Hot Toys 1/6 Christopher Reeve Superman - Making it Movie Accurate

[cking]

Hi everyone,

Here's the early stages of an attempt at making the (already superb) Hot Toys 1/6 Christopher Reeve Superman figure MOVIE ACCURATE.
This is a real labor of love that I'm working on with my good friend and fellow Super-fan Martin-El.

Step 1:
Remove rubbery chest logo from blue costume. It's best to do this when the costume has been taken off the body. Carefully pull the logo up (starting at the corners) and then continue to pull it up at a steady speed until removed. There was no damage to the costume and no glue residue left over at all. However, as you can see in the pic, there is a darker "shadow" left behind on the costume. Not a problem though because this will be fully covered up by the slightly larger, accurately designed logo.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee167/cking-photos/HT-Reeve-Costume-Logo-Removed.jpg

Step 2:
Several sizes of chest and cape logos were tested, but ultimately, an exact 1/6 scale version of the full size artwork was used. The width of the HT chest logo wasn't far off, but it's not tall enough and most of you know how I feel about the innacurate design of the artwork they used. Screen printed logos will be made and then attached to the costume (we've matched the red and yellow to the color of the red trunks and yellow belt on the figure).

The cape logo is very badly off on the HT figure as you can see by comparing it to the accurate test print below it in this pic.

*Note: The logo varied slightly in the movie, but I selected one from the interview with lois scenes on her apartment balcony. The publicity pics of Reeve (and the famous standing in front of the stars and stripes) is a strange version of the logo which was only used in the publicity pics. That particular style of logo never appears in the actual movie, so I didn't use it*

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee167/cking-photos/HT-Reeve-Movie-Accurate-Logos-Test.jpg

Step 3:
Once again, after several different sized test prints, the best scale was chosen for the boot top detail which will be glued over the top of the HT boot. The engraved detailing on their boot is innacurate because this detail should sit proud of the main boot surface (and should be shaped differently too). Here's the test print wrapped around the HT boot (test print on the right hand boot, HT boot on the left).

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee167/cking-photos/HT-Reeve-Movie-Accurate-Boot-Top-Test.jpg

[Kal El Klarc]

This looks good but too me at least the boot is still too short, look forward to seeing the complete version of this.

[intothevoid]

Nice work on the logos, boots still need some work i think

[Cocoboloboy]

Cool! Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[amusedjester]

i wondered as well if you were going to raise the boot so that it's closer to the knee. Also, could you tell us what that material is called that you are going to use for the symbol? it's not one of those iron on printable paper is it?

[Tyderium]

Great to see this thread start up.

I'd also be interested in what material you are using for the boot mod Chris.

The HT boots being too short was one of my sticking points and also the fabric and pattern used on the cape. This is something I definitely want to do a custom on depending on how easy it is to remove the HT cape.

[cking]

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to increase the height of the boots too much because the bottom edge of the new detail needs to cover up the engraved line which HT put onto their boots. The new detail will make the boots slightly taller, but not as tall as they should be. I'm not going to make new boots or paint the existing ones so I decided to compromise and just put the accurate detail at the top. We're looking at different types of material and will select the best one which does the job.

The logos will be screen printed and will be a lot better quality than the "iron-on" type of technqiue. They will look like fabric (instead of the rubbery appearance of the HT logo).

I know what you mean about the cape Tyderium - I don't like the fabric choice or pattern either. However, I'm just planning on putting the accurate logo on there for now.

If I was to upgrade this figure all the way, I would have an entirely new suit and cape made for it. Since my main focus is on the 1/3 scale display which is in progress, I decided to just upgrade the logos and boot tops on this figure to improve it a bit.

Cheers,

Chris

[Kamandi]

I'll be watching. Very interested in how you will create the new chest shield.

Might I also suggest I thought HT's belt was one of the weak points and looks cheap compared to the rest of the figure.

[cking]

The chest shield (and cape shield) are being screen printed onto fabric. They will then be attached onto the HT costume.

I thought they did a nice job of the belt buckle, but the fastener joint being in the front was a bit of a strange idea. I won't be changing it though. As I said - this is just a logo and boots upgrade.

Chris

I'll be watching. Very interested in how you will create the new chest shield.

Might I also suggest I thought HT's belt was one of the weak points and looks cheap compared to the rest of the figure.

[Kamandi]

Will you be stitching the new shield or using iron-on fabric?

