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A blast from the past: I needed to reference this, and discovered it was only on the old site, posted shortly before it went haywire and led to the creation of this space. So I'm just migrating it here to be with the others. A number of the figures shown have been upgraded since (for example, see here), and the photos are overly bright (we're trying to show off a product, you know!). If you've seen this before and this bores you, my apologies. Then again, it has been 6 years since March 2018... time flies, whether you are having fun or not.

This is not a full-scale detailed review (I hope and expect Michael Crawford will be providing one Edit: he did), just some impressions and 26 photos. Hope you enjoy or find useful, and share your impressions.

Couple of disclaimers: my camera is not the best for macro photos, and in many cases the photos below do not give the product full justice; I have lighted the scenes a bit too much so that you could see more details of the product; I do not always have the right Death Star environment, and some of the supporting characters head sculpts are ad hoc approximations, so bear with me.

It is an exciting time to be a sixth scale action figure collector who likes Star Wars. Sideshow just completed their Empire Strikes Back bounty hunter team by releasing Zuckuss and Dengar (see HERE and Michael Crawford's detailed reviews), and also the Snowtrooper Commander; Hot Toys did not lag behind, releasing Hoth Leia (see HERE, with the Snowtrooper Commander) and now Tarkin (or, for those who ordered the two-pack, Tarkin and another Episode IV Vader). I say exciting, rather than great, because of the strain on our wallets. Tarkin retails in the US for around $235 (sans Vader).



Governor Tarkin (I refuse to use the designation "Grand Moff" which is found on the box, because I find it both silly and not really canonical) was arguably the main villain of the original Star Wars film, later qualified as Episode IV: A New Hope. To be sure, he was written in facile, simplistic terms, a quintessential storybook (or comic book) villain -- all that was missing was doing The Simpsons' Mr Burns' play with his fingers and maliciously mumbling "eggcelent." If I were the ruler of the Galactic Empire, I would not have allowed anyone to blow up an entire planet of taxpayers to make a point -- even if it were just for the sake of revenues. Then again, Lucas has always claimed that Star Wars is a story for kids, and those of us who expect more from what could have been a more serious adult franchise have to keep remembering that. And it is easy to forget. At any rate, Peter Cushing did the best he could with this seriously handicapped role, and delivered what is still arguably one of the most iconic subtler villains in the history of cinema.

Hot Toys has released Tarkin as a sixth scale figure. The sculpt and paint are lifelike, precise, and super-detailed. This is certainly the best likeness of Peter Cushing as Tarkin in this scale, and likely to remain so. Is it really perfect? Maybe not quite. They certainly got Peter Cushing's gaunt and slightly misshapen appearance from the film to come through. But the head does not look spot on from some angles. I suspect the problem is the hair. In the film, Cushing's hair is becoming rather sparse and in places hovering a bit above and around the skull; that is not something easily replicated in a sixth-scale head sculpt (and I suspect trying to achieve it with rooted hair would have led to similarly mixed results). Another issue with the hair is the color. In many instances it seems to me that the figure's hair is a bit too brownish. But Cushing's on-screen hair was a mixture of brown and grey and white that again would be exceedingly difficult to replicate with any painted sculpt. These minor points notwithstanding, I doubt anyone (including Hot Toys) could have done a better job here, without lapsing into some other extreme. A minor quality issue: it seems to me that the seam line between the front and back side of the head is a little too apparent on my figure.




My one big disappointment with this figure (which I would still rate at least a 3.5/4, if not better) is the neck. Peter Cushing was an aging man with a wrinkled neck, and the decision to make a head sculpt including the molded neck is not surprising or unnatural. What is surprising to me is that it has even less posability than I expected from it. And, at least in this role, Cushing is all about gestures, head tilting, and sideways glances. From that point of view, a separate head and separate neck would have been welcome and probably a better choice overall. Speaking of sideways glances, if ever a figure could have benefited from PERS, this is it. While I appreciate we did not get stuck with a single extreme or one-way look (as we have with some Hot Toys products like their General Zod, first Harley Quinn, and second Star-Lord) here, PERS or additional head sculpts with sideways glancing eyes would have been a very nice touch.






The outfit is beautifully executed, and does not restrict the articulation much. The boots are made of soft pleather material (like those that came with Hot Toys' Han Solo, but possibly working better at the ankle) and you can articulate the ankle without problems. The knee, wrist, and elbow articulation is also unimpeded, although the outfit includes not only the exterior uniform, but also Tarkin's signature white undershirt (I haven't opened up the clothing to investigate, but you can see the white cuffs and a bit of the white collar, just like in the film Edit: the white cuffs are just strips of white cloth attached on the inner side of the lower sleeves: there is not full white shirt underneath the uniform top). Getting him to sit properly is a little bit more difficult, but not very much so. The only place where either the body or the outfit impeded the articulation too much for my taste was at the shoulders. Trying to align the figure's right hand with the face and chin for Tarkin's apparent "trademark" pose was theoretically possible but difficult to do with precision and made me wish for the smooth movement of Phicen/TBLeague stainless steel skeleton bodies. A minor problem with the outfit is that either the side pockets are just a little too shallow for the rank cylinders, or the latter are just a little too long; they ride up a bit too easily.







Hot Toys' Tarkin comes with two extra pairs of hands (making for a total of three pairs), the four rank cylinders to fit in the chest side pockets of his tunic, spare buttons, a stand, and his conference room chair. Since I do not consider spare parts (hands, buttons), things that are a permanent feature of the outfit (the cylinders), and stands proper accessories, the real accessory is just one: the chair. It is nicely done, in two pieces: you have to attach the seat to the base (carefully). The seat can rotate on the base, and so can the wheels (although they are not functional -- they do not roll). However, I noticed that the chair is not screen accurate: it is too tall, most notably the back is too elongated, and the top part clearly too long. In some of the photos above I cheated by making a makeshift booster seat out of foamies so that Tarkin's head would be at more or less the right place in relation to the back of his chair. Here is what it looks like without such devices (my hybrid Vader might be just a little too short, although when I was putting him together, I based the height on research):



One nice but non-screen-accurate chair is not exactly a mind-blowing accessory, especially considering he does not come with a table (which would not have been practicable), and other chairs and the officers to sit in them are unlikely to be made by Hot Toys (a long time ago Sideshow might have given it a try). Now we don't see Tarkin with much in the way of accessories in the film, which surely justified Hot Toys' decision here. But they could have done better: as an officer, Tarkin would have had a cap and a weapon or two, even if we do not see them onscreen. By comparison, Sideshow's Admiral Piett came with two weapons (never seen onscreen), both bare and gloved hands, and two officer's caps (one molded plastic, the other fabric); and, one might add, a bare-headed head-sculpt, although we never so him without his cap on. But let's say that since we do not see Tarkin with a cap or weapon, it is ok to skip them. We do see him with a cool black and silver metal cup on the conference table in front of his chair; maybe a cup would have been a fitting accessory?





In the photos below I have messed with the height of figures (by using various lifts and bases) to achieve something like the right perspective, but overall Tarkin is well-scaled vis-a-vis the other Hot Toys sixth-scale action figures (here, Leia).








Here's Tarkin with my hybrid Hot Toys/Sideshow Vader (who might be, again, a little on the short side):




And building up to his last moments...





But in the spirit of Pulp Fiction, we'll do a flashback to a leisurely moment in the life of a cool bad guy...



Hope you enjoyed it.

Other reviews:

Iconiq Studios Muhammad Ali


 
Maha 1/6 scale modular body
 
NBA Real Masterpiece Luka Dončić 1/6 Scale Limited Edition Figure Review and more
 
ANT Flexible Female Seamless Body Review
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Cobb Vanth
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Luke Skywalker Bespin Review and Fun
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Assault Tank Commander
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Director Krennic
 
Homelander on a Budget (review of Toys Works' The Republican and comparisons to the others)
 
TBLeague Female Seamles Bodies S24A-S27B
 
Jiaou Doll Male Bodies
 
Kamisoul MAF Extreme Seamless Body with Jiaou and TBleague comparison
 
World Box AT030 Body
 
Six New-ish Bodies comparison
 
HH Model & Haoyu Toys Dragon Banner Bearer
 
Premier Toys PT0001 Wasteland Gladiator
 
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TBLeague Ramesses the Great
 
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John Constantine (Thunder Toys Hell Detective)
 
SooSoo Toys Frozen Man
 
SooSoo Toys Mr Butcher
 
Sideshow and Hot Toys Star Wars Scout Troopers (comparison)
 
Thunder Toys Hell Detective
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Emperor Palpatine
 
TBLeague Barbarian Soul
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper
 
ADD Toys War Wolves Back (muscle version)
 
World Box AT027 body
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Solo Mudtrooper
 
Sideshow Star Wars TIE Fighter Pilot
 
Woo Toys WO-004 Fat Thor
 
HH HY Rome Infantry
 
HH HY Rome Centurion
 
Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (He-Man)
 
Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (Conan the Barbarian)
 
Dragon and TBLeague Alexander the Great (comparison)
 
Kautic Plastik Roman Infantry 2019
 
JX Toys Peggy Carter
 
TBLeague 1:12 seamless male bodies
 
Hasbro Star Wars Rogue One Imperial Combat Assault Tank
 
Hasbro Star Wars imperials 2019
 
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CC Toys Unexplored Nate (summer version)
 
Jiaou Doll Boss Chair
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Solo Patrol Trooper
 
China Toys Teutonic Knight
 
Star Ace 300 Queen Gorgo
 
Black Box Toys Spectre Girl (Madeleine Swann)
 
Hot Toys Star Wars Royal Guard
 
VS Toys Bathroom
 
Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Viking Ship
 
Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Valhalla (double set)
 
TBLeague M36 body
 
Chinese wooden chairs and table sets A and B
 
HY Toys Armchair
 
TBLeague M35 body
 
Sideshow Jack Burton
 
Disney Star Wars Director Orson Krennic
 
TBLeague Spartan Goddess of War
 
AR Toys Hellman
 
Dragon Men in Black 3 Agent K 1969

#hottoys #starwars #anewhope #grand #moff #tarkin #fiction #film

Star Wars: Ahsoka
Shin Hati
1/6th scale Collectible Figure

“You have no power.” – Shin Hati

The eager apprentice of Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati is adept at lightsaber combat, a skill she uses in their work as mercenaries allied to Morgan Elsbeth, the former Magistrate of Calodan. But on a mission to another galaxy, Hati finds herself stranded without a Master and abandoned along with the bandits of Peridea.

To further expand its Star Wars collectibles series, Hot Toys is delighted to officially introduce the highly-anticipated 1/6th scale Shin Hati collectible figure inspired by Star Wars: Ahsoka live action series.

The collectible figure features newly developed head sculpt with separate rolling eyeballs to adjust the eyesight, skillfully tailored outfit and armor pieces, a cloak, LED light-up lightsaber, interchangeable lightsaber blades emulating the weapon in motion, a probe droid, holoprojector, and a display base!

This new Shin Hati collectible figure will surely be a phenomenal masterpiece to add to all Star Wars fans’ collection!
Specifications

• Product Code TMS124
  
• Product Name Shin Hati
  
• Height Approximately 29 cm tall
  
• Points of Articulations 28
  
• Special Features Authentic and detailed likeness of Shin Hati in Star Wars: Ahsoka
  
• Product Release Date Approximately Q1 – Q2, 2025
  
• Artists
  

The 1/6th scale Shin Hati Collectible Figure specially features:
- Authentic and detailed likeness of Shin Hati in Star Wars: Ahsoka
- One (1) newly developed head sculpt with separate rolling eyeballs function
- Highly-accurate facial expression, make-up and detailed skin texture
- Greatly detailed blonde hair sculpture with braid
- Body with over 28 points of articulations
- Approximately 29 cm tall
- Seven (7) pieces of interchangeable hands including:
- One (1) pair of lightsabers holding hands
- One (1) pair of fist
- Three (3) gesture hands
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Costume:
- One (1) brown colored cloak (embedded with bendable wire)
- One (1) set of khaki colored vest with back cinch clips
- One (1) pair of metallic silver colored shoulder guards
- One (1) pair of metallic silver colored gauntlets
- One (1) black colored belts
- One (1) khaki colored fabric multi-layered apron with waist guards
- One (1) black colored under-tunic
- One (1) pair of metallic silver colored calf armors with boot cover
- One (1) pair of brown colored boots

Weapons:
- One (1) LED-lighted lightsaber with blade (orange light, USB power operated)
- One (1) lightsaber blade in motion (attachable to the hilt)
- One (1) lightsaber hilt

Accessories:
- One (1) probe droid with stand
- One (1) holoprojector
- Specially designed figure stand with Star Wars logo and character nameplate

Release date: Approximately Q1 – Q2, 2025

*Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different
**Light up function operated using USB power
***USB connecting cable is not included for collectible, USB cable is required



















#starwars #hottoys #ahsoka #shin #hati #female #fiction

Star Wars: Ahsoka
Baylan Skoll
1/6th scale Collectible Figure

“The only reason I’m here is to secure the future.” – Baylan Skoll

Baylan Skoll is lightsaber-wielding mercenary for hire overseeing his apprentice Shin Hati. But make no mistake: although there was a time when Skoll knew the acclaimed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Baylan is no Jedi. Now allied to Morgan Elsbeth, the former Magistrate of Calodan, after the fall of the Jedi and the Empire, Skoll remains a shrewd fighter in search of power who believes that another war is inevitable.

Today, Hot Toys is delighted to introduce the highly-anticipated 1/6th scale collectible figure of Baylan Skoll inspired by Star Wars: Ahsoka.

The collectible figure features newly developed head sculpt with separate rolling eyeballs to adjust the eyesight, meticulously crafted outfit and cloak, form-fitting under-suit, LED light-up lightsaber, interchangeable lightsaber blades emulating the weapon in motion, and a display base.

This new Baylan Skoll collectible figure will surely be a masterpiece to add to all Star Wars fans’ collection!

Specifications

• Product Code TMS125
  
• Product Name Baylan Skoll
  
• Height Approximately 32 cm tall
  
• Points of Articulation 30
  
• Special Features Authentic and detailed likeness of Baylan Skoll in Star Wars: Ahsoka
  
• Product Release Date Approximately Q1 – Q2, 2025
  
• Artists
  

The 1/6th scale Baylan Skoll Collectible Figure specially features:
- Authentic and detailed likeness of Baylan Skoll in Star Wars: Ahsoka
- One (1) newly developed head sculpt with separate rolling eyeballs function
- Highly-accurate facial expression, beard and detailed skin texture
- Greatly detailed silver grey color hair sculpture
- Body with over 30 points of articulations
- Approximately 32 cm tall
- Eleven (11) pieces of interchangeable hands including:
- One (1) pair of fists
- One (1) pair of relax hands
- One (1) pair of lightsabers holding hands
- One (1) Force-using left hand
- Four (4) gesture hands
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted
Costume:
- One (1) black cloak (embedded with bendable wire)
- One (1) set of dark green colored vest with back cinch clips
- One (1) pair of dark green colored shoulder guards
- One (1) pair of dark green colored gauntlets
- Two (2) black colored belts
- One (1) dark grey colored fabric apron with straps
- One (1) black colored under-tunic
- One (1) pair of black-colored armored boots

Weapons:
- One (1) LED-lighted lightsaber with blade (orange light, USB power operated)
- One (1) lightsaber blade in motion (attachable to the hilt)
- One (1) lightsaber hilt

Accessory:
- Specially designed figure stand with Star Wars logo and character nameplate

Release date: Approximately Q1 – Q2, 2025

*Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different
**Light up function operated using USB power
***USB connecting cable is not included for collectible, USB cable is required
****Product details could be subjected to change without further notice

& TM Lucasfilm Ltd.
2024 Hot Toys Limited. All Rights Reserved.





















