Hasbro Han Hoth Gear redux

Hi all , I have had a phase of buying some various off beat ( for Me ) figures for my collection . Here is Han Solo in Hoth gear . I have to say , I get a lot of pleasure attempting to upgrade ( hopefully ) such figures . I love trying to breath some realism into the older figures from Hasbro and 21st century toys ect . I will do a gradual posting of what I did with before and after pics . It`s mainly re- paint / weathering , replacing elastic with realistic webbing ....well you will see anyways . I will start off with his hat . Post more later as time allows so please come back !

Here are the Before pics .









And the after ....

Excellent work so far chip, it really is surprising how adding a bit of detailing can really start to pull a figure together! The dry-brushing is superb . Looking forward too seeing more progress

Wow! Impressive craftsmanship! I would not have known it was the same piece! The webbing patches are clever, significantly enhancing the realism!

Looking good! Will it be going on a VAM soon?

Mark, I do find this a little odd.
 Your weathering/aging works so well on the Star War figure and as you say certainly improves the realism and you obviously enjoy doing this, and yet your otherwise truly magnificent 'Nam figures (of which I am in constant awe BTW) are presented absolutely pristine with nary a hint of mud, sweat or any wear and tear on their uniforms as would be appropriate in their situation?

Is there some reason behind this?

somekindajoe wrote:

Looking good! Will it be going on a VAM soon?

What section would I post it in there ? I thought they were a bit touchy about non VAM .

LeStryge wrote:

Mark, I do find this a little odd.
 Your weathering/aging works so well on the Star War figure and as you say certainly improves the realism and you obviously enjoy doing this, and yet your otherwise truly magnificent 'Nam figures (of which I am in constant awe BTW) are presented absolutely pristine with nary a hint of mud, sweat or any wear and tear on their uniforms as would be appropriate in their situation?

Is there some reason behind this?

I do sometimes weather the kit and weapons on my NAM kit , as it`s generally reversable . The Uniforms not so much go to far and they are spoilt forever , I have not touched Hans clothing either , sorry Barry . I can feel your frustration , I will have a crack at it one day for you ......Maybe .

Thanks for the kind compliments so far .

Here are Hans bins , and goggles , not done much to the goggles as I couldn`t find much of reference to them , so just added adjustable web strap .

Before







After







The goggles

Very cool Chip!

Scanner

Before



After

Looking pretty good there Chip !

You're a whizz with the old dry brush I see

It looks far more realistic.

Outstanding work!
You must have amazing eyesight, not to mention finger coordination, to work with those tiny fabric straps! Is there a trick, or do you have special tools you use?

Thanks Kev , I am confident this stuff is going to look even better on Han .

Dave , no tricks , I guess with all that NAM custom work , I have got used to using it . My eyes were superb till I reached 50 , and at distances they are still fairly good , I struggle to read without glasses now , and I use magnifying glasses for close up stuff like this . Honestly I really don`t see why anyone would struggle that much with it , but confess the same words have been said to me a few times . Thanks for those kind words again .

It is strange that the Star Wars figures were released without any weathering because the movies were among the first to show signs of wear, rust, oil dirt etc. on all the machines and other props. Before this everything in space movies seemed to be almost pristine.

I have the same Luke "Hoth" figure and am being inspired to give him a makeover.

LeStryge wrote:

It is strange that the Star Wars figures were released without any weathering because the movies were among the first to show signs of wear, rust, oil dirt etc. on all the machines and other props. Before this everything in space movies seemed to be almost pristine.

Interesting. I never thought about that before. You're right - with only a few exceptions, even all the little figures were all shiny and clean.

Gun belt

Before



After



Pistol

Before



After



Thanks for the advice on paint colour for the belt Dal . What I have learnt when painting anything plastic , is give it a good scrub in fairy liquid and rinse before painting . With belts and the like , I often give them a bit of a rough up with some fine grade wet n dry paper . Don`t do that part to head sculpts though !

Significant improvements on both the belt and the blaster!

Good tip about washing items with dishwashing liquid first. That step makes a difference in how well the paint adheres.

Thanks Dave .

Here are Hans Boots , I done the before and after in one pic . I have ( I think ) improved the boots further , which you will see when I post him up later .

Fantastic work Chip! I can't wait to see the finished product.

I'm curious, did you use a special type of paint for the flexible plastic?

I sure you are going to dirty up the front of those very white laces, just where the hands would repeatedly go leaving grease?

Excellent work Chippers! the belt looks superb! (Might have to do Ta-Shia's now )

TNshooter wrote:

Fantastic work Chip! I can't wait to see the finished product.

I'm curious, did you use a special type of paint for the flexible plastic?

Thanks Daryl , I just used Citadel or Vallejo Acrylics , as mentioned earlier , remember to scrub the plastic item with washing up liquid first and rinse and dry . I often key the plastic lightly with fine grade wet and dry paper , don`t go to far on detailed pieces with this part .

LeStryge wrote:

I sure you are going to dirty up the front of those very white laces, just where the hands would repeatedly go leaving grease?

Yes Barry as mentioned , I have worked more on the boots since , I notice a lot of things after I photograph them , and realise I should of done this or that ....

Chip your doing a EXCELLENT JOB at re- paint / weathering all the Han Solo gear and pistol. Will they all go back on Han Solo or will they be reissued to a kitbashed figure?

Thanks Alex , they all will be returning to Han Solo .