1/6 SSC Hoth Luke Skywalker (Echo Base) Modification Thread

[Pixelpiper]

It looks great except for the head sculpt and vest. Is that a Tauntaun costume on a real life dog?

 

[generalgrevious]

no that`s a custom fur up Hasbro taun taun

 

[Pixelpiper]

It kind of looks like a real animal under there. "Attention PETA: No real animals were harmed during the production of these photos"

 

[generalgrevious]

lol. yeah I figured since I cant afford the ssc taun taun I just use my custom to display him on

 

[kl241]

The Hasbro vest looks too puffy but at least they got the color right. I like the use of the Hasbro scarf. I may have to hunt mine down in storage.

 

[generalgrevious]

The Hasbro vest looks too puffy but at least they got the color right. I like the use of the Hasbro scarf. I may have to hunt mine down in storage.

yeah because I didn`t want to mess with dyeing it so I wouldn`t want to mess it up

 

[Anthrapoid]

I'm using the Hasbro scarf too, but the secret to making it look best is in how you tie it.
It starts out about 17.5 inches long, so I cut off 3 inches. The cut-off end, I tucked about 2.5 inches into the front of the vest under the snaps, laying flat against the chest. Then I ran it up the left side of the neck, around the back of the head to the other side. I made a half-hitch knot on the right side. The trick is, to have the long free-hanging portion of the scarf coming out from under the knot touching the head, as opposed to it being on the outside of the knot away from the head. That way the hanging scarf sits snug up against the head where it emerges out of the knot.

The length of the free-hanging portion is important too, so it can be wrapped over the face and tucked under the (radio side) ear flap. To get the length film-accurate, run the scarf from the knot origin in a straight line down the right arm; the end of the scarf should slightly overlap the top of the right arm pocket.

I dyed my vest with RIT Coco Brown.
The good news: The fabric takes dye very well, and holds it. Bad news: Coco brown was the wrong color... Good news: RIT makes non-bleach color remover. I ordered some, so I can strip the coco out and try their TAN dye with just a tiny touch of black mixed in. More bad news: Though the fabric dyes very nicely, the thread stitching does not. It must be synthetic, and won't absorb any dye. After I dye the vest the correct color, I'll take a fine detail brush and darken the stitching with matching acrylic paint with a dry-brush technique.

Also-- I ordered some tiny neodymium magnets to replace the snaps. They measure 1/16th inch diameter by 1/32nd inch thick... TINY, but very strong. I ordered 20 on ebay, so I can make a row of ten magnetic closures. I think it will work very well.

After all that is done, I'll do my snow-job and post pics.

 

[kl241]

That seems like a lot of trouble and effort to go through and try to match the acrylic paint to the color of the dye just to paint the stitching. If you are bothered by the stitching I would honestly just try dipping the entire vest in watered down acrylic and let the fabric absorb it so it's all one even matching color. I used Rit Dye Tan on man, like many others here have, and I think it turned it great. I'm not really bothered by the lighter stitching so much as I think it gives it a proper quilted texture look.

 

[Anthrapoid]

If it doesn't bother you, don't fix it. It bothers me though, partially because some of the stitching is sloppy and I want to hide it. Fixing it with a detail brush will be a really quick easy fix for me.

 

[Pixelpiper]

If it doesn't bother you, don't fix it. It bothers me though, partially because some of the stitching is sloppy and I want to hide it. Fixing it with a detail brush will be a really quick easy fix for me.

Pics please. I mentioned this very technique some weeks back, so I'm really curious to see it attempted.

 

[TaliBane]

Yeah, Rorywan got good results using RIT tan dye but the stitching was more visible with even the subtle change from greyish to more tanish. The good thing is the vest is not supposed to be pristine, so you don't need to try to match the tan color on the stitching exactly - just appoximate the tan but mixed with a slightly dirty color. SSC has already done some grime color in those stitch seam areas.

lol. yeah I figured since I cant afford the ssc taun taun I just use my custom to display him on

My Hasbro Taun is undergoing MAJOR "plastic surgery" as we speak. I hope I recognize her after she's had all her procedures. I'm just gluing the face back together now (added ball joint for neck.) I'm redoing the legs, feet (correct number and shape of toes - SSC wrongly went with three,) tail, head, reins (which are supposed to be leather, not sure why SSC went with webbing) as well as rebooting the saddle with add-ons and fur underblanket.

