Towards a definitive Huttslayer Leia (updated with Part V)

Nil wrote:Wouldn't that include cutting some of the silicon skin and metal skeleton?

No. He just rolled the skin up carefully and hacked a section of the lower leg off, then rolled it back down, then used a bit of slightly wider radius tube to “reattach” the ball joint— but overall, it really wouldn’t matter too much since most of the lower leg is inside the boots.

Interesting approach. So I imagine the shortened lower leg skeleton resulted in some folds on the TPE sleeve, but it is not visible due to the boots.

That's odd, why not cut off the actual 'flesh' part too? Maybe I'm not quite understanding properly....

skywalkersaga wrote:That's odd, why not cut off the actual 'flesh' part too? Maybe I'm not quite understanding properly....

When I first read about it, I thought it might have shrunk back, making this unnecessary. Then I remembered there is no reason to think it would do so (it is not stretched down by anything on the lower leg skeleton). Perhaps it is merely a concern of not causing damage that might spread to the rest of the body, so minimizing potential risk. In fact, the TBLeague TPE is remarkably resilient (it might occasionally puncture or split here and there, but it is not likely to open up into a large and growing gash, and it is even difficult to cut open on purpose).

GubernatorFan wrote:

skywalkersaga wrote:That's odd, why not cut off the actual 'flesh' part too? Maybe I'm not quite understanding properly....

When I first read about it, I thought it might have shrunk back, making this unnecessary. Then I remembered there is no reason to think it would do so (it is not stretched down by anything on the lower leg skeleton). Perhaps it is merely a concern of not causing damage that might spread to the rest of the body, so minimizing potential risk. In fact, the TBLeague TPE is remarkably resilient (it might occasionally puncture or split here and there, but it is not likely to open up into a large and growing gash, and it is even difficult to cut open on purpose).

I've done 'bust reductions' on some figures and the cuts I've made definitely don't spread or tear any further without actively pulling on it.

Just wondering would the S17B be taller/same size as the 1/6 sideshow General Grievous?

I presume the General Grievous is taller than an average 1/6 scale male figure, and therefore would certainly be taller than the s17b.

Here's one of GubernatorFan's pics that show its measurements:

Sky, while I did put in the two rulers, they are leaning on the background just behind the figure, and it is better to use the actual measurements indicated in the Catalog thread above (or under) the photo.

Correction -- in this instance I did not provide the measurements, but more detailed measurements were added by MeMyself&I in a follow-up post:

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3013-tbleague-phicen-seamless-bodies-with-steel-skeleton-catalog-updated-continually#42206

I have that Grevious, and he’s well above the average figure height. I still haven’t messed with it much, since it’s scary fragile.

I would imagine Grievous is very fragile. Hope he doesn't meet with any problems when you finally set him up. Perhaps he can take over Jabba's robotic staff? Then again, Leia never met Grievous, did she?

GubernatorFan wrote:I would imagine Grievous is very fragile. Hope he doesn't meet with any problems when you finally set him up. Perhaps he can take over Jabba's robotic staff? Then again, Leia never met Grievous, did she?

I actually picked him up for my own Star Wars universe; my plan was to paint all the “white” parts a different color to remove any connection to his original purpose; but with how delicate he is, and with the really well done subtle color variations on those parts, I’m reluctant to change it. We’ll see. If I play around with him some more and get used to how to work him without fear of breaking it, I may just change my mind and paint him up.

GubernatorFan wrote:

Illusion wrote:Thanks for the comprehensive review! further glimpses of your impressive collection of multitudes of characters

You are very welcome, and thank you for the kind words. Well, just one character this time. ...

I had been refering to the various heads of Leia - as opposed to your usual presentation along with some company...
I suppose you rarely have just one incarnation of a character

I've seen some 1/6 Leia heads on aliexpress called TT Toys would they be better replacement if one doesn't have endor HT head?

Good review! I ended up getting my pre-order earlier this week. I am probably going to replace the chain links around the skirt (at least have a quick release link to put the skirt on and off). The bikini top is also an issue (I might have to add some cord locks).

Illusion wrote:I had been refering to the various heads of Leia - as opposed to your usual presentation along with some company...
I suppose you rarely have just one incarnation of a character

Ah, I thought that's what you meant, but wasn't sure. Well, when there have been a bunch of versions, if I happen to have a few, sooner or later I end up comparing them. For example, do a guick google search for onesixthfigures.forumotion.com and Three Gals, Four Rocks, and Five Goslings.

Nil wrote:I've seen some 1/6 Leia heads on aliexpress called TT Toys would they be better replacement if one doesn't have endor HT head?

When I get it, I'll report.

Nil wrote:I've seen some 1/6 Leia heads on aliexpress called TT Toys would they be better replacement if one doesn't have endor HT head?

Actually, mine came in today (I ordered the TT version of the Bespin Leia head). It is surprisingly good, even if not quite as perfect as the prototype or as beautifully painted as the HT original. Nor is it as good a color match for the TBLeague bodies as Mr Toys'. But it manages to look a lot more like Carrie Fisher/Leia. I've already given it a quick mod. Photos coming soon.

