My custom HT Hudson and Apone and repainted Drake and Ripley heads..

[dekadentdave]

Just search keyword Cheong. The nude figure is $10 and comes with the sleeves so just slide them off and put them on Vaz. You can try to match the darker skin tones with the arm sleeves so her chest, neck and head are all one consistent shade. I'll be sending mine off to Les when he is available again to have him match it all up.

 

[JediMike71]

Thanks for the tips Dave. I'll get that Cheong soon. But first I want to get that GSG-9 jumpsuit for my Bishop. Then, a pair of loose Ripley boots for Bishop. Have you seen a loose pair of those anywhere online? Let me know. Thanks again!

I see Les is staying pretty busy right now with commissioned work. He does such a great job!

I just found a loose nude Dragon Cheong figure on eBay here:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...Track=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:middle:us

It is a $9.99 Buy It Now, so that works for me! Thanks agian for the help Dave!

 

[thundergod]

Hey Jedimike , the arm sleeves are a definite improvement , but you will need some kind of "filling" to stop the elbow joints creasing and spoiling the effect . The colour is not too big a problem in my opinion . Also , you'll need a way of disguising the join at the wrists . I just used a spare 1/6 sweatband and a 1/6 bandana . Not 100% screen accurate , but it looks o.k and fits aesthetically with the character . (I'll try and post some pics in the next few days if I get the chance to give you some idea of what I mean .)

 

[JediMike71]

Thanks Thundergod. I'd like to see some pictures of your Vasquez with those arm-sleeves on. What do you thing I should use for "filling" in the arms? I have some Super Sculpey. It's really pliable. I'm actually using it now inside my Vasquez's left leg to make that leg the same height as the right leg. I had tried to get Vasquez's right leg pin into the boot hole, and it broke halfway off. So, I super glued the pin into Vasquez's boot hole. That made her legs uneven. The right leg was longer than the left leg. So, then I put some Super Sculpey into Vasquez's left boot to help make the left leg the same length as her right leg. Whew! That did the trick.

 

[thundergod]

It's a good question ! I haven't decided on a material myself yet , but I was thinking of a flexible material like foam or even silicone rubber because I don't want to lose the articulation . The problem being the transluscent nature of the arm sleeves means any material used shows through . It's actually not that big a problem to sort out , it's simply a matter of experimenting and finding the best material .

 

[JediMike71]

Thanks. Yeah, I'll give the Super Sculpey a try on the sleeves after I get them on my Vasquez. If it shows through too much, or just doesn't work, I'll try out something else. Thanks for your help! Can you post some pictures of your Vasquez here with the Cheong arm-sleeves on her? If you don't wanna post them here, you can PM them to me. Thanks again!

 

[thundergod]

I'm not sure about your choice of Super Sculpy , or are you not bothered about losing articulation ? I'll try to post some pics tomorrow .( As we've just had a new addition to the family all the stuff I've been working on lately , such as my USCM squad have been re-located to the shed and loft!) Normal service will hopefully be resumed when the dust has settled a bit .

 

[JediMike71]

I'd like to see your pictures. Yeah, I am not sure at all about the Super Sculpey, but I can't figure out what else to use. I know my Vasquez will usually stay in one position on display. That is until I reposition her and the other marines. It's not like my little girl will be playing with these (at all) like she does her Barbies.

 

[thundergod]

Here you go JediMike, some quick pics I managed to take today , sorry about the quality , but they should illustrate what we've been talking about .

Here you can see the arms bent.

And here in the "gun position".

This is what I mean about needing something to cover up the wrist joins.

Here are the arms "at rest".

And a close up of the elbows bent .

And here's a pic of some more of the gang .

 

[JediMike71]

Thanks Thundergod! Vasquez looks great with those arm sleeves on! I did a buy it now on eBay today for a nude Cheong figure with the sleeves on his arms. I'll get it next week, and put them on my Vasquez. Let me know if you can think of some type of filler for the sleeves at her wrists. I appreciate your pictures! Thanks again.

 

[JediMike71]

Thundergod I did the Buy It Now on that loose Cheong figure with the "arm-sleeves" on eBay that I showed you the link for the other day. So, I'll have it on the way to me soon so I can put the sleeves on my Vasquez like you did for yours. Have you thought about any other type of material for a filler at her wrists where the arm sleeves end? If you have, please let me know. I'm honestly stumped about what to use!

 

[dekadentdave]

Have you tried heating and stretching the sleeves?

 

[thundergod]

I plan on simply hiding the wrist joins with a ( 1/6) bandana and a ( 1/6) sweatband .

 

[JediMike71]

Thundergod, that sounds like a better idea to me that us trying to find some "filling" stuff for Vasquez's wrists. That way I guess her wrist movement won't be as limited since you're using a bandana or wristband or something like that instead of a filling. Thanks for the tip. I like that idea already.

 

[ONEYE]

I'd like to same to my Vasquez. Wouldn't it be easier to paint just the arm sleeves than to darken the rest of her? Is it a custom mix? (I have minimal skills and can't mix to save my life.)

Can the sleeves be used on Ripley? Sarah?

 

[thundergod]

I plan on doing a minimal paint job on the sleeves , just a light airbrushing of toning/shading as the present colour is pretty close already (on my examples anyway).There's no reason why the sleeves wouldn't fit Sarah or Ripley but I personally think they are TOO muscular for either of those figures .

 

[JediMike71]

Thundergod I found some 1/6 scale female "leather" like wristbands on eBay today. I did the Buy It Now option so I could get them for my Vasquez. Here's the link:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWN:IT&viewitem=&item=250134015055&rd=1&rd=1

I think that they'll work well to cover up where the Cheong arm-sleeves stop before the wrists. I may also paint Vasquez's skin tone darker to match the arm-sleeves, and to give Vasquez the more Hispanic look they had for her in the movie. I came to find out on Harry Harris's website that they used darker body paint on actress Janette Goldstein to give her the darker skin tone. She's naturally a fair-skinned person.

 

[JediMike71]

Here's my Hicks with the repainted Hudson head. It's just a "dry run" since I plan on using the better, "Stoner" head I'm getting in soon for Hicks.

I wrote in Hicks on the armor above the heart art. I got the padlock and metal clip for the heart from Chris C. at EVA Models. They were cast in resin and look great to me. I still have to drill the hole in Hicks' armor on his left shoulder, and write "born again" around it. I cut Hicks' BDU sleeves at the wrists, so I could roll them up higher like he had them in the movie. I think my "kitbash" Hicks from a HT Hudson is turning out pretty good!

Hicks with the helmet off....

 

[Reinhardt]

here are a few pics of my Vasquez with a black t-shirt i used to hide her elbow creases of the arm sleeves. if you pose her arms right, the sleeves can down to her wrists with a minimal gap.

and all 3 just just for kicks (previously posted, but hidden in the monster alien thread):

 

[JediMike71]

Wow, Reinhardt! That looks great! I'm getting in some of those "Cheong" arm sleeves for my Vasquez too. I was wondering how to make the seams at the wrists not be noticeable. That's a good tip using some of a black t-shirt. I love that picture with Vasquez, Hudson and Drake! Did you use Les's "Cronohead" Hudson for your Hudson? I am getting a Chronohead Hudson from Les sometime soon. It's gotta be the best head choice for Hudson out there I think! I like how you put your figures in front of a black background. That's a great idea. It makes the figures really "pop" out. I'll try that too when I do my marine group shot.