[cking]

It will not be stitched. I forget the name of the stuff which is used to "bond" two pieces of fabric together, (it's not glue, LOL), but that's how it will be done. It should be stronger than how HT did it. The trickiest part is going to be making sure the logo is attached in the correct location because it will have to be bonded onto the costume while it's not being worn. I can see why some of the HT logos are not straight etc because it's difficult to judge it properly when the costume is taken off the figure (because it "shrinks" back to its unstretched size).

Martin-El should be able to remind me about what the stuff is called.

Will you be stitching the new shield or using iron-on fabric?

[Valfar]

Its cool that you are doing this but, i don't see much of a difference between what you have printed and what we got with the figure other then maybe a slight width change.

[cking]

I wish I could see what you're seeing and then I wouldn't have to worry about doing this! LOL.

Actually, there isn't any change to the width, but it is taller on the movie accurate version / my printout.

All of the yellow shapes have been updated to the correct shapes on my test print and if you look at it side by side with the HT, you would see that the HT logo is just wrong.

Chris

Its cool that you are doing this but, i don't see much of a difference between what you have printed and what we got with the figure other then maybe a slight width change.

[jye4ever]

Wait, my HT Superman isn't screen accurate.

Crap.

[cking]

I'm afraid not. Sorry you had to find out this way. LOL.

Wait, my HT Superman isn't screen accurate.

Crap.

[Kamandi]

I guess what jumps out at me when looking at the real costume is the hand-made quality of it. There's an imperfect quality to the shield. Everything is hand stitched. Perhaps it stretched in ways the costume maker didn't expect.

That's the biggest thing missing from HT's 'S' to me. Not the width or height.

[cking]

I agree 100%. That's why I've made sure the artwork on the replacement captures the exact appearance of the logo as it was being worn on Reeve's costume.

I guess what jumps out at me when looking at the real costume is the hand-made quality of it. There's an imperfect quality to the shield. Perhaps it stretched in ways the costume maker didn't expect.

That's the biggest thing missing from HT's 'S' to me. Not the width or height.

[chRd]

please do share updates. darn you, now i hate the cape 'S'

[mst3kpimp]

the cape S seems to be higher than it appears in the movie as well. I suppose theres no way to fix it?

[Maglor]

Its cool that you are doing this but, i don't see much of a difference between what you have printed and what we got with the figure other then maybe a slight width change.

:exactly:


I wish I could see what you're seeing and then I wouldn't have to worry about doing this! LOL.


I wish you could to. :1-1:

[Maglor]

I guess what jumps out at me when looking at the real costume is the hand-made quality of it. There's an imperfect quality to the shield. Everything is hand stitched. Perhaps it stretched in ways the costume maker didn't expect.

That's the biggest thing missing from HT's 'S' to me. Not the width or height.

I agree 100%. That's why I've made sure the artwork on the replacement captures the exact appearance of the logo as it was being worn on Reeve's costume.

Yep. I agree too. And that's why I wouldn't want to change the HT shield. I know you see it as "idealized", but I like it that way.

It's almost like HT made the shield they way they would have back in 1978 if the costume department had had the means.

[cking]

We'll obviously have to agree to disagree on this one. It's just as easy to make the logo movie accurate instead of do an "idealized" version.

Just give me a logo that looks like it did in the movie and I'll be happy. Not interested in idealized versions. If I showed you a side by side comparison photo with the HT rubbery logo placed next to the accurate printout, you would see just how "idealized" and innacurate the HT logo is (I'm talking about the yellow shapes, not the overall size).

Would you like them to put the Batman Returns logo onto the 1989 Keaton movie costume just because they think it looks better than the one which appeared on the actual costume? I certainly wouldn't want to see that and I'm sure the vast majority of collectors would agree with me. This is no different in my opinion.

Everyone knows how I feel about the HT logos and there's no point discussing it any further in this thread because I'm already replacing the HT logos with accurate versions. I'm not asking you to stop liking your figure. I'm just doing something to my figure which in my eyes will improve it for my own collection. Isn't that what customization is all about?

Chris

Yep. I agree too. And that's why I wouldn't want to change the HT shield. I know you see it as "idealized", but I like it that way.

It's almost like HT made the shield they way they would have back in 1978 if the costume department had had the means.

[carbo-fation]

Great work so far. :clap

Chris, are you ever planning on doing another run of your infamous 1/4 C. Reeve custom?

[Tyderium]

We'll obviously have to agree to disagree on this one. It's just as easy to make the logo movie accurate instead of do an "idealized" version.

