Building a Better Boba (action figure, that is) (Page 1 of 2)

Vintage Kenner  Boba Fett (1979) :

This figure featured a very nice sculpt  for its day.  However, it lacked the weathering, articulation, and fine costume details that we take for granted today.  It is nice to see the return of this sculpt as a special offer figure of the current 2010 Vintage collection line.

POTF 2 Boba Fett (1995 -various releases):

The Power of the Force 2 line launched a new line of STAR WARS action figures  after a re-newed interest in the saga during the mid- 1990’s.  This Boba Fett figure was one of the characters that everyone hailed as a “grand improvement” over the vintage Kenner version.  I respectfully disagreed.

Yes, there was added detailing and weathering to his costume which was missing before, but to my eyes, this figure was actually a considerable step backward from resembling the on-screen character.  At the time, I took to referring to him as “Bulky Fett” since the figure was far too barrel-chested and hulking to resemble the lithe and sleekly-built on-screen character .   The figure’s collar armor was so thick and bulky, that he suffered from a sort of “football shoulder pad / no-neck syndrome”

The overall body proportions of this figure were completely off.  And in one aspect or another, these mis-matched anatomical proportions have been a problem that have plagued Boba Fett figures right up until the most recent sculpts.

POTJ Boba Fett 300th Figure Special Edition :  (2001)

This figure moved a lot closer to Boba Fett’s proper on-screen Episode V appearance.  The trouble was, he was a pre-posed figure with a bare minimum amount articulation.  I DO have a lot of admiration for the EXCELLENT utility belt sculpt, and the  beautifully-detailed wrist gauntlet weapons (the BEST from any Boba Fett Figure) . The backpack was especially nice too (with adjustable rocket nozzels, and removable concussion rocket. Plus the backpack was made from sturdy ABS plastic (versus the soft rubbery PVC plastic of previous releases).  This allows the rocket pack’s sculpt details to be much sharper and for the accessory to maintain its shape.  I was also VERY happy to see the laser rifle that appeared in The Empire Strikes Back used as this figure’s pack-in (versus the different configuration from Jedi)

Aside from the pre-posing and lack of articulation, I do wish the paint had been more neatly applied in some areas.  Also, the basic size proportions and shape of Boba Fett’s helmet were not yet quite correct…

SAGA I Boba Fett  Pit of Carkoon (2003)

I thought this version of Fett was a bit too brightly colored in its paint deco… even if it was to represent  Fett’s more colorful outfit from Return of the Jedi.  The paint was much neater this time around So I really did appreciate that.  The figures pper body was still too bulky and the lower extremities were still too small.  There was an oddly articulated right knee that looked something like a cabinet hinge.  The sculpted plastic side-cape was somewhat inadequate.  And the (non-removable) backpack was painted  in rainbow colors. Once again, the backpack was molded in sturdy ABS plastic and held its shape nicely.

Overall, I thought this was probably the most  anatomically disproportioned Fett  since POTF 2!.

On the plus side,  (in my view) this figure boasted the neatest, cleanest, and sharpest sculpt of Fett’s helmet.  I loved the neatness and razor-sharpness of the clean t-visor.    I also thought this helmet was the nicest size we had seen from all previous Fetts .  The face of the helmet was virtually perfect, but the  shape of the helmet profile was The profile shape was still a bit off (overly narrow at the crown and wide at the base).  The flip-down rangefinder  was too soft and warped its shape too easily.

Vintage Original Trilogy Collection Boba Fett:  (2004)

Kudos for first super-articulated Fett we have ever had.   Once again, this figure represented the more colorful Episode VI costume design.  I’m sorry to say the body proportions sculpt continued to suffer:  The upper body was still far too bulky… arms and hands were oversized !  Shoulder and elbow ball joints were bulbous.  Lower body (pelvis and legs) were proportionately very undersized, and the legs were proportionately too short.  The helmet sculpt took a step backward in terms of shape accuracy and sculpt sharpness (not nearly as sharp a sculpt as SAGA I helmet , and the helmet profile was even more incorrect than before).

