Tony's Official Art Page
12" Figure Upgrades
Or, What A Little Paint And More Flexible Bodies Can Do
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Introduction
This is a big collection of 12" figure upgrades that Tony has been working on
for some time. When I first got the photos, I was surprised to see how his painting
allowed the sculpting accuracy on some of the dolls to show up. Of course,
even though Tony doesn't have to paint a few hundred toys a day, he is a
professional artist. In addition to figure specific comments with each set of
photos, Tony prepared a general description of the process used to upgrade
the figures, which is available below.
1/6th Scale Android Hunter Review
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Obi-Wan Kenobi
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The head was put on a GI Joe body.
The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by
hand stitching. He has an "Episode I Obi-Wan Kenobi" robe on. I glued tiny
squares of black velcro to the hood, so it would lay correctly when put over
his head. I added a 1" wide band of felt around the doll's waist before
dressing him, so he would appear more paunchy.
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Han Endor
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This was made using several dolls. The repainted head and shirt is from "Han
Solo with Carbonite", and was put on a GI Joe body. The hands are from 21st
Century Toys. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered
by hand-stitching.
Wanna see how I made him? Check out the Step-by-Step.
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Luke Hoth Snowspeeder
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This was made using several dolls. The repainted head is from "Luke in Jedi
Attire", and was put on a GI Joe body. The gloves, boots, belt and collar are
from "Luke Skywalker in Hoth Attire". The flightsuit is from "Luke Skywalker
in X-Wing Attire". The jacket is from "Ponda Baba". The costume was stained
with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by hand-stitching. The hood was hand
made from woman's tights.
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Dr. Evazan
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This was made using several dolls. The head is a GI Joe (with Sculpey added)
and was put on a Blue Box Toys body. The costume was stained with diluted
acrylic paint, and altered by hand-stitching. The shirt is from "Han Solo"
and the boots, pants and vest are from "Luke Skywalker in Jedi Attire". His
holster is from "Luke Skywalker in Ceremonial Attire". I know the blaster
isn't accurate, but it works for now.
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Tusken Raider
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The head, gloves and boots were put
on a GI Joe body. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and
altered by hand-stitching. I had to wrap some stained fabric around the
wrists to conceal the seam. Wire (from the packaging) replaced the plastic
strap that held the respirator in place. Wire was also added to the inner
lining of his sleeves so that I could mold them. I plan on making a buddy for
him in the near future `cause Sandpeople always travel in numbers.
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Leia As Jabba's Prisoner
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This is a repaint of the original FAO Schwarz exclusive doll. The head
was put on a GI Jane body. I used wire and an old chain to replace the
elastic straps on the costume top. The skirt is from the mass-market
version of the doll. I know the joints are clunky, but that is the
trade-off for pose-ability (and I really wanted her to be able to
recline!)
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Leia Boushh
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The head and hands were put on a GI
Jane body. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by
hand stitching.
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Princess Leia
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The head was put on a GI Jane body.
The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by
hand stitching. I removed the inner lining of the dress so it would be less
bulky and drape better. She is borrowing a Marmit Stormtrooper's blaster.
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Leia Hoth
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The head and hands were put on a GI
Jane body. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by
hand stitching. This, and all the Leias I have done, are successful because
of great photo reference.
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Han Hoth
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This was made using several dolls. The repainted head is from "Han Solo with
Carbonite", and was put on a GI Joe body. The gloves are from the original
doll. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by
hand stitching. I also trimmed the fur on his hood and scrubbed clear
acrylic medium into it, so it would appear wet. I also did this on the knees
of his pants. White acrylic gesso was diluted and dry-brushed onto his
costume and boots to simulate snow. For accuracy, I swapped scarves with Luke.
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Han Bespin
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The head was put on a GI Joe body.
The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by
hand stitching.
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Luke Stormtrooper
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This was made using several dolls. The repainted head is from "Luke in
Ceremonial Attire", and was put on a GI Joe body. The costume is from
Marmit's "Stormtrooper". I had to make the opening in the helmet a bit
larger to fit over his head, but it works.
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Boba Fett
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This is a repaint of the original Kay-Bee Toys exclusive doll. The head and
hands were put on a GI Joe body. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic
paint, and altered by hand stitching. I used a piece of the wire, that
attaches the doll to the box, for the hose on his right arm. A silver paint
pen was used to hi-lite the chipped away paint on the metal.