Image source: https://www.hottoys.com.hk/productDetail.php?productID=1358

#starwars #hottoys #ahsoka #baylan #skoll #male #fiction

Since Mark asked about using the new modular Maha action figure body as a base for the third-party "red guard" inspired by the Emperor's Royal Guard from ROTJ, I gave it a quick test. It works, with some futzing. For once, I took all the progress photos, so here it is:

No problem sliding on the pants, the boots fit easily onto the ankle pegs (I left the added ankle extenders on). I chose not to use the padding for the torso, in part because it was difficult, in part because it was unnecessary.



The "tunic" zips up at the back, making it relatively easy to put on. The hands swap easily enough. The belt was a bit of a pain, because instead of velcro, it attaches with little hooks. The hole inside the helmeted head is a bit wide for the neck peg's upper ball joint. While one could theoretically seek another neck peg that would work at both ends, I lined the upper ball joint with some electrical tape, and got a slightly better fit. It could have been better, but I was working on a quick solution. Visually, it is irrelevant.



Here is the finished look. He stands about 31.10 cm tall.





A comparison to the Medicom and Hot Toys versions. Medicom is undersized, despite being upgraded to a better body in the reconstituted version you see here. Hot Toys is the same size as the custom. The custom's outer robe drapes a little less well and its red is a little less rich. However, depending on the light or if not side by side with the others, I think it works very well. So well, indeed, that I regretted not trying this out earlier, since now the set is sold out. Had I done so, I could have replaced both of my Medicom guards with the custom ones.



I hope this was helpful, to Mark and others.

As always, what do you think?

#starwars #rotj #Empire #imperial #royal #guard #scifi #fiction #custom

Star Wars: Ahsoka
Ahsoka Tano (Padawan)
1/6th scale Collectible Figure


Ahsoka Tano was discovered by Jedi Master Plo Koon as a small child and accepted into the Jedi Order. When she was 14, Jedi Master Yoda granted Ahsoka the rank of Padawan and she was partnered with Anakin Skywalker, a powerful if reckless Jedi Knight. Anakin initially bristled at the idea of having an apprentice, and their early interactions were playfully contentious; he called her “Snips” for her witty retorts, and Ahsoka called him “Skyguy.” But they bonded on the battlefield and Anakin gained a newfound respect for Ahsoka.

Expanding the growing collectible lineup inspired by the Ahsoka live-action series, Hot Toys is thrilled to present the new 1/6th scale Ahsoka Tano collectible figure as she was seen as a Padawan in the World Between Worlds!

The Ahsoka Tano collectible figure feature a newly developed head sculpt with articulated lekku and separate rolling eyeballs to adjust the eyesight, a skillfully tailored outfit, a lightsaber, and a sand themed display base!

A Padawan Ahsoka Tano collectible figure will be a an great addition among your Star Wars collection!
Specifications

• Product CodeTMS123
  
• Product NameAhsoka Tano (Padawan)
  
• HeightApproximately 27cm tall
  
• Points of Articulations28
  
• Special FeaturesAuthentic and detailed likeness of Ahsoka Tano as Padawan learner in Star Wars: Ahsoka
  
• Product Release DateApproximately Q1 – Q2, 2025
  
• Artists
  

The 1/6th scale Ahsoka Tano (Padawan) Collectible Figure specially features:
- Authentic and detailed likeness of Ahsoka Tano as Padawan learner in Star Wars: Ahsoka
- One (1) newly developed head sculpt with separate rolling eyeballs features
- Screen-accurate facial expression, make up, and detailed facial patterns
- Newly sculpted blue and white striped montrals and lekku embedded with bendable wires
- Highly detailed head accessories in metallic gold color
- New specialized body with over 28 points of articulations and silicone arms with seamless joint
- Approximately 27cm tall
- Six (6) pieces of interchangeable hands including:
- One (1) pair of relax hands
- One (1) pair of lightsabers holding hands
- One (1) pair of gesture hands
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Costume:
- One (1) reddish brown colored sleeveless tunic
- One (1) reddish brown colored sleeveless under tunic with standing collar
- One (1) reddish brown colored belt with straps and silver buckle
- One (1) pair of grey colored pants
- One (1) pair of reddish brown colored upper arm sleeves
- One (1) pair of reddish brown colored forearm gauntlets
- One (1) pair of reddish brown colored boots and covers

Weapons:
- One (1) LED-lighted lightsaber with blade (Green light, USB power operated)
- One (1) pair of lightsaber blade in motion (attachable to the hilt)
- One (1) lightsaber hilt

Accessories:
- One (1) pair of goggles
- Specially designed desert-themed figure stand with Star Wars logo and character nameplate

Release date: Approximately Q1 – Q2, 2025

*Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different
**Light up function operated using USB power
***USB connecting cable is not included for collectible, USB cable is required
























#hottoys #starwars #ahsoka #ahsokatano #jedi #padawan #female #fiction #film

Weirdmind Studio 1/6 Scale Joe&Harleen (OSK exclusive)



NSFW !


Product Code: OSK2401931

PRE ORDER
Cut off 28th Jan 2024
Available in Q2 2025
This link for Non-Refundable Deposit payment $200,
Total price for Joe only is $478, balance $278 to be charged when the figure is released
Total price for Joe&Harleen is $678, balance $478 to be charged when the figure is released 
Weirdmind Studio 1/6 Scale Joe&Harleen
Limited to 150 units worldwide, Each unit comes with a unique numbered limited card
 
Product Information:
This time, "Joe" and "Joe&Harleen" will be released in two forms.
 
A. "Joe"
Accessory List:
1. Poseable head sculpt x1
2. Body x1
3. Sheepskin coat x1
4. High-necked underwear x1
5. Black pants x1
6. Gripping hand type x2
7. Relaxed hand type x2
8. Five-finger spread hand type x2
9. Extended index finger hand type x2
10. Sleeves x2
11. Power armor x1
12. Oxygen cylinders x2
13. Poison gas pistol x1
14. Chest light x2
15. Gas mask x1
16. Oxygen tube x2
17. Wooden platform x1
18. Hidden accessories x1
 
B. "Joe&Harleen"
Accessory List:
1. Poseable head sculpt x1
2. Body x1
3. Sheepskin coat x1
4. High-necked underwear x1
5. Black pants x1
6. Gripping hand type x2
7. Relaxed hand type x2
8. Five-finger spread hand type x2
9. Extended index finger hand type x2
10. Sleeves x2
11. Power armor x1
12. Oxygen cylinders x2
13. Poison gas pistol x1
14. Chest light x2
15. Gas mask x1
16. Oxygen tube x2
17. Wooden platform x1
18. Hidden accessories x1
19. Harleen x1
20. Harleen's dedicated wooden platform x1
21. Back-mounted gas generation device x1
22. Vision enhancement system x1
23. Night vision enhancement device x1
 
★ The appearance presented in the official images is only a reference during the completion and refinement stages. If there are adjustments or upgrades in the production process, the official will inform through media platforms and WeChat groups. The specific appearance is subject to the actual product shipped, and the official reserves the right to make final modifications to the appearance.
 
★ Some accessories require manual completion by the studio. The distribution method of aging and chipping, the size, and density of bubbles in the back-mounted gas generation device may differ from the official images. Please be aware.
 
Finally, thanks to friends who are following this work! We share the same aesthetic and artistic preferences. I hope to establish a spiritual connection with you through this work.


























































































#osk #male #fiction

For Part II see HERE.

Introduction
I haven't watched the Mandalorian, but this figure drew my attention both by its cool appearance and by the good resemblance to actor Timothy Olyphant. I looked up some YouTube excerpts from the show featuring the character and his story, and liked them well enough, even if overt nods to Westerns don't always work for me in futuristic settings (though they did not bother me in Firefly). So I eventually decided to get it, found it sold out at the original price range everywhere, until I stumbled upon an eBay listing that was relatively reasonably priced. I also have the feeling it hasn't really entered wide distribution in the US, and don't know exactly how the seller already had one. So I did a quick photoshoot for a review the very night I had received it, but real life kept me from writing up the review for some three days. I'm keeping it more succinct, hopefully it will still be helpful.



Packaging
It is what we expect from Hot Toys for figures based on Star Wars and post-Original Trilogy characters. A basic cardboard container, with a removable lid adorned with a cigarbox band with labeling and additional images; a colorful product image card cover, and a plastic tray with a transparent plastic lid to hold the figure and its accessories; some accessories and all the additional hand sculpts are held in an additional, smaller and shallower transparent plastic tray attached to the lid of the main one. Everything is reasonably collector friendly and safe. The figure comes with the helmet on, and the unhelmeted/unmasked head is stored separately.



Accessories
From what I have seen of the character's appearances on the show, the accessories selected for the set appear to be reasonable and possibly exhaustive. 
There are two hand-held weapons, a blaster rifle and a blaster pistol (which fits within the holster on the figure's belt). 
There is the jet pack, which attaches to the back armor via a magnet (which works reasonably well), has articulated parts, and a removable missile; additional semi-transparent pieces are provided to provide a missile effect between the missile head and the rest of the jet pack and two propulsion blast effects. The effect pieces take some effort to fit into the appropriate apertures, but heating helps.
The last accessory proper is a drink bottle with netting around its body (apparently called Spotchka). Then there are the alternate hand sculpts, making a total of six hands: 2 relaxed hands, 2 knife grip hands, 1 right gun grip hand, 1 left fist. 
There are also a couple of spare wrist pegs, as well as some spare button caps to replace any that might come lose and be lost. 
In a sense, the helmet can be treated as an accessory. It is hollow but not enough to fit over a head or to display it from below, and it is designed to sit on a removable neck assembly, intended to be swapped for the unmasked head. 
Finally, there is the stand. This time it has two parts, the basic rectangular base with very Western-looking floorboards and a longer and narrower flooring piece that can overlap it in two different ways. When the two pieces are aligned, the stand can be plugged in through both of them. So far so good, but given that the character has a jet pack, the absence of a longer goose-neck bendable stand is both puzzling and disappointing.



Sculpting
As an armor-wearing figure, there is more to the sculpting here than just the head sculpt, although that is perhaps the most impressive piece. The likeness is very good, although I wonder if the relatively stern or tense expression was an ideal choice. But the head is not alone in its fine sculpting. The helmet is also given a very fine sculpted surface to make it worn and damaged, and the same goes for the armor pieces. The vambraces and their mechanical elements (themselves additional weapons) are also beautifully sculpted, as are the other greeblies on the costume and the weapons and jet pack. I have the feeling the hair stranding could have been a little finer, and the hair looks less disheveled than it was onscreen.



Paint
The paint is also up to its usual Hot Toys excellence. This is evident both in the realistically nuanced treatment of the head and in the worn metal aspect of the armor pieces and weaponry. The pieces supposed to be metal look metal; the couple of pouches supposed to be leather, look like leather. The eyes are very glossy. But there seem to be some surprising misses, like the relatively dull lens parts on the weapons. Another minor disappointment is that the helmet's visor is not actually transparent.



Articulation
The body stands about 32 cm (12.6 in) tall with the helmet on (measuring to the top of the helmet's dome) or 31.25 cm (12.3 in) with the unmasked head (measuring to the top of the somewhat puffy molded hair). At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the underlying Hot Toys body probably has excellent articulation, but this is limited, as usual, by the clothing and equipment (understandably) and by the underlying padding (which is largely unnecessary). As usual, molded vambraces (and they are supposed to be metal) tend to push down on the hands, making them detach from the wrist pegs a little too easily, and partly limit the wrist articulation due to the specific design. The two-part boots, on the other hand, work very well, and look very convincing, too, allowing good ankle articulation. The legs can bend pretty far at the knees, but are rather impeded at the hips/thighs. The arms bend well at the elbows but cannot really reach very high up at the shoulders due to the clothing and armor. There is reasonable waist and abdominal movement. The unmasked head has an integral neck, which means it is only articulated at the base point.
Unusual for Hot Toys, judging by past practice, the weapons are completely unarticulated; admittedly, that makes them less fragile.



Outfit
Below the armor pieces, the figure wears clothing made of real cloth. The figure is meant to allow different looks, and Hot Toys designed the set so that you can remove the armor and vambraces easily. After all, Cobb Vanth apparently surrendered his Mandalorian armor because... Disney decided to virtue signal its take on arguable cultural appropriation? Whatever.
The back-and-shoulder plate is attached to the underlying arming vest with several velcro areas; the rest of the armor plates remain affixed, but the vest itself closes and opens using velcro on the back.
The visible clothing consists of the pants and shirt, which is complete with a traditional Star Wars neck flap, usually obscured by the red scarf. This last piece seems to be oversized and it seems impossible to keep it from bunching up and obscuring the neck. In terms of the size, perhaps it was meant to be partly folded under, but I was unable to make that work well. 
Even without the armored layer on, the figure looks a little stouter than the character's lankier onscreen appearance, but otherwise the outfit seems to be recreated very accurately. 



Fun Factor
With several other characters or types that Cobb Vanth interacted with already produced (the Mandalorian, Tuskens, Cad Bane, Baby Yoda), it is possible to recreate or rewrite aspects of the show. But even besides such opportunities, the set allows for a cool character with a variety of potential looks and weapons and accessories. Often enough, Hot Toys has skipped out on unmasked likenesses, so getting both a helmeted head and an unmasked look are not something we could have taken for granted. Whether show-based or in some way customized, the character seems to have plenty of fun potential, and so would this nice rendition of him.



Value
This is a hard one. At $300 (USD) or more, even before the secondary market, this is not a low-priced collectible, although given the trend in Hot Toys prices overall, it is not as highly priced as it might have been. We do get both a helmeted and an unmasked head, and the options for two different viable screen-accurate looks or more. While the hands are not particularly numerous, with two weapon and the various bits and pieces that go with the jet pack, and the signature bottle, the accessories are not as minimal as they might have been. The two-part base is cool, although the degree to which it is useful is as dubious as almost always in such cases; the absence of a bendable goose-neck stand, however, is a real miss.



Things to watch out for
Not much at all. Since there are no movable parts to the weapons, they are not fragile. The magnet holding the jet pack is not super strong, though it does its job, and the jet pack might become accidentally detached while handling; but it is not a big issue. As always, make sure you balance the figure on its feet and/or the stand, as the helmet and jet pack can make it a bit top heavy. The most fragile part might be the articulated rangefinder on the helmet.



Overall
I think overall this is a very nice set, fulfilling almost all of Hot Toys' current potential (the most they could have plausibly added would have been movable eyeballs). And although I have not watched the show as a whole, it seems to me that Hot Toys equipped their Cobb Vanth with pretty much all the clothing, armor, and accessories that are needed to recreate his onscreen appearances. Apart from a couple of the usual minor limitations (e.g., the ones caused by the padding), the only real miss is the absence of a bendable stand that would have been perfect for taking off/flying poses.



