Building your MARINES - CORRECTLY

[JediMike71]

I got in the awesome "Stoner" head yesterday and started painting it last night. Yeah, Michael Biehn's likeness is definitley under all that camo face paint! I'll post some pictures of the head soon. It's really coming along well. I know it'll look great like the ones I've seen from you other guys that use the Stoner head for your Hicks!


I'm still having trouble finding that "pin vise" for making the "born again" hole in Hicks' armor. I may try carefully drilling the hole with my smaller drillbit with my power drill. I hope it works!

 

[customizerwannabe]

You can get the pin vise from Hobby Lobby if you have one in your area. Any decent hobby shop should have it.

 

[JediMike71]

I tried Hobby Lobby first. I came over there with the color printout of the pin vise in a closeup for them to see it. They didn't have it. I went to Home Depot and they didn't have it either. I went to Wal-Mart tonight, and they didn't have it. I'll try to find another local hobby shop around here and hope that they have it.

 

[ambac]

I tried Hobby Lobby first. I came over there with the color printout of the pin vise in a closeup for them to see it. They didn't have it. I went to Home Depot and they didn't have it either. I went to Wal-Mart tonight, and they didn't have it. I'll try to find another local hobby shop around here and hope that they have it.

I don't know what part of the US you'r in, but if you have them in your area try Micheal's, a chain of craft stores that sells all sorts of stuff.

 

[JediMike71]

Hi ambac. I'm in Slidell, Louisiana. A small city about 30 miles of New Orleans. I think there is a Michael's in a nearby city called Covington. I'll check for one. Thanks for the tip. I appreciate it.

 

[Mudshark]

Hey Mike, have you tried looking for one online at all? There are lots of hobby and model supply shops that ought to have a pin vice... why don't you give these folks a try? (I just searched "pin vice" on google, and presto!) I'm sure there are plenty of other places you can try, tho. It's a fairly common item if you look in the right places. Hope this helps.
https://www.hillcity-comics.com/role_play/gw/66-05.htm

 

[customizerwannabe]

I'm going to hobby lobby today Mike. If they have one I'll pick it up for you.

 

[JediMike71]

Thanks customizerwannabe. I don't have a Michael's around here. Plus the employees at my Hobby Lobby were clueless about the pin vise, even after I showed them the picture of it. Let me know if you get one for me. Please PM me, and we can work something out. I appreciate it!

Here's a few pictures of my repainted "Stoner" head for Hicks. I think it's turning out great! Michael Biehn's likenesses truly is under all that camo paint! I still need to add some details, like a little bit of that "five-o-clock" beard shadowing. Let me know what you think of him so far. Thanks!

 

[JediMike71]

Here's a few shots of my Stoner Hicks head with the "5 'o clock" beard going on. I think it makes him look a little older than the first shots I did of him that were clean-shaven. I still have a little detailing work to do on his lips and then do the final gloss on the eyes, and matte coat spray on the rest of the head. What do you guys think?

By the way guys...how can I get this head on the Hot Toys neck post? I removed the original Hot Toys Hudson head from this Hudson body I am using for my custom Hicks. But it's really hard getting this Stoner head on to the Hot Toys neck post! How can I get it on there? I've tried pushing it on the neck post REALLY hard, and it won't fit on it! Please give me any tips and help that you can so I can get my Stoner Hicks head on the neck post! Thank you!

 

[Mudshark]

Please give me any tips and help that you can so I can get my Stoner Hicks head on the neck post! Thank you!

Hairdryer! Set it hot, work around the neck opening in the Stoner head till it softens, then the head should pop on easily. Some people like to use very hot water, which will also do the trick, but a hairdryer is fast and easy.

 

[Stendec]

Wow, teriffic work Mike!

Your Stoner repaint turned out great. Michael Biehns likeness really shows through making for one truely awesome Hicks figure. The hard work you put into the Hudson conversion really paid off man, you got the skills and bags of enthusiasm, makes me want to get off my backside and finish my figs too

 

[figuremasterles]

GREAT JOB MIKE!
To get this bad boy on your headpost asap...
Get a coffee cup. Microwave it on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Dip head, neck down, only up to the chin, and hold in for about 30 seconds. Lift out, dry quickly, twist onto post. DONE!

Great work dude!

I posted a pic of mine in my thread, but looks like I was too late. You did your shadow anyway. Good work bro!

 

[pjam]

Way to go Mike!

 

[DarkArtist81]

Great work Mike!! And the first official Hudson to Hicks makeover yet. Very cool to see how far you've come, and I really like how your paint work is progressing. You're getting a lot better than you were at first. Keep it up and great things are not far off.

