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Messages - DARKLORD

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1
Collections / Re: DARKLORD'S Collection**UPDATE**1/23/11
« on: July 8, 2012, 02:19 AM »
Vintage Kenner POTF Tatooine Skiff (1985)










Vintage Kenner Imperial Shuttle (1985)




2
Collections / Re: DARKLORD'S Collection**UPDATE**1/23/11
« on: July 8, 2012, 02:18 AM »
A few more collection images...













God i love those Hasbro BAT-ATs!    ALL of mine wear vintage KENNER side turnstile guns (MUCH more accurate than the stock Hasbro guns!)


3
Collections / Re: DARKLORD'S Collection**UPDATE**1/23/11
« on: July 8, 2012, 02:17 AM »
DEATH STAR II SPACE STATION









JABBA THE HUTT ACTION PLAYSET







EWOK ASSAULT CATAPULT






Y-WING FIGHTER

4
Collections / Re: DARKLORD'S Collection**UPDATE**1/23/11
« on: July 8, 2012, 02:15 AM »
Here are a small handful of the Custom Vintage Style box designs that I've done for replacing damaged boxes and storing some of my loose collectibles:




Custom Vintage Kenner Action Figure Card "13-Back" (done for fun)






A GIANT box for my GIANT custom Sandcrawler






IMPERIAL TROOP TRANSPORTER







CREATURE CANTINA







DEATH STAR SPACE STATION









REBEL BASE TRANSPORT SPEEDER







VEHICLE MAINTENANCE ENERGIZER







REBEL TRANSPORT







E-WEB TRIPOD LASER CANNON







REBEL LASER TURRET






RADAR LASER CANNON







CLOUD CITY TORTURE RACK







DAGOBAH ACTION PLAYSET


5
Collections / Re: DARKLORD'S Collection**UPDATE**1/23/11
« on: July 8, 2012, 02:14 AM »
A few of my other custom action figures:

LANDO CALRISSIAN: Skiff Guard Disguise
Custom Action Figure and Photo by Roberto Williams






NOTE: Figure has since been updated into SA.





HAN SOLO: Bespin Outfit
Custom Action Figure and Photo by Roberto Williams





NOTE: Figure has since been updated into SA.






LUKE SKYWALKER: Hoth Patrol
Custom Action Figure and Photo by Roberto Williams




NOTE: Figure has since been updated into SA




LUKE SKYWALKER: Dagobah Training
Custom Action Figure and Photo by Roberto Williams








LUKE SKYWALKER: Bespin Fatigues
Custom Action Figure and Photo by Roberto Williams






NOTE: Figure has since been updated into SA.




PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA
Custom Action Figure and Photo by Roberto Williams








GRAND MOFF WILHUFF TARKIN
Custom Action Figure and Photo by Roberto Williams






I still like my custom a LOT better than Hasbro's recent Tarkin.





GENERAL MAXIMILLIAN VEERS
Custom Action Figure and Photo by Roberto Williams








6
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 26, 2011, 10:19 PM »
LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL!  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

A most clever response!!! I am gratified and flattered!!

7
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:48 AM »
Coming up next:  properly-scaled WOOKIE SCALPS



8
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:47 AM »
Custom Boba as of January 9th, 2011,   7:30 AM:







9
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:43 AM »
my camera was down for about a month, preventing me from documenting some of  my work on this figure.

I was therefore unable to document some progress steps that occurred during the camera’s repair time.

Since those updates on the figure will be evident in the photos that I’m about to post anyway, I will list what those updates were.

1)  The rangefinder on Boba’s helmet was shortened by about 2½  scale inches.
2)  The cheek stripes on the helmet were re-painted in the correct flat black.
3)  The T-visor on the helmet was re-painted in a darker shade of red.  (Note: this T-visor re-paint was something  that I was originally NOT planning to do .  But admittedly I did change my mind about the desirability of the “toyetic” bright red after I saw it contrasted against the new flat black cheek stripes.
4  The minor paint rubs on the utility belt have all been touched up.
5  The armored shoulder bell for Boba’s left shoulder has been re-painted in the correct canary yellow.  Knee pads and right armored shoulder bell have been left orange yellow.


Undoutedly, the most time-consuming operation I performed yesterday was converting the Imperial Scanning Trooper’s arm sleeves into Boba Fett’s correct double sleeve (sans arm mini pocket).

The first thing I did was to use an X-acto blade to carefully shave away the mini-pocket molded to the right arm.  I gave the area a fine sanding to smooth it off, and then I got to work  making the upper arm double sleeve.