Where to buy
At this point, none of the usual places I check have this in stock, even as a preorder; at best, they provide a waitlist option.
There are a few listed, with various price increases, on eBay.







As always, what do you think?

For Part II see HERE.

Other recent or relevant reviews

Hot Toys Star Wars Luke Skywalker Bespin Review and Fun

Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike

Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Assault Tank Commander

Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Director Krennic

Homelander on a Budget (review of Toys Works' The Republican and comparisons to the others)

TBLeague Female Seamles Bodies S24A-S27B

Jiaou Doll Male Bodies

Kamisoul MAF Extreme Seamless Body with Jiaou and TBleague comparison

World Box AT030 Body

Six New-ish Bodies comparison

HH Model & Haoyu Toys Dragon Banner Bearer

Premier Toys PT0001 Wasteland Gladiator

Toys Headquarters Vol 003 Fighter

TBLeague Ramesses the Great

Figure Masters Vamp Lou

LDDoll Seamless Figure Body

John Constantine (Thunder Toys Hell Detective)

SooSoo Toys Frozen Man

SooSoo Toys Mr Butcher

Sideshow and Hot Toys Star Wars Scout Troopers (comparison)

Thunder Toys Hell Detective

Hot Toys Star Wars Emperor Palpatine

TBLeague Barbarian Soul

Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper

ADD Toys War Wolves Back (muscle version)

World Box AT027 body

Hot Toys Star Wars Solo Mudtrooper

Sideshow Star Wars TIE Fighter Pilot

Woo Toys WO-004 Fat Thor

HH HY Rome Infantry

HH HY Rome Centurion

Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (He-Man)

Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (Conan the Barbarian)

Dragon and TBLeague Alexander the Great (comparison)

Kautic Plastik Roman Infantry 2019

JX Toys Peggy Carter

TBLeague 1:12 seamless male bodies

Hasbro Star Wars Rogue One Imperial Combat Assault Tank

Hasbro Star Wars imperials 2019

Hasbro Star Wars Jabba's Tatooine Skiff

CC Toys Unexplored Nate (summer version)

Jiaou Doll Boss Chair

Hot Toys Star Wars Solo Patrol Trooper

China Toys Teutonic Knight

Star Ace 300 Queen Gorgo

Black Box Toys Spectre Girl (Madeleine Swann)

Hot Toys Star Wars Royal Guard

VS Toys Bathroom

Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Viking Ship

Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Valhalla (double set)

TBLeague M36 body

Chinese wooden chairs and table sets A and B

HY Toys Armchair

TBLeague M35 body

Sideshow Jack Burton

Disney Star Wars Director Orson Krennic

TBLeague Spartan Goddess of War

AR Toys Hellman

Dragon Men in Black 3 Agent K 1969

#starwars #hottoys #mandalorian #cobbvanth #fiction #fantasy #male

Updated with Part II. More here. Sorry, picture heavy.



Introduction

My first Star Wars action figure was a Kenner 3.75 in Luke Skywalker in Bespin gear. While I do not have a fetish for this figure like some other people seem to, it strikes me as fitting that I got this Hot Toys set, and that it might very well be the last Hot Toys Star Wars set I end up getting as such -- between the prices and production choices, and my preferences. Be that as it may, it is a great set, and I'm glad I got it. The set comes in two variants, both ostensibly deluxe, DX24 (reviewed here) and DX25 (special, with an additional Luke head in Vader's helmet and an additional Dagobah swamp base). I got the Luke head in Vader's helmet parted out, and you will see it in a couple of the photos; it did not come with the DX24 set.

This is Hot Toys' second take at Bespin Luke (the first was DX07, a combo pack). I do not own the DX07 to offer a comparison, but from what I have seen, DX24/DX25 is a definite upgrade, except for the absence of a battle-damaged outfit (and face).

To give credit (and to give you ideas), in addition to my own, I used backgrounds from Wallpaperflare, Battlefront, ArtStation (Philip Gilbert), and Dioramaworkshop.com (Frank Diorio).



Packaging

The box is both familiar and unusual, when it comes to Hot Toys Star Wars sets. Externally, we get the cigar band, now standard, wrapped around the cover (top photo below). But the cover is not a shoe box cover as usual, but a wraparound slip cover that one slides off the box within (middle photo below). That box is open on one side (the right), from which one pulls out another, coverless box. At the top of this there is yet another colorful image of the product, glued to a thin foam layer (bottom photo below). Removing this, one gets to the figure and its alternative hair sculpt, each in its own indent within a thick black foam layer, surrounded by a thin cardboard covering. Remove that cardboard covering and you can also get to the belt and the alternate hand sculpts. The foam layers are a signature of Hot Toys deluxe sets and I appreciate them -- not because they are deluxe, but because they are infinitely more user friendly than plastic treys with lids. Unfortunately, that is exactly what you will find when you remove the thick foam layer -- a plastic trey with its own plastic lid. Inside are stored the base and base add-on, the stand, the blaster, the lightsaber hilt, the translucent lightsaber blades (normal and in fan-like motion), the alternate lower arm and hand with the LED-lighted lightsaber, three batteries for it, a couple of spare wrist pegs, some spare metal caps for the belt, and the little tool for moving the eyes. There is also an instruction booklet inside. Overall, everything is collector friendly and safe.



Sculpting

The sculpted detail is up to Hot Toys' usual excellent standards, even if plenty of seems to be recycled from their earlier work. This is likely the case with the light-saber hilt, the blaster pistol, and probably some of the hands. The head sculpt seems to be identical to the one they used for their Mandalorian figure. The neater, puffier hair sculpt seems to be identical to the one from their Luke Snowspeeder Pilot set. The messier, sweatier hair sculpt seems to be new. At any rate, the likeness to Mark Hamil appears to be very good, perhaps better than in earlier attempts. I can't tell which of the two hair sculpts works better for me, but once again, both are very good. There is plenty of fine texturing on the skin on the head and hands, without creating an excessively aged effect. The two hair sculpts can be swapped, and are secured to the head with magnets.

As with Mandalorian Luke and other recent releases, the eyeballs are individually movable (which means you can make him cross eyed), to great potential effect. Because of the relativerly small and deep opening, it is not always easy to manipulate them from the inside of the face with the special tool designed for that job; I found it sometimes helps using the "wrong" end of the tool or even just a sturdy toothpick.

Luke stands about 29 cm (11.5 inches) tall.



Paint

The paint application is also up to Hot Toys' usual high standards. Given the separate movable eyeballs, it is no big surprise they managed to paint the eyes perfectly. They are also glossy and realistic. The eyebrows are painted in exquisite detail with individual lashes and look believable. There is plenty of nuance and flecking to the paint on the head and on the hands, giving them an extra realistic appearance. The belt buckle, blaster pistol, and, to a lesser extent, the lightsaber hilt are all weathered, making them look believable as different kings of metal, although they are all plastic. The weaponry is given a darker and duller, more gunmetal look than some of its earlier iterations. The hair is given Hot Toys' usual metallic paint treatment for blonde and light hair. That is less than ideal, but seems to work reasonably well.



Articulation

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but here it is, again: the Hot Toys body appears to have all the articulation you could possibly want or need -- apart from the point of articulation at the base of the head, since the head and neck are one continuous molded piece. However, Hot Toys' insistence on using padding under the costume does get in the way of the articulation in certain places (especially at the shoulders -- unless of course the shoulders and the garment's cut are at fault). It is possible to do a lot with the figure, but the effort (and worry about damaging something) makes it a frustrating experience. If I can figure out a way to get his outfit off safely, I will remove the padding. But they seem to have taken to stitching the outfits on. We get the usual good articulation at the ankles (aided by the soft boots) and wrists, elbows, knees, waist.



Accessories

Luke comes with all the accessories a Bespin Luke needs, and that is not that many. He has got his outfit and belt, blaster pistol, and light saber. The pistol fits well within the holster (with some initial effort), while the light saber hangs from a hook on the lower side of the belt; it can easily fall out. There are, of course, alternate and spare parts: a total of seven hand sculpts (pair of light saber grips -- which he comes wearing in the box, one right hand gun grip, one left hand fist, a hand with extended index and middle finger, and a couple of hands with outspread fingers), the swappable hair pieces (he comes wearing the sweaty hair in the box), the swappable lower arm with hand and light saber for the LED-lighting effect. It would have been nice to get pairs of all the hands, including some relaxed hands; this feels like cutting corners.

The translucent blue light saber blade and "moving" fan-like effect can be attached to either the regular light saber hilt or to the hilt that is part of the LED-lighting lower arm assembly. Spare parts include a pair of extra wrist pegs and some small metal caps in case any come off the belt. Then there are the two-part base and stand. The two-part base is excellent. The main part is made to resemble the small round portion of the floor of the carbon-freezing chamber on Cloud City, with characteristic bright red lit panels. The additional part can attach to it from the side or stand alone. It features two carbonite pumping (?) stations that resemble futuristic space fire hydrants. The only let down, for me, is the actual stand, which plugs into the round main part of the base. Instead of the usual crotch-grabber stand, this one is designed to grab the body around the waist. I find these more difficult to use and more visible and distracting.



Light Features

There are three light features altogether. Unsurprisingly, given Hot Toys' past record, the light saber has a light up option, which requires using an alternate lower arm, into which one inserts three small batteries (provided), activating the light with a switch. The light travels into and through the translucent light saber blade or motion fan-like effect, which can be plugged into the opening of the light saber hilt attached permanently to the LED lower arm-and-hand assembly. I don't like swapping the lower arms and did not do this for the figure. However, in several photos, you can see the unattached alternate LED arm-and-hand assembly with both the light saber blade and motion effect. The red light blade used for comparison is with a Darth Maul LED arm-and-hand assembly; the second, blue-on-blue lit light saber comparison borrowed an Obi-Wan LED arm-and-hand assembly for the regular blade. As before, the blue-light effect is far more striking than the red.

The other two light features are found in the two-part base. To use them, you need at least one USB C micro cable, and you need to switch each piece on with its individual power switch. Both pieces require power via USB C, but you can use just one cable if you attach the two pieces of the base to each other via the USB C connector that can be made to protrude out of the smaller base piece. Thus, if you power the smaller base piece with your cable, you can power the main base by attaching it to the powered smaller piece. The two cylinders on the smaller piece light up pale blue near the top, while the light panels on the larger, round part of the base light up bright warm red, almost orange. This is movie-accurate and very impressive. I do not know how widespread this problem would be, but on my set, the USB connection between the smaller and larger base pieces is a little tentative. It required some pressing and pushing to have it work and keep it working.



Outfit

Luke's "Bespin" fatigues -- which he was wearing before setting foot on Bespin -- are recreated in loving and exact detail. So much so, they are sewn on the body and do not open, nor are the pockets functional -- unlike those on the old DX07 outfit. Prioritizing the visual over the functional is fine to a point, but the restricted articulation, especially at the shoulders, is a very frustrating issue. As I mentioned above, I'm not certain whether the issue is primarily due to the padding or the actual garment or both. I wish the sleeves were just a little bit longer, although an overly-exposed wrist, annoying as it is for a visibly-jointed action figure, might be screen-accurate.

Speaking of the boots, these are a variation of the boot type recently seen on the Snowspeeder Luke, and, of course, of the boots provided for the previous version of Bespin Luke, DX07. Unlike DX07, however, DX24/25 uses pleather. Hopefully it will not fall apart anytime soon. The boots are still soft enough to not impede ankle articulation.



Source Accuracy

Overall, the set is a very good rendition of Luke's appearance at Bespin. But there are some minor details that are not quite right. The outfit is just a little bit too clean and neat, even for Luke first setting foot in Cloud City -- although I have seen at least one (publicity?) photo where it is indeed this pristine, it was not so onscreen. Moreover, the pants should be a little bit baggier or bunched up above the boots. The belt on the old DX07 set was more screen-accurate accurate in its configuration of boxes or pouches and the surface of its buckle than the one provided with the new DX24/25 sets. The two caps or rivets on the holster's leg strap should be visible at the front (they were at the back on mine out of the box), but luckily the strap can be easily readjusted -- I discovered this after taking the photos, so they do not reflect the correct appearance.



Fun Factor

Apart from my annoyance at the restrictive or difficult articulation at the shoulders, I think Hot Toys produced a very good figure, in most respects a vast improvement on the DX07. Those of us seeking to replicate the climactic end of Luke's duel with Vader, however, would need to modify or swap the outfit, and get a wrist stump. Otherwise, Luke is good to go socializing with his friends or with his father, or whatever else tickles his budding Jedi fancy.



Value

Renditions of a Star Wars protagonist released by Hot Toys in 2023, the sets retailing at (USD) $285 (DX24) or $345 (DX25) would come as no great surprise for anyone who has been around these high end collectibles. Which is not to say that the price feels justified, especially considering how much of this set is made up of items Hot Toys has already designed. The light-features base elements are great, but ultimately non-essential; the fancy box even more so. It is still simply a figure with a gun, a lightsaber, and two swappable hair sculpts. The $60 difference between DX24 and DC25 also seems excessive: the Luke in Vader's helmet head is very neat (and I picked it up parted out), but the Dagobah base, while nice, does not feel particularly exciting. Ultimately, one's feelings about the value of these sets would come down to how important it was to own these versions of the character and how much one is willing to invest in a sixth-scale figure set. All the more so for those who are getting this as an upgrade from an earlier version like DX07. I do not own an earlier version (though I had picked up one of the DX07 outfits parted out), and am glad I got this set, although I cannot say I liked its price.



Things to watch out for

Not a whole lot. It would be easy to misplace the eye adjustment tool, but you could always use a toothpick or something else to achieve the same results. The lightsaber hilt can easily fall off the hook on the belt. It is not impossibly small, but still not too difficult to lose.



Overall

Alongside their Mandalorian Luke, which used the same head sculpt, Hot Toys' Bespin Luke is arguably their best rendition of Mark Hamill in the iconic role as the protagonist of the Star Wars Original Trilogy. And this without even taking into account the critical importance of the sequence and film climax associated with this appearance of the character. To be sure, "Bespin Luke" could have been more easily poseable, even more accurate, and less expensive, but he remains an excellent sixth-scale collectible.



Where to buy

I got mine for $277 (preorder discount) at Timewalker Toys. The reason I preordered is because I expected it to sell out. And it did. Looks like most people went for DX24, because there are still a few DX25s out there:

Big Bad Toy Store still has DX25 for $360 ($4 flat rate shipping).

Cotswold Collectibles still has DX25 for $345.

Sideshow has them on wait list.



I hope this was informative, let me know what you think. If you like it, I will post a few more photos that didn't make it so far and some of the slightly corrected version compared to my reconstituted/kitbashed DX07.



Updated with Part II. More here. Sorry, picture heavy.

