How To Blend a Mini-Bust and VOTC Stormtrooper

[Gregorbian]

GG Bust up VOTC Hybrid

How'd you do that?  I've seen a few on eBay and I tried doing it, but there was no neck on mine.  Did I hollow out the bust-ups helmet too much?  Maybe I should ask this in the customs thread, but seeing that pic made me realize that there is some way to do it....

[R5Don4]

I picked up this picuture over at RS in the custom section a few months back.  I think the customizer went into detail how they did it.

[Jesse James]

I think I may be able to help some with a how-to...

I picked up the one with the long rifle (the GG mini-bust that is) off a buddy of mine just to see how these translated...  I actually swapped the hands out just because I had a VOTC Stormie with his hands off right on my desk here at home, and the Mini-Bust hands fit perfectly on...

The heads have a couple means to swap them, but if I were going to do it I'd go with hollowing the mini-bust head out so it popped straight onto the VOTC peg.  I think it would be a fairly easy custom to whip up if you wanted to, so long as you're careful with hollowing the GG Bust helmet out...  Simple enough, and while I can't recall who made the figure I'm sure if he's on he'll help you out with what to do as well.

[Gregorbian]

I think I may be able to help some with a how-to...

I picked up the one with the long rifle (the GG mini-bust that is) off a buddy of mine just to see how these translated...  I actually swapped the hands out just because I had a VOTC Stormie with his hands off right on my desk here at home, and the Mini-Bust hands fit perfectly on...

The heads have a couple means to swap them, but if I were going to do it I'd go with hollowing the mini-bust head out so it popped straight onto the VOTC peg.  I think it would be a fairly easy custom to whip up if you wanted to, so long as you're careful with hollowing the GG Bust helmet out...  Simple enough, and while I can't recall who made the figure I'm sure if he's on he'll help you out with what to do as well.

Thanks for making this its own thread, sorry if it was a pain to move
I tried hollowing out the helmet and popping it onto my VOTC Stormie, but it doesn't look right.  The helmet goes all the way to the shoulders (making the figure appear to not have a neck).  I guess I could try not hollowing it out as much...
If this is the same guy that was selling them on eBay, I know he used some OTC Cloud Car Pilots' heads and made the figure a removable helmet stormie, so I guess I could try that....
Has anybody attempted this with any success?

[Jesse James]

Thanks for making this its own thread, sorry if it was a pain to move

Not your fault, that was mine.  I don't move/merge/split topics often so it's likely more my lack of interaction with modding software than anything.   No worries.  I just thought you'd get a better response here since I know Darth Delicious and some other customizers aren't always as active in the collecting portions of the site.

I tried hollowing out the helmet and popping it onto my VOTC Stormie, but it doesn't look right.  The helmet goes all the way to the shoulders (making the figure appear to not have a neck).  I guess I could try not hollowing it out as much...

That'd be a start, to not hollow so "deep" when dremelling the helmet out.  What I'd suggest is do a little at a time, try a fit, do a little more, try a fit, do a little more, try a fit...  Better to not have hollowed it ENOUGH than TOO MUCH.  Hollowing's like every other bit of customizing though and takes time to get the knack. 

I cut my finger hollowing a helmet cast the other day that I went through the surface and right into my thumb as I held the piece...  It happens a lot.

If you do the removable helmet (with a dude's head underneath), I don't THINK you can hollow the CCP head so it's able to just snap on the Stormie.  You'd either have to change the neckpeg on the Stormie, remove it and attach the CCP, or just make a straight cut for both and glue the CCP on if you wanted (no articulation then though, at all).

It's more work in a way but if you want the removable helmet and don't have another stormie helmet to try that with...  It's maybe your only option.

[Gregorbian]

I might try using a CCP Pilot's head.  I was able to retain neck articulation when I made my CW Armor Obi-Wan so I should be able to retain the CCP's neck articulation with the VOTC Stormie.  Also, if I hollowed out the Bust-Ups Stormie helmet too much, I can just hollow it out completely now.

I cut my finger hollowing a helmet cast the other day that I went through the surface and right into my thumb as I held the piece...  It happens a lot.

I do this all of the time.  I actually had to make a "thimble" type thing (out of lots of duct tape ) for when I'm working with X-Acto Knives because I cut my thumbs up so many times.  When they took my fingerprints last fall (for a test, not prison ) you could see a large scar on my thumb from when I sliced it open.   If your fingers aren't mangled, you're not customizing enough!  JK, of course

Thanks for the tips.

[CHEWIE]

Hmmm... I think that Scoobaca made this.  He's good at them... but I don't know why he seems to always put his stuff on ebay.   

 

[Famine]

Hey JJ, it's called pliers with some padding rubber banded on the grips. It saves thumbs, I swear it.

Kevin

[Jesse James]

I often need to have a tight grip on the figure I'm working on (or helmet or whatever) so I don't trust tools...  The thimble (outof tape) isn't a bad idea though.  I have put bandaids on my fingers to sort of give me a means to hold a piece while having some protection to my fingertips from flying dremel bits or sharp blades.

[Famine]

My eye and bit's of plastic like to play catch with each other from time to time, so don't feel too bad about the thumb thing, I was just giving you a hard time.

Kevin