YODA RETURNS TO DAGOBAH!! -see post #79 5-10-09

Well, after a couple of years of putting off finishing my foam filled latex Yoda puppet, I decided to take the plunge and get him painted up.

I would have painted him right away like I did with our Darth Maul (and soon Emperor), but because I knew I was always going to want to change Yoda's pose (being a puppet and all), I didn't know what I should use on his latex skin that wouldn't end up cracking over the years.

I did some research and discovered Pax paint, which is a mixture of prose-aid and liquitex acrylics. This stuff is nasty and totally sticky. The NO TACK formula that I ended up buying removed the stickyness once dry (as advertised), but while it was wet it stuck to my skin like nobody's business. Prose aid is an adhesive meant to hold on prosthetic appliances so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. Just not used working with a paint with those characteristics to say the least. I'm just now getting my feet wet with this kind of work, so I'm learning as I go.

I mixed up a color palette and set off on painting him up. I'm still not 100% satisfied though. I think I need to slightly darken some of the darker tones (which will increase the contrast), but that's about it.
Then i'll have to spray acrylic matte sealer to remove any shine. It's not glossy now (even though it looks like it in the pics), but it has a little bit of a sheen, like a super semi-gloss. Hopefully the matte sealer will do it's job.

It's nuts just how different the colors look in person under different lighting conditions. Not to mention how different lighting affects the way the pics end up looking. It was a bit nerve racking for me to settle on his colors, and for a long while ended up chasing my tail going back and forth altering them. I'm pretty satisfied with it now though.

After making those slight changes I mentioned above, I'm going to get hard to work on distressing his robes. I'll take some more pics after that.
Then all that will be left is to do is punch the hair, finish the nails, and get Phil to work with me on a new flute and cane.

Here's some pics. First two taken inside, last two taken outside:

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep1.1.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep1.2.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep1.3.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep1.4.JPG


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I've seen some pretty nice ESB Yodas out there and this seems off to a dandy of a start. Very nice. I agree about the contrast issue, but that comes with layers and layers, especially when dealing with skin (even alien skin).

When I was working on some stop-motion puppets with some ILM folk, we mixed our own paints to get the qualities we were looking for. Just went out and bought universal tints, and an industrial adhesive (the name of which I can't remember at the moment). We could thin it down or make it as sticky as we wanted. We thinned it down a lot so we could airbrush it on. Instead of using a sealer, which often creates a generic looking specularity, we mixed corn starch directly into the paint to dull the albedo of the dried paint. If one is iffy about using corn starch, you can use talcum powder with similar results. I find it works better than dull coats or sealers by themselves, though they do work fine, too.

Anyway, he is looking great. Looking forward to seeing progress and final pics. Keep 'em coming.

Pretty slick :)

so awesome!

WOW... very nice gino. Is that a cyberman sculpt?

Thanks.
Yes, it's actually a cyberman/gino sculpt.
We have also done a Darth Maul and Emperor together.
If you click on my banner below, then click on proparchive, then select yoda, then propstory on the thumbnails page, you can read about our rather unique approach on how we work together on them.

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Spot on, he looks!

Very Sweet!

Jeanne

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hansoloway

Spot on, he looks!

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Thank you, I do.

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Wow that looks incredible!

Thanks guys.

I finally got around to tweaking the paint. Still have to try out the matte varnish but I figured I'd post pics with each step.

All these were taken indoors with slightly different lighting.

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep2.1.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep2.2.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep2.3.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep2.4.JPG


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awesome Gino YOU ARE FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!

Thanks man.

Still a long way to go.

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Incredible work as always, my friend.

G-Fett

Thanks for the kind words.

Here are some with the matte varnish applied. No sheen whatsoever.
I think it looks so much better.
Now, the next time I post pics it will be once I've beat up his robes.

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep3.1.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep3.2.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep3.3.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep3.4.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...odastep3.5.JPG


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Looking good so far, can't wait to see what it looks like once the robes have been properly weathered. One thing though, shouldn't his claws be colored a different color or does Yoda actually not have claws or nails?

Yeah, I already have nails for both his hands and feet. I haven't finished them up to a point where I can apply them yet. Probably do that after the robes.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gino

Yeah, I already have nails for both his hands and feet. I haven't finished them up to a point where I can apply them yet. Probably do that after the robes.