Other recent or relevant reviews

Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike

Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Assault Tank Commander

Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Director Krennic

TBLeague Female Seamles Bodies S24A-S27B

Jiaou Doll Male Bodies

Kamisoul MAF Extreme Seamless Body with Jiaou and TBleague comparison

World Box AT030 Body

Six New-ish Bodies comparison

HH Model & Haoyu Toys Dragon Banner Bearer

Premier Toys PT0001 Wasteland Gladiator

Toys Headquarters Vol 003 Fighter

TBLeague Ramesses the Great

Figure Masters Vamp Lou

LDDoll Seamless Figure Body

John Constantine (Thunder Toys Hell Detective)

SooSoo Toys Frozen Man

SooSoo Toys Mr Butcher

Sideshow and Hot Toys Star Wars Scout Troopers (comparison)

Thunder Toys Hell Detective

Hot Toys Star Wars Emperor Palpatine

TBLeague Barbarian Soul

Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper

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Woo Toys WO-004 Fat Thor

HH HY Rome Infantry

HH HY Rome Centurion

Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (He-Man)

Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (Conan the Barbarian)

Dragon and TBLeague Alexander the Great (comparison)

Kautic Plastik Roman Infantry 2019

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TBLeague 1:12 seamless male bodies

Hasbro Star Wars Rogue One Imperial Combat Assault Tank

Hasbro Star Wars imperials 2019

Hasbro Star Wars Jabba's Tatooine Skiff

CC Toys Unexplored Nate (summer version)

Jiaou Doll Boss Chair

Hot Toys Star Wars Solo Patrol Trooper

China Toys Teutonic Knight

Star Ace 300 Queen Gorgo

Black Box Toys Spectre Girl (Madeleine Swann)

Hot Toys Star Wars Royal Guard

VS Toys Bathroom

Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Viking Ship

Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Valhalla (double set)

TBLeague M36 body

Chinese wooden chairs and table sets A and B

HY Toys Armchair

TBLeague M35 body

Sideshow Jack Burton

Disney Star Wars Director Orson Krennic

TBLeague Spartan Goddess of War

AR Toys Hellman

Dragon Men in Black 3 Agent K 1969

#starwars #theempirestrikesback #luke #skywalker #bespin #male #fiction #scifi #film #movie #hottoys

Part I: Painting 3D printed heads of Star Wars characters



For Part II, see HERE.



For Part III, see HERE.


You all know how much I like good head sculpts. While I am no professional head painter, I've gotten to the point where I'm more willing to invest in unpainted heads and painting them myself (the time and cost of professional services for that are not enticing me). I am working on several characters at the moment, some of them more complete. So, for now, here are four heads I purchased from Poison3DHarleyCstms on Etsy. I cannot praise this printer/seller enough, very helpful and accommodating, and not too expensive.

Still Work in Progress.

The heads as they arrived:


The heads primed:


The heads painted so far, the light makes the colors more vibrant than in hand:


So far all of the heads need their bodies, clothing, and accessories. I don't know how far along I will get this in terms of matching the onscreen look, except for some other characters I'm working on.

Weequay (there were several on Jabba's staff), will be getting some braids coming out of the bumps at the back of the head:


Nikto (there were several on Jabba's staff), needs one of several possible head coverings; I am also still looking for the "green" Nikto (originally called Klaatu), but the only version I see is on Shapeways for too high a price:


Barada or his compadre Kithaba (confusingly retconned as members of a "Klaatoonian" species, also several on Jabba's staff), needs a head scarf; in hand this one looks a lot duller and more realistic:


Nien Nunb (Lando's co-pilot) came with his leather pilot cap sculpted as part of the mold:


It ought to illustrate what one can do with these beautiful casts, even without being a professional. At any rate, I hope you liked them.

For Part II, see HERE.



For Part III, see HERE.

#3dprint #custom #kitbash #starwars #scifi #fiction #head

Updated/continued HERE.

I have always wondered about improving the potential of these sets with a bit of customization, so here is a start, with a figure I purchased for this purpose a long time ago but only now had a little bit of time to experiment.

















So, what do you think (other than, "WTF, I thought this was supposed to be another tactical tease!" or worse), is it a bit improved?

Updated/continued HERE.

For other Star Wars-related goofery, you can check out these older threads:

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t6115-recovered-previously-unreleased-footage-from-return-of-the-jedi

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t5484-star-wars-spoof-banned-tv-advertisement-from-the-80s-nsfw

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t4234-rivals-photo-heavy#59153

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t4151-oops-photo-heavy

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3671-star-wars-the-accident-story-photo-heavy-updated-with-alternate-deleted-footage

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3240-star-wars-a-happy-endings-story-original-trilogy-updated

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3178-star-wars-a-silver-linings-story-original-trilogy-updated-with-extra-photos

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2799-star-wars-the-further-adventures-of-darth-maul-updated-with-part-ii-may-2020

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2541-star-wars-a-love-gone-wrong-story

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2206-star-wars-moving-on-solo-story

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1862-star-wars-a-lone-scoundrel-story

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1852-star-wars-a-negative-body-image-story

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1150-star-wars-spacecops

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t909-star-wars-new-imperial-unit-aquatrooper-part-two

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1076-christmas-reruns-star-wars-christmas-revised-edition-not-the-holiday-special

Updated/continued HERE.

#custom #repaint #hasbro #starwars #hoth #tauntaun #luke #skywalker #wampa #fiction #scifi

Introduction

This new release from Hot Toys arrived from Sideshow yesterday. Hot Toys' coverage of Rogue One has been spotty, but they did show some love for imperial trooper types, producing the Rogue One Stormtrooper (in a couple of versions), Death Trooper (in three versions), and Shore Trooper (in a couple of versions?). All these have seen second release due to their appearances in The Mandalorian. The only Rogue One imperial trooper type left (they sorta covered the revised Imperial Ground Crew as Jynn Erso's disguise version) was the Imperial Assault Tank Commander (with Pilot variant). This is the product just released. It, too, has a Mandalorian version, of sorts, the Transport Trooper, a hybrid between Rogue One's Assault Tank Commander/Pilot and Solo's Mud Trooper. It seems like trooper figures keep on giving and multiplying and army-building should be easy... except, of course, for the price.



Packaging

The Assault Tank Commander comes in a long-familiar standard Hot Toys shoe box-type cardboard container with a colorful image of the product on the cover. Another colorful image is found on the card covering the single plastic trey (with transparent lid) containing the figure. Everything is snug, safe, and collector-friendly.



Sculpting

Sculpting a fully-armored figure with futuristic armor is, of course, a challenge, yet not quite the challenge of making a faithful, lifelike, and realistic representation of an individual's features. As usual, Hot Toys rose to the challenge, and created a very fine replica of what was seen on screen. The edges are suitably sharp and clean, the proportions quite accurate (for some minor issues see Source Accuracy below), the detail is rich and distinctive as needed. The figure stands just about 12 inches tall, and scales well among other Rogue One figures by Hot Toys (see last image below).



Paint

In principle, the paint work on a subject like this, need only be sharp, if the armor and clothing are in pristine conditions. But since the subject is meant to be dirtied up and weathered, there is still plenty of room for a complex and nuanced paint application. The armor has been supplied with the appearance of wear and tear, grime, scratches and stains. Overall, it is believable and appropriate. At the same time, the paint job is suitably sharp in the areas where it ought to be. Apart from the weathering, the paint is mostly black and white, with some details in red and brownish gray. The blaster rifle is also given a little weathering.



Articulation

Hot Toys used to lead in the field of hard plastic open-jointed bodies, which used to be available as base bodies. That no longer seems to be the case, but the bodies that come with most of their sets still tend to sport a good articulation. More often than not, however, this is compromised by the use of tight and stiff cloth for the outfit and, even more so, by the insertion of padded undergarments. These are ostensibly to improve the appearance of the figure, but do so only marginally, while at the same time significantly impairing articulation -- and this without additional limitations imposed by armor and accessories. This is exactly the case with this set. The apparent padding makes it difficult to achieve the full range of articulation; the outfit is not exceedingly restrictive, but also does not help. The armor is mostly out of the way, except for the vambraces in the wrist area and for the tabs (boxes?) handing from the armored utility belt. On the other hand, elbows, knees, and ankles have excellent articulation. As a result it is sometimes difficult but not impossible to achieve more dynamic poses. I have not yet explored this option with this set, but previous experience suggest removing the padding would greatly facilitate the articulation with almost no impact on the look.



Accessories

In this area, the figure is woefully short. There is, of course, an action figure crotch-grabber stand with an optional printed graphic card to cover the base, and an optional additional detail piece to add to the base. There are alternative parts, namely two additional sets of hands, for a total of three pairs (relaxed, gun-grip, and fists). There are spare parts, namely the two extra wrist pegs. But none of these are really accessories. The sole accessory is the E-11 blaster rifle with its Rogue One flashlight add-on. The blaster rifle is beautifully and precisely realized, with a folding three-position stock. Now, I realize we can't expect the Assault Tank Commander to come with an Assault Tank as his accessory, but this is exceedingly light. And it should be reflected in the price (see Value below).



Outfit

Apart from the molded hard or soft plastic armor (see Sculpting), the outfit consists primarily of the gray-brown cloth pants and some sort of black garment visible primarily at the elbows -- since I have not taken the body apart or seen the set parted out, I'm not certain if this is a whole top or even a whole bodysuit (perhaps unlikely). The belt combines cloth and molded plastic pieces.



Source Accuracy

The top part of the image below is for reference, from https://www.starwars.com/databank/imperial-combat-assault-tank-commander
On the whole, Hot Toys has rendered the character's appearance very well and quite accurately. It is possible that the helmet has become slightly vertically elongated, but it might be an effect of my camera lens. The only certain inaccuracy I spotted is the treatment of two of the recessed areas on either side of the segmented element in the middle of the abdominal area. The reference image shows larger recessed parts in dark gray, whereas in the figure they appear to be significantly narrower (see images in previous and succeeding sections).



Fun Factor

Without a tank and a couple of pilots (which would effectively be slight variants) to boss around, the Assault Tank Commander runs the risk of being a lonely figure. The presence of a single accessory (the blaster rifle) also does not open a huge field of possibilities for fun. However, one could pair him with any or all of the other imperial trooper types from Rogue One produced by Hot Toys. The Jedha patrol stormtrooper would be a particularly apt companion (I could not easily excavate mine, so I substituted a virtually identical regular Rogue One stormtrooper in the photos here).



Value

This is the tricky bit. Retailing at $230 (USD) before taxes and shipping, this figure is at once pricey and yet more affordable than so many other Hot Toys releases these days. I don't know if this is a nod to the dearth of accessories or to the potential for army-building (although one is unlikely to be looking for an army of Assault Tank Commanders, I suppose). Even so, "objectively" speaking, it seems difficult to justify such a hefty price tag for a figure this simple -- no detailed realistic human face, no extravagant bases or accessories (in fact, only one accessory), a trooper, reused or duplicate parts (from the Shore Trooper, Transport Trooper, Mud Trooper, and not even talking about the standard Rogue One blaster rifle) and so on. Yes, Hot Toys quality is (as it should be, but apparently not always) very good, the sculpt and paint are excellent, but I don't see why this figure is not almost $100 less than this asking price (and that prior to secondary market inflation). Other than, of course, Hot Toys' "ambition" and precedent. Some of the recent or upcoming trooper figures are actually slightly less expensive ($220). Of course, the thing about value is that its estimation varies based on a number of variables, most notably one's means and priorities.



Things to watch out for

Nothing much, the only readily breakable area is the folding stock of the E-11 blaster rifle.



Overall

When it comes to protagonists, certain secondary characters, and imperial trooper types, I'm a completist, and Rogue One is quasi-canon to me, so I'm happy I purchased this figure. It is a very fine figure, although I cannot really say I'm blown away by it. Then again, I got it to have a representation of the character (or rather type), not so much because I was specifically drawn to it. The execution is excellent, the functionality is good (without being perfect), the price is hefty (without being totally excessive). The design is cool, if repetitive (the most notable though not only point of comparison is the Shore Trooper design from the same film), and the figure fits in well with Hot Toys' other Star Wars figures, especially those from Rogue One. Given their usual practice, I'm surprised they did not offer the pilot variants, but perhaps they are uncertain of the degree to which this type and this movie would sell at this point.



Where to buy

I got mine for $230 (USD) from Sideshow, using some accumulated points. The secondary market is inflating prices, and I have seen it going for $275 to $542 on eBay. Among others (mostly on pre-order),

Cotswold Collectibles has it for $230;

Monkey Depot has it for $230;

Timewalker Toys has it for $230 (wait list);

Big Bad Toy Store has it for $245.



Other recent or relevant reviews

Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Director Krennic

Premier Toys PT0001 Wasteland Gladiator

Toys Headquarters Vol 003 Fighter

TBLeague Ramesses the Great

Figure Masters Vamp Lou

LDDoll Seamless Figure Body

SooSoo Toys Frozen Man

SooSoo Toys Mr Butcher

Sideshow and Hot Toys Star Wars Scout Troopers (comparison)

Thunder Toys Hell Detective

Hot Toys Star Wars Emperor Palpatine

TBLeague Barbarian Soul

Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper

ADD Toys War Wolves Back (muscle version)

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HH HY Rome Infantry

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Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (He-Man)

Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (Conan the Barbarian)

Dragon and TBLeague Alexander the Great (comparison)

Kautic Plastik Roman Infantry 2019

JX Toys Peggy Carter

TBLeague 1:12 seamless male bodies

Hasbro Star Wars Rogue One Imperial Combat Assault Tank

Hasbro Star Wars imperials 2019

Hasbro Star Wars Jabba's Tatooine Skiff

CC Toys Unexplored Nate (summer version)

Jiaou Doll Boss Chair

Hot Toys Star Wars Solo Patrol Trooper

China Toys Teutonic Knight

Star Ace 300 Queen Gorgo

Black Box Toys Spectre Girl (Madeleine Swann)

Hot Toys Star Wars Royal Guard

VS Toys Bathroom

Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Viking Ship

Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Valhalla (double set)

TBLeague M36 body

Chinese wooden chairs and table sets A and B

HY Toys Armchair

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Sideshow Jack Burton

Disney Star Wars Director Orson Krennic

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AR Toys Hellman

Dragon Men in Black 3 Agent K 1969



I hope this has been useful. As always, what do you think?

#hottoys #starwars #rogueone #imperial #assaulttank #commander #male #scifi #fiction #film #movie

This is a combination of modifications, applied to what was originally a nearly 20-year old set by Dragon, Chris Johnston (Paul Walker) from Timeline (2003). The old Dragon set was probably nice for its time, although it is not quite on a par with more modern action figures in this scale, which have more realistic likeness and better articulation, and usually come with more accessories. Timeline was a pretty good film, and has been held up as the right way to do historical fiction (if you are going to be making up things, do that to made up historical settings and characters rather than distorting actual ones). I am somewhat surprised that it got this much attention in sixth scale, but glad it did. I just wish I had picked up more of these sets when they were more readily available. I finally got this one a few weeks ago, and decided to see what would happen if it were transferred to a better body and given a better head. (By the way, see those knots with a single loop? If anyone has a link to an image explaining how to tie them, please send it along. Thanks in advance.)



The body swap was easy enough, as the relatively loose clothing fit on a TBLeague M33. The boots presented a problem as they would not readily come off the Dragon body, restricted ankle articulation, and might not have fit easily on other feet (whether TBLeague or not). I went with the two-part molded ThreeZero boots from one of their Game of Thrones figures (Jon Snow?) at first. They worked great. The head was a bigger challenge. Ever since his untimely demise, Paul Walker has been rendered in sixth scale repeatedly, not always very successfully, but invariably in reference to his part in the Fast and Furious franchise. These all portray a more mature Paul Walker, with a shorter and neater hair, and more stubble. I ended up going with a GAC Toys head (or a knockoff of it), slightly repainting to make it match the TBLeague suntan skin tone and soften the stubble (in retrospect I may have overdone that, as Paul's character in Timeline does have a visible stubble). Of course, the big hurdle was the hair. I went from this (already repainted)...



to this mess...



to this (finished, apart from minor futzing).