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Han Tatooine
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This was made using several dolls. The repainted head is from "Han Solo with
Carbonite", and was put on a GI Joe body. The outfit and holster are from
the European "Han Solo". I hand stitched his shirt from women's tights. The
costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by hand stitching.
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Luke Tatooine
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This is my favorite! He is like the "Ultimate Luke Skywalker Doll". The head
and costume is from the original Kay-Bee Toys exclusive doll. The head was put
on a GI Joe body and repainted. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic
paint, and altered by hand stitching. The floppy hat and back belt-pouch are
from an "Ultimate Soldier" accessory pack. The goggles were ordered from
Cotswold Collectibles.
I know the rifle isn't accurate, but I like it (it is
borrowed from the "Sandtrooper").
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Luke Jedi
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The head and glove was put on a GI
Joe body. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by
hand stitching. I had to paint his forearm black as the sleeve was a bit
short. The shirt flap was glued down and painted with white acrylic gesso.
The belt is a modified "Ben Kenobi" belt. His cloak is an altered "Episode I
Obi-Wan Kenobi" robe. Notice how much more snug the costume fits once you
remove the velcro and stitch it shut.
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Luke Bespin
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This was made using several dolls. The repainted head is from "Luke in Jedi
Attire", and was put on a GI Joe body. The costume is from the original doll
and was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by hand stitching. I
didn't bother with the undershirt, and opted to glue his jacket closed
instead for a snug fit. Some felt was added as shoulder pads underneath. By
removing the cap on the wrist-post, I was able to make his hand removable.
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Greedo
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The head and hands were put on a GI
Joe body. The costume was stained with diluted acrylic paint, and altered by
hand stitching. The jumpsuit is actually on backwards to hide the seam. The
holster is from "Luke Skywalker in Ceremonial Attire".
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Darth Vader
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The helmet, mask, chestplate and
boots were all sprayed with a hi-gloss clear medium. I used a small utility
chain to hold his cape.
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General Veers
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This was made using several dolls. The body and head are a "Ultimate
Soldier" from 21st Century Toys. The uniform and boots are from a "Grand
Moff Tarkin" painted with acrylic paints, and altered by hand stitching. The
helmet, chest plate, and belt are repainted from a "Hoth Snowtrooper". The
gloves are repainted from a "Luke in Hoth Attire". The goggles were ordered
from Cotswold Collectibles. The sleeves were too short, so I had to paint
the forearms black.
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Little Anakin
Anakin Skywalker
This is a repainted version of the original doll. I did sand the boots down
a bit before I wrapped the fabric around them. The costume was stained with
diluted acrylic paint.
Update: I finally made a podrace helmet for him. The helmet was from a
shampoo bottle top. The hood was made from a sleeve removed from "Episode I
Obi-Wan's" cloak (the one I modified for "Luke in Jedi Attire")
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Jawas
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These are two different repaints of the original doll. The costume was
stained with diluted acrylic paint, and dry-brushed so that they would appear
dusty. Wire was glued along the edge of the hood so that it could be molded.
I also lined the inside of the hood with black felt. I painted around the
eyes with black acrylic paint, so that only a little pin-prick of light would
come through. The holster is from a GI Joe.
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Yoda
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This is a repaint of the original doll. The costume was stained with diluted
acrylic paint, and altered by hand-stitching. The hair is from the "Wampa"
and was glued to the head with modeling glue.
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C-3PO
New
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This is a repaint of the original doll. I simply stained and rubbed a
muddy mix of paint until I got him as dirty as I wanted. To dull the
shine of his chrome skin, I gently rubbed him with steel wool. The
restraining bolt was made from a "Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight" lightsaber
hilt.
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R2-D2
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This is a repaint of the original doll. I simply stained and rubbed a muddy
mix of paint until I got him as dirty as I wanted. I painted over his dome
lights so they would appear to glow more.
Update: I added a restraining bolt to R2 to match 3PO's. It
is made from a "Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight" lightsaber hilt.
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Luke Hoth
Update: This was made using several dolls. The repainted head is from "Luke in Jedi Attire", and was put on a GI Joe body. The gloves are from the original doll. The costume is from the original doll and was stained with diluted acrylic
paint, and altered by hand-stitching. White acrylic gesso was diluted and
dry-brushed onto his costume and boots to simulate snow. For accuracy, I
swapped scarves with Han.
