The Imperial Shipyards
Imperial Creative Engineering => Custom Figures => Topic started by: Finley002 on December 24, 2016, 08:07:10 AM
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Hey Guys. New to Forum and this is my first post. But wanted to contribute with my new custom. Not elaborate by any means, but a much needed improvement to a MUCH loved figure. Hera is one of my daughters favorite figures. But over the last year Hera has taken a few bumps and bruises. So I took the opportunity to touch up some paint on the intrepid pilot... I pretty much just painted over the original eyes, which I always thought were NOTHING like how they appear on the show. Unfortunately my paint job does not necessarily rectify that :( While I do see it as an improvement over the original, it still looks more like a Bratz doll more than Hera from the show. I also took the time to give her a narrower neck (I always thought that Hasbro gave her a very thick neck for some reason...).
But I wanted to ask you guys a question, getting back to the subject of painted eyes; Has anyone attempted to use printed images on decal paper to create more detailed and accurate eyes for their figures? I mean, I can only do so much with a magnifying glass and a tiny paintbrush... So I was curious if decals would be a more viable option. Might spend some money on some decal paper and a laser printer at Kinkos unless someone here on the forums has already tried it and wants to talk me out of a bad decision.
Thanks in advance for any advice :)
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Welcome aboard.
I hope someone can help you with your question. I have no experience with selfmade decals but it sounds very interesting to use decals for action figure eyes.
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Very nice eye work if you ask me. Off to share.
And welcome to ISY.
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Great start and welcome to the yards !
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Welcome! The eyes look great! Eyes are probably the hardest thing to paint. I know some military modelers use decals for eyes, mostly for 1/6, meybe as small as 1/35. http://www.archertransfers.com/AR99001.html I believe 1/18 would be in the 54mm-150 mm scale range. Really I wouldn't worry about it because, the eyes you've painted look great.
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Welcome! The eyes look great! Eyes are probably the hardest thing to paint. I know some military modelers use decals for eyes, mostly for 1/6, meybe as small as 1/35. http://www.archertransfers.com/AR99001.html I believe 1/18 would be in the 54mm-150 mm scale range. Really I wouldn't worry about it because, the eyes you've painted look great.
Thanks for the warm welcome you guys! And thanks for the tips JDeck. I'll definitely look into it :)
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Okay guys, progress update:
Didn't want to waste 65 cents on just one set of experimental eyes, so I whipped up some other eyes for a handful of other figures. I seems that the laser printer at Kinkos did a pretty decent job of it. Can't really tell (until I get it home and under a florecent light) but it looks like it actually printed in white for the inside and "shine" of the eyes. I just assumed that it would leave those spaces "clear" and that I would have to pre-paint the eye-whites in place before placing the decals. We'll see, I might still have to...
I eyeballed the scale (see what I did there?) so these might still be a tad too large (fingers crossed). And because this was such a quick project with no real planning, I didn't really consider plastic skin tone vs. decal skintone. So some of these might very well make some 4" raccoons. I'm sure some thin layers of well placed paint could remedy the issue (hope). I'll be sure to follow up with the failures, and possible successes when I have results.
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They look like they printed great. I am anxious to see how they look once on the figures.
Off to share the latest.
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Ok, so the results are in... first the bad: putting skin tone around the eyes was definitely a bad idea. ESPECIALLY for the male figures. The shadows and wrinkles that were supposed to be "subtle" touches ended up coming out too dark and orange. So it looks like Hans Solo broke into mommy's make up cabinet :-( The "subtle" lip detail also ended up coming in way too dark ...
On the plus side: dark lips worked out just fine for the Princess. Again, skintone around the eyes is way too orange. But the eyeshadow effect worked out rather well I think. Unfortunately the decal paper used here is either too old or of low-quality. It doesn't seem to be adhering to the plastic very well. It looks like I'll have to purchase some Micro-sol that will help soften the decals and let them "set" into all the nooks and crannies of the small eyesockets.
So back to the drawing board (i.e. Photoshop) and have another go at it. Be back with more results.
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The Princess...
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The eyes themselves look amazing 10/10.
Ron
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Thanks Ron 😄
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You can read my comments on the front pages. I would say you are definitely figuring this out.
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Thank you, Tamer 😄
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Welp... the experiment continues. So I removed skintone from around the eyes and it seemed to improve the look a great deal. As you can see with Han, I did have to pre-paint the whites of the eyes in order to make the decals "pop." And while I do think that this method has the potential of making figures more accurate, it does have some severe drawbacks. Figures like Ahsoka could benefit greatly from these decals (especially since that initial figure was woefully lacking), and my whole purpose for this endeavor was to see if this method would help me find an EASIER way to create good looking eyes for figures. But it seems as though it's just a DIFFERENT kind or difficult... the images printed on the decal paper can be easily scratched if you're not carful. So that makes placing the decal into position even MORE stressful as you maneuver them around the face with whatever tool you use (xacto knife). And as I stated before, Micro-sol has to be used in order to get the decal to soften and set into the nooks of the figure. Use too much and the decal will start to float off and move away from the spot you took so much time putting into place... more stress. All that being said, I will continue to use this method because I just don't have the steady hands needed to paint such details. But this is by no means an EASIER alternative :(
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After reading your process (thank you for sharing that) I can see why this is such a chore! Wow, you sure did set it up correctly though. Your new figures look to have perfect eyes.
I consider this every bit as artistic as someone who is painting great detailed eyes. Bravo sir. Off to share. I hope you will continue to share more figures that you use this process on.
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Just from Princess Leia alone show the great potential this can have to enhancing a figure . I too think your on to something ! Keep practicing this technique . I look forward to seeing more !
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Thanks you guys 😄
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Really like how Hera turned out!