Just give me a logo that looks like it did in the movie and I'll be happy. Not interested in idealized versions. If I showed you a side by side comparison photo with the HT rubbery logo placed next to the accurate printout, you would see just how "idealized" and innacurate the HT logo is (I'm talking about the yellow shapes, not the overall size).

Would you like them to put the Batman Returns logo onto the 1989 Keaton movie costume just because they think it looks better than the one which appeared on the actual costume? I certainly wouldn't want to see that and I'm sure the vast majority of collectors would agree with me. This is no different in my opinion.

Everyone knows how I feel about the HT logos and there's no point discussing it any further in this thread because I'm already replacing the HT logos with accurate versions. I'm not asking you to stop liking your figure. I'm just doing something to my figure which in my eyes will improve it for my own collection. Isn't that what customization is all about?

Chris

Well put.
Looking forward to seeing your new logos on the figure Chris.

[EVILFACE]

Thought you got rid of the HT Superman as soon as you opened the package?

[OSCORP]

Too much OCD for me to follow.

GL!

[cking]

Here's an idea - you could always stay out of the thread if you haven't got anything useful to say or you don't want to follow the OCD in it! :wave

Too much OCD for me to follow.

GL!

[cking]

Yes, you're absolutely correct. I did get rid of it.
However, in hindsight - I realised that it was a knee jerk reaction to the initial disappointment. After looking at lots of the excellent pics people continued posting, I realised that it was a mistake to get rid of it so I ordered a "loose" one from ABC Express, plus a spare costume so I could play around with the logos on it.

Thought you got rid of the HT Superman as soon as you opened the package?

[DGTWoodward]

It will not be stitched. I forget the name of the stuff which is used to "bond" two pieces of fabric together, (it's not glue, LOL), but that's how it will be done....
Martin-El should be able to remind me about what the stuff is called.

Wonder Web?

[Maglor]

If I showed you a side by side comparison photo with the HT rubbery logo placed next to the accurate printout, you would see just how "idealized" and innacurate the HT logo is (I'm talking about the yellow shapes, not the overall size).


Why haven't you done this?



Would you like them to put the Batman Returns logo onto the 1989 Keaton movie costume just because they think it looks better than the one which appeared on the actual costume? I certainly wouldn't want to see that and I'm sure the vast majority of collectors would agree with me. This is no different in my opinion.

I wouldn't want the Superman Returns shield on this figure. That would be the same as the example you gave. Taking the original 1978 design and making it more symmetrical is totally different.

Here is the comparison I would use: Batman '89 boots were made out of Nikes, but I want "idealized" boots. I don't want them to look obviously like homemade boots. Batman's boots and Superman's Shield don't look homemade on the pages of comics and the only reason they have on screen is because they basically were homemade. This is due to the constraints of costume design back when Reeve's Superman and Keaton's Batman were made. If those movies were made today there is no way they would look that sloppy.

Personally, I prefer slight changes to costumes in an effort to right the wrongs done by the original costume design team. It presents the character as we imagine them more than they way they actually were with all their imperfections. No one will come into my collection room and think 'wow, what a cool figure, but I don't remember the "S" looking like that.' But if the "S" was literally screen accurate some might think, 'was the "S" really that sloppy in the movie?' Do you get what I'm saying?

One more example. It's a pet peeve of mine that Sideshow's ANH Vader has one silver tusk and one black tusk. That was a mistake on set, and I wish Sideshow had righted the wrong (although that would have pissed off most SW collectors).



Everyone knows how I feel about the HT logos and there's no point discussing it any further in this thread because I'm already replacing the HT logos with accurate versions. I'm not asking you to stop liking your figure.


In the past it honestly felt like you were trying to do just that, so I thank you for saying that.



I'm just doing something to my figure which in my eyes will improve it for my own collection. Isn't that what customization is all about?


Yes. And I'm not trying to talk you out of modifying your figure. I hope it comes out to your satisfaction.



Although I have no interest in changing the shield or boots on mine I will follow this thread to see your progress. I don't want to get in a flame war, and I hope we understand each other's point of view here. :peace

[Rorywan]

As a relative outsider on this conversation, and one that just voted Reeve's Superman as figure of the year on another thread, my opinion would be this. The one thing that let this figure down was the shield, not necessarily the graphic overtly perfect nature of the HT one. Rather the shiny vinyl way they approached it. Even if it was matte and looked a bit less perfect it would have been better. This is an iconic image, one largely identified by the treatment of the 's' shield. I love everything else about the figure, but they got that wrong, very wrong. They just took a perfect graphic version of the logo and stuck it on. How much of an issue that is, is dependent on your relationship to the movie since childhood. If the BATS logo was that off there would be fits happening.