There was no way I was going to be able to replicate the messy slightly curly hair in the film with real hair entirely accurately, but I decided it was close enough (it was not perfectly replicated with Dragon's sculpted hair either). The color is a little on the light side, but my next darker option was too warm a brown to work well. So I went with it. Here is the upgraded figure.









Overall, I was pleased with the poseability and stability of the figure, and the look seems ok. I ended up making one more change, from the ThreeZero boots to medieval/fantasy leather shoes from a POP or maybe CM set, as something more appropriate for someone dressed like a medieval peasant to wear. I think they are better for this purpose, although much less stable, as they curve up at the front. Here they are, although they are not very visible...





I doubt it is perfect or that I could improve much on it at present, but it is a nice example of the potential of so many of these old sets.

As always, what do you think?

#timeline #medieval #fiction #chrisjohnston #paulwalker #dragon #gactoys #tbleague #custom #kitbash #modification #hair

For more, including the light feature tutorial, see HERE.



Introduction
The Amazon Prime series The Boys has been an unexpected hit, and a bit of an alternative to blockbuster superhero movies we have gotten used to. Not entirely surprisingly, this has inspired the sixth scale rendition of some of its characters, starting with the leading protagonist Billie Butcher and leading antagonist Homelander. Soo Soo Toys, which has a tradition of bringing such characters to sixth scale and filling niches left by other companies, is making one of each, and other third party companies are following suit. Soo Soo's Mr Butcher (SST 025) showed up yesterday, and here is a quick review. I took up enough photos to have plenty left over for a bit of a photo story and tutorial... (HERE).



Packaging - 4/4 stars
Mr Butcher comes in a pretty standard shoebox style cardboard box, with graphic art of the character on the lid and sides. Inside there is a cover card with another graphic art portrayal of the character, a la Hot Toys. Below that one finds two plastic treys, each with its transparent lid. The upper one holds the figure, extra hands, baby figure, and two alternative heads (one for Billie Butcher, the other for the baby), as well as the three Compound V vials, two batteries, and a mini circuitboard (these go inside the alternative baby head -- there is a color printed sheet with basic instructions). The lower trey holds the action figure stand and the weapons. Everything is collector friendly, except perhaps securing the bottom trey and its lid closed together with no less than four pieces of tape. I generally prefer foam to plastic treys, but there is nothing to really complain about here.



Sculpting - 3.5/4 stars
There are several head sculpts at play here, although the focus would be on Billie Butcher's, and there are two of those. There is one head with a relatively neutral expression and another one with a sort of maniacal grin. Both are executed very well, and the more neutral-expression head is near perfect, although the grinning likeness is not quite as compelling. It is still recognizable, but I think it is wrong -- for that expression the eyes are likely to narrow, and the cheek space between them and the mouth bunch up and narrow too. If you have a light source behind the grinning head, you would see the light show through the slightly open mouth. The visible teeth are, for once, flawlessly sculpted, being a separate piece attached from the inside. The detail is very fine, though perhaps not quite Hot Toys fine (for example, in the hair strands). The baby's body, clothing, and two heads (one of them with removable night cap) are also excellently sculpted. So are the weapons and other accessories, including the interchangeable hands. The boots are a work of art. One area in which they miscalculated is the figure's height. Karl Urban is about 185 cm (6' 1") tall, which would translate to about 30.8 cm (12.12 in), but Soo Soo Toys' Mr Butcher stands only 29.5 cm (11.6 in) tall.



Paint - 4/4 stars
The paint job is clean and precise overall, with plenty of realistic detail on the areas that are supposed to be flesh, including the heads and hands. The eyes and scope lenses are appropriate glossy. The teeth are very nicely done, giving them a realistic look. There is very little in the way of weathering, except perhaps a little on the boots. Nevertheless, the painted accessories are given a slightly dull finish where appropriate, that does not make them look excessively plastic and cheap.



Articulation - 3.5/4 stars
The articulation is relatively good, especially given the somewhat bulkier and heftier character of the hard-plastic body. Because one is supposed to be able to display the figure with and without the long coat, they chose to go with single-jointed elbows. This limits elbow articulation to about 90 degrees, while still looking awkward (we have been spoiled by TBLeague and Jiaou, have we not?), so I am not certain this choice makes as much sense to me. The other joints are more or less consistent with what one would expect from high-end sixth-scale bodies today. There is even some articulation in the relatively soft-material-covered lower neck. But in places this is hampered by the outfit, especially if you have the long coat on the figure. As can be expected, the boots, although loosened and slightly pliable toward their tops, do somewhat limit the ankle articulation. Nevertheless, it is possible to take and hold relatively wide stances without support.



Accessories - 4/4 stars
Often enough third party sets skimp on accessories, providing little. This is not usually a fault of Soo Soo Toys, and once again they have provided a plethora of accessories. Apart from the additional pairs of interchangeable hands, making a total of four pairs (relaxed, fists, knife grip, and pistol grip), and the fairly elaborate action figure stand (with a The Boys logo and texture imitating a metal panel), there are a sniper rifle, another rifle, a cattle prod, an electric drill, a crowbar, and hammer. There are also additional clips for both rifles -- for a total of three of each kind, that can be attached at the appropriate place. Both rifles have some articulation (like movable scopes), one of them with an extendable stock, an attachable handle, and a removable silencer. There are also three Compound V vials. The baby is a whole additional accessory, which is unfortunately just that -- a little unarticulated figure, even if beautifully executed. It has two virtually identical heads that can be swapped (they plug in, there is no possibility of rotation). This is because one of these has translucent lenses for the eyes to allow illumination from the inside. To do that, you would have to take off the night cap, and insert under it the provided small circuitboard with a battery inserted in it; they provide two batteries. I will post a mini tutorial on that separately, but it is not very difficult in the end. The assembly is very sensitive, and a little tap or vibration would make the light go on or go off. Given how easily this happens, I would take the battery out when not using this feature.



Outfit - 4/4 stars
The clothing looks to be screen accurate and very nicely sized, proportioned, and tailored. The green long jacket has a concealed wire at the bottom, which makes it possible to pose it a little to simulate the effect of wind movement. The there is the dark blue floral print shirt, the black acid-washed jeans (with a black belt, which is there, even if not visible), and the molded boots discussed above. The jeans are wide enough and soft enough not to hamper articulation as much as one might expect, although the long coat's relatively tight sleeves do get in the way of some more pronounced movement of the arm at the shoulder and elbow.



Light Feature - see HERE.
I am not going to give this a score, both because it would be even more subjective and because it would not compare with many sets that have no such feature. Inserting a battery-powered mini circuit board into the alternate baby head (the cap can be taken off, and the eyes are blue translucent lenses), allows you to have the baby shoot blue lasers from its eyes -- or rather to illuminate said eyes. This works reasonably well when the surroundings are dark (which does not photograph well), and of course if you wanted to see the actual laser effect you would have to add that in photoshop or the graphics program of your choice. I haven't tried that yet. It is about as effective as that solution could be, short of finding a way of attaching translucent plastic lasers that would look right issuing out of the eyes and away from the body.



Fun Factor - 4/4 stars
Given the number and variety of accessories, the ready options for at least two basic looks, and the forthcoming availability of Billie's nemesis Homelander, and hopefully some others down the line, there is a ton of potential fun to be had with this set. For the purposes of this review and additional threads, I have given him as a counterpart the Hot Toys Man of Steel Superman, since that character was, after all, a sort of inspiration behind Homelander. If only Billy were a little taller... and Superman a little shorter...



Value - 4/4 stars
It is sad but probably accurate to admit that these days an action figure set, even if unlicensed, featuring a popular character from a popular franchise, would be priced reasonably low at $190 (USD). This is true in general, but also in particular: this set comes with two alternate realistic head sculpts, five weapons, several additional accessories, an admittedly unarticulated second character (the baby) with two head sculpts of its own (one of them with an electrical feature), not counting alternate hands and a nice action figure stand. Given what this is, and how things are, I would say that is a good deal.



Things to watch out for -
Not too much. I would be careful with any stiff joints, and work on them slowly and gradually. The Compound V vials are tiny and could be easily misplaced or lost. The same may be true for some of the rifle accessories. I do not know if it might be a hazard (or just a nuisance), but I would take out the battery when not using it, given how easily it is to activate (or deactivate) the light feature even with accidental vibration.



Overall -
I am very happy and impressed with this set. It renders a beloved character in sixth scale in all his scruffy and rough quality, giving him a recognizable and realistic look -- even if the more emotive head is less successful. It also provides him with a wealth of appropriate accessories up to an including a mutant baby with blue laser eyes. As himself, as a random extra character, or even as kitbashing material, this is a winner.



Where to buy -
I got mine at GianToy, but it is currently sold out.
I see it as a special order at Monkey Depot: https://www.monkeydepot.com/SooSooToys_Mr_Butch_SST_025_p/ssb0017.htm
And as a preorder at One Sixth Outfitters: https://www.onesixthoutfitters.com/products/soosootoys-sst025-1-6-scale-mr-butcher-figure
But in both cases, at a higher price. The same is likely to be the case on eBay.



I hope this has been useful. What do you think?

For more, including the light feature tutorial, see HERE.

#soosootoys #mrbutcher #billy #butcher #fiction #tv #amazon #prime #male #modern

Appendix on additional (modified) articulation in Post 20 below.

While I do not watch The Mandalorian, I am happy to see that at least part of Disney's Star Wars franchise is doing reasonably well, staying truer the original Star Wars, and being replicated in high-end sixth-scale. I have gotten a Hot Toys Mandalorian Death Trooper (simply to make a pair with the earlier Rogue One (RO)-based trooper I already had) and have partly reconstituted a Hot Toys Mandalorian from lose parts and other bits from other companies. While I was not going to pick up a Hot Toys Mandalorian Scout Trooper initially, eventually I decided to do so before it became unavailable or available only at even more astronomical prices. The design (both in terms of the original design for the film and Hot Toys' action figure rendition) looked sufficiently consistent with the original Scout Trooper design from Return of the Jedi (ROTJ), although I was certain that some details had been changed. These are easier to spot with a side-by-side comparison with Sideshow's ROTJ-based Scout Trooper figure.



Let's start with the packaging. Sideshow's classic design, in part conditioned by Lucasfilm requirements, produced fairly consistent-looking packaging for their Star Wars action figures, including the color scheme of a product image over a two-shades-of-black background. The box has a magnet-closed wrap-around openable lid that allows you to look at the product without removing it, and it opens through either the top or bottom cover. The figure and its accessories are located in one of two plastic treys, which is not a big inconvenience, but can be a tad annoying to work with. I much prefer the foam used by other companies.



Hot Toys' packaging for The Mandalorian follows the precedent set for Rogue One, in adding a "cigar band" with the character's name, product number, and some extra imagery, to the shoebox-style lid, which otherwise conforms to the Lucasfilm-dictated color scheme. Inside, the product is located in a single plastic trey, under a fine color card of the action figure atop its optional accessory, a speeder bike (based on its appearance in The Mandalorian). As with the Sideshow packaging, everything is reasonably collector friendly, and here there is only one plastic trey to mess around with.



Given the trend with prior products, I fully expected the Sideshow Scout Trooper to be taller than the Hot Toys one, and was surprised to discover the opposite. Sideshow's figures were generally scaled to be 12 inches tall (with obvious exceptions for shorter characters, like Leia), whereas Hot Toys employed a more varied, and often slightly shorter height. For whatever reason, their Scout Trooper is just over 31 cm (12.25 inches), slightly taller than the Sideshow version (about 30.5 cm = 12 inches), and also taller than the Hot Toys ROTJ and RO Stormtroopers -- see comparison photo at the end. Both figures capture the appearance of a Star Wars Scout Trooper very successfully, but there are variations, largely attributable to slight changes in the design between the original trilogy/ROTJ and the character's current reiteration for The Mandalorian. This is exactly what happened with the design of Stormtroopers between the original trilogy (OT)/A New Hope (ANH) and RO -- you can see a comparison discussing these differences, carried over to the action figures HERE. Some of the differences between the original and Mandalorian designs are readily apparent (perhaps most obviously the screen-accurate heavier weathering on the Mandalorian design), but I will point them out in turn below.



The OT/ROTJ helmet (on the Sideshow figure) is a little larger, with a more rectangular visor, and a longer face/muzzle portion (perhaps Sideshow made it a tad too long). The toothed "frown," the three lines at the eyebrow, and the blacked out insides of the "ears" were all painted or decals in the actual movie helmets, but Sideshow sculpted them in loving detail, indenting the lines and teeth, and giving the insides of the "ears" a series of minuscule horizontal line indents. Technically, this wasn't screen accurate, but in hand it makes for a more compelling piece. The Mandalorian helmet (on the Hot Toys figure) is a little smaller and rounder, with a shorter face/muzzle portion. This appears to reflect a slight change in design between the OT/ROTJ and The Mandalorian accurately. Here the various details that Sideshow sculpted but were originally painted or decals are in fact painted or decals, making them more screen accurate, if much less compelling when viewed closely in hand. The shape of the goggles and their sunken frame is also a little different, reflecting the slightly altered design.



Viewed from the side, one can notice the change in the depth of the helmet's visor, which appears to reflect another slight change in the design between the OT/ROTJ and The Mandalorian renditions of the trooper type. The size of the bolts on the visor appear to be a little too small on the Sideshow helmet, even for the OT/ROTJ design, but about right on the Hot Toys helmet.



The length of the chest plate changed from the OT/ROTJ design (shorter) to The Mandalorian one (longer), and this is accurately reflected in the respective Sideshow and Hot Toys figures. The same is true for the shape and height of attachment of the pouches attached to the fabric overgarment worn over the midsection. In the OT/ROTJ design they sit higher and have a more boxy shape, whereas in The Mandalorian they sit lower and have a more saddlebag shape. Personally, I prefer the latter look when it comes to these, but both products are screen accurate.



A very notable difference involves the size and shape of the shoulder armor pieces, which are wider in the OT/ROTJ design and narrower in the Mandalorian design; they are respectively reproduced correctly by Sideshow and Hot Toys. Slightly less noticeable is the change in the length of the upper lower arm armor, which was shorter in the OT/ROTJ design. Note also the screen-accurate differences between the kneecap armor design of the two figures. The details are only slightly different, but the kneecap armor has been inverted, with the rim and band attachment placed at the bottom in the OT/ROTJ design and at the top in the Mandalorian design. This detail is also reproduced correctly in the two figures.



The "backpack" assembly on the back plate is screen accurate on the Hot Toys figure. The Sideshow figure's corresponding area is screen-accurate in having the four parallel lines, but has made the central hump perhaps a little too narrow, and it seems to sit a little too far up -- its shape and position should be closer to what we see in the Mandalorian design reflected by the Hot Toys figure. The size of the otherwise identical thermal detonators increased slightly from the OT/ROTJ to the Mandalorian design, and this is reflected accurately in the two figures.