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I guess that would explain why it was hard to see his nails and they appeared to be the same color as his skin. :)

You know, once he's all done you ought to consider making a set of Mando armor for him. It would be kind of funny to see Yoda all dressed in a set of Mando armor.

There are indentations on the hands and feet where the nails will go. Might be a bit hard to tell in the pics but I'll be sure to show better pics of them once the actual nails are attached.

As far as mandos go, I absolutely loathe anything non SW canon (ie the films) so probably not very likely. :)

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A bit bald he is, earhair, none he has!

Know I do, soon will he. :)

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For my ally is the force, but see your way for a Remington ear clipper you could Hmm?

Yeah, the insides of his ears are just...gross.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gino

Yeah, the insides of his ears are just...gross.

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Stick your tongue in there and take a pic... I dare ya :D

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_earwax1.JPG
http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_earwax2.JPG
http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_earwax3.JPG
http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_earwax4.JPG
http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_earwax5.JPG
http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_earwax6.JPG
http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_earwax7.JPG
http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_earwax8.JPG



....gross



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That is the funniest thing I have seen all day:lol

Too funny! Those pictures just made my day.

really nice posing.

"Patience. For the Jedi it is time to eat as well."

Thanks guys.

Check out this animated gif


http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_hygiene.gif



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That is to funny! Someone needs to do audio for that. :lol

That really made my day! Thanks Gino!

Happy to be of service. :)

mmmm.... Mine... Or I'll help you not!!!!

Amazing work Vod!!!

great stuff dude...

That is soooo funny! My jaw hurts now!

thos pics made my day :lol

THAT WAS TOO FUNNY

Oh man, that killed me!

:lol:lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TR 4059

That is to funny! Someone needs to do audio for that. :lol

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I totally agree, it's too good :lol:lol my stomach hurts, can't laugh no more, but can't stop.

I'll never be the same after this! haha!!:lol:cry:D :? :b :suprise :lol

Very Funny!!:lol:lol

I like this Yoda exactly like the first time i saw it in the movie, sweet in funny....and who can tell He is the Master of all jedi.

Nice work. Love the funny pics.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gino

Thanks guys.


http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da_hygiene.gif

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:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

That is the funniest thing I've seen in a a long time :lol

Great work as always Gino :thumbup

FP

Thanks!
Glad you guys get my sense of humor.
I might be doing another one of these pretty soon.

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Made my day. :lol:lol:lol

Awesome work !!!!!

Thanks



Alfredo

After dragging my feet for long enough, I finally brought myself last night to dive in and get his hair punched.
I popped in ESB (for as much inspiration as reference) and went to town on him. ESB turned into ROTJ as it took about 5 hrs or so to complete.

I had never punched hair before. This was my first time. I started out slow but got much faster by the end. I could do it a lot quicker if I had to do it over again.

I'm happy with the way he turned out. He's starting to look more and more like the ESB puppet with every new step.

Next will be weathering the robes.
The stuff left after that are the teeth, nails, flute and cane.

Hope you like him.

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_hair_1.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_hair_2.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_hair_3.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_hair_4.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_hair_5.JPG


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my god... its so beautiful, but creepy at the same time.

great job on the Hair. what do you plan on doing with the little green fella after he is done? train some jedi?

Thanks.
Either releasing him into the wilderness, or sitting on one of my display shelves.

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Outstanding job! Looks like he popped right off the screen. Can you pull off the voice?

Not without embarrassing myself. :D

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wow! very nice work

Here's another one.
I used this pic to replace the old yoda splash on the front page of SWP.

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_hair_6.JPG


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Cool!!!
Great Work!!!
Congrats!!!

:thumbup wow Yoda looks so much better with hair, He looks funny as a little green bald dude:D

GREAT WORK, as mentioned before. Your Yoda looks just like the screen used one:thumbsup Jealous I am Yes:D

Thanks.
I totally agree.
After seeing at him with hair, it does look weird when you go back and look at him bald.
Same when I go back and look at him pre-paint.

I wonder if seeing him with weathered robes and nails will give a similar effect. Probably not as much as the hair did.

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Getting closer to the end.
I managed to get the robes distressed. He looks like he climbed out of the sewer, or swamp I guess.

Next will be the nails, then finally the teeth for the final.

Let me know what you think.

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_robe_1.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_robe_2.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_robe_3.JPG

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda_robe_4.JPG


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They sell Q-Tips on Dagobah?

This is a fantastic Yoda. Really captures the subtle expressions and attitudes of the real deal.

The distressed robes, puts a great dirty but not to dirty look to him. Fantastic job.