Just my two cents.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll97/rorywan/screen-capture-1-18.png

[Maglor]

I'm sorry, but when I look at the screen and then turn around to look at the figure the only difference I notice is that the shield above is all rounded and bulgy on the bottom right edge. Looks chincy.


I do agree that the HT shield is too shiny but I don't really notice it.

[Tyderium]

You can see it best when you look at the negative spaces (yellow) in the HT shield. The shield is not the correct (1978) height and thus the logo overall has a squat appearance on the HT version.

[Valfar]

I'm sorry, but when I look at the screen and then turn around to look at the figure the only difference I notice is that the shield above is all rounded and bulgy on the bottom right edge. Looks chincy.


I do agree that the HT shield is too shiny but I don't really notice it.

Yea, i don't really notice it as well..looks more matte on mine.

[Rorywan]

I'm sorry, but when I look at the screen and then turn around to look at the figure the only difference I notice is that the shield above is all rounded and bulgy on the bottom right edge. Looks chincy.


I do agree that the HT shield is too shiny but I don't really notice it.

Really? I see a lot wrong with it, it doesn't bother me though, cause over all the figure is outstanding.

(not my pic)
http://images53.fotki.com/v249/photos/9/1793119/10236410/capefront2-vi.jpghttp://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll97/rorywan/screen-capture-1-18.png

[Snake Eater]

There is indeed a great deal wrong with it.

If someone offered a reasonably priced way of replacing it for a sewn version I would jump at the chance.

[Teddy Daniels]

There is indeed a great deal wrong with it.

If someone offered a reasonably priced way of replacing it for a sewn version I would jump at the chance.

Wonder if we could all sound our outfits to Kato :lol

[Snake Eater]

Yes please!! :lol

[Rorywan]

Can you imagine! The tiny stitches around the 'S'? That would be awesome. Kato are you listening? New project?!
:)

[Maglor]

You can see it best when you look at the negative spaces (yellow) in the HT shield. The shield is not the correct (1978) height and thus the logo overall has a squat appearance on the HT version.

Really? I see a lot wrong with it, it doesn't bother me though, cause over all the figure is outstanding.


I can see that the figure's shield is more squat now, but that's it.

[Rorywan]

I can see that the figure's shield is more squat now, but that's it.

Are you one of those people who only see yellow tonsils when they look at the Batman logo?
:lol

[Snake Eater]

Can you imagine! The tiny stitches around the 'S'? That would be awesome. Kato are you listening? New project?!
:)

Well I think we have three customers already!

[Rorywan]

Well I think we have three customers already!

Yes!
:pray:

[abake]

Wasn't somebody offering a 1000 dollar high-end suit for the HT Superman?
You guys might want to check that out...
:monkey3

[Kamandi]

@Cking - in spite of what the doubters are posting I'm still interested in seeing more. Keep posting pictures please.

[cking]

Don't worry - I will post some pictures when we've made some progress. The new logos won't be screen printed until late December so I probably won't have anything new to show until January.

The "doubters" have no effect on my desire to upgrade this figure, so it's business as usual as far as I'm concerned.

@Cking - in spite of what the doubters are posting I'm still interested in seeing more. Keep posting pictures please.

[cking]

Maglor - Here's the logo from your HT fig (taken from your pic posted in the other thread - hope you don't mind) compared to the movie costume logo seen in the pic posted by Rorywan.

The HT logo has innacurate black outlines around the yellow shapes and the curves / proportions of the yellow shapes (particularly the larger ones) are no match. The "arrow" head on the upper shape is too small and the curve along the top edge of the lower shape is going down instead of up!

There was certainly some slight variation between the different costumes worn by Reeve, but none of his costumes had the shapes in the logo which look like the HT version.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee167/cking-photos/HT-vs-Movie.jpg

[drjedisith]

I'm Lookin forward to the new symbol man

[Rorywan]

Maglor - Here's the logo from your HT fig (taken from your pic posted in the other thread - hope you don't mind) compared to the movie costume logo seen in the pic posted by Rorywan.

The HT logo has innacurate black outlines around the yellow shapes and the curves / proportions of the yellow shapes (particularly the larger ones) are no match. The "arrow" head on the upper shape is too small and the curve along the top edge of the lower shape is going down instead of up!

