Fixing the KANE and DALLAS low head problem in 5 minutes !

[Reinhardt]

i wonder how the suits were originally designed compared to these hot toys figures for the heads to be higher up in the helmet. it would be interesting to see a movie to figure comparison pic.

 

[DSD]

I think the helmet sits lower in the film, which is obviously a lot harder to fix on the HT figures.

I think the original poster's idea is great, but half again off the additional neck post would give it a bit of a boost without making it look like it's got a giraffe's neck. Just my two penneth.

 

[FACEBOX]

That's what I did with my Kane head:
Great minds think alike.

The issue with the head sitting low in the helmet is because the helmets in the movie are larger (wider) relative to the body.
In addition to that, the helmets are supposed to be tilted forwards while the head is facing straight ahead.
The Hot Toys figures lack the ability to do this without some slight modifications to the helmet.

 

[Sabres21768]

who in the right mind would display Kane normal until a new sculpt is available...

Me!

Unless you put him in some kind of "action" pose, the facehugged head just doesn't look right.

And I'm really just displaying the suit design, not the characters.

 

[Reinhardt]

nice pics Face, and thanks for the explanation on the differences between the film and the figures. seriously, i thought i was an Alien freak until I came to this board.

 

[Private McLEOD]

Thanks for your comments. Here some reference pics from the movie.

 

[customizerwannabe]

I think the Kane sculpt is horrid. Looks great with the facehugger on it. The only way to display that figure properly.

 

[Devil_666]

Freddie Mercury was in Alien!?

 

[customizerwannabe]

Freddie Mercury was in Alien!?

 

[toystales]

Freddie Mercury was in Alien!?

That was a good one!

 

[tnaig001]

Hi guys,
I just received my Dallas. This figures goes beyond my expectations in every aspects. The lights fonctions are amazing features. That said, the head being very low in the helmet really bugged me. This is something I just can't elude. So, yesterday, I watched the movie again and this is obvious that the head should be centered in the helmet to be movie accurate. I started to elaborate complicated processes to extend the neck with putty or redone the helmet padded base, etc.
Then, I seen a loose HT neck post in my spare item box... The solution is ridiculously obvious and simple. I think maybe some people here would find it helpfull.

Hope this helps.
Sylvain

Thanks for the tip. Both my figs are in the box for now. However, I'll prob follow your lead.


james.

 

[Reinhardt]

Awesome reference pics McLeod. Thanks bro!!

And devil666, brilliant on Freddie Mercury!! I mean, Hot Toys DID say that there next figure is a singer.

 

[Devil_666]

And devil666, brilliant on Freddie Mercury!! I mean, Hot Toys DID say that there next figure is a singer.

lol.. Didn't some other company actually make a Freddie Mercury figure?

 

[Alice Adrenochrome]

Medicom's got one.

 

[superboink]

Great mod!! thanks!!

 

[Anthrapoid]

I don't mean to rain on your parade, because your thought to fix the neck issue was valid. However, I am an accomplished sculptor and customizer- and there is a major flaw with this mod. The problem is not that the neck is too short. The problem is that the helmet and shoulder gear rides up too high on Dallas' body. That's because the materials are solid plastic instead of a soft padded cloth like they should be.

Yes, you have managed to frame Dallas' head better in the helmet, but it means his neck is now streched like a Ubangi warrior from Eastern Africa.
I received my Dallas a few days ago, and I've come up with what I believe to be the best fix for this problem: Don't raise the head, LOWER the costume.

First, you remove the helmet and detatch the shoulder armor from the collar. Peel back the little 'mounts' that connect each shoulder guard to the circular neck collar, and remove them completely from both the collar and the shoulder guards. (Don't worry, the shoulder guards will stay in place, and will acually have a bit more mobility when posing the arms later.)

Once that is done, use your trusty Dremel tool with a suitable sanding head- the cylindrical 1/2 inch is best. Sand down the thickness of the under side of the collar pad. You will see two small depressions on the under side of the collar left and right, where the shoulder guard mounts used to be- you can use these as depth guides when sanding the collar, so the depth of material you remove matches the depth of these depressions. You can easily take off about 1/8th inch from the under side of the collar pad. Be careful at the egdes; after you've sanded some thickness off of it, you'll need to sand around the under-outside edge of the collar pad where it is visible to the eye, so the bottom of it is slightly rounded and not a sharp edge- you should do this manually with sand paper.

Next, go to the back of the helmet, and inside the larger of the two hoses you will find a very stiff metal wire, which serves absolutely NO useful perpose- Pull back the rubber hose a little to expose the wire, and remove it with needle-nose pliers. It is not attached in any way- it will pull right out. The hose will now be flexible, and allow the helmet to rest downward.

This whole opperation will create more room below the helmet, and thus the collar and helmet will sit lower and frame the figure's head higher. This proceedure has an added bonus effect: If you study photos of the space suits in the film, you will see that the top of the shoulder armor sits very close to the rim of the helmet. The white collar pad is soft, so the shoulder armor just pushes in close. But, because the HT plastic collar pad is rigid and it's connected to the edge of the shoulder guards with the mounts, this holds the shoulder armor out and makes Dallas / Kane look too broad-shouldered.

SO: After you have removed the connectors and sanded down the under side of the collar pad, the collar pad will sit a bit lower on the shoulders, and allow the top of the shoulder guards to sit just above the edge of the pad- and come in closer towards the helmet. This will fix the 'broad shoulder' problem AND the high-helmet issue at the same time, and give a more realistic and movie-accurate 'slouch' to the character.

