Official 12" Bespin Han Solo Image Thread

[pixletwin]

Anyone who wants to learn to paint 1/6 figures should start here.

I know I've posted this link before, but I have a lot of love for this guys work. He started me on the path. My techniques have changed a lot since then, but I wouldn't still be doing this if not for Tony DiTerlizzi.

Great link Mikey. Thanks!

 

[Customikey]

EXACTLY! I have seen behind-the-scene pictures of McFarlane Toy's paint factory and the painters refer to a photograph of the prototype to help them paint.

These guys were stuck looking at the prototype Han. And they actually did a remarkable job replicating it. Now imagine if they had Mikey's version to compare to. They might have at least got the hair color right!

I wonder who DOES paint the protos. How come we've never heard of him? We've been introduced to the guys who design the boxes and costumes, but not the proto-painter. Weird.

Maybe there's more than one?

 

[pixletwin]

I wonder who DOES paint the protos. How come we've never heard of him? We've been introduced to the guys who design the boxes and costumes, but not the proto-painter. Weird.

Maybe there's more than one?

I think the jaws documentary Part 2 or 3 has an interview with him.

 

[IrishJedi]

Mikey, have you ever repainted a Captain Miller (Tom Hanks from "Saving Private Ryan")? I have one of the base figures and would kill to have it customized like the one by Tony DiTerlizzi in that link.

 

[JustinLuck]

I wonder who DOES paint the protos. How come we've never heard of him? We've been introduced to the guys who design the boxes and costumes, but not the proto-painter. Weird.

Maybe he secretly lives with the 'dead' vice president in Montana!






Sorry, just finished the season finale of Prison Break.

 

[Customikey]

Mikey, have you ever repainted a Captain Miller (Tom Hanks from "Saving Private Ryan")? I have one of the base figures and would kill to have it customized like the one by Tony DiTerlizzi in that link.

Never have, no. I'd love to do a good Tom Hanks, though. One of my favorite actors. But my technique is vastly different from Tony's these days. He favors washes, while I prefer more drybrushing and acrylic chalk.

 

[IrishJedi]

Never have, no. I'd love to do a good Tom Hanks, though. One of my favorite actors.

Well, I may have a job for you then.

 

[Customikey]

Well, I may have a job for you then.

I'm a little backed up at the moment, but I'll be free to take on more work in a couple of months hopefully. I have to clear the backlog of commissions. My wife says so.

 

[IrishJedi]

That's cool. No hurry. I've waited this long (have had the fig for about 6-7 years now) a couple more months can't hurt.

Besides, you need to keep your schedule open so you can start painting those SSC prototype heads.

 

[Memnoch]

Mikey, this may sound like a dumb Q, but do you strip the paint off the head first and then paint or paint right over the factory apps? I ask because I think Im going to try and repaint my Hasbro Old Ben and would like an idea on where exactly I should start.

 

[Customikey]

Mikey, this may sound like a dumb Q, but do you strip the paint off the head first and then paint or paint right over the factory apps? I ask because I think Im going to try and repaint my Hasbro Old Ben and would like an idea on where exactly I should start.

It's not a stupid question at all.
I'm too lazy to strip the factory apps. Factory apps are pretty thin anyway. I just spray primer in a thin, even coat over the whole thing. Primer is good because it gives you a blank slate and it helps the paint stick better. Like so:

 

[stshammgod]

Yikes, I may send you my Solo head for a repaint at some point. You are quite the painter man, for sure. Amazing stuff.

 

[Customikey]

Yikes, I may send you my Solo head for a repaint at some point. You are quite the painter man, for sure. Amazing stuff.

I've noticed the number of excellent painters on this board seems to be growing. DA, Les, Hurricane...

We're becoming a subsect of the freaks board, it seems.

And most of us are customizers in some capacity or another.

 

[DarkArtist81]

Thanks Mikey..... Yeah, it's nice to have such a large group of talented painters to pool for information and such. Everyone listed up there with me has helped me in some form or another. I'm just honored to be listed with you guys.

 

[JustinLuck]

Mikey, I see you stick your heads on some sort of stand. Do you use that while painting, or do you leave them attached to the body? I imagine it would be best to remove them. Do you use a hairdryer? I sure wouldn't want to use the boiling method. Especially after repainting.

 

[Customikey]

Mikey, I see you stick your heads on some sort of stand. Do you use that while painting, or do you leave them attached to the body? I imagine it would be best to remove them. Do you use a hairdryer? I sure wouldn't want to use the boiling method. Especially after repainting.

Yeah, I usually use some aparatus to hold the head better, although I do occassioanlly leave the head attached if I want to paint the torso and arms as well. Hairdryer is definitely the way to go when re-attaching. Boiling water would make the acrylic paint bubble.

 

[Murderofcrows71]

I'm glad to see your repaint of Solo worked so well. Definately a dead on sculpt and it gives me much more hope at turning the regular version of the Solo fig I ordered into a Raiders era Indiana Jones.

 

[Customikey]

I'm glad to see your repaint of Solo worked so well. Definately a dead on sculpt and it gives me much more hope at turning the regular version of the Solo fig I ordered into a Raiders era Indiana Jones.

Thanks. You'd have a lot of work ahead of you turning him into Jones, though. His ears are almost completely covered. You'd need to give him a haircut, and that means some major re-tooling.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Boom.

MIKEY! Holy cow! That's awesome. I just got back from a long weekend and Pjam told me about your repaint. I can't believe how dead on he looks now. THAT IS FORD!

 

[Michael Crawford]

That is excellent paint work - but the sculpt still suffers from too straight a nose, and too round a chin. It's a huge improvement though!