There was certainly some slight variation between the different costumes worn by Reeve, but none of his costumes had the shapes in the logo which look like the HT version.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee167/cking-photos/HT-vs-Movie.jpg

I guess its all about how iconic this thing is to you. I look at the logo on the right, the movie version and it instantly instills memories and coolness, the one on the left, I just see a generic Superman logo.
:(

[abake]

Wow, I'd never paid attention to the details of the S logo in the movie...
While I immediately thought it was odd that it was a rubbery material on top of the suit, I didn't know how different it actually was.

Not saying either is better, but I would have preferred some sort of cloth logo.
Anyway, found these pics:

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s178/abake_2007/movies%20and%20props/CW-ChrisReeve-portrait-6.jpg

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s178/abake_2007/movies%20and%20props/superman2968dc90bdd9.jpg

That everyone has probably seen to death...

[Rorywan]

The top one shows the construction perfectly. Stitched sections like a quilt. I don't mind the HT one but it's completely inaccurate. I would 100% pay for a more screen accurate suit/logo.

[martin-el]

As a longtime collaborator with cking its a pleasure as always to be working on this small-scale but no less significant costume project!

Though we voiced our concerns with the prototype some time ago here;

http://www.supermania78.com/2011/06/open-letter-to-hot-toys.html

There sadly was no revision of the costume for the final figure so our hand was forced to do the customisation. Just as the blog post suggests - this wasn't an attempt to invalidate the costume as-is (indeed, the suit is great so there was never any discussion of replacing it completely) but merely accurizing some features to make it as faithful as possible to the screen costume. To that end, I've chronicled my early experiments with these rather pitiful videos for your entertainment;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=j_hNA7EMS40

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=51cw83uZ27g

Which show you previews of Chris' extrordinary replacement symbols that are going to make this already amazing piece fly right out of the Detolf. Updates will follow...!::hi5:

[Kamandi]

Once you have your shield printed on fabric you plan to bond the new graphic to the suit using a heat activated bonding strip.

I wonder how it would look if you followed that step by doing a layer of hand stitching over the edges? It might give it the quilted look. Maybe not, but since you're prototyping anyway...

[Kal El Klarc]

too be honest the movie one never looked sloppy to me and besides remember his costume is meant to have been made by his earth mum/mom so it is more realistic if the lines aren't exactly straight

[cking]

Note the differences between the logo on the two pics you've posted. The top pic was taken on location when they were filming the desert scenes with Lois. (That costume also appears in the "interview" scenes on Lois's balcony - I'm sad enough to have matched up the subtle details of the logo to both scenes. LOL).

The other pic in front of the flag is a publicity suit with a different style of logo. For some reason, they gave Reeve another suit for these pics (and the pics in front of manhattan skyline). The logo specific to these publicity pics was not used in the movie at all (well, I've never found a scene where it can be seen). I always thought it was weird that he wasn't wearing one of the costumes from the movie for those publicity pics.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s178/abake_2007/movies%20and%20props/CW-ChrisReeve-portrait-6.jpg

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s178/abake_2007/movies%20and%20props/superman2968dc90bdd9.jpg

[Maglor]

How is this coming?

I'm entertaining thoughts of getting a custom "S" shield for my figure for 2 reasons:


1) Mine is a bit crocked and I'm getting sick of futzing with it.

2) Since somebody pointed out how much more squat shaped the one on the figure is I can't stop seeing that.

[Rorywan]

How is this coming?

I'm entertaining thoughts of getting a custom "S" shield for my figure for 2 reasons:


1) Mine is a bit crocked and I'm getting sick of futzing with it.

2) Since somebody pointed out how much more squat shaped the one on the figure is I can't stop seeing that.

Likewise I'm getting a bit OCD about Supes.
:(

[LIBBY1957DOG]

Hi Martin i hope you dont mind ,and not to steal your thunder ,but i found this update and thought id share it with the guys on here ,im sure they will be as impressed as i was ,please LMK when you will have your custom kit avaliable and how much cheers chris http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2jjxU_y3mU&feature=related

[Snake Eater]

That looks ____ing brilliant. :clap

Need. Now. :panic:

[Teddy Daniels]

Wow that looks AWESOME!

I am guessing this is designed to go straight on top of the inaccurate HT 'S' logo?

Will these be available?

[VintijDroidGutzz]

cking & martin-el - I totally get you, & totally agree regarding the movie S compared to the HT one.. I saw it from day one too.