Admittedly, the presentation of soft-goods cape was very nice this time around (beautifully deco’ed and cleanly folded for the perfect drape upon the figure). The backpack went back to being soft rubbery plastic, with no working/moving parts. This was a disappointment and a surprise, especially in lieu of the fact that Boba actually employed the use of his rocket pack in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

This figure featured some very nice, clean, smooth sculpts of the torso and crotch armor sections.

SAGA 2 Boba Fett  Battle of Carkoon: (2006)

This Hasbro kit-bash combined the over-sized, awkwardly-posed upper body  of  the SAGA I  “Pit of Carkoon” figure with the under-sized, un-even, overly wide-stanced legs of  the VOTC Fett.

The result was a somewhat un-balanced (looking AND standing) figure.

Legacy Evolutions / 2010 Vintage Collection Boba Fett 

This most recent action figure of Boba Fett  presents the bounty hunter’s costume in the colors and details as they appeared in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

While the big bulbous shoulders from the VOTC Fett have been reduced, the over-sized elbow joints are still a problem.  “Gorilla’ arms  and hands are still oversized.   Narrow stance of the figure is inappropriate, making the character seem even more top-heavy and awkwardly off balance (like if he could easily topple over). 

There is an undersized Boba head sculpt underneath a removable helmet.  The Ironic thing about this head sculpt is the fact that despite how anatomically under-sized it is, it still too large for the undersized helmet.  In fact, the nose of this head sculpt actually bulges through the soft helmet  when worn, warping its shape terribly. Rangefinder articulation offered in previous helmets has been taken away here.

The Rocketpack has lost all of the articulated parts from previous Fett backpack releases (like removable rocket cone, or adjustable rocket nozzels).

The paint and sculpt of this figure seem a bit sloppy to me (flash plastic and mold release evident on inner gauntlets and arms.   Shoulder armor is warped (giving this figure the football shoulder pad syndrome again.  The braided wookie scalps  molded to the shoulder armor is a feature left over from the POTF 2 days.  And it has GOT… TO… GO!!! The torso armor plates actually look roughly sculpted… not smooth at all.

The soft goods side cape is far too long and made of a fabric that is heavier than it should be.

On the plus side:  This figure offers a decent sculpt of the utility belt side pouches, and the pants pockets . The Laser rifle pack-in (re-used sculpt from POTJ Fett ) is a welcome return. It is now detailed with more paint AND it is actually molded to be sturdier than before.  With some minimal tweaks, it can be worked into an accurate representation of the rifle seen on screen.

In Hasbro’s defense, I quickly realized that Fett’s uniform is so complex and so elaborate, that a 3-3/4 inch action figure along the magnitude of what I was looking for was only ever going to be possible as a “dress up” custom… unlikely ever to be mass-produced by a toy company.  This would be a figure where virtually every detail would have to be treated as a separate garment!

GETTING STARTED

I wanted to begin my custom figure with a Super-Articulated base figure body that would serve as a nice, clean, starting point for the ornery bounty hunter… a blank slate, if you will.

The trouble was, NONE of the existing Fett figures fit that bill. In addition to the issues I outlined previously,  NONE of them had the anatomical proportions, attitude, nor the neutral stance that I felt was suitable for Fett.

LEGACY OF A NEW HOPE

With the release of Hasbro’s 2009 Legacy Collection,  I finally found an action figure that I considered to be an excellent candidate  for a Boba Fett base figure body:  Imperial Scanning Crewman. 

Here we had an excellent Super-Articulated body, with a really nice balanced anatomical proportion and stance… and a basic STAR WARS jumpsuit sculpt who’s color was a PERFECT match for Fett’s dingy flight suit.  There was undoubtedly going to be some serious surgery required to pull this figure off, but at least Boba now had a basic body.

I gave myself a preview of the overall visual aesthetic of the final custom figure by placing a Boba Fett helmet on the Imperial Scanning Crewman. I must say that even at that earliest of stages, what I saw pleased me greatly.

OUTFITTING A BOUNTY HUNTER

Putting together the articles of Boba Fett’s costume was going to be VERY time-consuming, VERY delicate,  and VERY intricate work…  a supreme challenge, but ultimately VERY important to me.  I really wanted the outfit on my figure to have that “assembled” look that is so identifiable to me as Boba Fett’s signature look. 

