Building your MARINES - CORRECTLY

[MaulFan]

Hey guys. I just ran across this painted custom 1/6 scale head Bill Paxton as PFC Hudson from ALIENS on eBay. Here's the link:

https://cgi.ebay.com/CUSTOM-LIFE-LI...ryZ27294QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So, what do you think? I think it looks pretty good. The likeness is close to Paxton...but not quite there. Post your thoughts here after you view it at the eBay auction link above. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing. It's not too bad, but to me, the paint and sculpt both poorly define the eye area, which is the most critical point to match a human head on, everything else can be perfect and the wrong eyes will ruin it. If the sculpter were to work more on the eyes, could be really nice, and the hair seems a bit too thin too.

 

[DBoz]

That is the Frontline Hero Head Paxton painted by pacobird, who does very nice work. You can check out some more here: https://www.onesixthwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68407

 

[MaulFan]

Nice paint work on the skin and hair, but something about the eyes just doesn't seem quite right, they don't look as human as some I've seen others do, I can't articulate it, but there is something about them.

 

[JediMike71]

I think pacobird's painting is great. I really like the Indiana Jones head he's done. Looks better than the Indy head on my 12" Indy now. I may buy that Indy head from him. The Hudson one looks good....but I like the one I have now, and I'm still getting the Chronohead Hudson from Les someday soon.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Those heads do look nice, great skin tones... but I have to agree with Maulfan, there is something vacant about the eyes in all those sculpts.

 

[JediMike71]

Wor-Gar, after looking at the heads again I agree with you about the eyes. Man, why are eyes so friggin' hard to paint?!

 

[MaulFan]

Wor-Gar, after looking at the heads again I agree with you about the eyes. Man, why are eyes so friggin' hard to paint?!

Well not to say skin is easy, but hair and skin can be done, for lack of better words, carelessy, I guess relaxed maybe is the better word, but eyes have to be just right or they won't look like eyes or won't look like the person whose eyes you're painting, and on a 1/6 head, it's a small detail to work at.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Yep, eyes are key. And I imagine very hard to get just right. Of course, we're looking at heads on close-up pictures instead of actual size so maybe in person it's not so noticeable. But I keep thinking of how amazing customizers like Les are who can capture a sense of personality through the eyes on an itsy bitsy 1/6th head. It's really rather amazing.

 

[DarkArtist81]

Eye's are hard, and simply because you cannot afford to have many flaws in them lest they loose that human look. With skin you can have imperfections and such, but eyes seal the deal. If you can paint good eyes, you are there already. It will all come together in the end. But if you paint droopy misshapen eyes, it ruins the illusion and reminds you that you are looking at a toy or sculpture.

Took me a looong time to be able to paint decent eyes and I still could use a lot of improvement.

 

[JediMike71]

You guys are right. Eyes truly are "the windows to the soul" as have been said. I am doing better witih eyes, after taking your tips and those tips from Les. Especially to remove the "dots" in the eyes and just paint the colors in them. Then use the gloss on them last to help bring them to life. But it is also true that you can have great skin tones, and hair color, but if your eyes don't look right, the entire head doesn't.

 

[MaulFan]

Eye's are hard, and simply because you cannot afford to have many flaws in them lest they loose that human look. With skin you can have imperfections and such, but eyes seal the deal. If you can paint good eyes, you are there already. It will all come together in the end. But if you paint droopy misshapen eyes, it ruins the illusion and reminds you that you are looking at a toy or sculpture.

Took me a looong time to be able to paint decent eyes and I still could use a lot of improvement.

Well you're quite good at it Josh, so don't beat yourself up too much, after seeing your work in person finally, I'm quite impressed. One thing I've found in my own dealings with custom painting heads is that not only is paint application key with eyes, but also layering, do you paint skin then eyes on it, do you paint eyes and maybe slop a bit and shape the eyes with the skin.

It's not marines related but here are some shots of the custom Jack Sparrow I'm doing, first attempt and second attempt, even in a short time I learned because my first eyes were horrid.