In terms of articulation, the actual action figure bodies appear to be about equally capable of reaching and attaining poses. This has nothing to do with the costume design for the films -- although, in theory, the OT/ROTJ design's shorter breast plate and the Mandalorian design's deeper cutout in the upper back plate might be expected to provide advantages to the respective sets of armor. Independent of screen accuracy, the Hot Toys figure has an advantage in having two-piece gloves which allow for some wrist articulation (Sideshow's have practically none), and the soft (some sort of vinyl?) upper parts of the boots allow for plenty of ankle articulation (Sideshow's have practically none, although that set provides a second set of boots for placing on the speeder bike's pedals when riding it). While Hot Toys' decision with the boots is probably better in principle, in practice this could lead to excessive and unsightly creasing of the material. I came across a note in the 501st Legion's costuming guidelines that this is grounds for disqualification, so watch out.



Although it is possible for the Hot Toys body to achieve a number of poses, this is more difficult and less extensive than the effective range of the Sideshow body. The reasons for this is, as so often, Hot Toys' insistence using restrictive and largely unnecessary padding undergarments. As a result, Hot Toys' scout trooper cannot reach the weapon in his boot holster...



...in any position.



I did manage to make both figures sit on stool and have a beer break, but once again, it was a lot harder and more tentative with the Hot Toys figure, thanks to its restrictive padding. Looking at both figures, it is not apparent to me that Sideshow sacrificed appearance for functionality by foregoing this nuisance.



In terms of accessories, the two sets are very comparable. Both come with fairly elaborate bases/stands. Sideshow's (perhaps only in the second release of the trooper -- I may have lost track) comes with attachable rock, ground, and moss pieces, as well as a couple of logs. They provided similar pieces to go with the base/stand for their speeder bike. The Hot Toys base has a lunar-like planetary surface sculpt on the top, similar to what we have seen in some of their RO releases. Both sets come with the small EC-17 blaster and thermal detonators that attach on the figure -- one in the boot holster, the other on the belt -- and in both instances the Hot Toys versions are just slightly larger. At least in the case of the thermal detonator, that difference is screen-accurate. The Sideshow set includes six interchangeable gloved hands (right EC-17 blaster grip, right generic blaster grip, left relaxed, left pointing, and a pair of bike handle grip hands); each comes with its own wrist peg. The Hot Toys set includes seven interchangeable hands, with the sleeve part of the gloves as a single set of two separate pieces (right EC-17 blaster grip, a pair of bike handle grip hands, a pair of  relaxed hands, and a pair of fists); two spare wrist pegs are included. The Sideshow set features two interchangable sets of boots, one in a neutral position suitable for standing, the other bent forward for riding the speeder bike. Since they allow ankle articulation, the Hot Toys boots don't require an alternate pair, but, as noted above, they are subject to unsightly creasing of the soft material; moreover, the "dog bone" strap across the bridge of the foot seems overly pronounced.



I should point out that the design of the small EC-17 blaster is such that regular gun or pistol grip hands would not be able to hold it well, which makes the special grips provided by both Sideshow and Hot Toys particularly helpful. The blaster design is practically identical, although the Hot Toys version is slightly larger. As is often the case, Sideshow gave the weapon a more weathered, matte look, which makes it look a lot more realistic to me.



As already noted, Hot Toys' Mandalorian-based Scout Trooper is surprisingly tall, at just over 31 cm (12.25 in). By comparison, Sideshow's OT/ROTJ-based Scout Trooper is slightly shorter, at about 30.5 cm (12 in). Admittedly, some of the difference in measurements this close may have to do with the degree to which one can achieve an identical stance when measuring. But the Hot Toys Scout Trooper also appears tall next to Hot Toys Stromtroopers. Hot Toys' ROTJ-based Stromtrooper is just under 30 cm, which looks rather short in comparison. Hot Toys' RO-based Stromtrooper is about 30.5 cm, so again a little shorter than the Scout Trooper. The Stormtroopers we see in The Mandalorian have the same design as those from RO, so this last comparison is particularly pertinent. I have not picked up Hot Toys' Mandalorian-based Stromtrooper (they did the extra-weathered version), but I suspect it is identical in physical form and size to the RO version.



You can find detailed reviews on the HT stormtroopers below:
ANH Stormtrooper (HERE, by Michael Crawford)
RO Stormtrooper (HERE)
ROTJ Stormtrooper (HERE)

I hope this has been useful. What do you think?

Appendix on additional (modified) articulation in Post 20 below.

Link to another review of the Sideshow Scout Trooper here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t4402-sideshow-and-hot-toys-star-wars-scout-troopers-updated-comparative-review#62130

#starwars #sideshow #hottoys #imperial #biker #scout #trooper #galactic #empire #review #comparison #fiction #scifi

Amazing! Sir, is it alright to ask how you safely removed the sculpted hair?

GubernatorFan wrote:Having converted a Jason Momoa Aquaman head (HERE) and an Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan head (HERE), it seemed like a natural choice to do the same to the new Bucky Barnes head sculpt by HT. The face is excellent but the hair, while very impressively sculpted, is just soft molded plastic. I object to this on principle anyway, so here we go again. For more details on the process, please consult the other threads linked above.

More photos in Post 6 below

The original head:


I gently pried off the two-part hair sculpt and perched it on his shoulders for this photo:


You don't need a very ample scalp if you are going to give your head sculpt an ample hair, but I decided I should fill-in the various indents with Kneadatite Blue and Yellow. I painted it very lightly with a flesh color (not even trying to match the face, since it wouldn't be visible), then began to glue on the hair in rows, starting with a line parallel to the bottom of the head sculpt at the back.


No matter how disheveled, I left the hair in place for a while, giving the glue a chance to cure.


Then I gently removed any loose strands, rinsed the hair with water, and gave him a haircut.


Finally, to make the hair less puffy, I applied a solution of water and shampoo+conditioner. I may have overdone it, giving him a more compact, wet hair look, but I will worry about styling it later (or not -- I wasn't completely crazy about the original/movie look of the hair).


Hope this is helpful or informative. What do you think?

More photos in post 6 below

#custom #kitbash #modification #bucky #barnes #wintersoldier #hottoys #ht #infinitywar #marvel #film #fiction #male #superhero #head #headsculpt #hair

Sorry, it ended up very photo heavy so please bear with us while they load.

A spinoff of the custom Imperial Mechanical Crew character HERE.

Additional/alternate photos in Post 21 below.



























































































What do you think?

Additional/alternate photos in Post 21 below.

Earlier Star Wars photo stories included:

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3240-star-wars-a-happy-endings-story-original-trilogy-updated

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3178-star-wars-a-silver-linings-story-original-trilogy-updated-with-extra-photos

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2799-star-wars-the-further-adventures-of-darth-maul-updated-with-part-ii-may-2020

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2541-star-wars-a-love-gone-wrong-story

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2206-star-wars-moving-on-solo-story

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1862-star-wars-a-lone-scoundrel-story

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1852-star-wars-a-negative-body-image-story

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1150-star-wars-spacecops

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t909-star-wars-new-imperial-unit-aquatrooper-part-two

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1076-christmas-reruns-star-wars-christmas-revised-edition-not-the-holiday-special

#starwars #parody #satire #fiction #scifi #photostory

Part II in Post 18 below.

Spinoff Photo Story HERE.

It has occurred to me that we should be wishing each other stress-free Christmases rather than just Merry Christmases (or Happy ones, if you speak the more proper royal form of English). Given how long a certain key ingredient took to get here, it was a miracle I got it done before Christmas. And although it is not particularly holiday-oriented, I figured I'd post it up as a way of relaxing in the calm between two Christmas storms (figuratively, not literally).

While you are waiting for the photos to load, you might want to take a look at what turned out to be a whole research essay -- this time I had taken plenty of notes, as this one took a lot of effort to figure out with plausible accuracy. Was it worth it? To me, yes. So here it goes...

Introduction
Call it a Christmas miracle. I thought I will never have one. No company had produced one in any scale, nor had it acknowledged its existence. But after never really looking into it, I ended up kitbashing and customizing a sixth-scale recreation of what may be one of cinema history’s ultimate amissible background characters (even if there was a whole formation of them lined up behind the two dark lords of the original Star Wars universe). I am referring to what has been called an Imperial ground crewman or Imperial mechanical crewman. No, I do not mean the newly invented closed-helmeted ground crew that provided an Imperial uniform disguise for Jyn Erso in Rogue One; and I do not mean the so-called “scanning crew technicians” (who wear black caps and grey jumpsuits, but surely do other things than simply operate scanners) or the various naval communications crewmen aboard Star Destroyers in The Empire Strikes Back (who wear standard caps and jumpsuits in either olive and grey or black and black). Blink twice and you will miss them. The guys I am talking about are both the creation and the victim of Lucas’ vision for the emperor’s arrival scene in The Return of the Jedi.

The Evidence
It is no secret that Lucas needed as many Imperial characters as he could to fill out the (artificially) vast hangar that served for the emperor’s arrival aboard the second Death Star. Stormtroopers, scout troopers, the newly-designed regular army troopers (“AT-ST drivers”), TIE-Fighter pilots, gunners, naval guards (“Death Star/Squad troopers”), “scanning crew technicians,” various officers, and a smattering of droids were called up in formation to greet the diminutive wizard-like emperor. The whole thing was supposed to evoke the military parades of totalitarian regimes, and the number of characters and vastness of space required for that led to the infamous decision to combine actual film with a matte painting, mixing real and painted characters for our viewing pleasure. The wide shot of this scene (photo A), the one combined with the matte painting, does not even feature the background characters that are the subject of this kitbash/custom: they must have been late for the set or, more likely, overlooked as unnecessary from that perspective; there is no one beyond or behind the formation of four rows of “scanning crew technicians” to the left (camera right) of the landed shuttle. But then the angle of view changes (photo B), and one can discover our new characters in formation (at least four rows deep) just to the left of the emperor’s shuttle, standing behind the aforementioned four rows of “scanning crew technicians.” Then the angle of the camera changes again (photos C and D), as we see the emperor and Vader begin their conversation and walk on: the “scanning crew technicians” have disappeared (they were apparently redeployed to swell numbers farther down the line), and our guys have advanced to the very front. This is confirmed by a set photo (photo E) of unused footage (which would have been nice to see in the film), where we see them lined up at the front, with only the red-robed Imperial royal guards between them and their ultimate boss. And, apart from a rare photo of one of their helmets (photo F), that is all the “primary” evidence on these guys I have been able to dig up.




Following the standard established or accepted by the 501st Legion, let us call them Imperial mechanical crew. The out-of-focus and limited footage led to a fairly late recognition of the characters as belonging to a new type of unit, as well as all sorts of misconceptions about both their purpose and their actual appearance. Actually, their true purpose is clear: they were there to take up space, swell up the ranks of the Imperials lined up to greet the emperor, and provide just a bit of additional variety for the assembled Imperial forces; possibly for the emperor and his officials, certainly for Lucas’ camera lens. Strangely so, since some previously attested uniforms are not seen here, like the cream-colored tunics of the security bureau from A New Hope or the olive and grey get up of the Star Destroyer crewmen from The Empire Strikes Back (who are also conspicuously absent from the deck of the Executor in The Return of the Jedi!), among others. These choices confirm the apparent and misleading preoccupation with overall optics in the staging of the scene. Closer inspection reveals plenty of missing elements, apparently deemed too minor to be noticed even when contradicting established uniform appearances: some “AT-ST drivers” helmets without chin-straps, some jumpsuits without Imperial cog emblems on their upper arms at the shoulder, some belts without utility boxes (they were there in A New Hope), all gunners without their ribbed tops and leather chest protectors (ditto), one of them infamously with his “bib” out over the collar of his jumpsuit -- surely a wardrobe oversight, not an intended uniform look or fashion statement; but Kenner stuck a photo of that one on the action figure card back (HERE), and it has caused a minor controversy). And I have already noted the inconsistencies and redeployment in the formation of attendees between different shots in the same scene. Our mechanical crewmen were put together to contribute to this slightly slapshot environment, and their fairly basic outfit is quite consistent with such basic needs.

Interpretation or Misinterpretation
Let us take a look at the costume and dispel some misconceptions. As mentioned above, the footage is limited and out-of-focus. So it is not altogether surprising that misconceptions should arise. One fairly detailed source, Curtis Saxton (HERE), who may have been the first to make me realize these characters existed, describes their appearance as follows, sometime before 2006:

"Enlisted (unclassified)
• Blue-black overalls, single-breasted top.
• Black open helmet, cockroach brim absent or not clearly visible.
• Black belt with silver buckle and holster, no utility boxes.
• Long-sleeved black gloves.
• No rank badge or code cylinders.
Images: Standing at attention, left of Lord Vader.
These men probably aren't regular naval sailors, guards or technicians, because those uniforms are already identified. They must specialists of some kind, or have mildly dangerous working conditions, otherwise they wouldn't have helmets. They don't work in vacuum, otherwise the helmet would be sealed. Since the next two types of servicemen on this side of the bay are naval (black-capped technicians, then gunners) I tentatively guess that the mysterious men are also in the Navy.
Jason Mitchell notes that the holster implies combat/security, and the lack of belt boxes common to specialists, crew and technicians. For these reasons, he suggests that these personnel could belong to Military Police unit or a Shore Patrol unit."

Much of this is correct, but there are also a lot of errors, some of them unexpected, given the image he supplied: the overalls/jumpsuit IS navy blue (which can appear almost black on film), there are NO silver belt buckles and apparently NO belts or holsters, and there are NO long-sleeved (or otherwise) black gloves. Even without these mistakes, some of the otherwise interesting implications drawn by Saxton and Mitchell do not necessarily follow (presence of helmets and absence of utility boxes do not keep these characters from being ground/mechanical crew any more than their very similarly equipped Rebel counterparts -- see below).

Seemingly unaware of Saxton’s notes, Cal Pierce and associates drew attention to this character type in 2011, submitting the costume specifications to the 501st Legion, and posting their recreation of the costume on the Rebelscum forum (HERE). They correctly concluded the characters were thrown in “to fill in space,” that the jumpsuits were navy blue, and they created the “mechanical crew” designation. They also noted that “the costume is really plain Jane in the movie” and admitted adding (or being tempted to add) embellishments extrapolated from other Imperial uniforms, “such as gloves, belt, comm pad, code cylinders, cogs on shoulder,” in other words correctly realizing none of these were present in the actual film costumes; the featured photos of the recreated costume and the specifications adopted by the 501st Legion (HERE) ignored any such embellishments.

While Pierce et al. in effect corrected most of the earlier misconceptions (about the presence of belts, holsters, gloves), they introduced what appears to be a glaring, if somewhat easy to make, error, which has been overlooked and allowed into the 501st Legion guidelines. This is the Imperial cog emblem on the front (“forehead”) of the helmet. The glossy black helmets reflected the overhead lighting of the set like those of the gunners and “Death Star troopers” and TIE-Fighter pilots. The gunners and pilots do have cog emblems on their helmets, and the decoration on the gunner helmet (which in fact incorporates into a more complex design the same basic “talker” helmet as that of the mechanical crewmen) is in fact a single large cog emblem on the front (“forehead”). However, for all the reflection, distance, and out-of-focus imagery, it does NOT appear that the mechanical crewmen had a cog-emblem on their helmets; the evidence is as follows:

Exhibit A: in a movie still (photo B), the mechanical crewmen are seen standing alongside “Death Star troopers” and gunners; the reflection effect is identical for the mechanical crewmen and the “Death Star troopers,” while in the case of the gunners the cog emblem can be seen as a white circle with a darker center separate from and additional to the reflection of the lights.