I find that when Fett’s various armor sections, garments, and weapons are all molded and / or painted onto the figure (as they are on production figures),  much of that “sectioned” look is lost, in my opinion.

Interestingly enough, virtually EVERY figure that I critiqued before would provide me with vital parts for creating my final custom Boba Fett.

Here is the rundown:

I turned to the POTJ 300th figure Boba Fett for his yellow armored knee pads and shoulder armor bell pieces.  It was a tricky matter of using a single edge razor to cut these sections out, and then Dremeling them into hollow wearable articles.

[PHOTOS NO LONGER ONLINE]

I discovered that when the shoulder bells are molded onto the figure’s upper arms (as they are on production Hasbro figures), there are always going to be three (3) major compromises to the integrity of the overall figure (which I was NOT going to accept on my custom):

1) The ball-jointed arms range of motion becomes partially impaired.

2) Un-due bulk  is sculpted onto the figure’s shoulders,  adversely affecting the slender aesthetic of the character.

3)  The collar armor design is altered so that the outer ends curl upward where they meet the shoulder / arm socket.  This is done to create clearance for the bulked-up ball-jointed arm (with the armored shoulder bells molded on).

The curled-up collar armor (in turn) only contributes to “football shoulder pad  and no-neck syndrome”… which significantly reduces the slim, sleek aesthetic that this character is supposed to have.

By creating the shoulder bells as separate appliances, and then attaching them to the sleeve of a separate soft-goods flack vest garment (as they are meant to be), it was my hope to leave the figure’s shoulder articulation un-obstructed and maintain a slender build to Fett’s upper body.

VOTC  Boba Fett provided the armored torso plates of the bounty hunter’s flack vest, and the armored cod piece came from POTJ 300th Figure Fett. Once again, each section was carefully cut out of the molded action figure and Dremelled down into separate plates of an appropriate thinness for a figure of this scale.  The crotch armor actually needed to be completed with sheet styrene since the figure only provided the raised center section of the cod-piece.

[PHOTOS NO LONGER ONLINE]

After looking at every single Boba Fett figure ever released, I came to the conclusion that vintage Kenner Fett had the best, cleanest detailed, and most solid collar armor.  After cutting the armor off of a spare Kenner Fett body, I Dremelled it down to an appropriate thinness and cleaned the edges up into a really nice wearable plate.

[NO LONGER ONLINE]

The back armor plate (rocket pack mount) was carefully cut off the Legacy collection Fett figure, and trimmed to an appropriate size to fit an Imperial Scanning Crewman’s back.

[NO LONGER ONLINE]

Once I created all of these appliances, I did a quick test-fit on the Imperial Scanning Trooper Body (With the helmet) to check on the overall proportions, stance, and aesthetic attitude of the figure.

[NO LONGER ONLINE]

I next decided to give Boba Fett's backpack some attention.

For this figure I always knew that I wanted to use the excellent backpack from the POTJ 300th figure Boba Fett.

Molded in solid ABS plastic, this backpack had superior detail in the casting to the softer PVC rubbery backpacks used by many Boba Fett figures.  It also boasted adjustable rocket nozzels and a removable top concussion missile rocket (none of which are offered by Hasbro's latest Vintage Collection Fett)

There were, however, three (3) issues with this backpack that needed to be addressed:

1) The mounting system for the backpack is completely inconsistent with the custom figure I am creating.  This system features a bulky mounting box molded to the inside of the backpack (which would create an unnatural space away from the figure's back when worn).

This backpack would have to be converted to the simpler peg mounting system utilized on today's figures.

2)  The sculpted ribs around the neck base of the removable concussion missile rocket were NOT included with this backpack.  They would have to be transferred over from another backpack that had them available.

I cut off the rubbery (non-removable) concussion missile rocket, and drilled a new hole into the ribbed neck to accommodate the removable POTJ 300th figure Boba Fett concussion rocket.

3)  The adjustable rocket nozzels at the bottom of the backpack would have to be drilled open.