AND- if this doesn't lower the helmet enough, there's one more step that can help do that: You can super-glue the neck area of the rubber space suit directly onto the neck area of the body, so the space suit itself doesn't rise up too much above the shoulders. That might lower the helmet another 1/8th inch or so.. Lemme hear that feedback!

 

[Zoolander]

got any pics?

 

[Anthrapoid]

No pictures yet, because my digital camera is out on loan. The effect is very nice though, and I like the fact that it gives a bit of movement to the shoulder guards too.

By the way- I'll soon be posting a lot of information about the boots; The boots which come with Dallas & Kane are... THE WRONG BOOTS! ... In the film, when the acid is "burning through the goddam hull", there is a brief scene showing the acid burning through a pair of boots- which is where HT got their reference for the boots on the figures. BUT- These boots actually belong to the onboard emergency space suits, (barely glimpsed in the film) and NOT the 'Moebius' designed EVA suits worn by Dallas Kane & Lambert.

I have proof of this, and I will share the pictures with you soon. I tried to convince HT to make the correction seven months ago, and they did thank me for pointing out the mistake to them- but I guess it was too late, even back in February.

Anyway, I'm going to be sculpting the correct boots soon, making molds, and perhaps selling them to interested collectors for a fair price- probably about $15 for the pair.

They will be completely movie-accurate, and snap on to the legs just the same way.
My Yahoo nick is available here, or just email me at: [email protected] ... I'm new to this forum, so bear with me as I get used to the workings of posting pictures, etc. I'm going to include some preview pictures, just to make believers out of you.

If I haven't convinced you yet, there are many more pictures to come in the near future... Tell me what you think!

 

[a-dev]

I don't mean to rain on your parade, because your thought to fix the neck issue was valid. However, I am an accomplished sculptor and customizer- and there is a major flaw with this mod. The problem is not that the neck is too short. The problem is that the helmet and shoulder gear rides up too high on Dallas' body. That's because the materials are solid plastic instead of a soft padded cloth like they should be. Yes, you have managed to frame Dallas' head better in the helmet, but it means his neck is now streched like a Ubangi warrior from Eastern Africa. I received my Dallas a few days ago, and I've come up with what I believe to be the best fix for this problem: Don't raise the head, LOWER the costume. First, you remove the helmet and detatch the shoulder armor from the collar. Peel back the little 'mounts' that connect each shoulder guard to the circular neck collar, and remove them completely from both the collar and the shoulder guards. (Don't worry, the shoulder guards will stay in place, and will acually have a bit more mobility when posing the arms later.) Once that is done, use your trusty Dremel tool with a suitable sanding head. Sand down the thickness of the under side of the collar pad. You will see two small depressions on the under side of the collar left and right, where the shoulder guard mounts used to be- you can use these as depth guides when sanding the collar, so the depth of material you remove matches the depth of these depressions. You can easily take off about 1/8th inch from the under side of the collar pad. Be careful at the egdes; after you've sanded some thickness off of it, you'll need to sand around the under-outside edge of the collar pad where it is visible to the eye, so the bottom of it is rounded and not flat- you should do this manually with sand paper. (Then you might have to re-stain the edge with some acrylic paint to match the slightly yellowed color) This will create more room below the helmet, and thus the collar and helmet will sit lower and frame the figure's head higher. This proceedure has an added bonus effect: If you study photos of the space suits in the film, you will see that the top of the shoulder armor sits very close to the rim of the helmet. The white collar pad is soft, so the shoulder armor just pushes in close. But, because the HT plastic collar pad is rigid and it's connected to the edge of the shoulder guards with the mounts, this holds the shoulder armor out and makes Dallas / Kane look too broad-shouldered. SO: After you have removed the connectors and sanded down the under side of the collar pad, the collar pad will sit a bit lower on the shoulders, and allow the top of the shoulder guards to sit just above the edge of the pad- and come in closer towards the helmet. This will fix the 'broad shoulder' problem AND the high-helmet issue at the same time, and give a more realistic and movie-accurate 'slouch' to the character. AND- if this doesn't lower the helmet enough, there's one more step that can help do that: You can super-glue the neck area of the rubber space suit directly onto the neck area of the body, so the space suit itself doesn't rise up too much above the shoulders. That might lower the helmet another 1/8th inch or so.. Lemme hear that feedback!

Fair play on coming up with that. However I can't see myself risking such an operation. Haven't got the figures yet but I just don't think I'm that bothered by this issue. The OP's method seems more doable for an inexperienced (and terribly impatient) customiser but I agree that to do so makes the neck unnaturally long. Then again with your method and anything that involves dremmelling - these guys are just too expensive for me to mess with.

 

[Anthrapoid]

Fair play on coming up with that. However I can't see myself risking such an operation. Haven't got the figures yet but I just don't think I'm that bothered by this issue. The OP's method seems more doable for an inexperienced (and terribly impatient) customiser but I agree that to do so makes the neck unnaturally long. Then again with your method and anything that involves dremmelling - these guys are just too expensive for me to mess with.

I completely understand your fears, but they are unfounded. Once you have the collar off, it's easy to carefully sand only the under side, round the edge, and voila. For my tastes, these figures are too expensive NOT to have them look their best.