Exhibit B: at least one photograph (photo F) of a mechanical crewman helmet exists, showing no trace of an Imperial cog emblem on it, despite some scuffing.

Between these two pieces of evidence, we can be certain that a reconstruction of the mechanical crew costume with an emblem on the helmet is incorrect. Like the “Death Star troopers,” the mechanical crewmen had NO emblem on their helmet. One imagines this should be good news to anyone trying to recreate this costume in either 1:1 or smaller scale – unless they have already gone though the trouble of applying an emblem where there should not be any.

Comparative Evidence and Reinterpretation
The costume of the Imperial mechanical crew is a fairly minor variation of the costume of the Rebel ground crew on Yavin IV in A New Hope. I use the term “ground crew” generally, following Brandon Alinger (Star Wars Costumes, San Francisco 2014: 22-23), whose close collaboration with Lucasfilm makes him an authority in my book; the Rebel Legion costume guidelines distinguish between two variations, which they label Rebel ground crew (HERE) and Yavin hangar technicians (HERE). Generally speaking, these wear grey jumpsuits that are identical to the Imperial ones except in having rectangular rather than chevron pocket flaps, and having four leg pockets instead of only two. The more specific “ground crew” variation appear to forego a helmet and a belt, but tuck in their pant legs into their black boots (photo I); the more specific “hangar technicians” variation wear light grey “talker” (US naval gunner Mk II, HERE) helmets with an added communication unit and antenna (usually in the same color), a modern-looking khaki or olive belt with mini-flare loops, and do not tuck their pant legs into their black boots (photos G and H).



This provides clues for interpreting what we see of the corresponding Imperial mechanical crew costume. The helmet is the same, in fact the exact same, simply repainted glossy black (Alinger p. 23). The helmet’s chin strap is all black (like those of the “Death Star troopers” and “AT-ST drivers”), as opposed to the black strap with a white chin guard used by the Rebels. The jumpsuit is the Imperial variant of the same garment worn by the Rebel ground crew (the differences being chevron pocket flaps and only two leg pockets), but dyed navy blue. Since it is worn without a belt (certainly no belt buckle of any kind is visible), it can be assumed that the jumpsuit is tucked into the boots. These are difficult to make out in the out-of-focus images but would be consistent with the overall draping of the garment and with the rules for the Rebel ground crew costumes in the films (no belt = pant legs tucked into boots). Given this parallelism to the Rebel crewmen, you can see why I would have preferred to label the characters in question “Imperial ground crew,” although I suppose “Imperial mechanical crew” remains a viable choice.

To sum up, the Imperial mechanical crew wears a glossy black “talker” helmet with a com box and antenna and black chin strap, a navy-blue jumpsuit, and black jackboots (probably the shorter jackboots seen with jumpsuits in Star Wars). This is a simple and not particularly striking outfit, although that is perhaps understandable for the type of character, especially in a film universe whose creator, George Lucas, said “I don’t want anyone to notice the costumes” (Alinger, p. 6, quoting John Mollo). There is certainly consistency in the parallelism with the corresponding Rebel type(s). Such continuity, even among secondary elements, is something that helps the film universe feel real. In fact, the continuity carries over, more subtly, to other trooper types, as the same “talker” helmet forms part of the more complex designs of the Rebel fleet trooper helmets, the “Death Star trooper” helmets, and the Imperial gunner helmets.

Recreation in Sixth-Scale
Such a simply-attired character ought to be easy to kitbash, right? Well, to a point. The boots were a relatively easy choice, between (among others) Sideshow molded Star Wars or DID leather German jackboots; both come in either shorter or taller varieties, but the shorter kind is more appropriate for Star Wars characters wearing jumpsuits. So I chose DID’s shorter leather jackboots, which are hard to find and (being fairly old) tend to be damaged or to be on the verge of falling apart. I might revisit this choice later. The jumpsuit is from a Sideshow AT-AT driver set (these garments are both rare and expensive these days, but for once I had exercised forethought, since they are useful for several different Imperial costumes); I re-painted it navy blue with a … Sharpie! (And left it to dry for days on end.)

The helmet was surprisingly difficult to find; US World War II gunners with clean no-frills Mk II “talker” helmets must either not have been recreated in high-end sixth-scale, or else be exceedingly rare (I know little about modern military figures and may well have missed something obvious). In the end, I found a sixth-scale version of the helmet on Shapeways for a reasonable price and purchased a couple, selecting the smoother surface option. When they arrived, they were still striated enough to betray a rough surface and it was apparent that they would require not only painting, but also smoothing to achieve the desired glossy effect. Since I am pretty bad at sanding (patience not being one of my many virtues), that seemed like a daunting task. Until I discovered a way around it in XTC-3D, a mix and brush-on coating that fills in striations. Perhaps I have not tried enough products, but I was surprised at how well it worked, even with a single coat (to correct some minor oversights, I applied a second). The hardest part was waiting for it to arrive: I could swear they used a snail-drawn open sleigh and the snails kept freezing to the ground. The chin strap is borrowed and slightly repurposed (rearranged, really) from a Hot Toys Solo Mudtrooper, while I made a mold of the communication box on a Sideshow Rebel fleet trooper to recreate that part from Kneadatite (here is where I thank Ovy for encouraging me in that direction a long time ago); the antenna is, predictably enough, a length of wire.
I also painted a second helmet (and provided it with a second communication box) in light grey to put together an approximation of a Rebel ground crewman (or “hangar technician”). I say an approximation, because in this instance I could not bring myself to alter the precious Sideshow AT-AT driver jumpsuit; besides, while making the pocket flaps rectangular might have been easy enough, how would I make two more leg pockets? I suppose knowing one’s limitations is philosophical. But I think it conveys enough of the right effect, especially for an approximation.
It seems to me that the all-important helmets are just a little bit on the small side, but part of that may be up to the head sculpt. The helmets do look better with smaller head sculpts, but unfortunately those usually do not work well with the DAM bodies I used. I selected medium- or medium-small-sized bald or very short-haired head sculpts as a compromise. All in all, I think this recreation of an admittedly bland and archetypically background character turned out pretty well.

More than enough text, on to the photos of the figure (and friends)...























and the approximation of the Rebel ground crew/hangar technician:



As always, what do you think?

Part II in Post 18 below.

Spinoff Photo Story HERE.

#starwars #fiction #scifi #male #military #imperial #mechanical #crew #ground #kitbash #custom

Introduction

It has been about two years now, but since this is a relatively obscure product that proved useful in a recent kitbash, I decided to give it its long overdue review. I reviewed the original Sideshow TIE Fighter Pilot HERE, and much of what follows is going to make reference to that figure; in the photos where they appear side by side, the new pilot is the one with the shinier jumpsuit, darker and glossier gloves and boots, and graphite/grey-painted details on the helmet (I will point out all the differences below). While there is nothing on the box to suggest it, this is really the original trilogy TIE Fighter Pilot as spruced up for Rogue One. The "tiger stripes" and other graphite/grey-painted details do hearken back to the Original Trilogy, but the Rogue One design introduced some innovations in other areas. While easy to spot, they are minor enough to preserve the general iconic look of the original TIE Fighter Pilot. Sideshow appears to have succeeded in adapting its original model accordingly. Check out the YouTube video linked at the end for additional inspiration.



Packaging: 3/4 stars

The TIE Fighter Pilot comes in the long familiar two-shades-of-black box with a wrap around cover secured with magnets; open it and you can peak at the set within without unboxing it. To get the set out, open either the top or bottom of the box. The set is housed inside two transparent plastic treys, each with its own transparent plastic cover. The top trey contains the kitted-out figure and the hexagonal base, while the bottom trey contains the gun, stand, and extra gloved hand sculpts. The design works reasonably well, even if it is not very exciting (it is consistent with past practice), and everything is safe and collector-friendly. As noted above, there is no indication that this figure is based on the type's appearance in Rogue One. The title is the same: Star Wars Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot, although the photo of the figure is updated to depict the new product in a different pose.



Sculpting: 4/4 stars

The sculpted detail is excellent overall, and generally identical to the first version produced by Sideshow a couple of years earlier. The most significant departures from the original design are: two additional and identical small black greeblies placed symmetrically at the temples of the helmet; slightly different ear cap greeblies; the use of a Rogue One stormtrooper backplate (with the characteristic indentation running atop the "backpack" section and hole off to the upper right); the use of an imperial belt with (rather than without) utility boxes on both sides of the buckle. Apart from what is noted above, the sculpted detail is exactly the same as in the original set; the gloved hands and boots come from the same molds as before; the same is true for the comm pad showing through the opening on the left sleeve. The E-11 laser blaster rifle is also identical to those Sideshow provided to the previous release of this figure and other imperials. I will discuss the code cylinders under Accessories below. The second Sideshow TIE Fighter pilot appears to be very slightly shorter than the earlier version, but stands about 12 inches tall.





Paint: 3.5/4 stars

While there isn't a whole lot of complexity to paint scheme, the paint is applied cleanly and accurately. The silverish areas appear more realistically metallic than they did in the earlier release. The molded gloved hands and boots are given a darker coloring than before, making them closer in color to the jumpsuit (for which see under Outfit below); correspondingly, the ribbed hoses are now glossier and darker in color than before. Apart from a slight innovation to the button color scheme on the front panel, the most significant change in the paint scheme is the application of graphite grey "tiger stripes" and other details to the helmet. Much of this was already the case in the Original Trilogy, though not applied to Sideshow's earlier release. The imperial "cog" emblems on the helmet are correctly a little smaller than they were in the Original Trilogy and, accordingly, on Sideshow's earlier version of the type. What is inaccurate to both the Original Trilogy and Rogue One here, is the little black rectangle on the "mow hawk" -- this should feature tiny "Aurebesh" symbols providing the pilot's ID number, but here are left plain black. While this is a minor detail, it does make a significant difference in the appearance. (Medicom got this right on their TIE Fighter pilot.)

While it is difficult to see even if you popped off the helmeted head and shined a light into it, the lenses are, as in the earlier version, translucent grey (see my first review linked above for a depiction). This is something we have rarely gotten from Sideshow (more often, but not always, from Hot Toys), and therefore much appreciated.



Articulation: 3/4 stars

Theoretically, the articulation should be as good as that of Sideshow's first release of this type. The armor is relatively limited, and the fabric jumpsuit should not get much in the way. I don't know if this is an issue limited to my figure or present throughout the whole line, but some of the joints (most notably the knees and hips) appear to be quite loose. This is an annoyance when trying to pose or balance the figure. The molded gloved hand sculpts limit wrist articulation, while the molded boots eliminate pretty much all potential ankle articulation. The hoses (breathing tubes) connecting the helmet to the front panel are flexible enough to allow articulation, but in practice they can keep the helmeted head from maintaining a specific desired pose.





Accessories: 4/4 stars

Short of supplying us with some or all of a TIE Fighter cockpit, I think there is very little more that could have been reasonably expected with this set. We get the hexagonal base, stand, additional two pairs of hands (making a total of three pairs: fitsts, grip, and relaxed hands), E-11 blaster rifle, and two code cylinders that go into the pen sleeves that are part of the pocket over the left biceps. The blaster rifle is identical to that supplied with the earlier version of the type and with other imperials by Sideshow, although it is significantly less weathered. The result is perhaps more realistic but certainly less interesting. Technically speaking, I don't believe we have ever seen these pilots sporting guns (or holsters, as in the original release) onscreen, so this accessory is already a bonus. The code cylinders are found with X-Wing pilots and imperial technicians in the Original Trilogy, but appear to have been introduced to TIE Fighter pilots only in Rogue One. These small accessories are well crafted and appear to be screen accurate; they fit snugly into the pen sleeves. While a very minor detail, they are also handy for kitbashing imperial technicians (like the scanning crew found on the first Death Star or the grey- and black-jumpsuit-wearing crew on the Star Destroyers in The Empire Strikes Back).



Outfit: 4/4 stars

Not counting the molded plastic pieces (like the helmet, chest and back armor, gloved hands and boots), the outfit consists simply of the black jumpsuit and belt (with molded buckle and utility boxes). Both feature innovations: the utility boxes, while found with other imperials in the Original Trilogy, were applied to TIE Fighter pilots in Rogue One. Another difference related to the belt is the absence of a holster for the gun with this version of the pilot; however, as noted above, I don't believe these pilots were ever seen onscreen with either guns or holsters. This would make the new version more screen-accurate. Apart from the pen sleeves for the code cylinders, the jumpsuit is structurally identical to that provided for the original version, except that it is made of a shinier nylon-like material. This, too, is an innovation of Rogue One and screen-accurate, even if its unnecessarily changed appearance keeps it from working for standard Original Trilogy imperials.



Fun Factor: 4/4 stars

Despite the film-specific differences, overall the appearance of Sideshow's second TIE Fighter pilot is sufficiently close to the original to allow it to mix with the other Star Wars figures from the Sideshow and Hot Toys lines, whether produced for the Original Trilogy movies or for Rogue One.



Value: 2/4 stars

Retailing officially for $210 USD, not including shipping, this was not a low-priced collectible at the end of 2017. It was a full $30 pricier than the earlier version from just two years before. On the other hand, it is quite good (apart from those loose joints) and (not that I care for such things) a limited edition of 2000 figures; Sideshow allowed only one per customer. Since then, it has sold out, although you might get lucky -- though your wallet would probably suffer. While there have been plenty of minor changes to the set, there is also a whole lot of re-use of molds and patterns, which ought to have kept the price from escalating quite this much.





Things to watch out for

Hardly anything. Due to those looser joints, make sure you balance the figure well before leaving it standing on its own. The code cylinders are pretty tiny, but they do fit pretty securely in their pen sleeves.





Overall: 3.5 stars

Like the earlier Sideshow version, this is a very fine representation of a TIE Fighter pilot. To have been perfect, one might have hoped for improved functionality (fewer restrictions on the articulation and a fewer loose joints). And while the set might resonate less with exclusive Original Trilogy fans, the appearance is so close that it would probably integrate seamlessly even among such discerning collectors. I'm glad I picked it up, even if I would have hoped for a better price and a less limited run (such things not being conducive to army-building).



Where to Buy?

At this late stage, it is basically sold out, although you can probably get lucky at some point somewhere, e.g., on eBay.





For additional inspiration, check out this fan film on YouTube -- although it has some issues, it is very much what should have happened as the Rebel fleet was massing near Sullust, well before it attacked the second Death Star.



As always, what do you think?

#starwars #rogueone #tiefighterpilot #empire #scifi #fiction #sideshow

This was long in coming, and although much of it could have been ready for a while now, things kept coming up and keeping me from completing it. I know many people thought the Mudtrooper from Solo the hottest thing since sliced bread, but from the moment I first saw it, I thought there's our chance of getting a high-end AT-ST Driver, which was really an overly-specific task-related description of the regular imperial army troopers (as opposed to stormtroopers, scout troopers, and naval guards). The Mudtrooper would be the same thing, but in partly specialized gear... I have kitbashed these before, using much-customized helmet pieces from Hot Toys and Sideshow snowtroopers, but those required a thorough repainting, and my feeble skills are no match for the excellence of Hot Toys' paint job. Although more weathered (or rather distressed), the Mudtrooper helmets were already the right shape and color. So I couldn't resist another kitbash, even though it involved another indecently expensive purchase on eBay.



