Best Way to Shorten 1/6th Darth Vader?

[PJB-1138]

Great mod PJ

pics of PJB mod Vader standing next to emperor pls

Thanks for your interest, Zankuro! I noticed that there happens to be some griping going on in the main Star Wars section about how disproportional Vader looks next to Palpy, so here is my modified Vader standing side-by-side right next to the new Emperor on a level surface. I held the camera lens level to top of the Emperor's head, so there's no forced perspective here! As you can see, he comes just above Vader's shoulders. I even got him leaning down on his cane (which IMHO really is a tad short).

 

[Customikey]

I finally modded my Vader. I simply switched to a HT Predator body. The only tough part was switching out the neck pieces. Had to sand down the Vader neck piece to fit in the Pred torso.

Only sad thing: I broke off one of my tusks!! Gonna have to figure out a way to fix or find a replacement head. Damn.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I also finally did a variation of this mod: like Craw, I simply removed the entire upper torso piece (the one that's about an inch tall).

Now instead of 14.5 inches tall my Vader is about 13.75 inches tall. That should be about accurate. Maybe still a tad tall.

I'm going to add the shoulder padding and the dome mod as well -- IF I can get my dome off. It's really tight on there and I fear cracking it. But that shuld give me a few more millimeters of height shaved off.

To my eye, he looks the same, no weird body proportions or anything, but he's clearly shorter than he was which is excellent. Slightly bent knees should also help bring him down a tad.

Thanks for the mod idea! Great help. The Emperor got me in the mood to finally try this.

I'll post pics once he's finished.

 

[barryo]

I finally modded my Vader. I simply switched to a HT Predator body. The only tough part was switching out the neck pieces. Had to sand down the Vader neck piece to fit in the Pred torso.

Only sad thing: I broke off one of my tusks!! Gonna have to figure out a way to fix or find a replacement head. Damn.

i did the same thing just mishandling him......

if you can get a pin/needle with a small head about the same size as the other .......paint it , no one would know the difference.................

 

[Cocoboloboy]

Like Wor-Gar, Emps put me in the same mood. I did the height mod and while I was at it I shaved off his man-****s so that the chest box would lay a little flatter. I really like the result.




I was also able to use the trooper arms and legs on a regular HT torso that I had. I used Stormie Han's body for Vader's mod so I was able to put him right back together. Even got just a little height out of it and an ankle mod.

 

[barryo]

looks great coco(the man, the legend)...

but i do think your han & luke st could use a little chest piece mod.............as in the old boil/heat and tighten up a bit. luke more so than han. love the back drop for them.......

 

[Cocoboloboy]

Thanks, barryo! And I think you're right about that armor. Boil and bend, huh?

 

[barryo]

Thanks, barryo! And I think you're right about that armor. Boil and bend, huh?

yea, doesnt take a lot, but just tightening the armor around the chest a bit does wonders to the overall look.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Like Wor-Gar, Emps put me in the same mood.

I'm kicking myself for not taking a Vader before and after with the Emperor. Did you happen to do that before the Vader mod?

 

[Vivisect]

Thanks, barryo! And I think you're right about that armor. Boil and bend, huh?

Just boil for a few seconds, bend and run under cold water to set it fast, works for most plastic part fixes.

Just don't dip it in the boiling water too long.

Just ask barryo, I think he has some deformed shin armor bits laying around from an accident.

 

[Cocoboloboy]

Sortof. I had one of him on the shelf with an unmodded Vader. This is all I've got.

Before:




After:

 

[Wor-Gar]

That's great. It helps to actually see the difference sometimes. Thanks.

Wish I had remembered to take some myself.

 

[kl241]

So did you shorten it by removing a torso section entirely or did you replace it with one of the smaller Stormtrooper torsos?

 

[Cocoboloboy]

So did you shorten it by removing a torso section entirely or did you replace it with one of the smaller Stormtrooper torsos?

I followd pjb's tutorial on page 2 using a stormie torso.

 

[PJB-1138]

Just boil for a few seconds, bend and run under cold water to set it fast, works for most plastic part fixes.

Just don't dip it in the boiling water too long.

Just ask barryo, I think he has some deformed shin armor bits laying around from an accident.

That chest armor is actually pretty sturdy. Just be sure not to put the whole piece into the boiling water since the shoulder straps are more fragile. Pinch the two lower corners of the front chest armor toward one another & use the cold water to set the shape until both front & back armor pieces end up being the same width. You may have to repeat the process a few times until it ends up perfect, but the results are worth it.

Oh, & be careful not to burn yourself. ;-)

BTW, I'm seeing some pretty good-looking modified Vaders here!

 

[Wor-Gar]

Any trick to getting the dome off the helmet?

Mine's really glued tight. Afraid to break it.

 

[PJB-1138]

Any trick to getting the dome off the helmet?

Mine's really glued tight. Afraid to break it.

The thing to worry about most is breaking the tiny tips on the "tusks" of Vader's mask. Having taken that sucker apart myself, I can tell you that the rest of Vader's head is pretty well built.

I would find something thin & flexible to slide in between the helmet & the mask. In my case, I used the pointy-end of a cupcake ornament that I found in a junk drawer. I imagine a tongue depressor, a popsicle stick or one of those flat wooden spoons that come with single-serve ice cream sundaes would also work. Just something strong enough to undo the glued spots but not strong enough to scratch up Vader's mask.

Most of the glue is on the forehead of the mask & in spots around the back of the head. Once you separate those areas with your tool, the helmet just pops right off.

Hope this helps! ;-)

 

[Wor-Gar]

Thanks for the tips. I used a scissor to crack the glue, then it popped off simple. I don't have a dremmel so removing the dome ridges was a bit of a chore -- pliers and exacto! But I got it and it's fairly easy. But man oh man does it make a HUGE difference.

Here's some comps of the BEFORE - AFTER helmet mod:

And this is Vader post TORSO FIX + HELMET MOD, a comp and GIF to see the diff:

I am so pleased with how this all worked out. Simple mods that make a world of difference.

Thanks PJB for the torso mod trick!

Thanks to whomever originated the helmet mod too!

 

[PJB-1138]

I am so pleased with how this all worked out. Simple mods that make a world of difference.

Thanks PJB for the torso mod trick!

Thanks to whomever originated the helmet mod too!

Wow, WG, your Vader looks great! I actually took a break from modifying my Vader helmet since I also don't have a Dremmel & been using an awkward filing tool to do this. Another couple millimeters or so & it should be just where yours is!

And I'm just glad to contribute to the numerous tips & tricks always being shared by folks here. Whether it's reshaping Stormtrooper armor, repositioning Vader's helmet or using rubber knobs to fit the Han & Luke trooper helmets onto their bodies (that by itself saved me the cost of getting another couple Stormtrooper figures), it's amazing what these little tweaks can do to make these Sideshow figures near-perfect!

 

[Cocoboloboy]

Yes, great mods all around. I'm so glad there are those that are brave enough to try all this stuff in the first place.