PROFILING A HELMET

I selected (what I considered to be) the best Boba Fett helmet sculpt of all the available production figures released by Hasbro: SAGA 2 Boba Fett  Battle of Carkoon: (2006)

To my eyes, this was the sharpest, straightest, cleanest  (and certainly largest) sculpt we had gotten out of Hasbro from all the Fett figures they’d ever produced.

Was it PERFECT? 

No. Not by a long shot.  But I did consider it reasonably workable into a helmet that I would accept for my custom figure. 

However… More surgery required.

I liked the face of the helmet very much (although it was NOT 100% accurate to the film prop.

It was the profile that I had major problems with.

Putting it simply, the crown of the helmet was far too narrow to adequately and realistically accommodate an average human male head.  And with the base of the helmet being as wide as it is, the overly narrow crown is only augmented visually.

In THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Fett is mostly seen frontally.  But we do get a few brief glimpses at the shape of the profile of his helmet. These are probably best seen during his conversation with Darth Vader (immediately after Han Solo’s torture). You’ll note the size of the helmet’s crown in relation to the base.  Not nearly as narrow as Hasbro has presented.

I fixed the helmet’s profile by slicing  it in half  horizontally along the top of the head (ear to ear).  I sliced clear down to the helmet base, but I DID NOT cut all the way through.

I pried the two helmet halves apart (while they were still attached at the helmet base.

Using an additional Battle of Carkoon helmet, I sliced a tiny wedge spacer, and glued it into my  opened helmet (increasing the width of the crown dramatically).

After carefully filling in all of the gaps around the helmet with spare helmet shavings,  I trimmed and sanded the newly created seam until it was smooth.

I was reasonably pleased with the helmet’s new profile when compared to the original.

Next, I knew that in order for the helmet to look like wearable head gear, I was going to have to create a bit of a recess in the helmet’s underside to visually establish the helmet’s (supposed) wall thickness.  I Dremmelled a full recess of about 1/8 of an inch up into the helmet’s base.  I then Dremmelled a ball joint socket that I could pop into the figure’s neck post.

This entire operation forced the loss of raised ridge details around the rear of the helmet’s crown and at the sides.  These ridges will now have to be restored to the helmet.  Also, an all-new flip-down target sight will have to be made for the helmet due to the current sight being too thick and about 1/32 of an inch too tall.
The final planned modification to this helmet will be the addition of a gloss coat to the black T-visor to give it a tinted glassy look.

COLLARS AND SLEEVES

Hoo-boy!  Tonight was about some serious, finger-aching, detail work on ol’ Custom Boba Fett.

I decided to add the correct short sleeves to Boba’s flack vest so that his shoulder bells could be placed in their final positions (attached to the sleeves).

As per my usual procedure, I began by making a paper template of the basic shape  of the sleeve, and test-fit the pattern against the shoulder of the figure.

I then used the pattern to cut the basic shape in fabric,  and then I created a fold-over finish seam on the sleeve’s edge.  Each sleeve was very carefully glued into the arm holes of the flack vest and checked for final symmetry.

I know they were not accurate, but I really liked those two little raised details on the front of the collar armor which I fashioned from a vintage Kenner Boba Fett figure. Consequently, I was pretty sad to have to shave them off,  and sand the area smooth.

I replaced all of the armor back onto the figure, and once again checked the overall stance and attitude of ol’Boba… now with his new flack vest sleeves!

I next turned my attention to the helmet’s rangefinder.

I really felt like I needed to correct the rubbery, overly thick rod of the rangefinder into something that was thinner and cleaner.

I actually used a single staple from a grapple gun, straightened it, and attached the rangefinder tip.  I was very pleased with its overall  slender metallic look once it was attached to the helmet.

As most of you know,  my camera was down for about a month, preventing me from documenting some of  my work on this figure.

I was therefore unable to document some progress steps that occurred during the camera’s repair time.

Since those updates on the figure will be evident in the photos that I’m about to post anyway, I will list what those updates were.

