Could a sculpted 1/6 Chewbacca work?

[Pixelpiper]

Sculpting techniques have improved ten fold in the last decade or so.

I know a few people alive and dead anywhere from 100 to 2000+ years that might disagree with that statement. I strongly disagree with it myself.

We may have better *casting* materials available and better mold making equipment for mass-production, but sculpting technique and finished product have not improved even two-fold in the past 100 years, let alone 10 fold in the last decade.

A Chewie using any kind fur will need to be styled and treated to hold the fur/hair in a more matted fashion. One thing you can't do at any scale, is to cheat physics. And it's physics that prevents you from achieving perfect scale every time. You can't just make thinner fibers - they don't have the mass necessary to drape when acted upon by gravity, or external forces like wind. It could be made to work, but it's going to be a significant effort and above all, a huge QC undertaking. Sculpted could also work but has its own set of issues and detractions. Speaking for myself, I'd much rather see an attempt in styled fur than a sculpture. Having different colors will be very important to prevent the figure from looking like a squirrel or other furry animal, as well as having portions/clumps styled independently, plus portions of different lengths.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

I know a few people alive and dead anywhere from 100 to 2000+ years that might disagree with that statement. I strongly disagree with it myself.

We may have better *casting* materials available and better mold making equipment for mass-production, but sculpting technique and finished product have not improved even two-fold in the past 100 years, let alone 10 fold in the last decade.

Yeah?

Please - give us some examples, I'd love to be informed.

 

[Pixelpiper]

Pick up book on the history of sculpture to see plenty of examples. Then hop on a plane and go to France, Italy and Greece and visit some museums to be truly blown away.

Comparing the current level of 1/6 action figure sculpture and busts and statues, (whatever you see for sale at Sideshow for instance) to the history of sculpture is patently absurd. Any historic master sculptor likely forgot more about sculpting than anyone in the business today is likely to ever know in their lifetimes.

Don't confuse materials science and process automation with the art of sculpting.

 

[Rorywan]

A relatively small tuft of hair on a figures head is not really the same thing as a full body suit.

I still think it can be done, but the Apes don't really prove much.

I disagree about the apes. Have you actually held one? The entire head is covered and tapers perfectly down the back and chest. The chewy face could be sculpted in the same color as the hair just a smaller area than the full chimp face needed on the POTA figures.

 

[galactiboy]

I do... I own the Soldier.

But I don't know that it would look very good to have the face sculpted in the center with hair protuding out from it. Maybe the best option from a production stand-point, but I don't think it would look particularly nice.

 

[Rorywan]

I do... I own the Soldier.

But I don't know that it would look very good to have the face sculpted in the center with hair protuding out from it. Maybe the best option from a production stand-point, but I don't think it would look particularly nice.

The apes were made in the early days of HT though, I would imagine they could do a very effective job of it now, the eyes, nose and mouth would need to be sculpted anyhow. The sculpted area could be pretty minimal I think.

 

[AdamFett]

Half sculpted, half implanted hair work maybe?

 

[Niltusk]

Its 2013, if you're happy with a scuplted Wookie good for you, but its a waste of a release.

 

[galactiboy]

Maybe... and the Apes aren't that old

When I think of early days of HT; I'm thinking Colonial Marines or if you really want to get early the unlicensed Neo figure

 

[Rorywan]

Maybe... and the Apes aren't that old

When I think of early days of HT; I'm thinking Colonial Marines or if you really want to get early the unlicensed Neo figure

true.
Well they were 4 or 5 years ago weren't they?
It seems like that anyway, maybe I'm getting old.

 

[galactiboy]

I was wondering that too... as it really seems like it was a long time ago. I looked on MWCToys and he did an in-hand review in August of 2009 So about 3 1/2years ago.

 

[swsqueakquels]

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[barryo]

so when we try to approximate the age of items we have to figure out " how many is that in hot toys years"?......

 

[sithlord13]

I think fur is possible. I think a sculpted figure could look really good as well. I doubt that a fantastic fur figure is affordable.

Sorry to upset the fur lovers but I ld take a sculpted one. I have the rots one at the mo and I like it and they could so much better now.

 

[swsqueakquels]

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[FLOSI]

Really, this is all conjecture. To show some 20 year old Hasbro doll and point out that it's evidence that hair will or will not work is silly.

 

[swsqueakquels]

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[Star Puffs]

I dunno... how far removed is a fur suit from a sniper's gillie suit?

A hair suit involves millions of micron sized fibres, even if man-made. Gillie suits have far thicker, far fewer component strands.

Hair has to lie down in just a certain way to look realistic. The subtle highlights of hair are hard to capture in an artificial fibre.

A replica also has to capture that subtle short hair to long transition from around the mouth and nose. We can barely make realistic human doll hair, when the real thing is relatively uniform and comes to an abrupt end at the forehead.

Gillie suits in contrast can pretty much be a random mess because that is what they are supposed to replicate.

I think a real hair Chewbacca would be fanatastic as an ideal, But creative use of rubber at the joints of a sculpted Chewie is a lot more realistic.

 

[Pixelpiper]

The problem is that for every one of those, there is one of these...

A little bit of VO5 color and some Dapper Dan and these guys clean up really nice. Don't forget that Chewie is sitting on his knees in that box.

 

[swsqueakquels]

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