A year or two ago I decided to begin work on a 1:18 scale version of Darth Vader. I haven't been satisfied with Hasbro's attempts - they have come close many times , but there's so many versions out there, I've lost count on which ones have come close to hitting the mark.
Same thing goes for Boba Fett...which is another figure I have chosen to redo but that will be for a later post.
Anyway, so I have this idea of an ultimate Darth vader...and so far I have completed the sculpt of the body, borrowing a little here and a little there from previous Hasbro figures. I've created two versions of the chest and shoulder armor - most of the images you will see below will feature the armor he wore during Empire and Jedi. I've created two sets of arms...one set for a new hope, the other for Empire and Jedi.
Currently, I am working on three helmets...each reflecting the distinct style they portrayed in the trilogy films. I am close to completing the "New Hope" version - which is more of a battle worn, dulled out helmet, potraying Vader as a general on the front lines...which is my favorite of the three. I feel his optics need to be larger though...I'll have like 20 versions of this helmet beofre I reach the right one LOL!
Empire's version will be more shined, ridged and intimidating (potraying the Commander) while the Jedi version with be that of royalty, heavily shined and untarnished, but a tad less menacing, showing vulnerability.
Note that the "New Hope: version in the following shots is glossy, once finalized I intend to dull it out quite a bit. You'll also notice that the details have not been added to the body and tech - I still have a tad bit more work to do before proceeding with additional detail work.
The above image is that of the "New Hope" version masked in a star field - similar to that of the movie posters. Just having fun :)
The following pictures are nothing more than test shots of Vader - His proportions, how his soft goods work with the body etc - I am far from showing a final version of this guy but I think I'm closing in on the 50% point. Once the helmets have been finalized, I will break each one down and resculpt into their three components then begin work on Vaders human head sculpt, so when all is said and done, the figure will sport a removable helmet feature. Easy and fun right?...uh, no and no. LOL!
Some of these shots were taken by my iPhone so my apoogies if some are a bit grainy...
You can see the beginnings of my Darth Stryfe in the background :)
That's Master Lukes head and a newly sculpted head of Jarael (from KOTOR)
being preped for paint in the background...
A few shots of my WIP Jedi version of the helmet...
...and a couple shots of my WIP "Empire" version...unpainted. You can see in the background in one of the images a small gallery has formed to watch the show...those pieces to the right are waiting to be painted or close to being completed all together :)...for the exception of Darth Stryfe of course.
Alright, so that's all for Vader right now. Lets get one with a couple more updates....
Embo Update....Ironic that I just finish working on part of his soft goods that hasbro beats me to the punch. LOL! No matter- I'm looking to make this Emobo's soft goods appear to be lived in....
Some additional images below of Embo's sculpt. I'll begin working on the lower legs soon.
Next is Nym - A Feeorin pirate that was first introduced in the game Starfighter then made his comic book appearance in a Dark Horse short called Single Cell by Haden Blackman and Jan Duursema. A raider of the Trade Federation during the Clone Wars and leader of the pirate organization Lok Revenants, Nym and his crew became Rebel sympathizers during the Galactic Civil War...although he would never admit to it.
Sculpting is ongoing - Currently adding the tentacles as well a building the body framework. His left, lower arm in cybernetic so this figure will feature various attachements that will replace the lower arm if desired. This sculpt will reflect Nym as he appeared in Single Cell.
Alright - another shot of the gallery....K'Kruhk, Vong Commander (forgot his name), Nym and Starkiller (from TFU2)
Finally an update on Master Jedi Luke Skywalker from Invasion. Luke's sculpt is about 95% complete for the exception of some belt detailing and adjustments to his sleeves - He will have two seperate head sculpts, both per different artists' interpretations. As you can see, he contains a high amount of articulation, and will include his Jedi robes. Expect to see additional painted updates coming soon :)
That's all folks for now! As always, any comments and suggestions you may have - please e-mail me or post a comment.
For more photos of these pieces, check out my photostream on FLICKR at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sith_fire30/
Thanks to all those that have become a fan of my Facebook page - I'm over 50 fans so far!! All because of you guys! Awesome - Let's shoot for 100 next!!! If you haven't become a fan, please click on the banner to the right if you'd like to join in! I've been a bit overwhelmed at work over the past few weeks but promise to post more updates...especially while at celebration!
Thanks again for your interest guys! C-ya at Celebration V!!!
sith_fire30
3 comments:
Outstanding work! Love the ANH Vader sculpt. Spot on Dayton!
Look forward to seeing more Mazzic in the future as well.
Love them all, love the detail on all of the Vaders. Embo is coming along amazingly. Great work as always!
Hi, I found your blogspot, and I am amazed with all your talent, I am from Brasil and here I make my customs too but I wish to know if you can of course tell me what is your material in what you sculp, what is your paint something like this ...if you could tell me thath would be great...Congratulations for your amazing work ;)
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