RexTachikoma wrote:Good review! I ended up getting my pre-order earlier this week. I am probably going to replace the chain links around the skirt (at least have a quick release link to put the skirt on and off). The bikini top is also an issue (I might have to add some cord locks).

Thank you very much. Glad you got yours and are going to be improving it. Feel free to share.

Thanks for this great review, Ian! Especially the comparison shots with the HT Endor Leia sculpt were very informative. It's pretty clear that Mr. Toys used a re-cast of this sculpt but messed up the paintwork quite dramatically. For me there are two obvious paint flaws on the head that kill the resemblance: The temporal hairlines are moved too far back (resulting in the massive forehead) and iris size seems slightly too small.

As the hair paint should be an easy fix, I decided to give it a try. My brush-skills at 1/6 scale are still no good, but I came up with this result:

CJ3A5153 by Randam Hajile, auf Flickr

I added about 2mm to the hairline at each side. It still needs another coat of matte varnish, but I overall see some improvement. So, I think that a more talented painter could get even more out of Mr. Toys' head sculpt.

I'm curious to see the pics of the TT head, as previous in-hand pictures of some Ebay seller were not really convincing.

Nice review GF. I am so tempted to use my HT Endor Leia HS, but I wanted to add earrings. I don't have the guts to damage the paint on the HT HS. So I atm I am settled with the stock HS, which is quite good in my opinion except for that ugly sideburns.

I thought I'd share my Mr.Toys Leia here.

Mods done:
1) I dyed the S17B body to match the head skin tone
2) Added earrings


Comparison with the stock hand color:



I'm shadow_wolf from the collectorfreaks.

Thanks for sharing your process! It turned out really nicely.

And just out of curiosity, when you say you 'dyed' the body, do you mean you coloured it by 'painting' it with pastels?

Randam Hajile wrote:Thanks for this great review, Ian! Especially the comparison shots with the HT Endor Leia sculpt were very informative. It's pretty clear that Mr. Toys used a re-cast of this sculpt but messed up the paintwork quite dramatically. For me there are two obvious paint flaws on the head that kill the resemblance: The temporal hairlines are moved too far back (resulting in the massive forehead) and iris size seems slightly too small.

As the hair paint should be an easy fix, I decided to give it a try. My brush-skills at 1/6 scale are still no good, but I came up with this result...

I added about 2mm to the hairline at each side. It still needs another coat of matte varnish, but I overall see some improvement. So, I think that a more talented painter could get even more out of Mr. Toys' head sculpt.

I'm curious to see the pics of the TT head, as previous in-hand pictures of some Ebay seller were not really convincing.

Beautiful work, Ralf. The way I saw it, one of the problems was that the face looked too round, i.e., too wide, and I think that is what you identified with the hair line. I don't know it is all of the issue, but fixing this like you did definitely helps create a better likeness! Another area that might benefit from repainting (by someone braver than I) would be the make up and the area around the eyes. TT head (and mod) coming up.

Revanitez wrote:Nice review GF. I am so tempted to use my HT Endor Leia HS, but I wanted to add earrings. I don't have the guts to damage the paint on the HT HS. So I atm I am settled with the stock HS, which is quite good in my opinion except for that ugly sideburns.

I thought I'd share my Mr.Toys Leia here.

Mods done:
1) I dyed the S17B body to match the head skin tone
2) Added earrings

I'm shadow_wolf from the collectorfreaks.

Thank you very much, and welcome to this forum. I share your feelings on using/modifying the original HT head sculpts for this. Now maybe if I had an extra one lying around...   Your modifications worked beautifully. I thought the skin tone match was close enough (for the bodies I tried, anyway, perhaps mine are older and have a slightly darker "suntan"), but your subtle recoloring is excellent. The earrings look great, too, and I know how hard it is to get something seemingly this simple to work reasonably well, having just tried to make some myself. I think the result is a great improvement on the set.

skywalkersaga wrote:Thanks for sharing your process! It turned out really nicely.

And just out of curiosity, when you say you 'dyed' the body, do you mean you coloured it by 'painting' it with pastels?

I am wondering about that too, although they seem to be illustrated in one of the photos. But they look shinier than the oil pastels I know (unless they are in some sort of plastic wrap) and I'm not quite sure how to apply those to a brush.

Nice job Randam. I think the likeness looks better with your paint. I also like how you pulled the side burn hairs out. That's the biggest thing that bugged me about the sculpt (how it's just a piece stuck on the side).

Welcome to the forum Revanitez, she looks good on the 17b! Also nice work on the skin recolor!

Part IV: using and modifying the TT Toys Bespin Leia head

(for Part V, Towards a definitive Huttslayer Leia (?), see here)

As part of the discussion above, I revisited the TT Toys Leia heads I had long seen for sale on eBay. I had always passed them by, assuming there would be a huge drop off in quality from prototype (if that was not even simply a photo of the HT head) to actual product. I chanced it, to see if that head would do a better job for Hutt-slayer Leia than Mr Toys' did.

