyone would care to see them, and I didn't think I should clutter my post too much, so here they are:

Side-by-side comparison with VTSC Han Solo
Han and MFC Chewie
Han and Chewie again
Also of note is that I customized Chewie's bowcaster a bit- I stole it from buff short POTF2 first Chewie, repainted it with the wipe-away method to add some silver/black/bronze weathering, and added a strap. The strap is actually a green rubber band with some crude black weathering added, attached by jumprings. It doesn't always hang quite right, but with some care it looks okay, and it works for actually hanging the bowcaster over his back.

Any comments/tips/suggestions are appreciated. I know these customs aren't much, but I hope to do some cooler stuff in the future. You can expect some more POTF2 parts to show up in them though, considering I just bought a lot of mostly POTF2 fodder (although I'm pretty happy with the lot, especially for the price I paid)...

NOTE: If some of the pictures aren't showing up, right click on them and click "Show Image"- maybe I have too many of them or something?

13
Collector's Tips / Opened Cards... what to do with them?
« on: May 23, 2006, 10:45 PM »
Okay, I have a box of old POTF2 cards, mostly missing bubbles and with some wear and tear and such, that I've been keeping. Now I have a bunch of TSC and a few ROTS cards, and I haven't gotten rid of the bubbles from those either.

I am totally a loose collctor, and currently own nothing that's still carded/boxed. But the cards are kind of nice in a sense; on the other hand, I'm not sure if I really want to display a bunch of torn, opened cards, especially POTF2s. And I don't really have a place.

So, is there some way I could store these more easily/take up less space with them? As it is they overrun parts of my room and tend to be in fairly unsafe places. IF htere was som special method to packing a bunch tightly in a box, or something better, I'd love to hear any suggestions. Heck, if you know some kind of easy display method I might consider that too.

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

14
First off, I'm sorry if this thread is a bit out of left field/ in the category of "okay, who cares?," but I was surprised to find it out and wanted to know if anyone else had tried/discovered this.

Chewbacca's neck articulation has traditionally been in most figures, well, not really all that articulated. In every Chewie since the Vintage Chewies he's had a seperately molded head, but the hair usually keeps it from being adjustable at all, except in a few cases such as one Saga Chewbacca that had a hinged neck joint.

So, I was removing the paint from my effort-gone-awry to customize/improve the paintjob of my MFM Chewie, only to discover that with a little careful pushing, his head turned to the side. I'm pretty sure this hasn't damaged the head or neck joint at all; and he doesn't need to be warmed to do it. The hair that hangs down on his shoulders is pretty soft, and with a little effort his head is indeed simply a working articulation point. This doesn't work on POTF2 Chewbacca- I've tried numerous times with him before, I think his head might be actually made of styrene (the hard plastic used for torsos until the last couple years).

A little bit needs to go a long way when a figure has simple articulation, and this neck articulation makes Chewie's right arm a lot more useful for shooting poses and such. I'm pretty happy it's there now that I realize it can be used.

As proof, I offer this horrid-quality scanned picture:


So, has anyone else done this? Do newer Chewbaccas, like VOTC Chewie maybe, also do this?

15
Modern Trading / WTT UGH Scorch New on Card
« on: April 27, 2006, 09:45 PM »
I saw this figure at Wal Mart and grabbed him, knowing that a lot of people seemed to be looking for this figure- so I kinda bought him specifically to trade with somebody. Ideally I'd like to trade him for one or more figures off my want-to-buy list. I'd rather not sell him because I'm not sure how well I could recieve payments, especially with no access to a credit card much less paypal account.

I'm not sure where to find any price guides, but this figure cost me about $7 w/tax new in store.

The figure is an Ultimate Galactic Hunt variation figure, with a silver Padme Amidala hologram figure. The Card is in okay shape but there's some kind of smeary lines on part of the bubble- they might be removeable, I'm not sure. The figure should look okay for wall displaying and is straight off the pegs at Wal Mart, and would also be perfect opened. I can ship the figure loose with all included items upon your request.

I have three feedback trading/buying here so far- not great, I know, but I figure anyone interested would also want some kind of credentials. If you'd like I could try to take a photograph of hte figure but I probably won't be able to do so in under a week partially due to a lack of any digital cameras around the house.

The rules I want to lay down for a trade from my end is this- I would like a figure off my want list for this, but two are preferred if it's a cheaper figure such as most POTF2s. Alternatively you could also offer some kitbash fodder that I'm looking for- but you must state exactly what it is you're trading.

If you have a figure you would be willing to trade that's on my want list, but it is more valuable than Scorch, I can include a money order worth the difference.

I also need some kind of credentials on your part- reputation around the forums, past feedback, or at the very least good eBay feedback. I'm pretty new at trading so far so I can understand perfectly what it's like being new, but all the more I also feel I need to be cautious. If you cannot supply any credentials, I will have to ask you to send your item(s) first and I will send the Scorch figure after I receive what you send- sorry.

I also retain the right to deny any trade offers I feel uncomfortable about for any reason. Sorry, I hope to take somebody up on an offer, but I need to point this out just in case.

As a bonus for the trade, I can include any two of these items upon request:

TSC Hologram figure Yoda (1 available)
TSC Hologram Figure Han Solo (1 available)

C3PO Pez Dispenser loose (2 available)
Chewbacca Pez Dispenser loose (2 available- these are the '90s type, not the newer ROTS ones with the better scultping)
Yoda Pez Dispenser new on damaged card- ROTS version (1 available)

GI Joe 2004 Sand Scorpion action figure from Valor vs. Venom 2-pack, loose with some accessories from the pack including all that were clearly his (the scorpion has a small superglue spot on the bottom; also, the head has been removed and reinserted via boil-and-pop, in an experiment to see how Joe head joints worked)

If this goes a few weeks without response I might withdraw it and just keep the figure, I guess, but I'd be a lot happier to have an item or two off my list instead.

Also, if this post doesn't comply with the rules of this forum, somebody tell me- I read the guide but I might've missed/forgotten something.

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