Hot Toys Darth Vader : tips , tricks and any other mods

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paulcarson

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To save having to plough through pages to find info for modifying or accurising the Hot Toys Darth Vader figure .

Anyone with tips , tricks little ideas that can help those taking the plunge, feel free to post away. :)
 
I could use some advice on removing the wire without damaging the material.
Thanks
 
It's not very hard.

Just try to push one end through the stitching and unbend it. The go to the other end and push it through the stitching as well. Pull from that end and the wire should come out without snagging.
 
It's not very hard.

Just try to push one end through the stitching and unbend it. The go to the other end and push it through the stitching as well. Pull from that end and the wire should come out without snagging.
Thank you
I have done this on other figures but this seemed a bit more fragile with the material.
 
Some mods from the Vader thread...

Credit given to those talented folks responsible.

I have done the "lenses mod". You can notice the difference, but it is still subtle.

Once again, thanks for the tip Matrix. :)

View attachment 246772
View attachment 246775

It's an easy mod once you crack the head open,just cut and place a small piece of white plastic behind the lens.Works great and makes the amber color pop.View attachment 246408

After doing the nose mod i decided to repaint the inaccurate colours of the mask,upper eye lids and right cheek should be black,and the thin tubing that run from the tusks and the right side of the mouth vent should be gunmetal.. View attachment 246366View attachment 246367View attachment 246368
 
And some more ...

I decided to re-work the nose plug to have it look a little more accurate,there's a little work needed to get it out but once you remove some of the plastic on the inside it pops out easy.I shortened it and repainted it to look something a little closer to how it should. I also found that putting a wee piece/sheet of white plastic behind the eye lens makes the amber color pop more... View attachment 246100View attachment 246099View attachment 246098View attachment 246097

it never ends! but... I was fiddling with getting the nose plug out. and here's the lenses... backlit.
View attachment 245972
and inside the mask. don't know how I'm gonna get that nose plug out...
View attachment 245973
 
Great thread, I've been wanting to buy Darth Vader but have been put off because I was not sure what mods I would have to do.

Thanks!
 
  • Hot Toys Vader Upper Body, Roadblock Lower (I think the Schwarzenegger legs are the same). Ankles modified to fit the HT Boots.
  • Sideshow ANH Vader Body Suit. IMO, it fits and looks better in 1/6 scale...even though HT suit is a beauty. The HT Vader Vest is underneath for more bulk.
  • Removed velcro from HT Belt. Took about 1/4" inch off the belt and moved the Buckle so the Lightsaber hook is in a better position.
  • Used a set of gloves I found in my parts box to replace the HT Hands for use with the HT Gauntlets.
  • You can't see it in these pics, but the Black Stripes on the Chest Armor (the ones that are supposed to be Gun Metal/Grey) were shaved down to match the bottom contour (more accurate).
  • Put Chrome reflective sticker paper behind eye lenses.
  • Cut the front half of the inner Dome Block and back Rib. Moved the helmet forward just a tiny bit.
  • Painted "eyelids" black.
  • Painted (his) Left Tusk Stalk gunmetal/silver. Painted (his) Right Side of Mouth with more Gunmetal/silver.
  • Re-Painted Chest Armor.
  • Added semi Gloss to Chest Box. Painted the Grey buttons darker.
  • Painted Battle Damage on Belt/Boxes.
  • Cut slit in Cape and Tunic to drop some coins in to add weight.
  • Added Metal Buttons right behind Chest Box.
  • Added texture to the inside of the dome. Sanded it. Then applied Mat Medium Gel mixed with Black paint. Then dry-brushed on Gloss Black.


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E19.jpg
 
Man, all your mods look great but then I picked mine up to start and I just accepted the fact that it's pretty good as-is and won't be modding anything:lol
 
Can anyone please point me to the belt fix, seems my one may need a fix this weekend. Appreciate it


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Here's how i lowered the helmet/dome..I sanded down the top of the mask until i was happy with how the helmet sat. I then used magnets to reattach it. You could cut a piece of plastic/vinyl to cover the magnet on the mask for a nicer finish but it's no big deal as it's covered by the helmet anyways. What's great about using magnets is that you can position the dome to recreate any of the scenes from the movie... View attachment 256281View attachment 256280
 
I'm going to copy most of my posts over here from the Hot Toys Vader thread.

Hoping to finish up my custom Vader codpiece tonight after I finish painting the red stripes on my FO Tie Pilot helmet.

Sent from my Motherbox PING PING PING PING PING PING PING PING
 
I'm going to take the plunge in the next month or so. Is the advice to start with the HT and work from there for modifications, or try to piece meal by starting with a H mask?
 
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