WOW. That looks incredible! Great work!

That Yoda looks great... Your work it's amazing!!! Good Work!!!

Well, almost.
The last thing I need to do is find a better rope for the flute.
It's so minor, I'm still calling him finished. :p

These are the additional features added to him since the last set of pics:
- A Guntakela flute, (repainted by me).
- A Vadermonkey cane, (I heavily modified it by thinning it down, slightly reshaping it, and resculpting some of the details).
- I sculpted a set of teeth, but they are hard to see in the pics. The mouth on my yoda head isn't designed to open wide so all you really get is a glimpse of them.


I'll be taking a bunch more official pics later for my SWP proparchive.
But for now, here are some I just took.

Let me know what you think.


http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda/thumb4.jpg

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda/thumb5.jpg

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda/thumb7.jpg

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda/thumb6.jpg



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so amazing!

SWEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!!!!!

thumbs up Gino!

Great......Now I want a Yoda.

Thanks for all the support guys.

Here are some new ones trying to show off the new interior mouth mods.
Now I can take pics of him with his mouth open as well as tightly closed.

However, I have to say, if there is a way for me to make and post a video of me puppeteering him along with some ESB audio, I totally will.
It is a must see. It really does look so much like the real thing the way the mouth moves and seeing the teeth when his mouth opens wide just adds so much realism.
I modified the inside of the head to create notches for my index and second finger above the brow, as well as a custom thumb insert against the lower lip which allows me to articulate the mouth.

Until I'm able to get some sort of video, here are some pics.

Let me know what you think.

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda/thumb8.jpg

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...da/thumb10.jpg

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po...oda/thumb3.jpg



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It looks Amazing!!! Congrats!!!

Thats is some killer work man! Great job.

Yoda is so beautiful, so life like looking and looks like the real prop from the movie. awesome job!!

Interested in the next run pending price.





HA! Seriously man. Amazing. Even more amazing that this reproduction is also a puppet as the original. That's a lot of extra work beyond just the look itself. Hope to see video of him in action.

Amazing job, looks really fantastic! :thumbup

Simply amazing!

Nice job :thumbsup

:suprise WOW... that is fantastic brother! It looks amazing!!

Looks fantastic, I'm really liking the weathering and detail done to the soft parts. I'd love to see some video.

Dang, that's good! :suprise How come they didn't hire you for Episode 1? :?


:cheers

Thanks guys.
I'm going to try to get some outdoor pics tomorrow if all goes well.

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Now that my Yoda is finished, I need to update his proparchive page on SWP.
I've already taken some shots I'll probably use for that, but wanted to get some shots taken where it would look like he was in his natural environment.

I had an opportunity to take him out to the woods for a photo shoot earlier today with the help of one of my good friends.
I bought some dry ice, some autumn leaves, packed up some photo reference and set out at the crack of dawn to look for a suitable spot (sans poison ivy).

Here are a couple.
I hope you guys like them.
Let me know what you think.

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po.../yoda_dag1.jpg

http://www.starwarspropaganda.com/po.../yoda_dag2.jpg



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Gino all I see are the HD screen caps? Where's your Yoda?

:lol


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OK Im pretty sure you jacked that from Lucas' home

Excellent work!!

That's to cool, he looks like he just wobbled on to the set. Great job!

Unreal! Fantastic work!

Fantastic!!!!!!!!! Now all you need is the blue bag that Luke carrys him around in!!!!!

Wow! That looks great!

i want that

Impressive you are!

Truly amazing! I can't believe the quality of your work - it's well beyond anything I've ever seen in regards to Yoda recreations.

Gino, you are the master at your props! Excellent and I mean excellent work my friend!

G-Fett

The best fanmade Yoda I have seen to date! :cheers

Thanks you guys. Means a lot. :love

masterpiece!!!

That is an amazing Yoda you've created, simply amazing. I've also checked out your website, and you've got some pretty darn impressive stuff my friend.

Thanks.
A lot of those sections are very much in need of an update.
I'm waiting just a bit so that I can do them all at once.

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Gino,

That is just about the coolest thing ever. You must've cloned our little green sage! If you ever offer castings of the sculpt, please let me know. What a terrific job.

Nathan:)

saw this on the RPF. You sir have created the most accurate yoda I have ever seen. again great job
al

Very nice! So when are you going to start making mine? :lol

That is absolutly remarkable work, he looks "alive" and so realistic.

Thanks so much guys!

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