Author Topic: One of the lesser details of the modern figs I've really come to appreciate  (Read 3667 times)

Offline Ook

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Among the many important improvements of the more recent figures over the older ones (sculpt detail/accuracy, articulation, scale, movie authenticity), a more minor one has really caught my attention. Aside from the articulated joint, has anyone noticed how much nicer the separately sculpted hands are over the ones sculpted at the ends of POTF era arms? I love that the newer hands are finer detailed and plastic, instead of paint-encrusted chunks at the end of the arm. Compare the old painted meat hooks on POTF Ben to the raw plastic ones of ROTS pilot Obi-Wan...





I can't help but notice the difference in these things. Somehow the plastic looks more realistic to me than the paint. The paint really seems to be thickly coated, too; it buries the sculpt detail. Not to mention that at least as often as not, it goes out of the lines and gets on the sleeves. One fig I keep looking at wishing they would update is old Anakin. I have him next to VOTC Yoda and OTC spirit Obi-Wan. He still looks half decent, but if one thing jumps out at me it's those old POTF arms, the ugliest part of which is those big, painted hamfists.

Offline Gatillo

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I was talking about this yesterday with some buddies.  They way they look and how they grab stuff is awesome.  I was also wondering if we might see opening/closing hand grips soon.
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Offline Ook

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I was talking about this yesterday with some buddies.  They way they look and how they grab stuff is awesome.  I was also wondering if we might see opening/closing hand grips soon.

I'd rather not see that on SW figs at this scale; I don't want them to turn into 3¾" Marvel Legends. But I have been thinking it's high time they went Japanese and started giving some of them interchangeable hands. An extra set or two, depending on the character, would be great. It couldn't be that expensive considering the human hand sets could be continually recycled for various human characters. And they'd be damned useful.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2006, 10:01 AM by Ook »

Offline Gatillo

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Like ROTS Palpatine?  That is a good option.
You are never alone when there's a clone.

"Feel don't think"...and she slapped me right after I said it too.

Offline CHEWIE

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Absolutely, I think that separately sculpted articulated hands are one of the best thing about the new figures from the past couple years.  I hate when figures don't have it.  All figures should have it.

 :P

Offline Greg

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I think the molded hands are both good and bad. Yes, they do look like "aint-encrusted chunks at the end of the arm" like you said, but then they couldn't break off. I've had hands from Tion Medon, Pablo Jill, Evolutions Clone Commander(Well, not yey, but about to.) and several other figures break off. So it's a bad and a good thing they got away from one piece arms/hands.

Offline Ook

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I should've been more clear about the interchangeable hands. I do NOT like the ones with weapons sculpted in them, like Palpatine. I just mean different sculpts for different uses. Take  VOTC Han. His hands are great; they hold his blaster well. But it would be awesome if he had extras with other sculpts, say one that could point up at the cantina wall to distract Greedo. Then we wouldn't have figs like Cantina Han forever stuck in that one movie-specific pose. You could just swap out the hands.

I recently got a Takara Microman figure, and the thing came with no less than 6 pairs of hands. Some hold weapons; others are fists for punching; there are open ones; and a Karate chop sculpt too! It would be cool to have Anakin and Obi-Wan, for example, come with hands that hold their sabers and others for punching and holding up in a gesture of using the force. Although, I don't see SW figs looking good with the wrist joint like those have. Just a simple sculpted hand with a plug.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2006, 09:39 PM by Ook »

Offline Darth_Anton

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The newer hands are fantastic. I just took them for granted as an upgrade in overall quallity and never put much thought into the awsomeness of the improvement.
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Offline Ook

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I think the molded hands are both good and bad. Yes, they do look like "aint-encrusted chunks at the end of the arm" like you said, but then they couldn't break off. I've had hands from Tion Medon, Pablo Jill, Evolutions Clone Commander(Well, not yey, but about to.) and several other figures break off. So it's a bad and a good thing they got away from one piece arms/hands.

You've had that many break off? ??? I haven't had that problem yet. I have torn Bly's trigger finger, though.