Update: I found an accessory set by 21st Century Toys, for their Ultimate
Soldier line, which consisted mostly of various posed hands and these
googles. I had to paint them white and added white elastic for the straps.
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Wampa
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This was made using the original doll. First, I opened up his back seam and
removed all of the stuffing from his arms and legs, so they would appear
thinner. I thoroughly stained him with acrylic pant washes so that he became
an ivory color. I also scrubbed in clear acrylic medium into his fur so it
would appear wet. I dry-brushed thick globs of white acrylic gesso to
simulate snow caked on his fur and face. The face was repainted, and I added
ears made of white vinyl (from the "Hoth Snowtrooper's" face veil). He is
based on the Wampa that appeared in the original, 1980, "Empire Strikes
Back", and not the "Special Edition" version.
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Introduction and How To Tips
Okay, first off, a few things concerning the Star Wars
Collector Series/Action Collection (hereafter mentioned as the SW CS/AC)
before we get into it.
One: To me, these are still dolls. If I was shooting for dead-on
accuracy, I would be showing you vinyl model kits. That in mind, there are
proportional and mechanical problems that I will try to address- but I am
more interested in a one-of-a-kind doll that makes others go "WOW! Where did
you get that?"
Two: I take EVERYTHING out of the box to see how it is assembled. It
really helps the logic in trying to figure out ways to improve these things.
Sure they are all "dust collectors" but hey, at least mine (and hopefully
yours) will look a heckuva lot cooler.
Last, I think that Hasbro is doing a pretty good job at giving us a
great, mass-produced, toy line. There are some things that they could do to
make it neater, but that may drive up production costs, making them even more
pricey. Think of these as a 3-D canvas, and I'll be your Bob Ross, "It's
all your own little world."
Supplies: I use mostly Liquitex Acrylic paint for my customs. It dries quick
and flat, it's water-based, and is literally "liquid-plastic" when it dries.
There are several colors that I use continuously: Mars Black, Iridescent
Pewter, Iridescent Silver, Raw Sienna, Taupe, Soft White, Naples Yellow and
Light Magenta. I also use Liquitex Gesso and Gloss Medium & Varnish.
Lastly, I use Rust-Oleum Clear Finish spray and Krylon Matte Finish spray as
well.
A hot-glue gun comes in real handy to speed things along when altering
the costume. I prefer the hi-temp guns over the low-temp.
I do use cheap brushes, and you would be amazed what an airbrush can add.
I have several airbrushes, but use my Badger 150IL for these projects.
All of these items should be available at any Art & Crafts shop except
for the sprays, which may be found at your local hardware shop.
Any other special items used will be mentioned in the notes concerning
each doll.
For book reference, of course "The Star Wars Chronicles" is invaluable
for this, but pricey at $150. I use "Star Wars A Visual Dictionary" and "From
Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives" quite a bit
as well.
Armatures (Bodies): Just a quick note on the bodies used for the SW CS/AC.
In a word, they stink.
I mean they barely move, and they seem poorly sculpted. This confuses me
considering the company that makes them are also the fine producers of GI Joe.
My Theory: They know most folks won't take the toys out and play with
them, so why put in extra play and pose-ability? Think of the original name
of the line, "Collector Series", it was obvious which market these were aimed
for. Or the SW license is so costly that they would rather cut corners on
what is underneath the costume as opposed to the costume itself...
So, some suggestions. The current GI Joe (available at most toy stores
for $14-$15 on the blister card) are totally interchangeable with the SW CS/AS!
The heads can be (fairly) easily switched, and the hands/gloves are a
breeze to swap out!
Ultimate Soldier makes some great armatures too and a simple fig will run
you less ($12-15) than a GI Joe, but the skin tones are a little gray...
There are also other companies that make 12" generic bodies as well. You
may want to check out Cotswold Collectibles
for more info on this. Also, Jim
Stelling's site has some great articles on his comparison of the various
armatures and how to get the best out of them.
One final note: All of these projects are in a constant state of
improvement. I cannot tell you how many times I said to myself "Wow, that's
done" and then a week later went "Well, what if I changed this or that?" Or
I've found some accessory that I didn't even know existed. So tune in
often, and I will try to share any upgrades that I do.
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