Sideshow 12" Stormtrooper PICTURE THREAD

[JustinLuck]

I still need to buy some velcro to keep the chest in place. I will also add some layering underneath the armor to keep in stationary on the legs and arms. As you can see, my upper arm armor can flip around without me noticing.

 

[SilentSurfer]

Now we just need a quick fix for the little cod piece. Poor guy.

 

[Natrix]

Well, I got mine today and he has a super floppy elbow and hip. I have him stripped down and am going to work some glue into the joints to stiffen him up a little bit. Then as long as I have the suit off, I am also going to wrap a little electrical tape around the arms and legs to thicken them up a little so the armor fits a little tighter.

 

[Kuzeh]

The chestplate fix and Future make it look much, much better...
thanks forthe tips guys!
I'll give it a try on my Stormie...

 

[barryo]

i have noticed that over time electrical tape can start drying out and get brittle but before it reaches the dried out stage the glue can get mushy. not sure what kind of affect it would have on the plastic over time but whenever ive need to bulk up the legs on a figure i use thin roll gauze. did a few of my marmit st's this way and as of yet no problems. just an alternative i thought i would share.

 

[rismo]

i have noticed that over time electrical tape can start drying out and get brittle but before it reaches the dried out stage the glue can get mushy. not sure what kind of affect it would have on the plastic over time but whenever ive need to bulk up the legs on a figure i use thin roll gauze. did a few of my marmit st's this way and as of yet no problems. just an alternative i thought i would share.

thanks for that tip, barryo! I will swap out my leg pads when I get a chance.

just did the paint touch-ups on my TKs. looking sharp! thanks for the help, everyone.

 

[Wor-Gar]

OK, very anal I know, but I figured while I was at it, gave the trooper his slightly GREEN-TINTED EYES...

Doesn't read at scale, and once I gloss them it will be lost, so I wouldn't bother. But yes, I did do it.

 

[kjkelley]

Guys, I just got my Stormy today and overall, I am pretty happy. All of the armor is a lot looser than expected, but given the fact his main purpose will be to just stand there with a pose, I can live with this.

Now for my problem that I am looking for some advice on. One of the feet on my Stormy has a very large & distracting black spot that needs to be painted. I am thinking that I can just touch this up, rather then send him back to Sideshow and wait another 3-4 wks to get a replacement. Of all the things that could be touched up with some white on this figure, the boots seem to be the ticket, because they already have that scuffed look going on them. What do you guys think would be the best white to use on the boots? Any particular brand/color of model white paint or maybe just some "white out" would work?

Also, for those adding more black to the chin area, do you think just a sharpie would do the trick or do you think I need black paint?

Thanks for any responses.

 

[rismo]

wow, that is going the extra mile, Wor-Gar! the lenses on my 1:1 lids are emerald green, too, but you would never tell in photos. actually, you pretty much have to put them on and see everything as murky green before you really see it.

thanks, I think I'll leave my 1:6 black. yours is awesome, nonetheless.

 

[Batty]

Just did the heat-and-bend on the chest plate.

Before....................................AFTER

Be very careful: the staps holding the back plate to the chest plate are rubber/vinyl and will warp and shrink is you get them too hot.

That really is a noticeable difference. About how long did you have to heat it up?

 

[MorgulTongue]

Quick review:
1) Body out of the box = $U-CK-AGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The hips, right knee, left elbow, and hands are SUPER loose! Worst body
out of the box I have ever seen/felt. It is like that toy that has strings between the limbs and you push the bottom of
the box and the whole thing loosens up and falls down. Unbelievable!
2) A lot of the armor is super loose! A by-product of the loose limbs? Perhaps.
3) This thing needs MAJOR futzing on my part and it is a DAMN shame that I have to do too much of it.

I was looking forward to this figure big time and it is possibly the most overall disappointing one next to Yavin Luke. I will try these tutorials to make this thing great like some of the others pictured on this board. Wish me luck, because I have never had to futz with a figure beyond the usual out of the box clothing adjustments.
.

 

[Dally]

That future gloss really does look great on the trooper. I may have to pick some up myself, that is if my trooper ever gets here.

 

[JustinLuck]

OK, very anal I know, but I figured while I was at it, gave the trooper his slightly GREEN-TINTED EYES...