Great project, excellent progress on the printed logos, & your dedication is to be admired my friends!

Well done & I look forward to keeping up with your work! :clap :hi5:

[vodoun]

Wow that looks AWESOME!

It does indeed. With no black outline.

I am guessing this is designed to go straight on top of the inaccurate HT 'S' logo?


You'd still have the possible peeling bump. Since his was done so you don't get that. Out of all the things Hot Toys has at their disposal, you'd think they could have done this. Since rubber and paint always fades with them.

[Wanderer]

I guess its all about how iconic this thing is to you. I look at the logo on the right, the movie version and it instantly instills memories and coolness, the one on the left, I just see a generic Superman logo.
:(

Damn think you need to get outside and smell the roses or something. Nice little project this but strictly for the uber fan. I'm happy with the standard version

[Maglor]

Hi Martin i hope you dont mind ,and not to steal your thunder ,but i found this update and thought id share it with the guys on here ,im sure they will be as impressed as i was ,please LMK when you will have your custom kit avaliable and how much cheers chris http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2jjxU_y3mU&feature=related

Very nice! What's it made out of? (I'm at work, so I have no sound if it's mentioned in the video.)



Wow that looks AWESOME!

I am guessing this is designed to go straight on top of the inaccurate HT 'S' logo?
Will these be available?

Dosn't seem like that would work. The custom shield isn't the exact same shape so the HT shield will make it look all lumpy from underneath I would think.

The question then is: How does one remove the HT decal?

[Kamandi]

That turned out awesome cking! I'm seriously tempted to mod mine! PM me with details when you're ready.

[Tyderium]

Wow that looks AWESOME!

I am guessing this is designed to go straight on top of the inaccurate HT 'S' logo?

Will these be available?


The HT shield is intended to be removed first. Chris said that this comes off relatively easily with no glue residue.

I'm interested if these new shields are offered guys - or at least some info on the printable fabric and where it can be sourced :)

Great work.

[amusedjester]

The HT shield is intended to be removed first. Chris said that this comes off relatively easily with no glue residue.

I'm interested if these new shields are offered guys - or at least some info on the printable fabric and where it can be sourced :)

Great work.

I second that!

[Maglor]

Just re-watched the video with sound.

So cool. I want one. :)

[mst3kpimp]

oh wow... you really must make these available when you've got it perfected.

[Korrick USCM]

oh wow... you really must make these available when you've got it perfected.

Yes! :pray: I'd definitely buy some!

[Gipetto0812]

That new shield from the latest video looks great. And while I am quite happy with the way HT did it, if I could manage to get a set for the chest and cape shields, it would just make me happier

Great work on this so far though :clap

[tomk]

I'm finding this fascinating and admire the attention to detail but Hot Toys have got it as close as I need. The Hot Toys body is far more barrel chested than Reeve was so obviously that's going to affect how the shield lies. It will be interesting to see just how your shield looks when properly applied.
I should perhaps let my wife read this thread. She might be relieved to discover there are people out there even harder to please than I am.

Good luck and I hope you find happiness.

[Maglor]

I'm finding this fascinating and admire the attention to detail but Hot Toys have got it as close as I need. The Hot Toys body is far more barrel chested than Reeve was so obviously that's going to affect how the shield lies. It will be interesting to see just how your shield looks when properly applied.


Possibly my biggest complaint about the figure.




I should perhaps let my wife read this thread. She might be relieved to discover there are people out there even harder to please than I am.

Good luck and I hope you find happiness.

:lol :lol :lol

[martin-el]

Hi guys -

Thanks for the notices about my youtube vids - while dreadfully done they at least get the point across.
I have a small update consisting of good & bad news - the first, tragically, is that the self-adhesive printable fabric will not be suitable after all. Despite how it looks in the vid the colours are muted due to the thinness of the fabric and then brought down a notch more by sticking it to blue :( Its great for the 'Evil' Superman but pales in comparison to the original screen-printed versions so we've reverted back to those. This is why we experiment I guess. The printable fabric is ideal for the Jor-El figure (due to the contrast) and I still have some of those if anybody's interested. I will update again once I have the screenprinted shields and will do another vid hopefully showing off how great it looks when applied and on the figure.
The other bad news is I can't get the boot-top mod to work either :( having tried with a number of different materials (plasticard, fabric-backed vinyl, vinyl sheeting, rubber, etc.) nothing comes close to blending in to make the boot look one piece and matching the colour is a nightmare. This was intended to be a quick & easy fix but for the sake of thicker cuffs I've already invested too much effort - would be great if somebody else was willing to give it a go or had any suggestions...

