superjedi
Sr Hunter
Hi fellow Fett fans!
I completed an ESB helmet commission a couple of days ago, and with no others waiting in the wings, I actually
have time to do a personal project. . . shocking!
I recently received my Hot Toys 1/4 scale Fett, and I love it! The figure is amazingly detailed and it looks terrific
on display. Regarding the paint, the actual paint application is great. Lots of depth and weathering, however, it
simply doesn't match the ROTJ patterns. So after some consideration, I decided to do a repaint of the "hard parts."
After a few text messages and a phone call with Rubio95, who is doing a mod on his figure, I got a good idea of
what would be involved in stripping the figure down. Thanks, Ryan!
Some of the gear is pretty easy to remove. To take of the gauntlets, I simply removed the figure's hands and they
slid right off. I was able to slide the knee armor down over the boots by turning it backwards and stretching the
elastic so it slid over the boot heels (Rubio95's tip).
The helmet is on a "blank" head and is attached to a ball joint. It pops off by pulling straight upward. After removing
the helmet, I lifted the back armor up and slid it over the neck joint, then undid the velcro on the back of the vest.
The vest then pulls off over the arms, just like the real deal. The belts are easy to remove, and the cod/kidney armor
had to have one of the glue joints broken on one hip to slide the assembly downward over the feet.
Here are all the major parts removed.
Since I'm going to be painting, I wanted to see how far I could break the parts down to make things easier. The rocket
on the left gauntlet is glued on. I managed to pop it off fairly easily using a small thin screwdriver.
The dart launchers on the knees actually come off, too. I wrapped them with a paper towel to keep from damaging them
and wriggled them loose with a pair of hemostats.
I used the small screwdriver again to separate the glue joint between the collar armor and the back plate, and
removed the back plate. The jetpack straps were glued in, and they were simple to remove.
Once the back plate was separated, I popped off the small shoulder stud that holds the cape in place.
The helmet. . . ah, the helmet. It's quite a piece of engineering for an action figure.
The dome can be removed from the lower part. There's a rim that it fits on, with a bit of glue. With some
pressure from the inside, the dome pops off. The ears are also glued onto the sides. Some fiddling with
that slim screwdriver got them off fairly easily.
But the visor is actually a separate piece as well! There are four small pins inside the face of the helmet, with
a molded tab that slots over each pin. With a sharp sprue cutter and some finagling with the screwdriver, I got
the visor to come out. This will make painting so much easier!
So that's where it sits for now. The next step will involve masking things like the right gauntlet hoses (not removable),
the elastic on the knees, and the Mando symbols on the right chest plate and left shoulder. I imagine I'll use a combo
of painters tape and masking fluid to do those.
More to come!
I completed an ESB helmet commission a couple of days ago, and with no others waiting in the wings, I actually
have time to do a personal project. . . shocking!
I recently received my Hot Toys 1/4 scale Fett, and I love it! The figure is amazingly detailed and it looks terrific
on display. Regarding the paint, the actual paint application is great. Lots of depth and weathering, however, it
simply doesn't match the ROTJ patterns. So after some consideration, I decided to do a repaint of the "hard parts."
After a few text messages and a phone call with Rubio95, who is doing a mod on his figure, I got a good idea of
what would be involved in stripping the figure down. Thanks, Ryan!
Some of the gear is pretty easy to remove. To take of the gauntlets, I simply removed the figure's hands and they
slid right off. I was able to slide the knee armor down over the boots by turning it backwards and stretching the
elastic so it slid over the boot heels (Rubio95's tip).
The helmet is on a "blank" head and is attached to a ball joint. It pops off by pulling straight upward. After removing
the helmet, I lifted the back armor up and slid it over the neck joint, then undid the velcro on the back of the vest.
The vest then pulls off over the arms, just like the real deal. The belts are easy to remove, and the cod/kidney armor
had to have one of the glue joints broken on one hip to slide the assembly downward over the feet.
Here are all the major parts removed.
Since I'm going to be painting, I wanted to see how far I could break the parts down to make things easier. The rocket
on the left gauntlet is glued on. I managed to pop it off fairly easily using a small thin screwdriver.
The dart launchers on the knees actually come off, too. I wrapped them with a paper towel to keep from damaging them
and wriggled them loose with a pair of hemostats.
I used the small screwdriver again to separate the glue joint between the collar armor and the back plate, and
removed the back plate. The jetpack straps were glued in, and they were simple to remove.
Once the back plate was separated, I popped off the small shoulder stud that holds the cape in place.
The helmet. . . ah, the helmet. It's quite a piece of engineering for an action figure.
The dome can be removed from the lower part. There's a rim that it fits on, with a bit of glue. With some
pressure from the inside, the dome pops off. The ears are also glued onto the sides. Some fiddling with
that slim screwdriver got them off fairly easily.
But the visor is actually a separate piece as well! There are four small pins inside the face of the helmet, with
a molded tab that slots over each pin. With a sharp sprue cutter and some finagling with the screwdriver, I got
the visor to come out. This will make painting so much easier!
So that's where it sits for now. The next step will involve masking things like the right gauntlet hoses (not removable),
the elastic on the knees, and the Mando symbols on the right chest plate and left shoulder. I imagine I'll use a combo
of painters tape and masking fluid to do those.
More to come!
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