I used some sewing thread to layout the edge of the upper sleeves by carefully gluing it down around the circumfrence of both arms.   Then, with my trusty razor (God, what would I do without that thing?) I re-sculpted the lower sleeve into a narrow taper that appears to emerge from underneath the upper sleeve.



























The guide thread at the edge of each new upper sleeve is only TEMPORARY.  They will be replaced by micro-thin ribbon to simulate the sleeve cuffs.



Boba’s right arm weapon gauntlet features a clear power tube that tucks underneath his right arm upper sleeve.

I used a big needle to make a hole underneath the upper sleeve ridge that I created.  I then made a second hole in the coupling on the wrist weapon gauntlet. These would be the two connection points for the gauntlet’s power feed tube.








I looked around the house for a suitable item to use as the tube.  A tiny white / clear plastic binder on the bundle of new sox  that I just bought was something that I thought might do the trick.  In the end, I rejected it because it did not look like a tube to me, it seemed a bit small in its scale, and it did not have the flexibility I was hoping for.  It kept popping out of the sleeve connection point  every time I posed the figure’s elbow.









I knew I was going to need a far more flexible material to resolve that issue.

A frantic search ensued in my wife’s closet, and as luck would have it, I located a brand new cashmere sweater that my wife bought for herself.  The tag was still attached to the garment by a small clear rubber string!  Yes!! Back in business.!!!

I cut a fragment of the string and installed it on the figure.  The thicker size, the clarity, and the flexibility of the “tube” were all PERFECT!!










My next order of business was to add the straps for Boba’s armored knee pads.  A reasonably straight-forward operation.  I used some Plastruct strip styrene to create the straps and glued them into place behind the knees, making sure that the leg articulation was un-affected.











10
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:40 AM »
Since the last update on this custom figure, the Working Shin Pockets with separate Shin tools (veneers) that I created were GREATLY reduced in their size.  They have been made MUCH MORE flush against the figure's shins since they were a bit too bulky before.  Yes, the removable tools are still veneers, but to my eyes they make such a huge difference in the final look of the figure when compared  to the molded pocket/shins look.

FINALIZING THE ARMOR

I needed to make all of Fett’s un-painted armor its final color. As usual, what I estimated to be a quick operation took me all night:

The collar armor, back armor plate (backpack mount), and crotch armor all needed their final paint job to match the torso armor plates (factory-painted at Hasbro).
 


The collar and back armor pieces needed prep by having the original factory paint carefully sanded off by hand. 






Next, I used the Hasbro painted torso armor pieces as color reference to mix the paint for the collar, back, and crotch armor.

Using my Valejo hobby paint set, I was able to mix up a VERY, VERY close duplication of the flat green for Boba’s armor.   








I loaded up my airbrush and went to work.





Once the newly painted armor pieces were dry, I placed them back onto the figure and checked their final color accuracy under a white light against the Hasbro factory painted torso armor pieces.











I drilled a tiny hole into the back of the collar armor  to accommodate Boba’s side cape, and cut the fastening lead of the cape into a very fine point. I applied some glue, and then inserted the cape into the hole in the armor.










I love how this photo demonstrates the preservation of this figure’s slender build despite the addition of the soft-goods flak vest and the torso armor pieces.








11
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:30 AM »
HELMET DETAILING

Sometimes the fine detail phase is fun.  And sometimes it is NOT.

Tonight, it was definitely NOT fun!

I worked to finalize the final details of Boba Fett’s helmet  and it was truly a tedious experience.

Using strip styrene, I re-created the raised ridge details at the back of the helmet  (which were lost during the cranial enlargement operation I performed three weeks ago).





I carefully measured the required size of the raised ridge and began assembling it off of the helmet.  I made 45 degree angled miter cuts at the corners to form the right angles on this raised detail.








Let’s just say that when the strips are this small, performing this operation accurately requires more that a few attempts.

When the square ridge detail had fully set, I painted it in the correct dull red.



While I waited for the paint to dry, I painted the rear bottom half of the helmet in dark green.

Using superglue, I carefully attached the assembled, painted ridge to the rear of the helmet.



My heart sank when I looked at the final raised ridge because I considered it to be too thick.  After all that work,  I knew I'd have to remove the ridge detail and start again with something much thinner than styrene strip.  CRAP!!!

I decided to come back to that later,


I next turned my attention to the helmet’s rangefinder.

I really felt like I needed to correct the rubbery, overly thick rod of the rangefinder into something that was thinner, cleaner, and stronger.











I actually used a single staple from a grapple gun, straightened it, and attached the rangefinder tip.  













