D.R.37's Cargo Hold: 1/6 Star Wars Mods & Customs

[D.R.37]

Much thanks, Chris!

 

[Hoody999]

Thanks guys.
@Waste Time Continuum I appreciate that

…but I HIGHLY doubt it

Reworked the body some. In order to use the closest to resemble his onscreen boots I needed to Frankenstein a TTM and SSC body. Looking at him reassembled I need to Dremel down some of his legs and try to take the pants in a bit. Still need to add some greeblies to his pants.
Some few quick poses and shots.
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Damn, a braver man than myself as well !! Skin tone has to be the hardest thing to get right. Excellent job Paul !

 

[okieh 2]

He looks amazing!!

 

[D.R.37]

Thanks Andrew & Okieh!

 

[TaliBane]

Very curious what you guys are doing/planning! My sandtroopers are on my to-do list for 2022 as well.

I’m happy with how the repaint came out but that may change down the line. Interested in seeing how you attack that task when you get to it… plus seeing your Sandie.

This is a quickie pic (my daughter broke my camera and I won't have my new phone for another 2 weeks) of where my custom sandie is at right now, nearly done. It has a quite badly cast copy of the Solo Bones custom stormie stunt and modded hasbro chest armor/belt because I couldn't find HT parts beyond the arm/leg armor. The pauldron is maybe 1/2 custom because even the Ht ones aren't quite accurate. Did manage to find some HT sandie feet.

The HT stormie armor I used gives a slight gloss behind the matte weathering which looks better I think than the HT sandie's more overall dull finish. The one major problem with that was that I had to scratch build all the unique sandie parts like the belly greeblies and kneepad.

This is the rider for my custom Dewback. The Dewback rider in the famous Dewback pic is actually the "look sir droids" trooper, so I decided to do him rather than the other white pauldron trooper who actually sits on the Dewback in the distance in the movie (who you obviously can't see.)

Weathering sandies is really, really difficult. Its so easy to make it look like a poop fight. Still not 100% happy with it.

I put a lot of effort into getting the prod pole end correct but there's no way you can get it into pics because the pole is so huge. You can see a bit of the thin wire that runs down the pole from the metallic part at the end - it's a detail no one ever seemed to pick up in collectibles.

 

[D.R.37]

Danggg… looks good, Duncan! You nailed the weathering pattern. I removed much of the weathering on one and when reapplying in different spots it did seem kinda “poop fight” ish
I’ve got some printed pauldrons incoming and they seem much closer to the onscreen ones - can’t find the Marmit versions anywhere unless I buy the whole MIB figure.
Looking forward to the custom Dewback!

 

[agonistes86]

This is a quickie pic (my daughter broke my camera and I won't have my new phone for another 2 weeks) of where my custom sandie is at right now, nearly done. It has a quite badly cast copy of the Solo Bones custom stormie stunt and modded hasbro chest armor/belt because I couldn't find HT parts beyond the arm/leg armor. The pauldron is maybe 1/2 custom because even the Ht ones aren't quite accurate. Did manage to find some HT sandie feet.

The HT stormie armor I used gives a slight gloss behind the matte weathering which looks better I think than the HT sandie's more overall dull finish. The one major problem with that was that I had to scratch build all the unique sandie parts like the belly greeblies and kneepad.

This is the rider for my custom Dewback. The Dewback rider in the famous Dewback pic is actually the "look sir droids" trooper, so I decided to do him rather than the other white pauldron trooper who actually sits on the Dewback in the distance in the movie (who you obviously can't see.)

Weathering sandies is really, really difficult. Its so easy to make it look like a poop fight. Still not 100% happy with it.

I put a lot of effort into getting the prod pole end correct but there's no way you can get it into pics because the pole is so huge. You can see a bit of the thin wire that runs down the pole from the metallic part at the end - it's a detail no one ever seemed to pick up in collectibles.

Awesome work! I have yet to start weathering a sandie, so I hope I'll be able to stay out of the poop territory.

Danggg… looks good, Duncan! You nailed the weathering pattern. I removed much of the weathering on one and when reapplying in different spots it did seem kinda “poop fight” ish
I’ve got some printed pauldrons incoming and they seem much closer to the onscreen ones - can’t find the Marmit versions anywhere unless I buy the whole MIB figure.
Looking forward to the custom Dewback!

I have one marmit pauldron, but I've also been stuck in how to improve the HT one in accuracy. Are you getting the pauldrons from Austin Johnson on FB? I saw your reply on Solo's post (I'm Yannick there and also asked about the parts he's using on that post). Would love to see pics once you get yours, I might have to go the same route.

 

[TaliBane]

Danggg… looks good, Duncan! You nailed the weathering pattern. I removed much of the weathering on one and when reapplying in different spots it did seem kinda “poop fight” ish
I’ve got some printed pauldrons incoming and they seem much closer to the onscreen ones - can’t find the Marmit versions anywhere unless I buy the whole MIB figure.
Looking forward to the custom Dewback!