I contemplated doing real fur but I felt with the right amount of snow/ice (which is a lot,) it won't need it.

 

[mrshurricane]

Yeah, Rorywan got good results using RIT tan dye but the stitching was more visible with even the subtle change from greyish to more tanish. The good thing is the vest is not supposed to be pristine, so you don't need to try to match the tan color on the stitching exactly - just appoximate the tan but mixed with a slightly dirty color. SSC has already done some grime color in those stitch seam areas.



My Hasbro Taun is undergoing MAJOR "plastic surgery" as we speak. I hope I recognize her after she's had all her procedures. I'm just gluing the face back together now (added ball joint for neck.) I'm redoing the legs, feet (correct number and shape of toes - SSC wrongly went with three,) tail, head, reins (which are supposed to be leather, not sure why SSC went with webbing) as well as rebooting the saddle with add-ons and fur underblanket.

I contemplated doing real fur but I felt with the right amount of snow/ice (which is a lot,) it won't need it.

We are planning a hasbro Tain taun rework too maybe you could start a thread in the customising section I know I'll be reading it and Mr H

 

[Anthrapoid]

I started a Hasbro Tauntaun overhaul years ago, but never finished it. I put an inner rigid wire running from one horn through the head to the other horn, to keep the horns bent and positioned correctly. I removed the head to start making a ball & socket joint, but never finished it.

Now that I have the SS Taun, I'll be happy to sell the Hasbro if anyone wants it.

 

[generalgrevious]

got any pics of it

 

[TaliBane]

We are planning a hasbro Tain taun rework too maybe you could start a thread in the customising section I know I'll be reading it and Mr H

Yeah, maybe when I've got some pics I'll start a thread. I just really want an articulated Taun, especially the head, which is such a defining characteristic of the Taun. The ball joint I have is obviously going to be tough to hide, but I want it to be able to buck its head back and also look down a bit and tilt to get some personality. I'm hoping the ball joint will be not too much more visible than the SSC seam line. I'm designing the taun to be able to be posed running, standing, and rearing up.

I've thought about ball jointed ankles but with the figure on it, it will probably be too heavy for even fairly chunky ball joints, so the running pose won't be great looking. I'm using the full-scale taun as reference - they are quite a bit shorter than I remembered.

 

[Anthrapoid]

got any pics of it

Are you directing your question to me, or...?

 

[generalgrevious]

Are you directing your question to me, or...?

yes about the taun taun

 

[mrshurricane]

View attachment 177345 I just did the hot toys luke hoth mod. and I switched out the body and used the dx luke body.i was surprised the ssc ankle joints in side the hoth boots fit on the dx body with out having to remove the joints. I decided to use the Hasbro hoth jacket and the Hasbro scarf I think it turned out good.

More pics of your taun taun please x
S x

 

[Anthrapoid]

yes about the taun taun

Ok, I'll take some pics and post them later. I forgot to mention that I did a custom repaint on it with acrylics to emulate the life-size prop better. The ball-and-socket joint I didn't even get started on, except for removing the head and cutting out the under side of it. I also cut a slit under the tail (now resealed) so I could insert some ballast, in the form of steel nuts. This shifts the weight toward the rear and makes it much easier to keep it standing.

 

[Anthrapoid]

yes about the taun taun

I just sent you a bunch of photos in pm, generalgrevious. I forgot to mention that I did a custom repaint on it with acrylics to emulate the life-size prop better. The ball-and-socket joint I didn't even get started on, except for removing the head and cutting out the under side of it. I also cut a slit under the tail (now resealed) so I could insert some ballast, in the form of steel nuts. This shifts the weight toward the rear and makes it much easier to keep it standing.
Just so you know, it's the Han Solo version with both horns unbroken.

and this is how it originally looked, so you can see how wrong the position of the horns was. I also glued the mouth shut so it doesn't have the silly gaping-wide-open look, but that can be undone if you wish.