Although this stalk length would have to be shortened by about 3 scale inches, I was nevertheless very pleased with its overall  slender metallic look once it was attached to the helmet.

12
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:24 AM »
GET ‘IM ON THE SHINS!!

There has always been a detail on all Boba Fett action figures that I really wish had been treated like any of his loose weapon accessories: The shin pocket tools .  I’ve honestly never really liked how the tools (and the pockets they were stored in), were always treated as a solid molded part of his lower leg sculpts.

Now when I embarked upon this project, I fully intended to include working shin pockets and separate tools details for my custom figure.  But I had no idea what I was in for.  I only partially succeeded in my effort  since it wasn’t really possible for me to create accurate versions of the tools in this scale, AND to have them all fit into working shin pockets that were not actually made of cloth.

In the end, I made a compromise between  screen accuracy and functionality that nevertheless preserved the established aesthetic of the figure.


I began by razoring out the two shin pockets that I intended to use on this figure.  Although the two pockets came from two different figures, I selected them because they were size-compatible with one another, and because they matched the main Imperial Scanning Crewman jumpsuit color.

POTJ 300th figure Boba Fett provided the left shin pocket, while Legacy Evolutions Fett provided the right one.



I carefully used my trusty razor to cut out the two solid shin pocket “blocks” into actual open pockets.  The pockets, in turn, were trimmed and glued to the figure’s shins.












As I set my sights on creating the shin tools, I attempted to utilize the sculpts that I found to be most accurate and detailed: Vintage Kenner Boba Fett.  I sliced out the portions of the tools that were sculpted to be visible on the figure’s legs, and I actually attempted to complete the un-seen portion of the tools either by scratch building, and or scratch sculpting them .  However, at this small a scale, that proved to be far more trouble than it was worth, especially since the preliminary full length tools I fashioned were far too long and would not fit into the pockets I had created.






















My compromise ended up being to utilize the half shin tools sculpt from POTJ 300th Boba and SAGA I  Pit of Carkoon Fett, and scratch building just enough of the un-seen portion of the tools so that they could slip into the shin pockets.  I didn’t achieve the tiny separate tools accessories I hoped for,  BUT  at least I was able to do away with the solid molded shin pockets look which I disliked so much...  a compromise that I was reasonably satisfied with.




13
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:23 AM »
COLLARS AND SLEEVES

Next, I decided to add the correct short sleeves to Boba’s flack vest so that his shoulder bells could be placed in their final positions (attached to the sleeves).

As per my usual procedure, I began by making a paper template of the basic shape  of the sleeve, and test-fit the pattern against the shoulder of the figure.








I then used the pattern to cut the basic shape in fabric,  and then I created a fold-over finish seam on the sleeve’s edge.  Each sleeve was very carefully glued into the arm holes of the flack vest and checked for final symmetry.



















I know they were not accurate, but I really liked those two little raised details on the front of the collar armor which I fashioned from a vintage Kenner Boba Fett figure. Consequently, I was pretty sad to have to shave them off,  and sand the area smooth.



14
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:21 AM »
HANDS AND A HOLSTER

This custom figure is now in the final anatomical phase of construction, and is entering the fine detail phase (which is really my favorite phase).

Tonight I worked to select a suitable set of hands for custom Boba Fett that would hold his laser rifle well, and would fit anatomically with the Imperial Scanning Crewman basic body.

I did not bother to look to any of the previous Hasbro Boba Fett figures for help since I consider virtually all of them either gorilla handed, or hook clawed.

But in my parts bin, I found a figure that I thought might be a very good hands / gloves candidate.  None other than Jango Fett himself. 


I believe this is a SAGA 1 Jango, and what I really liked about his gloved hands sculpt (besides their suitable size) is the fact that they included the folds of the fabric to really complete the look.  They will have to be painted the correct color for Boba’s gloves, of course, but I think they have very nice detail.



I took a razor to Jango’s hands and then  gradually shaved off the silver gauntlet remnants that remained on his wrist stumps.











Once the Jango hands were cleaned and prepped, I carefully sliced away the mounting pin from the Imperial Scanning Troopers hands and transferred them over to Jango’s severed mitts.






After these hands set, they will pop right into the Custom Boba’s gauntlet cuffs, and remain fully swivel articulated.



While the hands were drying, I officially turned my attention to this figure’s final fine detail phase.

I needed to outfit custom Boba with a holster for his side arm blaster.  Only 2 Hasbro Boba Fetts that have  included this side holster (POTJ 300th Fett, and the most recent Legacy Collection / 2010 Vintage Collection sculpt). Both figures included the holster as a permanently molded part of the right thigh.