Thanks Paul, and I wish I would have known about those 3D pauldrons. Mine is actual sheet plastic that I rippled as I glued to match the pauldron's folds - bit of a pain. And yeah I tried to match the "look sir droids" guy's specific pattern as it becomes a bit like Fett's weathering - it's part of the look of the suit. There are two different colors of grime and that helps with the poop fight problem.

What is fun about going the extra mile with a sandie is it really pops as that kind of "creepy real" man-in-suit. It somehow fools the senses like you're standing in front a costume at a exhibition, not looking at a 1/6 figure on a shelf, and that's a buzz. The HT sandies are great but they don't have that man-in-suit realism.

I do think - if possible (hard I know depending on what parts you're starting with) - having some gloss coming from under the matte weathering adds to the realism. If you look at the garindan D94 scene, that quite close-up sandie there really shows (esp under the studio lights) white gloss showing from below the weathering.

 

[TaliBane]

Awesome work! I have yet to start weathering a sandie, so I hope I'll be able to stay out of the poop territory.

I have one marmit pauldron, but I've also been stuck in how to improve the HT one in accuracy. Are you getting the pauldrons from Austin Johnson on FB? I saw your reply on Solo's post (I'm Yannick there and also asked about the parts he's using on that post). Would love to see pics once you get yours, I might have to go the same route.

Even though it's an old figure I do like the Marmit pauldrons (I think I added an extra trim strip to mine though.) I only had one too and it's in use on my "how long have you had these droids" HT-Marmit hybrid sandie that's already on display.

I think both SSC and HT's pauldrons are victims of the limits of cut-and-sew. The trims and stuff just can't be accurate at that scale, even if they satisfy that "high end figure" demand for pleather or fabric over sculpted for pouches and other accessories.

Do you guys have pics of the sculpted pauldrons?

Looking forward to seeing both of you guys' sandies!

 

[Chakaman]

That Sandtrooper looks fantastic Duncan!!

 

[D.R.37]

@agonistes86 hey what’s up… yeah I placed an order and he’s shipping out tomorrow.

@TaliBane the plastic on the pauldron looks good. Hard to tell but the “rippling” happening around the strap connection? I JUST found out about the pauldrons yesterday Austin Johnson on FB

Here’s the pauldron. Thin foam to raise the height and to protect the armor

 

[TaliBane]

@agonistes86 hey what’s up… yeah I placed an order and he’s shipping out tomorrow.

@TaliBane the plastic on the pauldron looks good. Hard to tell but the “rippling” happening around the strap connection? I JUST found out about the pauldrons yesterday Austin Johnson on FB

Here’s the pauldron. Thin foam to raise the height and to protect the armor View attachment 556423

I want, I want. I don't know how many times I've labored over a scratch build of some accessory only to find there's a 3D print available.But then you reflect - these are the best times ever to be a 1/6 customizer - you can already buy almost anything seen in SW movies as a 3D file, from hero weapons/outfits to deep-background set dressing.

And yeah the pauldrons are pretty different where the Mos Eisley orange one has no rippling at all and is one large piece whereas the look sir droids guy has that segmented type with prominent ripples/creases over it, but yeah mostly around that strap connection.

It's a bit hard to see in my crappy pic but I tried to closely match those ripples on my custom pauldron. The costume pauldron is also a brighter white than the armor so I went with a pretty bright white plastic.

 

[D.R.37]

I want, I want. I don't know how many times I've labored over a scratch build of some accessory only to find there's a 3D print available.But then you reflect - these are the best times ever to be a 1/6 customizer - you can already buy almost anything seen in SW movies as a 3D file, from hero weapons/outfits to deep-background set dressing.

And yeah the pauldrons are pretty different where the Mos Eisley orange one has no rippling at all and is one large piece whereas the look sir droids guy has that segmented type with prominent ripples/creases over it, but yeah mostly around that strap connection.

It's a bit hard to see in my crappy pic but I tried to closely match those ripples on my custom pauldron. The costume pauldron is also a brighter white than the armor so I went with a pretty bright white plastic.

I agree
It’s crazy how much one can create then produce now. I should’ve picked up Zbrush years ago when a buddy told me to try it out (we could attend a free class through our work), but nobody had access to printers like they do now. Also i wasn’t customizing and only collecting the occasional 3.75” or 6” figs.

Are you going for all the different Sandies? I believe there are 4 combinations. Different ways the armor sits and the way their packs were set up.

 

[TaliBane]

I agree
It’s crazy how much one can create then produce now. I should’ve picked up Zbrush years ago when a buddy told me to try it out (we could attend a free class through our work), but nobody had access to printers like they do now. Also i wasn’t customizing and only collecting the occasional 3.75” or 6” figs.

Are you going for all the different Sandies? I believe there are 4 combinations. Different ways the armor sits and the way their packs were set up.