So that's where we are. Stay tuned!

[cking]

Thanks for the interest guys. The screen printer will be selecting some yellow fabric which has a suitable weave texture and thickness and then it will be a quick process to get the chest and cape logos printed.

As I mentioned - the HT logo has to be removed from the costume before these new ones are applied but when I removed the HT logo from the test costume that I brought, it came off without any problems at all.

Once we've got the screen printed logos in hand, we will test them out to make sure that the colors remain sharp.

It's a shame about the difficulty in sourcing the correct material to use for the detail at the top of the boots, but at least the logos will be corrected and those are the main gripes I had with the figure anyway.

[martin-el]

New Update!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYZeP-KP5Y&feature=plcp&context=C3932921UDOEgsToPDskIveJNB1QecEv6acH7WysIy

[LIBBY1957DOG]

hey martin i think those boot tops look great ,id like to see them with the costume on as well ,as it seems to make the boots a little taller:yess:,now is there enough of your bus pass to share with the rest of us :) ,as for the underarm problem ,i had the same thing with the kingdom come superman by dc direct ,i dremeled some of the latts away and then padded the removed part of the latts with foam rubber ,which restored the shape but allowed the arms to come down to the sides .might be worth a try ,LMK if you need a more detailed description as i think i posted pics in the kingdom come dc direct superman thread ,and please lmk about the bus pass thing :) cheers chris :)

[Kamandi]

Nice job on those boots Martin. Can we get a clear photo of the current mod?

Interesting point on ironing the costume. Since you'll be using a high tack tape after you redress the figure it seems there's really no point in taking off the costume for anyone emulating your mod later.

I wonder if a bit of filing down the inside of the arms or ribs would allow the arms to relax properly.

I agree about the abandoned DX comment. The first marketing image even said it would be DX. After seeing Indiana Jones I'm so glad they didn't do the PERS eyes here.

[Rorywan]

Hmm.. I don't understand the ironing issue. All you would have to do is place a soft flat object inside the suit so it doesn't press all the way to the back. I have done this before with a piece of cardboard with foam behind it. That iron on web material is far to rigid and thick to work at this scale i would imagine, which is the real issue?
Boots look good, would love to see some proper pics? I can't say that I like the Jor-el logo I'm afraid mate. I know the size & shape is more movie accurate, but the entire HT Jor-El suit is completely in accurate to the screen version. Which was just constructed from light reflective vinyl, scotchlite tape, crumpled onto an undergarment. So it looked nothing like the HT version. I think the detail and stitching on the Hot Toys Jor-El shield is amazing, it's actually stitched on properly. It's a separate piece of felt. I think your custom one looks a little rough to be honest (might be just on your video).
I would love to see how your shield works out on supes though. As I have started to really dislike the HT one. Sorry I don't want to be too critical, my intent is constructive!

:monkey3

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll97/rorywan/5966050_2_l.jpg
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll97/rorywan/5966050_1_l.jpg

[Kamandi]

I never minded the crumbly look of the Kryptonians but hated the rhinestones around the S.

The HT Jor-El looks like something they worked up for Returns prior to just having Brando's head in crystal.

[Rorywan]

I never minded the crumbly look of the Kryptonians but hated the rhinestones around the S.

The HT Jor-El looks like something they worked up for Returns prior to just having Brando's head in crystal.

:exactly:
Yeah, I think so too. I actually bought some scotchlite tape years ago to try and emulate that suit, but the scale and structure of the tape was all wrong for 1/6th. Cool stuff though.

[vodoun]

I wonder if a bit of filing down the inside of the arms or ribs would allow the arms to relax properly.


Lycra and non machined/molded bumps...

[Tyderium]

Great update Martin. Good to see you got the boots working, they look fantastic and I love the idea of doing the subtle weathering to exactly match the surface discolouring of the real boots :clap

Still, one of the biggest let downs for me on this figure is the cape. I can just imagine how much better it would look with a beautiful and naturally draping cape!