Once again, I let my razor do the talking.  I chose the POTJ holster for my project (because of its superior sharpness and detail )  Sliced it right off of the fodder figure, and then transferred it over (as a separate wearable accessory) to my  custom Boba Fett.









15
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Building A Better Boba Fett
« on: January 23, 2011, 11:16 AM »
TO CLONE, OR NOT TO CLONE. THAT IS THE QUESTION

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I am a huge fan of the STAR WARS movie Saga… all 6 films.   But I am strictly an Original Trilogy Collector.  

Although I gave considerable thought to having a clone / Jango-esque head sculpt on my custom Fett figure, with a helmet engineered to be removable, I decided against proceeding in this direction.

There are two reasons for this:

1)  I wanted to look upon my Boba Fett figure as faceless and anonymous… just as the character was in the OT.

2)  Although I was confident that I could successfully increase the size of the helmet to be wearable by a clone head sculpt, I realized there was NOTHING I was going to be able to do about the resulting chewing gum helmet syndrome.  This is the condition that exists with the current Vintage Collection Boba Fett figure helmet, where it is too soft to hold its shape since it is fashioned out of soft, rubbery PVC plastic.

The same thing would happen with any available helmet sculpt if I Dremelled it into a wearable helmet.  The walls of the helmet would become too thin, and it would warp terribly when worn by the figure.

Unacceptable.

I also considered making a mold and hard resin casting of a Boba helmet knowing that a hollowed-out resin helmet would will hold its shape fine because it would be solid and NOT be rubbery.

This idea was rejected because during the inevitable shrinkage of the molding and casting process, I would lose 1% - 2% of my original helmet’s overall size.

Again, unacceptable.



PROFILING A HELMET

I selected (what I considered to be) the best Boba Fett helmet sculpt of all the available production figures released by Hasbro: SAGA 2 Boba Fett  Battle of Carkoon: (2006)

To my eyes, this was the sharpest, straightest, cleanest  (and certainly largest) sculpt we had gotten out of Hasbro from all the Fett figures they’d ever produced.

Was it PERFECT?  

No. Not by a long shot.  But I did consider it reasonably workable into a helmet that I would accept for my custom figure.  

However… More surgery required.

I liked the face of the helmet very much (although it was NOT 100% accurate to the film prop.

It was the profile that I had major problems with.



Putting it simply, the crown of the helmet was far too narrow to adequately and realistically accommodate an average human male head.  And with the base of the helmet being as wide as it is, the overly narrow crown is only augmented visually.

In THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Fett is mostly seen frontally.  But we do get a few brief glimpses at the shape of the profile of his helmet. These are probably best seen during his conversation with Darth Vader (immediately after Han Solo’s torture). You’ll note the size of the helmet’s crown in relation to the base.  Not nearly as narrow as Hasbro has presented.

I fixed the helmet’s profile by slicing  it in half  horizontally along the top of the head (ear to ear).  I sliced clear down to the helmet base, but I DID NOT cut all the way through.




I pried the two helmet halves apart (while they were still attached at the helmet base.




Using an additional Battle of Carkoon helmet, I sliced a tiny wedge spacer, and glued it into my  opened helmet (increasing the width of the crown dramatically).








After carefully filling in all of the gaps around the helmet with spare helmet shavings,  I trimmed and sanded the newly created seam until it was smooth.

There was still a seam visible from the operation that I wanted to make disappear.





I began by using a line of Krazy Glue. I laid down a sealant directly on the seam, and waited for the glue to dry and set. 







Once the glue dried and hardened,  I sanded the seam smooth with 500 grit sandpaper, and then I did a fine wet-sanding with 1000 grit sandpaper to make the dome as smooth as possible. 





I was reasonably pleased with the helmet’s new profile when compared to the original.


Next, I knew that in order for the helmet to look like wearable head gear, I was going to have to create a bit of a recess in the helmet’s underside to visually establish the helmet’s (supposed) wall thickness.  I Dremmelled a full recess of about 1/8 of an inch up into the helmet’s base.  I then Dremmelled a ball joint socket that I could pop into the figure’s neck post.





This entire operation forced the loss of raised ridge details around the rear of the helmet’s crown and at the sides.  These ridges will now have to be restored to the helmet.  Also, an all-new flip-down target sight will have to be made for the helmet due to the current sight being too thick and about 1/32 of an inch too tall.
The final planned modification to this helmet will be the addition of a gloss coat to the black T-visor to give it a tinted glassy look.

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