The sandies are so hard to do is the key problem, not to mention pretty expensive - both complete figures and the parts. I still have to do the accurate weathering for my Mos Eisley HT/Marmit hybrid (I have saved my "sandie paint" from the look sir droids one.)

What's also a little frustrating is that in some cases the sandie costume armor parts (and weapons obviously) were all mixed up scene by scene, so it's hard to do a "correct" version of a particular trooper in the six across all scenes. Like the Dewback rider, where it's the other white pauldron trooper who rides in the movie, but then they got the look sir droids guy to be on it for the promotional photo shoot (I think due to English proficiency - the troopers other than the two foreground troopers were Tunisians.)

 

[agonistes86]

@agonistes86 hey what’s up… yeah I placed an order and he’s shipping out tomorrow.

@TaliBane the plastic on the pauldron looks good. Hard to tell but the “rippling” happening around the strap connection? I JUST found out about the pauldrons yesterday Austin Johnson on FB

Here’s the pauldron. Thin foam to raise the height and to protect the armor View attachment 556423

That looks pretty good! I might have to get some of those as well.

I want, I want. I don't know how many times I've labored over a scratch build of some accessory only to find there's a 3D print available.But then you reflect - these are the best times ever to be a 1/6 customizer - you can already buy almost anything seen in SW movies as a 3D file, from hero weapons/outfits to deep-background set dressing.

And yeah the pauldrons are pretty different where the Mos Eisley orange one has no rippling at all and is one large piece whereas the look sir droids guy has that segmented type with prominent ripples/creases over it, but yeah mostly around that strap connection.

It's a bit hard to see in my crappy pic but I tried to closely match those ripples on my custom pauldron. The costume pauldron is also a brighter white than the armor so I went with a pretty bright white plastic.

I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you though. That rippling you did looks really good, and elevates yours from a generic to an accurate and more realistic one!

I currently have the HT and a marmit sandie, which I upgraded to a new body and some HT parts a few years ago. Eventually I want to get a third one, if HT ever releases another. My plan was to upgrade their buckets and weather them, but I can already see with all this talk of accuracy that I will be going the same route...

I got the high brow/move along bucket from Solo/Kash recently (amongst others) but noticed that the curve of the brow is not quite right, so I've already been playing in my head with how to correct that...

 

[D.R.37]

Yeah a union I was in offered free classes (plus other 3D design programs) - wish I could have done a course back then. I may just do a community college type class. But then 3D sculptors are surprisingly affordable - the Dewback cost around $550 last year if I remember correctly, and the sculptor really went the whole nine yards on it, even OCD micro tweaks he was happy to do.

The sandies are so hard to do is the key problem, not to mention pretty expensive - both complete figures and the parts. I still have to do the accurate weathering for my Mos Eisley HT/Marmit hybrid (I have saved my "sandie paint" from the look sir droids one.)

What's also a little frustrating is that in some cases the sandie costume armor parts (and weapons obviously) were all mixed up scene by scene, so it's hard to do a "correct" version of a particular trooper in the six across all scenes. Like the Dewback rider, where it's the other white pauldron trooper who rides in the movie, but then they got the look sir droids guy to be on it for the promotional photo shoot (I think due to English proficiency - the troopers other than the two foreground troopers were Tunisians.)

Yeah I believe we could take a few different classes: Zbrush, 3D Studio Max… Only if we knew.
The “looks sir droids” became my favourite color way maybe because of the weathering. It was cool Lucas always involved the locals - easily accessible and much cheaper rate hehe. Love that classic image of the unhelmeted sandy crew. Do you have images of the Dewback file? Looking forward to how you complete it.

 

[D.R.37]

That looks pretty good! I might have to get some of those as well.


I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you though. That rippling you did looks really good, and elevates yours from a generic to an accurate and more realistic one!

I currently have the HT and a marmit sandie, which I upgraded to a new body and some HT parts a few years ago. Eventually I want to get a third one, if HT ever releases another. My plan was to upgrade their buckets and weather them, but I can already see with all this talk of accuracy that I will be going the same route...

I got the high brow/move along bucket from Solo/Kash recently (amongst others) but noticed that the curve of the brow is not quite right, so I've already been playing in my head with how to correct that...

Not sure where you’re at but he’s in the UK and shipping cost more than the pauldron so I ended up picking up a few to make it worth it
I thought about redoing one of the brows (forget which bucket) but didn’t. If you’re gonna work measure the brow thickness and try to find a similar size in styrene. The sell several different sizes in packs.

 

[D.R.37]

Finally got around to completing Amanaman’s trophy/ornament skulls. I had a tough time capturing the forms and sculpting such details proved to be even more difficult so I just stopped where I felt it was close enough. More idealistic and I used some artistic interpretation with the sculpt and paint.

…another step closer to finishing Cagoda’s awesome piece.

 

[The_Darkness_Predator]

That is horrifically awesome.

 

[D.R.37]

Thanks Steven