Building your MARINES - CORRECTLY

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Wor-Gar

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Customizing your Marines: TIPS

I thought I'd post this so anybody who has put together their marines can help others out with recommendations on how to do it right, and what changes need to be made to make the figures accurate.

For instance, I know many of you have "heightened" Ripley. Also, there's the issue with the wording on some of the breast plates. And the issue of which is the correct side for Hicks' knife.

Anyway, anything anyone can offer here would be helpful, especially to me as I'm starting to build my marines at very long last... and trying to sort through the 100,000 post superthread for information can get a little daunting.

Thanks in advance for any help...
 
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CUSTOMIZING MARINES: TIPS

I guess I'll keep a running tally here:

HT adjustments to clothing/armor:

- Hicks and Hudson knife on left side of armor, not on right side, knife handle and case should be black.
- Gerber knife replacement on Vas and Drake; left leg holster.
- Hudson: Louis to Louise.
- Drake SG: "My B-itch " on gun "Grrrrrrrr" on handle.
- Hicks Armor also has additional markings, "Born Again" on his left shoulder pad.
- Hudson Helmet: a calendar with markings, "Brain Dead" written on right side and an 8 Ball painted on the camo in back left.
- The number of grenade loops is incorrect on the toys. There are five loops and the marines had four.
- Boots are the wrong pattern. I think the toys come with Panama pattern soles when they should be Vibram pattern soles.
- Vasquez's sidesarm is incorrect. It should be a SW M39, not a HK VP70.
- Hicks and Apone's groin armor are the same as Hudson's and should be corrected. The sardine key needs to be removed and the holes left behind filled in. Apone's torso armor should have the lock and clasp removed and the holes left behind filled in.
- Pulse Rifle LED counter should be red, not green.
- I don't think Drake had a sidearm holster.
- Drake had a string of bones/feathers/whatever dangling off the muzzle of his Smart Gun in some shots.
- Hudson's helmet cover only had one seam down the middle, Vietnam era style.
- Hicks helmet needs a strap - use the helmet strap from Hudson for Hicks.
- mic arms on helmets should be silver not black.
- Vasquez had the Spanish word LOCO hand lettered on the back center of her BDU shirt in black marker. (Harris collection has good pics of it).
- The mics themselves are black, not OD green like the toys, and the tips are flat, not rounded. The end of the mic (inside the casing) is silver. There is also a length of black wire running from the cylinder on the other end of the mic arm that's attached inside the helmet. In the movie I believe it was connected to the comm packs taped under the armoured neck pieces, but it's visible in some of the closups of Hudson's helmet during the combat drop.
- Hudson had a length of black para cord and what looks like a section of black chain on it that was attached to the sheath of his combat knife. He wore it looped around his neck and it can be clearly seen in many scenes, including the one where he enters the mess hall before the knife game with Bishop.


Extra bits needed if you're really obsessive:

- Drake tan sleeveless t-shirt with iron-on (available from member)
- Vasquez green wife-beater
- Cheong arm sleeves for Vasquez 'buff' look
- additonal patches available from Chris at EVA
- Vas chest holster; sidearm was a Smith & Wesson M39 not a Vp-70

Re-Painting advice and/or materials to use:

- Hudson and Hicks run darker in their BDU dirtyness, Vasquez runs bleached out.
- to fade BDU's: mix up a very very watered down off white wash and soak them in it for a minute or so.... wring it out and let it dry. Or use the Rit Whitewash.


Anything Pjam or Dave can add or contribute to this evergrowing list will help everyone customize their marines. I mention these two because we all know they are the most obsessive "Aliens" detail guys here and have pretty much done everything that is listed above to their Aliens marine figures so they have first-hand experience. There are of course many other experts here, so if I didn't mention you don't be insulted.

NOTE: This LIST is a quick-look compilation of everyone's tips and advice. For a more detailed explanation of any info posted here, please post a question to the usual suspects or PM them directly.
 
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Hudson: Louis to Louise but I know you knew that. :lol
Drake SG: "My B-itch " on gun "Grrrrrrrr" on handle...

Hicks Armor also has additional markings, "Born Again" on his left shoulder pad. DA can point more of this stuff out...

Hudson Helmet: Les provided a complete set of refs on this. i'll see if I can dig them up. Josh repainted my helmet, basically a calendar front right/center with markings, "Brain Dead" written on right side and an 8 Ball painted on the camo in back left...
 
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Great thread!
I'll try to find my info too....

Josh (DA) should by now, be a wellspring of info on these guys...

Oh, fast tip on weathering... Hudson and Hicks run darker in their BDU dirtyness....Vasquez runs bleached out....
 
Awesome thread idea!! This is gonna help me big time with adding the finishing touches to the 'Ultimate Bad Asses'. Thanks Wor-Gar, PJam, Les and anyone else who shares the knowledge! :rock
 
Re: Customizing your Marines: TIPS

Wor-Gar said:
I thought I'd post this so anybody who has put together their marines can help others out with recommendations on how to do it right, and what changes need to be made to make the figures accurate.

For instance, I know many of you have "heightened" Ripley. Also, there's the issue with the wording on some of the breast plates. And the issue of which is the correct side for Hicks' knife.

Anyway, anything anyone can offer here would be helpful, especially to me as I'm starting to build my marines at very long last... and trying to sort through the 100,000 post superthread for information can get a little daunting.

Thanks in advance for any help...

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I've been searching for what paint(s) to use for Drake's face & hair.
 
I also bought Cheong, for his arm sleeves, for Vasquez. Not sure what needs to be done to make it look "natural."
 