1)  The rangefinder on Boba’s helmet was shortened by about 2½  scale inches.
2)  The cheek stripes on the helmet were re-painted in the correct flat black.
3)  The T-visor on the helmet was re-painted in a darker shade of red.  (Note: this T-visor re-paint was something  that I was originally NOT planning to do .  But admittedly I did change my mind about the desirability of the “toyetic” bright red after I saw it contrasted against the new flat black cheek stripes.
4  The minor paint rubs on the utility belt have all been touched up.
5  The armored shoulder bell for Boba’s left shoulder has been re-painted in the correct canary yellow.  Knee pads and right armored shoulder bell have been left orange yellow.

Alright… onto to yesterday’s work…

A couple of months back when I performed the operation to change the profile of the figure’s helmet, I did a lot of filling work with plastic shavings to fill the gaps between the two helmet halves.

There was still a seam visible from the operation that I wanted to make disappear.

I began by using a line of Krazy Glue. I laid down a sealant directly on the seam, and waited for the glue to dry and set. 

Once the glue dried and hardened,  I sanded the seam smooth with 500 grit sandpaper, and then I did a fine wet-sanding with 1000 grit sandpaper to make the dome as smooth as possible. 

I will air-brush the dome tomorrow, once and for all, effectively making the seam vanish.

Undoutedly, the most time-consuming operation I performed yesterday was converting the Imperial Scanning Trooper’s arm sleeves into Boba Fett’s correct double sleeve (sans arm mini pocket).

The first thing I did was to use an X-acto blade to carefully shave away the mini-pocket molded to the right arm.  I gave the area a fine sanding to smooth it off, and then I got to work  making the upper arm double sleeve.

I used some sewing thread to layout the edge of the upper sleeves by carefully gluing it down around the circumfrence of both arms.   Then, with my trusty razor (God, what would I do without that thing?) I re-sculpted the lower sleeve into a narrow taper that appears to emerge from underneath the upper sleeve.

The guide thread at the edge of each new upper sleeve is only TEMPORARY.  They will be replaced by micro-thin ribbon to simulate the sleeve cuffs.

Boba’s right arm weapon gauntlet features a clear power tube that tucks underneath his right arm upper sleeve.

I used a big needle to make a hole underneath the upper sleeve ridge that I created.  I then made a second hole in the coupling on the wrist weapon gauntlet. These would be the two connection points for the gauntlet’s power feed tube.

I looked around the house for a suitable item to use as the tube.  A tiny white / clear plastic binder on the bundle of new sox  that I just bought was something that I thought might do the trick.  In the end, I rejected it because it did not look like a tube to me, it seemed a bit small in its scale, and it did not have the flexibility I was hoping for.  It kept popping out of the sleeve connection point  every time I posed the figure’s elbow.

I knew I was going to need a far more flexible material to resolve that issue.

A frantic search ensued in my wife’s closet, and as luck would have it, I located a brand new cashmere sweater that my wife bought for herself.  The tag was still attached to the garment by a small clear rubber string!  Yes!! Back in business.!!!

I cut a fragment of the string and installed it on the figure.  The thicker size, the clarity, and the flexibility of the “tube” were all PERFECT!!

My next order of business was to add the straps for Boba’s armored knee pads.  A reasonably straight-forward operation.  I used some Plastruct strip styrene to create the straps and glued them into place behind the knees, making sure that the leg articulation was un-affected.

So… a brief re-cap…

1) Helmet’s face colors have been corrected to correct  shades
2) Helmet’s rangefinder has been shortened to correct height
3) Utility belt paint rubs have been repaired
4) Armored shoulder bell for left shoulder has been re-painted in correct yellow
5) Helmet seam has been filled and sanded  (awaits air brushing)
6)  Arm pocket has been shaved off / arm sanded smooth
7) Secondary upper sleeves have been layed-out and sculpted for both arms
8) Power tube for right weapon gauntlet has been installed
9) Rear fastening straps for armored knee pads have been installed

Custom Boba as of January 9th, 2011,   7:30 AM:

Coming up next:  WOOKIE SCALPS…

I'm floored. This is incredible work! 

This is looking so great! I can't wait to see the end product! I'll be rooting for you!

I have done some custom work but nothing like this. You have inspired me to do more.