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Thanks Starchaser. When I get this whole technique down, I will try to replace her eyes with more accurate "animated" eyes and I'll post a follow up pic.
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So here she is you guys. My completed Hera (minus any paint touch-ups that will be done at a later date...) in addition to the face decals, I have implemented ball-jointed shoulders and knees as well as swivel wrists. It was a frightening endeavor since I wasn't 100 percent confident on the outcome. So during the operation, I had the Hera figure in the Amazon cart ready to replace one of my daughters favorite figures. I simply didn't have the courage to attempt jointed elbows. I didn't have any joints small enough the retain the aesthetic nature of her tiny elbows. Even the smallest joints would have enlarged her elbow to "bulbous" proportions... so I'll hold off for now.
I used the tiny knee joints from an extra Clone Wars Shaak Ti for the new shoulders. They were the perfect shade of brown that matches Hera's shoulder pads. I will have to eventually paint her "armpits" to maintain the shoulder pad look. I then used the elbow joints of an Xwing pilot for Hera's knees. For the installation of the joints I used the old hot-glue trick. Sturdy enough for joints of that size. The swivel wrists, however needed a little more ingenuity since the small space rendered the hot glue too "rubbery."
The blaster is simply a down and dirty "peg & hole" setup. Not elegant in any sense, but it allows her to "holster" her gun and take it with her :)
I'm not sure I made the right choice with the flight straps. Great idea on paper... looks good on the Xwing pilot figures, but on this "animated" figure it gives her pants a little too much of a "pantaloons" aesthetic (more so than they already have, I mean). I probably should have settled for painting the ones that were molded on the figure.
And finally, for those of you who are getting tired of waiting for Hasbro to make a decent sized Ghost; Hera fits perfectly into the pilot seat of the Playskool version. My daughter and I have spent hours having Hera and crew making food deliveries to her Fisher Price barn and animal friends :)
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More pics;
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Great job but even better news about the ghost cuz i dont see Hasbro making one with their lack of Rebels products
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Great job but even better news about the ghost cuz i dont see Hasbro making one with their lack of Rebels products
So true 😢 And thanks for the compliment 😄
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Looks good to me. Off to share.
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Update: side straps sanded within an inch of their lives... should help alleviate the "pantaloons" effect.
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Hera turned out great. I think the straps were a good addition (especially with the extra attention). Really nice work articulating her. The info about the Ghost is good to know too.
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Hera turned out great. I think the straps were a good addition (especially with the extra attention). Really nice work articulating her. The info about the Ghost is good to know too.
Thanks Starchaser 😄
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Hera looks great, I can't wait to get her in 6" format.
Ron
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Hera looks great, I can't wait to get her in 6" format.
Ron
Thanks Ron. Yes, that 6" Hera looks like it's gonna be pretty sweet 😄
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Your hera turned out great. I did one myself a while back but i like how you added the peg and hole so that the blaster would fit. Also the leash straps.
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Your hera turned out great. I did one myself a while back but i like how you added the peg and hole so that the blaster would fit. Also the leash straps.
Thank you AjuntaPall. Appreciate the compliment 😄
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Hey everybody, Just thought that I would do a follow-up post regarding the laser printed decal option for face customization... As mentioned before, it's a delicate process (decal paper can be easily torn while re-positioning). But now that I've gotten the hang of it, it will definitely be my primary method of customizing faces. And I would recommend this method to others like me who don't have the steadiest of hands and just can't place the iris dead center or get the two eyes to match :/ Just be sure to apply a nice coat of clear-coat over the decals if you "play" with your toys with your kids or you frequently toss them into a bin, because the decals WILL rub off easily if left unprotected :(
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More pics...
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Some more...
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Wow that Jyn looks fantastic. That Ahsoka looks really good to me too. So cool to have other options. Off to share your update.
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Agree with Tamer: great looking Jyn and Ahsoka! :thumbsup:
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Okay guys, progress update:
Didn't want to waste 65 cents on just one set of experimental eyes, so I whipped up some other eyes for a handful of other figures. I seems that the laser printer at Kinkos did a pretty decent job of it. Can't really tell (until I get it home and under a florecent light) but it looks like it actually printed in white for the inside and "shine" of the eyes. I just assumed that it would leave those spaces "clear" and that I would have to pre-paint the eye-whites in place before placing the decals. We'll see, I might still have to...
I eyeballed the scale (see what I did there?) so these might still be a tad too large (fingers crossed). And because this was such a quick project with no real planning, I didn't really consider plastic skin tone vs. decal skintone. So some of these might very well make some 4" raccoons. I'm sure some thin layers of well placed paint could remedy the issue (hope). I'll be sure to follow up with the failures, and possible successes when I have results.
I like this technique.
I don't stink at painting eyes, but it's freaking nerve racking.
I never thought of using Kinko's.
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I could see you offering these up for sale here and getting some takers.
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Thanks for the compliments Tamer :) But I don't think I could except any money from any of you guys. Especially considering how much joy I've garnered from this site and its members. If anything I'll fill an entire page with labeled eyes/eyebrows, maybe in multiples of four or six (in case of F-ups...) and post the hi-res image on an all new post so anyone interested could just grab the image from the site and just run it off to a printer.
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Now that is one of the best ideas I have heard in awhile. Thank you for offering this to the Yarders!
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Thanks for the compliments Tamer :) But I don't think I could except any money from any of you guys. Especially considering how much joy I've garnered from this site and its members. If anything I'll fill an entire page with labeled eyes/eyebrows, maybe in multiples of four or six (in case of F-ups...) and post the hi-res image on an all new post so anyone interested could just grab the image from the site and just run it off to a printer.
🤓👍🏼
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Looks realistic, a different technique from painting face details