Thanks for the support guys! I'll be updating the LIST as we go so there will be no searching through a thread -- just check in with the 3rd post for all the up to date answers.

And thank you Pjam for correcting my booboos. :)
 
This is actually a really interesting thread! I was watching Aliens the other night and got a pretty bad hankerin' for a Marine, but wouldn't know exactly how to glorify it. I've definitely gotta get one of these now, they are on the to-get list for sure!!! Somwhere after Superman and Robo but before SSC Endor troops.
 
Not sure, hope someone figs it out... shouldn' t be too tough and as WG noted knife handles and casings were black...

Straps too I think but maybe we should wait for a screen grab first..
 
MaulFan said:
Is it easy to switch Hicks' knife from one side to the other?

I haven't done it yet, but I did look and it seems easy enough. The knife is just belted in with buckles. Incidently, the real marines had no buckles on the knives. I have a basic Dragon black knife and sheath which I plan to replace on my Hicks and Hudson figures. I will most likely "sew" them to the strap so I can remove them in the future. I wouldn't recommend glue as it will stain the material of the strap and will harden it as well. You can pick these knives up anywhere for about $2-$3 - ebay, Monkey Depot, etc.

The oversized green HT knives are one of my biggest gripes, considering how detailed and to scale everything else is. They just gotta go.
 
Yeah, I just looked too but will yield to the futzmaster Wor Gar on this...

I'm keeping my knives as is but I just examined mine and it seems there are two loops which fit through the knife casing and no apparent way to remove them... wouldn't want to pull them out of the casing, could be impossible to get them back in... maybe one solution is to cut the loops and reglue the cut loop ends with elmers once they are moved onto on the other ammo strap?

I don't think using elmers would be a problem or superglue for that matter the loop overlap would be hidden under the strap anyway and aren't Hicks and Hudsons wrist bands just a glued cloth loop?
 
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pjam said:
Yeah, I just looked too but will yield to the futzmaster Wor Gar on this...

I'm keeping my knives as is but I just examined mine and it seems there are two loops which fit through the knife casing and no apparent way to remove them... wouldn't want to pull them out of the casing, could be impossible to get them back in... maybe one solution is to cut the loops and reglue the cut loop ends with elmers once they are moved onto on the other ammo strap?

I don't think using elmers would be a problem or superglue for that matter the loop overlap would be hidden under the strap anyway and aren't Hicks and Hudsons wrist bands just a glued cloth loop?


You can undo the strap from the shoulder plate -- its a small buckle clip just like on all the belts. The sheath should slide right off, then just snap the buckle back together.
 
Wor-Gar said:
You can undo the strap from the shoulder plate -- its a small clip just like on all the belts.

Ah yes, I told you guys I would yield to the futzmaster! :lol

I'm moving mine now... then gotta run. Thanks WG!
 
Hudson and Hicks' knives were both located on their left side of the armor. Hicks' was strapped to the grenade carrier and Hudson's was tied on and hung lower than Hicks'.

Also, the one that comes with them is totally innacurate. I would suggest getting some of the knives from Chris at EVA (https://members.aol.com/M56SG/uscm.html). It can pass for Drake's as well, even though his was a little shorter. Here's a pic of mine on Drake.

IMG_1679.jpg


There are two ways to go about removing the knife that comes with the marines. 1) you can either cut or pull the straps holding the knife to the harness apart (they are just glued) or 2) you can take the harness apart and slide the knife off.

If you don't want to or can't get some knives from Chris at EVA, then a regular Dragon or BBI British commando knife will pass. You can find them in black and brown. Before I got the knives from Chris, I had one that I painted black on my Hudson. Here's what it looked like:
IMG_1075.jpg


I simply taped it to the harness using electrical tape because I'm lazy, but as I stated before, in the movie, Hudson's was tied on like so:

a2out6p1.jpg


And here's a pic of Hicks':

Hicks.jpg
 
Also, the Stock Hicks doesn't come with the strap around his helmet. Hudson does. As he is the only one with a cover. But to be film accurate, Hicks needs that strap on his helmet.

DSCN2982.jpg


Helmets also have stenciling on the back, with their names....

helmet2.jpg


Knee/shin armor is much more scratched and dented...

greave1.jpg


Hicks also has this grafitti on his back, haven't seen it in the film... but this is a recreation of the original prop. I need to add it to my Hicks.

TE_Hicks_Back.jpg


And a further example on the proper weathering on the armor...

breast1.jpg


Hicks sleeves need to be cut and rolled as high as possible and if you really want to be accurate... add this tattoo and arm hair.

DSCN1763.jpg
 
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Could Bishop and Ripley be added to this thread?

I just picked up Sideshow's The X Files Frank Black. Fixing his hair is not a biggy, but those freaky eyes! What's best to use for his outfit.
 
Some points I don't believe anyone has mentioned yet.

*The number of grenade loops is incorrect on the toys. There are five loops and the marines had four.

*Boots are the wrong pattern. I think the toys come with Panama pattern soles when they should be Vibram pattern soles.

*Vasquez's sidesarm is incorrect. It should be a SW M39, not a HK VP70.

*Hicks and Apone's groin armor are the same as Hudson's and should be corrected. The sardine key needs to be removed and the holes left behind filled in.

*Apone's torso armor should have the lock and clasp removed and the holes left behind filled in.

*Pulse Rifle LED counter should be red, not green.

*I don't think Drake had a sidearm holster.

*Drake had a string of bones/feathers/whatever dangling off the muzzle of his Smart Gun in some shots.

*Hudson's helmet cover only had one seam down the middle, Vietnam era style.

There's probably more....
 
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