Troopers look sharp, nice work.
Thanks, means a lot coming from fellow Freaks. I used screen shots, Freaks posts and the MEPD Costume Reference Library while building these up.
The pouch, blaster and backpack configuration on my sergeant, as well as the weathering pattern to a good extent, are screen accurate to the trooper out in the desert that said "Look Sir, droids!" ... one of the squad leaders is close to the officer who delivered the "Someone was in the pod..." lines, although the backpack is different and the helmet brow is higher. I prefer the helmet the way it is, but doubt I'll find the correct backpack for less than a small fortune.
I'll probably use small strips of vinyl to cover the ridged shoulder straps on the armour, but according to MEPD the straps should be canvas attached from the inside, so it won't be 100% canon unless I do some cutting; I just don't think the armour is moulded to allow for that much modding without losing its shape.
The other squad leader will be about screen accurate to the "Cantina Captain". I say 'about' because the weathering isn't dead-on but after looking at endless references to screen-used sandtrooper armour, I concluded that what looks good on film wouldn't look as good on a 1/6 figure, hence the small compromises.
Unless their in EP VII it could be 3 or 4 years or more before they get to them, unless they rush all OT stuff out the door before EP VII. Rushed production = Bad Quality Control.
The regular stormtroopers shown so soon was a surprise, but who knows when they'll be released...as for waiting years for a HT sandie release...no thanks. Besides, I enjoy working on these old Marmit kits and you're right, there's no guarantee as to how the HT versions will turn out. It's a given some things will be better, but things like helmet sculpt, proportions, weathering...I'll just wait and see.
Definitely a labour of love that's paid off, troops look 1st class
Thanks!
That being said there's just a
little more I can do...
[...] That looks awesome. I've saved some white bag material for modding the Snowie cowl but can't bring myself to do it.
Took me a while but I just said "hell with it" and pulled out the rubber cowls. They come off relatively easily and if you're careful they won't tear, allowing for replacement down the line if you need to.
I don't know what your bag material looks like, but you may want to try the vinyl route...they're rolls of adhesive craft vinyl (matte white); I leave the backing papers on to give structure and stiffness to the cowls.
I used some ESB promo shots and 501rst costume references, then tweaked the patterns a little for the Sideshow helmet. I use two versions, one slightly narrower than the other.
You can't see it in the filtered photos I posted, but there's a very small hint of yellow ochre mixed with titanium white pigments and a satin varnish to bring the colour, weathering and lustre of the cowls in line with the rest of the costume.
I've said it before, but I'll never grow tired of saying it... it's amazing how Marmits are still the benchmark by which all other Storm and Sandtroopers are measured. How could those guys get the shapes and proportions so right so long ago?
Makes me wonder who those guys were...they nailed it better than anyone before or since; although the sculpts on those GG busts were possibly a hair more accurate. And that unreleased Vader was smokin'.
More like elongating snouts.
It's a gorgeously detailed "Rodian" sculpt, it just doesn't look like Greedo specifically. And taking off the incorrect SSC belt/s doesn't help - Greedo did have a gunbelt in the movie but that wasn't included.