[LIBBY1957DOG]

hey martin i think those boot tops look great ,id like to see them with the costume on as well ,as it seems to make the boots a little taller:yess:,now is there enough of your bus pass to share with the rest of us :) ,as for the underarm problem ,i had the same thing with the kingdom come superman by dc direct ,i dremeled some of the latts away and then padded the removed part of the latts with foam rubber ,which restored the shape but allowed the arms to come down to the sides .might be worth a try ,LMK if you need a more detailed description as i think i posted pics in the kingdom come dc direct superman thread ,and please lmk about the bus pass thing :) cheers chris :)

i finaly found the pictures of the mod i made to dc direct superman ,details in quote above ,pics below:)http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05733.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05725.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05724.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05732.jpg as i said the foam rubber restores the shape of the latts but is soft enough to let the arms down to the sides ,not sure if it would work on the hot toys supes ,but thought it worth bringing to your notice ,cheers chris :)

[Gipetto0812]

I always loved your KC Supeman Libby! That mod really made an OK figure look Great!

[LIBBY1957DOG]

cheers man ,mighty nice of you to say that ,im waiting on a spare supes body to maybee give it a go on the hot toys version ,cheers chris

[Kamandi]

Libbydog - Taking that material off the ribs really makes a much better stance. I'd suggest just a bit of smoothing with some gap filler (like squadron green putty)

I wish the paint ops had been better on the DCD KC Superman and Batman. So much lip gloss.

[LIBBY1957DOG]

cheers ,and point taken about the smoothing off ,with the kc superman i removed all the plastic marked with black marker pen ,and made a abb shape of foam rubber that covered the space where the abb was ,the tightness of the suit holds it in place and the foam covers the damaged area and restores the shape of the abb ,but your right it coudnt hurt to smooth it off ,given how easy these suits are to snag cheers chris

[TonyMeis]

i finaly found the pictures of the mod i made to dc direct superman ,details in quote above ,pics below:)http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05733.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05725.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05724.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05732.jpg as i said the foam rubber restores the shape of the latts but is soft enough to let the arms down to the sides ,not sure if it would work on the hot toys supes ,but thought it worth bringing to your notice ,cheers chris :)


Looks great, did you putty the part you cut off? What does it look like?

[LIBBY1957DOG]

hi tony gotta say i love the work you and crystal are doing over in your thread ,awesome:clap:hi5: ,as to the abbs ,i just cut them off and used foam rubber pushed in the space ,to restore the shape ,the tightness of the suit holds the foam in place ,but is soft enough to allow the arms to come down at the sides ,hope this helps cheers chris :)

[todoelresto]

Hi Libby, what's the fabric of the cape? is that lycra?
Thanks and good job! :clap

[LIBBY1957DOG]

hey thanks ,as for the cape its just the stock one that comes with the dc direct KC supes ,as is the suit and boots ,its really is a nice figure ,just wants a little fixing up IMO

[TonyMeis]

hi tony gotta say i love the work you and crystal are doing over in your thread ,awesome:clap:hi5: ,as to the abbs ,i just cut them off and used foam rubber pushed in the space ,to restore the shape ,the tightness of the suit holds the foam in place ,but is soft enough to allow the arms to come down at the sides ,hope this helps cheers chris :)

That's awesome, ver similar with what we did with our 13" body as well. Love your work, it's an inspiration to many customizer! Thank you :clap:clap

[TheFiend]

i finaly found the pictures of the mod i made to dc direct superman ,details in quote above ,pics below:)http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05733.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05725.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05724.jpg http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad83/chrisdodd1957/DSC05732.jpg as i said the foam rubber restores the shape of the latts but is soft enough to let the arms down to the sides ,not sure if it would work on the hot toys supes ,but thought it worth bringing to your notice ,cheers chris :)

Wow, he looks fantastic! How did you fill out the waist? I remember out of the box the waist seemed puny and the clothes ill fitting. This is something I would buy.

Looks like the collar area is brought higher to the neck line too. Check it out:

http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd494/thefiendclub1/dcdsupes.jpg




Sorry to derail the thread I just never seen this figure modded so well before and I really like it.

[LIBBY1957DOG]

hi and thanks for the kind words about my mods ,to be honest other than the mods above all i did was wrap some thin foam rubber around the waist and hip section ,to better blend the chest to the thighs ,add some padding to the base of the crotch ,to lengthen the body slightly ,these figures allways seem too leggy to me ,i also wrapped the knees to hide the joint and smooth them out ,the suit is pretty forgiveing and covered these mods nicely and i was able to move the neck line up to where you see it in the pics ,i later got my nephew to repaint the s emblem red and yellow ,and posted pics in the KC supes thread ,but i cant seem to find them right now ,agian thank for the kind words cheers chris