Doesn't read at scale, and once I gloss them it will be lost, so I wouldn't bother. But yes, I did do it.

Haha, yes, I can only see the green lenses on my trooper if I look up close. But I think both of us enjoy details, so it is definitely worth the little extra effort.

 

[Wor-Gar]

That really is a noticeable difference. About how long did you have to heat it up?

It really does change the thing, now mine looks more like Rismo's.

I used a hairblower about 4-5 inches away for about 5-6 mins until it got soft enough to bend with minimal effort. I placed the armor on a towel. I also checked every 20 seconds or so by pinching the armor to see if it was hot enough.

I tried hot water too with no effect on the armor. The stuff needs to get really hot for awhile to loosen up.

Again, be careful of the bands that connect the back plate and the chest plate. They will melt or warp -- mine started to but I caught it in time -- so just aim the hairblower at the bottom of the armor's edge best you can.

 

[Wor-Gar]

But I think both of us enjoy details, so it is definitely worth the little extra effort.

I do like these little details. The fixes for this really aren't to tough and it's really a lot of fun.

The green really doesnt even show -- I had to use a flash up close for it to read like that -- but I know its there


Incidently, you guys with loose joints -- mine was really loose yesterday. But today, he's much stiffer. I heard this happened with people's Indy also. Might be the weather or just working with them, they start to tighten a bit. I stripped him down today with the intent to glue all the joints, but once I had the armor off, I discovered the joints were all good. Only the ankles are a problem on mine... and a little glue helped.

 

[Batty]

It really does change the thing, now mine looks more like Rismo's.

I used a hairblower about 4-5 inches away for about 5-6 mins until it got soft enough to bend with minimal effort. I placed the armor on a towel. I also checked every 20 seconds or so by pinching the armor to see if it was hot enough.

I tried hot water too with no effect on the armor. The stuff needs to get really hot for awhile to loosen up.

Again, be careful of the bands that connect the back plate and the chest plate. They will melt or warp -- mine started to but I caught it in time -- so just aim the hairblower at the bottom of the armor's edge best you can.

I really hadn't planned on doing anything to mine, but I might just try that. Thanks for the tip.

I just hope I don't have any loose joint problems.

 

[Reinhardt]

what is the best way to apply Future Floor Wax if you are using a brush? should the wax be diluted? how many layers should be applied? etc etc.

Thanks!

 

[JustinLuck]

Guess what guys! I just found a blessing in disguise! The body is assembled mostly by screws. Remember how the Bucks are impossible to open because of all those glued parts? Well, guess what? Now you can fix most of the loose joints. My shoulder joints were very loose. I took apart the torso and tightened the screws just a bit and now the shoulders are nice and snug, almost like a truetype! I did the same for the hips. You just need a small philips screwdriver made for opening up watches and the like.

 

[FlyAndFight]

For the anal.

I have the current list of fixes as this:

1) Heat and bend the chest plate
2) Attach chestplate to back plate with velcro
3) Fix the thigh armor higher on the legs.
4) Pull the belt down under the blue lights on waist
5) Fix the "asian" eyes
6) Put some black on outside of mouth to seperate the outside teeth from mouth
7) Paint the aerators with a ring of black
8) Dry brush the mic tips to darken them
9) Paint the black chin area with more black
10) Gloss the whole set of armor with future or gloss acrylic

Did I miss any?

Excellent list! Thanks!

OK, very anal I know, but I figured while I was at it, gave the trooper his slightly GREEN-TINTED EYES...

Doesn't read at scale, and once I gloss them it will be lost, so I wouldn't bother. But yes, I did do it.

That looks fantastic!! Should be added to the list above.

what is the best way to apply Future Floor Wax if you are using a brush? should the wax be diluted? how many layers should be applied? etc etc.

Thanks!

You can simply brush it on straight from the bottle. No need to dilute it. But remember to leave it alone once you've applied it. Don't go back and re-brush or you risk getting brush strokes showing. Also, a little goes a long way.

Try it on a small area first, perhaps on his backside, until you get the hang of it.

 

[Matt S]

Thanks for all the wonderful ideas, everyone! Shall have fun with my Stormie customization Monday.....