First

Second

 

[figuremasterles]

No longer selling Hicks/Stoner or Reese head recasts due to a complaint.
If anyone wants one, maybe I can provide a couple of painted ones later.
Thanks to those that responded, and apologies to anyone offended by the selling of recasts. Won't try that again, even if my intentions were good.

HOWEVER...I will be selling some heavily resculpted and definitely original heads in the very near future. Stay tuned for those!

 

[Wor-Gar]

No longer selling Hicks/Stoner or Reese head recasts due to a complaint.
If anyone wants one, maybe I can provide a couple of painted ones later.
Thanks to those that responded, and apologies to anyone offended by the selling of recasts. Won't try that again, even if my intentions were good.

HOWEVER...I will be selling some heavily resculpted and definitely original heads in the very near future. Stay tuned for those!

Sucks! Sorry to hear that, I know you were just trying to help some people out.

So, question: what's the best way to "dye" or "repaint" or "bleach" the BDU's on the marines to make them more worn and accurate?

I need to do this first before I put anything together.

 

[bwayne]

Stupid question . . .

I just got Hicks today and am starting to put him together. What are those things on the back of the body armor that kind of resemble the holsters for the lightsaber hilts? I know the thing on the left is for the light but I don't have a clue what the other thing s are for? Spent enough on this guy and I don't want to break him (any more than I already have).

 

[JediMike71]

Hi bwayne. To my knowledge they are just "non-functional" parts. I think I read somewhere that the costume designers, or even James Cameron intended them for something, but they ended up not being used for anything. Can anyone else out there confirm this for bwayne?

 

[bwayne]

Thanks Jedimike. I didn't remember reading that they were used for anything, but I wanted to ask anyway.

Another question . . . How do you get Hicks sleeves to roll up properly? I remember seeing the shots of the tatoo as the shirt is rolled up high. Does this involve cutting?

 

[JediMike71]

The sleeves question bwayne....I'm not sure. Maybe Les or Josh or someone that has a completed Hicks could let him know?

I'm using an extra Hudson I got from Dboz for my Hicks. So I'd like to know too, because I want to paint Hicks's social security number tatoo on his arm myself too.

Thanks guys.

Oh yeah Les...I'd love to see your originals for Deitrich, Crowe, and Weirzbowski if you ever decide to make those three....lesser known marines. I plan on eventually having them all in my collection.

 

[DarkArtist81]

First...MaulFan... I DO paint the skin tone over the eyes first, layer the pink areas and then the white, followed by the pupils/irises and eyelashes, followed again by the pink and finished with the gloss coat. LOTS of work there. And thanks man, I really do appreciate the comments. Work on my eyes all the time, trying to improve.

And Bwayne/JediMike.... you have to cut the sleeves. It's the only way to roll them up that high. But it really pays off. And if you can, drill out the Born again hole, it really adds a level of detail.

 

[JediMike71]

Thanks Josh for the "Born Again" tip for Hicks's armor. I have a small power drill I've been using to drill out my Frontline Hicks head's neck that I can use to carefully drill that small hole in his left shoulder armor. I'll just stick the Frontline head on the HT neck post and get a few pictures, but not superglue it to the neck post. I want to get in my Stoner head and repaint it as Hicks and see which head I want to use permanently on my Hicks.

Here's a picture of the original camo paint job on the "Stoner" head:

After getting painting advice from Les, he told me just to paint over the camo paint with skin tones in a few coats to get it to look more like Hicks.

 

[ambac]

Thanks Josh for the "Born Again" tip for Hicks's armor. I have a small power drill I've been using to drill out my Frontline Hicks head's neck that I can use to carefully drill that small hole in his left shoulder armor. I'll just stick the Frontline head on the HT neck post and get a few pictures, but not superglue it to the neck post. I want to get in my Stoner head and repaint it as Hicks and see which head I want to use permanently on my Hicks.

Here's a picture of the original camo paint job on the "Stoner" head:

After getting painting advice from Les, he told me just to paint over the camo paint with skin tones in a few coats to get it to look more like Hicks.

I'd actually recommend a pin vise to drill out that hole, Jedimike. You'll have a little more contol and it's a little safer.