Tamashii Soul of Chogokin C-3PO & R2-D2

[swsqueakquels]

___________

 

[PJB-1138]

I found just that cellophane stuff from party places was best (like gift wrap I think it is.) I shopped around and finally found a light yellowy orange and also a much darker reddish orange. The darker one looked best to me. Didn't think I'd use this stuff on my $400 3PO!

For longer lasting results (I imagine the cellophane will fade pretty fast,) camera stores might have actual "gel" used to change the color of photographic lights.

A party supply store is the next place I'm gonna hit when I have a chance. Let me know how those cellophane pieces work out. I figure anyone else interested in this mod could report back what material produces the best result and make this Threepio even more "perfect."

 

[jedijim3002]

Nice mod. Very subtle.

 

[Matt S]

I am afraid to handle this guy with my bare hands..gonna leave him in the box till I figure out what stand I want to use..the one in the box isn't really to my liking

 

[Solo_bones]

Nice mod. Here's another idea. I'm going to use my Dremel and see if I can cut a very thin slice without damaging the plastic. I doubt it.

How much of a space do we have to work with, in terms of thickness?

 

[MarfMaster]

Awesome mod, the eyes were definitely bothering me a tad.

 

[Deak Starkiller]

I know this is verging on super-nitpicking territory now, but is no one bothered by Threepio's eye color? Not only are they a little too bright, but I don't think they ever looked halogen-white in the movies either.

I went to Michael's looking for some kind yellow cellophane material to use as color gel, but this was the closest thing I could find:

After unscrewing the piece inside Threepio's head holding the lights and electronics, I placed tiny squares of the yellow plastic material I just cut with scissors right over the metal grill piece that covers his eyes. The stuff turned out to be more transparent than I though, so I actually used three squares of plastic for each eye.

While the difference doesn't seem dramatic in this iPad photo, the results not only correct the eye color, but it also dims the lighting quite a bit without sacrificing the appearance of the three tiny diodes in each eye. What do you guys think?

Brilliant work sir!

 

[Tee-Kay]

Mine arrived today. Not such a good deal going the asian route as customs made it more expensive than a local source.
Anyway, it remains an exceptionnal piece and is in perfect condition. No broken piston or cut wire. Gonna enjoy this 3PO for some time and start saving for R2.

 

[Matt S]

Opened mine today and very, very impressive...almost nervous displaying him out in the open....

Question: how **** retentive are you guys being with the finish? i got mine via SSC, and overall fantastic condition...however, mine had two blemished in the surface: torso and head

Trying to see if I should let it go or see if they'll replace the parts...considering the $400 price tag, I am being more extreme than normal

 

[Invictus Sol]

Can you post pics, Matt? Considering the price and reflective finish on 3PO, it's understandable to want it pristine but I probably could live with minor imperfections (kinda lazy when it comes to returning stuff).

 

[Matt S]

Thanks, yeah, no camera at moment, and truth be told, I am gonna live with it - the imperfections are only noticeable in direct light..

I figure with a finish like this, its hard not to have some very minor issues with it

 

[Boba Ben]

I ordered mine from Amazon. Went with the free shipping, so it'll be awhile before he gets here.

 

[Solo_bones]

Here's the option I used, tabs.

 

[Darkseed]

I love this guy, the masterpiece of my collection thus far. Bring on the astromech droid

 

[furystorm]

Bring on the astromech droid

 

[Wor-Gar]

WOW! You just improved a $400 figure. Let's see how long these guys can possibly ignore this improvement.

 

[CriterionCollector]

I wanna do the mod for the eyes, but I'm afraid of mucking it up.

 

[PJB-1138]

I wanna do the mod for the eyes, but I'm afraid of mucking it up.

Hmm, as much fear as I sense in you, this is a pretty easy mod. I took a similar approach to what Solo_bones did and found these file folders at Staples. Not only were they were a little cheaper than the cellophane wrapping from the party supply store swsqueakquels suggested, but having a choice between orange and yellow gave me options.

BTW, after noticing that the colored plastic film didn't look very good over Threepio's pupils when the lights were off, I decided to just cut a single rectangular piece from the orange folder and place it behind the eye lenses instead.

While the difference may not seem dramatic from what I did last time, the orange film produces a nice amber hue once those tiny bulbs blast all that light through.

I thought it looked pretty good until I saw how good Solo_bones Threepio turned out.

 

[Solo_bones]

Hmm, as much fear as I sense in you, this is a pretty easy mod. I took a similar approach to what Solo_bones did and found these file folders at Staples. Not only were they were a little cheaper than the cellophane wrapping from the party supply store swsqueakquels suggested, but having a choice between orange and yellow gave me options.

BTW, after noticing that the colored plastic film didn't look very good over Threepio's pupils when the lights were off, I decided to just cut a single rectangular piece from the orange folder and place it behind the eye lenses instead.

While the difference may not seem dramatic from what I did last time, the orange film produces a nice amber hue once those tiny bulbs blast all that light through.

I thought it looked pretty good until I saw how good Solo_bones Threepio turned out.

All credit goes to you PJB. I layered the orange and yellow.

Also, I saw (3) tab options and the "Bit Tab Insertable Storage Dividers by Avery Advantage (8) Tabs (NOT FIVE) offered two different oranges and a yellow. I combined the yellow and the orange to get my color. Although one less yellow or one more orange would have nailed the look in ANH.

Yours looks great and all cred goes to you, my friend. C-3PO seems to have all sorts of different colors in different scenes. So it's all a matter of preference, I think. Thanks for your pioneering on this one!

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Mine arrived today. Not such a good deal going the asian route as customs made it more expensive than a local source.
Anyway, it remains an exceptionnal piece and is in perfect condition. No broken piston or cut wire. Gonna enjoy this 3PO for some time and start saving for R2.

Hey mate - are you TK-842 over at RS?? Those custom fees sure do sting, that's not great. Your figure's A1 though, so that's the glass half full part.

BTW folks - great idea with the coloured gel plates or whatever.. but I couldn't be bothered doing that.