 

[JediMike71]

WOW THANKS GUYS! I really appreciate your positive reviews of my Hudson to Hicks "kitbash". I will take the tips you guys gave me for mounting the head on to the neck post and do it later tonight. I have to mount my custom Frost head (I used the existing HT Sgt. Apone head for Frost) on to a body too. It'll be a Dragon body, but still a good one. He'll be my next custom. I then hope to make Pvt. Deitrich from an extra HT Ripley body, and then Pvt. Crowe (using the original HT Hudson head and Body), and finally Pvt. Weirzbowski. I figured what the heck...if I'm gonna get the marines, I'm gonna buy those that HT made plus make the ones they didn't.

Yeah, I'd love to make a custom dropship female pilot Ferro, and her co-pilot Spunkmeyer. Then the useless Lt. Gorman, and maybe even the slimeball Carter Burke! Finally there's little Newt. I really want to make her alot like Les made his. She turned out so great! Where again did you get the head you used for your Newt Les? Please let me know. I've found a few, cheap loose male Mego bodies on eBay last night that I could use for Newt's body like you did. Thanks again!

Hey, customizerwannabe, did you find a "pin vise" for me at your local Hobby Lobby? Please let me know here. I still need it to drill the hole in my Hicks' armor for the words "born again" to go around it. Thanks again for you help!

Here's another of my updates on my Hicks. Les, I did what you said with heating up a coffee mug of water in my microwave for 1 1/2 minutes and dipping the head up to about the chin to open up the hole for the neck. I had a bear of a time trying to get it on the neck post, but finally got it on! I didn't dry the neck as fast as I should after dipping it in the water, so some of my paintjob on the neck came off. But I repainted it and it looks okay now. I also did the wearing down paint job on Hicks' armor with some silver acrylic paint. I think the armor looks even better like it did in the movie. I'll post some pictures soon after I get Hicks back together.

 

[Stendec]

Looking forward to see more pics of your Hicks buddy!

Something I've been working on for my Hicks figure is the black cigarette lighter pouch he wore on the right side of his armor.



Sorry for the poor pic, I'l take a better one tomorrow if the weathers better

I made it by cutting and sanding some plastic into size and shape then gluing pieces of leather onto the plastic, forming the pouch and flap. I also added small metal loops and a stud to finish it off. I alos used pics from this link for reference

https://www.onebadmutha.com/main2.htm

Its not really accurate but looks pretty cool I think and adds a little detail to the figure. In all the dozens of times I have seen the movie, I hadnt noticed he wore this piece untill recently, right about the time I became obsessive about detailing my figures lol

 

[customizerwannabe]

My hobby lobby was out. I checked Lowes too. When I find one I'll pick it up dude. Sorry.

 

[MaulFan]

Got my head from the questionable eBay auction today, and based on Josh's soft = Hudson, hard = Stoner, it is indeed the stoner head, and the hairline looks to be correct as well. It appears like the seller stripped the HT paint off and then painted it to look like Biehn, not so great a paint job, but when I start my repaint it'll be easier to paint flesh on flesh than camo paint.

 

[figuremasterles]

STENDEC, thanks for posting that definitave knife/lighter arrangement shot on your figure. Helps me a lot. I have been unsure what to do with my Hicks knife. I know it needs moving, but I have been unable to work up the nerve to do it.
He doesn't have many grenades on that side either, does he? How about where he keeps his location finder? Anyone got the lowdown on that?
All I have, are Hudson, who is about caught up, Hicks, who is almost done, short this knife, lighter thing, and Vas, who needs the entire armsleeve, repaint treatment, plus full BDU/armor weathering....
Need a nice laptop for my Bishop too. Where do those come from?

That'll cover me. Until the Powerloader shows....

 

[Mudshark]

I have been unsure what to do with my Hicks knife. I know it needs moving, but I have been unable to work up the nerve to do it.
He doesn't have many grenades on that side either, does he? How about where he keeps his location finder? Anyone got the lowdown on that?

Just go for it Les! The knife on Hicks is a lot easier to remove than it looks, at least it was on mine. Just unclip the buckle at the top and slip the sheath off the strap. If it has been sewn in place you should only have to cut the threads with an Xacto or needle nose scissors, and maybe re-sew the grenade strap. I went a little further and shortened the length of the straps on both sides, then re-sewed them. They look a lot better that way, imo. Since the combat knife he wore in the film was taped onto his left grenade harness, it doesn't appear he carried any grenades there, so you could use one free loop on the right harness for the locator and maybe stick one or two grenades in the remaining loops, according to your own tastes. That's what I did, anyway. Hope this helps.