The helmets are modified to fit (getting rid of the magnet and framing specific to the Solo Mudtrooper heads), and to look right (with the addition of a couple of metal greeblies, repainting the disks on both sides, and painting black the molding around the edges); the chin-strap is modified to look right (as on my custom "Death Star Trooper"); the belt is modified too (it is from Krennic); the boots are DID jackboots; the jumpsuit is from Sideshow's AT-AT Driver, with added imperial cog emblems at the shoulders; the gloves are from Sideshow's TIE-Fighter Pilot.



While the helmet is very close in appearance to the Return of the Jedi original, it should be noted that as with other recent reprises of the Star Wars universe, it is not an exact replica. The molding, for example, is actually a new feature, whereas in the original the black coloring (tape?) simply overlay the rest of the helmet's sculpt. The Mudtrooper helmet also lacked two of the original's metal greeblies (the antenna? on the right side of the head and the bar on the back), and its communication? unit (on the right side of the head) is actually a little different in its details than the original.



The goggles took me a long time to find, as most were the wrong size or shape.



I painted them black with acrylics from the inside, allowing the exterior to remain nice and shiny, and the color to look even.



So back to Endor, where troopers Hank and Dean have made a frisky new friend.



Whom they promptly shared with the rest of the guys.



A sudden noise startled them all, allowing the creature to escape the friendly tickling, while everyone started yelling and aiming blindly into the forest.



It took them a few moments to realize that the culprit was just naval trooper Kavil, whose unexpected arrival had gone undetected. Rumor has it he has his hands full with a certain very exalted lady up in the Death Star. Ever the gentleman, he would not confirm it.



While we're at it, a simple change of headgear (using Sideshow officer caps), gloves, a belt, and the addition of some pocket cylinders and one screen-accurate communication pad, would transform our army troopers into a Death Star "scanning" crew technician (Left, with the black cap) and a Star Destroyer naval crew technician (Right, with the olive cap).



Looks like someone's still looking for the keys...



What do you think?

#starwars #custom #kitbash #atst #driver #fiction #scifi #male #military

More photos in Post 12.

I suppose it was inevitable. Give us a head with long molded hair and I feel compelled to replace it with "real" hair. For the "before" look, check out my Woo Toys set review HERE.

In Endgame, "fat" Thor sports a disheveled hair that seems to intentionally combine aspects of a bad dye job and a bad wig. To some extent this should have been possible to replicate with different clumps of different-colored hair strands, but in my desire to make the look more natural, I kept intermixing the three different colors, to the point where the overall look ended up looking more even, perhaps too natural. It also ended up looking more red, which is actually appropriate for the real Norse Thor. Especially for a re-hair that survived a fire evacuation and impromptu restyling (a clump was yanked out -- you can see the initial look HERE), I still think it worked out ok.



I also think it works quite well with a smaller body, like TBLeague's M33.



I think I should apply some more water and maybe product to make it less fluffy, but for the time being this is it.



What do you think?

More photos in Post 12.

#custom #kitbash #hair #chrishemsworth #thor #wootoys #avengers #endame #superhero #male #film #fiction

Ovy's recent sixth-scale jointed bodies comparison review and the simultaneous appearance of a new twelfth-scale stormtrooper action figure by Hasbro inspired me to put this together. Stormtroopers are difficult -- getting the right kind of articulation with all this armor and getting the right look and proportion in the complex (and originally unintentionally asymmetric) helmet design has been a challenge even for sixth-scale products (indeed even Hot Toys has often failed to quite nail it). Some of these issues are present in the twelfth-scale figures, although most of them are perhaps surprisingly successful in most, if not necessarily all respects. Since this is mostly about comparing the figures themselves, I have not been comprehensive in covering the other items (stands, additional accessories, etc) that come in the sets, except for some basic indication in the notes.

Here are five twelfth-scale stormtroopers (there might be additional versions out there, in which case these are the second, updated versions). From left to right: Hasbro Black Series (henceforth, H), Kaiyodo Revoltech (KR), Bandai model set (B), Bandai S.H. Figuarts (BSHF), and the just-released Hasbro Black Series "The Mandalorian" (HM).



Some things to note: KR is apparently now also released under the brand name Animewild; moreover, there appeared substantially less expensive Chinese knockoffs of the original Japanese sets, often inferior in the quality of the materials and paint application. The Bandai model set needs to be put together, a somewhat time-consuming and possibly challenging process. The new Hasbro Black Series stormtrooper, HM, while referencing The Mandalorian series, is essentially a Rogue One stormtrooper, since the shape design is supposed to be identical.



Front. Note the extra low "brow" of H and B, and the higher dome of KR. For some reason, the helmet design of H comes across as the worst to me (strangely, their sandtrooper helmets were very good); B has a fine helmet, but the distance ratio between the "nose" and "lip" areas is reversed; HM's helmet is more specifically appropriate for Rogue One and The Mandalorian; the "nose" and "lip" distances are about the same here, which is not quite right but at least they are not reversed (strangely, Hasbro's 3.75-inch Rogue One stormtroopers were even better in this respect). BSHF's helmet is technically correct, but there is still something that seems a little off with it. Only B's helmet has actual green translucent lenses, but it is not something you can actually notice without taking it apart. KR's armor is not quite bulky enough, while HM's is specific to its source movie/series. KR's helmet is very good in many respects, but something (the high dome?) is a little off.



Back. Note the holes in the back armor panel of H, in the butt armor panel of KR, and in the boots of BSHF, KR's diminutive thermal detonator, and the strangely small trapezoidal designs on the helmet of BSHF. It doesn't show well in the photo, but HM's armor has the movie/series-specific rectangular indent on the top surface of the "backpack" section of the back plate. Also note that the chest-and-upper-back armor assembly is a separate piece that allows for underlying articulation.



Elbow articulation (best: HM and B; worst: H) and neck and upper torso stretch backward (best: B; worst: KR).



Neck and upper torso stretch forward (best: KR, BSHF, and HM; worst: H).



Upward and sideways arm movement (worst -- sideways: H). Note that B and BSHF have shoulder armor designed so that it moves out of the way, while HM's is made of more flexible plastic -- which allows the movement, but if you keep the pose too long, it might remain twisted and require corrective action. KR can theoretically do better with the upward arm movement, but the joint comes apart.



Taking a knee (worst: H). Surprisingly, all five can achieve this pose (this should also cover any question of sitting), although H has the most difficulty getting to it and maintaining it, and needs to twist its torso a bit more than the others. The other four are about evenly matched. Note that B and BSHF have the ability to extend the thigh portion of the upper legs, which provides additional help in a pose like that.



Random action poses. You can achieve these with any of the stormtrooper figures, although some look more natural than others. The overly short neck of B seems to get in the way of a more natural look.



These are the two most recent twelfth-scale stormtroopers, by Bandai (S.H. Figuarts) and Hasbro ("The Mandalorian"). Their release (especially the latter) is responsible for the review. This Bandai is superior to the Bandai model kit (B) in most respects, other than price. For example, it allows more natural looking poses (a surprise to me), and it certainly has improved the helmet. Hasbro's new stormtrooper (HM) has considerable advantages over the older version, both in function and in looks (in fact I dislike the older version so much that I only picked up that one for reference). While its helmet may look a little overly small from some angles (note the difference an angle makes!), that is to a significant degree the result of the partial streamlining of the helmets for the Rogue One film (carried over to The Mandalorian).



The packaging for BSHF and HM. While this is not the focus of the review, I should at least list the differences in accessories: H comes with a standard E-11 blaster rifle and a longer blaster rifle (seen in the first photo); KR comes with a clear stand, extra hands, and both the standard and longer blaster rifles; B comes with a stand (representing just a section of flat black Death Star floor), extra hands, and both the standard and long blaster rifles, plus the more compact laser pistol (that I never remember from the films); BSHF comes with an optional holster, with the standard blaster rifle and with two long blaster rifles of different design; HM comes only with the standard blaster rifle.

So what is the best stormtrooper? I suppose that to some degree opinions would vary, but to me the first Hasbro Black Series (H) is clearly the worst, both in appearance and in function, even if its price point (at least originally) was decent by comparison with the others. Genuine KR were fairly expensive (the knock offs fairly cheap), but the extra-lanky look and the overly high dome of the helmet make me ambivalent as to its viability, although I prefer it to H. The Bandai model kit (B) was fairly inexpensive and came with perhaps the most extensive or varied assortment of accessories, but the mistakes in the helmet design and the slightly too short neck keep it from first place. BSHF is an improvement in appearance and perhaps even functionality on B, but it can be fairly expensive. Finally, the newly-released HM has fewer accessories than any of the others, but has an excellent look (subject to the usual vagaries of Hasbro's paint job and quality control) and functionality, coupled with a relatively low price (just north of $20 USD, it is less expensive than any of the others, except the original price of H and perhaps KR knock-offs). This makes it both an excellent figure in itself and the most viable option as an army builder among the ones reviewed here. In terms of quality and functionality, there is probably a tie between HM and BSHF, but BSHF is becoming both rare and even more expensive. (I have not discussed specific prices, because several of these products are now no longer readily accessible except on the secondary market, and we are no longer dealing with their original prices.)

As always, what do you think?

#starwars #stormtrooper #film #scifi #fiction #male #military #productreview

Update: Extra photos in Post 12.



Introduction

Following up on its release of Barbarian set A (Conan the Destroyer), Mr Toys has just released its Barbarian set B (He-Man). As has already been noted elsewhere, unlike its predecessor, this set is considerably less closely based on a specific film appearance. Thus, do not expect an exact representation of either the action-film He-Man (portrayed by Dolph Lundgren) or of the animated character. It is as if the two were lumped together to produce a generic but realistic figure and given the ARH treatment in terms of detail. The degree to which this is either welcome or disappointing depends on each individual's tastes and priorities. Since there is nothing specific to compare to in terms of accuracy, I am omitting the assignment of specific scores in the various categories discussed below. Note that the set does not include the figure body, but does recommend using TBLeague's seamless super-flexible M35 body (their bulkiest version).



Packaging

The set comes in a black shoe box-type container with colorful images of the fully assembled set on the top and bottom; on the bottom there is a front and back view of the kitted-out figure, with each piece included in the set labeled. Inside there are a foam trey and foam cover, all in stylish black. Everything is snug and collector-friendly. One disappointment is the absence of any sort of instruction sheet or instructive imagery.



Sculpting

Generally, the sculpting is excellent throughout. The head sculpt is realistic, even if a little generic, and certainly not really spot on for Dolph Lundgren (if that was the target subject). The sculpted detail on the scabbard and greaves is particularly impressive, although it is less so on the belt buckle and, perhaps, vambraces (although here the apparent difference may be due to the choice of design style rather than the quality of execution). The skull-shaped shoulder-guard is very nicely executed, with plenty of sinewy details and pitting. In contrast, the sculpted detail on the harness and shield is less impressive, in part because they went for much cleaner lines that don't seem to match the other pieces very well.



Paint

While the paint application is not poor or sloppy, it is less impressive than the sculpting; in some areas, it probably detracts from it. For example, fairly flat treatment of the the molded detail on the vambraces and the skirt. The relatively simple design of the harness and interlocking links elements does not help the paint, and there is little attempt at weathering on these pieces; the shield feels particularly cheap and unrealistic. On the other hand, some of the armored elements are quite nicely treated, in a way that makes them look realistic, worn, and possibly weathered -- for example, the greaves, belt buckle, scabbard, and skull-shaped shoulder-guard.



Articulation

While the body does not actually come as part of the set, the nature of the fantasy hero outfit offers little impediment to articulation. Still, even divided as it is, the molded skirt is going to make sitting your figure a little challenging, except perhaps if you have him sitting on a backless stool.



Accessories

The line between outfit and accessory can be a blurry one, but I count as accessories the sword, scabbard, and shield. I have had no issues with the sword (which is plastic and light) or shield, but the scabbard has been a bit tricky: there seems to be a way to get the sword to clip into it, but it is not secure; moreover, the method of attaching the scabbard onto the back of the harness with a little rubbery hook (which is part of the harness) is neither particularly easy nor particularly secure. But perhaps I'm overlooking something. That is not a whole lot in terms of accessories, but it is pretty representative of what the character wields; perhaps a double axe would have been a nice addition. There is no action figure stand.



Outfit

The outfit consists of the molded skirt, harness, skull-shaped shoulder-guard, vambraces, greaves, pleather boots, cloth cape, and underwear. The molded skirt is divided into sections, allowing for some additional articulation of the upper legs (through the openings and as the sections can move out of the way more easily). If the skirt had to be molded, this was the way to do it. The harness is made up of several molded pieces; the cross-like chest element is of harder plastic, the interlocking links are of softer, rubbery plastic. Although it looks great, the skull-shaped shoulder-guard has trouble staying in place, since it is strapped on only via a pleather strap across the biceps. The vambraces are a single molded piece each, which makes them easy to use, but look a little less than convincing. The greaves are fastened in place with a couple of pleather straps each. The use of soft, pleather boots was an excellent choice for avoiding any hindrance to the ankle articulation. The foot pegs of the TBLeague body need some help fitting into the openings of the "feet" on the inside of the boots, but heating with a hairdryer should help; the fit is reasonably snug and secure, although you should always take extra precautions with these heftier bodies. The cloth cape does not drape particularly well, but it does have concealed thin wires across the top and sides, which would allow you to pose the cape in appropriate or dramatic configurations; there is no wire across the bottom edge, which is purposefully (though perhaps not very realistically) tattered. The cape is attached by a couple of pleather straps that go over the shoulders, under the armpits, and then across the back; getting this to work was one of the more frustrating parts of my experience with this set, and it still does not look quite right.



Fun Factor

The absence of companion figures in the line is always a limitation here, and the Mondo figures are in a very different style (though you might be able to get away with using Skeletor). On its own, this is still a very decent product, looks good, and it can probably play well enough with others. The not entirely consistent design and paint, however, might make it look just a little out of place next to more realistic pieces based on grittier and more detailed source material. For the more adventurous collector, however, this can be redressed with a modicum of customization.



Value

This set retails for about $100 (USD). This is not cheap, especially considering that the set comes without the body, which is likely to cost (on average) another $80. However, in this day and age, a high-end action figure under $200 is increasingly rare, and fine realistic head sculpts alone often cost over $30 by themselves. I suppose it ultimately comes down to the individual's appreciation of this product as either a(n alternative) portrayal of He-Man, or as a different fantasy warrior, or even as a set of items for kitbashing.



Things to watch out for

I have not had problems yet, but I would be careful with the plastic sword, with the little rubbery hook on the harness, and with the tabs on the harness and belt.



Overall

I ended up liking this set more than I thought I would. Perhaps because I am not wedded to a particular representation of He-Man; perhaps because I always considered this something to build up from with some customization and additional pieces. Paired with a good body, the set results in a nice figure that can take dynamic and epic poses. The design seems a little uneven and the paint a little overly clean for my more realistic tastes, but neither is altogether inappropriate for the character's comicbook/cartoon origin.



Where to Buy:

You can always check around, including on eBay, but here are some suggestions:

Cotswold Collectibles $100
Monkey Depot $100
Timewalker Toys $100



As always, what do you think?

Update: Extra photos in Post 12.

#heman #barbarian #mrtoys #fiction #fantasy #warrior #male