While it is not quite as subtle as the prototype shown in the promotional images, the TT Bespin Leia head turned out surprisingly good, and a better recreation of the HT version than Mr Toys'. I should point out two things. TT was not necessarily aiming to match any TBLeague body's skin tone, it was recreating the HT head; consequently, the skin tone is slightly darker and warmer, just as with HT heads. And keep in mind that the HT Bespin and Endor Leia heads are the same, apart from the additional hairpiece attached to the back and top of the head (the attachment is done the same way, but while the Bespin one is glued in place, the Endor one is meant to be removable to be able to put on a helmet).

Here is the TT head straight out of the box, placed on the S25B body wearing the Mr Toys outfit:





Clearly, if this is going to work, it would need modification. However, the head does seem to me to be a much better likeness of Leia/Carrie Fisher than the Mr Toys head, even if both are basically recasts of the same thing. Note also that the TT head has matched the finer and more detached "sideburns" of the HT heads, which is both more aesthetically pleasing, and more convenient for the customizer who is going to yank them off. Which is exactly what I did. But first, here is a comparison between the three heads:



On to modification. First, I took off the bun at the back. This was very difficult to do, as it was glued in place. In the end, I heated it up with a hair dryer, and sliced it off carefully with the utility knife. I then proceeded to carve out a bit of what was left stuck in the head, until I exposed the standard opening where the piece plugged in. It worked well enough (the carving process made the fit a bit more tenuous, but that was to be expected). Here is the result of this initial stage of the modification:





Second, I yanked out the sideburns, filled in the small holes where they had been attached with a tiny amount of green stuff, and used a utility knife to make tiny hair-like lines across the small surface, before painting it to match the hair color.

Third, the disparity of skin tone between the head and the TBLeague suntan body was too much for me, so I carefully applied a couple of layers of thinned out Vallejo mix over most of the face to make it paler. I also enhanced the make up a little bit, especially along the lower eyelids. The eyes are glossy (even if this is not captured well in my photos), but could have been glossier; perhaps something to do later.

Fourth, I also noticed that the bun, while correctly placed for Bespin Leia's hairstyle (which had a different bun, of course), was a bit too low for her Hutt-slayer look. Despite the convenience of attaching the bun in the same place, it did not look quite right, and could be fixed easily enough. So I carved out the plug section on the inside of the bun, and attached it a little higher on the head, provisionally using Sticky Putty.

Fifth, I made a couple of simple hoop earrings from gold- or brass-colored wire. I didn't want to drill holes in the earlobes (which are not particularly big), so I had to get the earrings to clip on without becoming too unshapely. Again, something that bears further improvement, but I think these would do for now.

The photos below all feature the TT head after the modifications described above (I'm not necessarily done modifying the figure as a whole); keep in mind that my efforts to stay away from a giraffe neck may have left to overcompensation in some photos; with a foamie replacing the inside neck connector (which was easily removable), the head is actually adjustable to any height needed -- one just needs to remember to do it :













I hope this was useful.

As always, what do you think?

(for Part V, Towards a definitive Huttslayer Leia (?), see here)

Nice mods, Ian. I like her as an Egyptian Queen in that last pic.

Randam and Revanitez (welcome, by the way) nice mods and upgrades.

skywalkersaga wrote:Thanks for sharing your process! It turned out really nicely.

And just out of curiosity, when you say you 'dyed' the body, do you mean you coloured it by 'painting' it with pastels?

Apology for not explaining it properly, yes I painted that body with soft pastels.

And to everyone, thank you for the kind words and the welcome

Revanitez wrote:

skywalkersaga wrote:Thanks for sharing your process! It turned out really nicely.

And just out of curiosity, when you say you 'dyed' the body, do you mean you coloured it by 'painting' it with pastels?

Apology for not explaining it properly, yes I painted that body with soft pastels.

And to everyone, thank you for the kind words and the welcome

No worries at all, I'm just always curious about people's methods. :')

And yes, welcome!

Stryker2011 wrote:Nice mods, Ian. I like her as an Egyptian Queen in that last pic.

Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked them. And she is about as accurate as an Egyptian Queen as any TBLeague pseudo-Egyptian, no?

WahT do I think? I think you really want a definitive 1/6 Slave Leia!

This is definitely the best iteration so far. The head sculpt is a good likeness, especially straight on.

Pretty good, the tailoring is very nice and the headsculpt to my knowledge is also good. Short strings on 1/6 scale items are the bane of my existence.

Xavion2004 wrote:WahT do I think?  I think you really want a definitive 1/6 Slave Leia!

This is definitely the best iteration so far.  The head sculpt is a good likeness, especially straight on.

Hah, true. If I were to have one, I'd want her to be pretty close. Since no major company has taken the challenge of making her at this scale, the third party results have been derivative at best and dubious at worst. So we keep trying. Glad you liked her!

Theboo-bomb wrote:Pretty good, the tailoring is very nice and the headsculpt to my knowledge is also good. Short strings on 1/6 scale items are the bane of my existence.

Thank you, glad you liked her. Short strings are horrid. Used to be they would provide extra long ones and you'd cut off the long ends if you meant to have a permanent look in place. On the other hand, functionality demands they stay long, hence the problem...