Topic: Restoring Star Wars Action Figures: Neimoidian Commander - Revenge of the Sith

[Darth More]

It's time for some sewing...


So we stay on Hoth for now!

At the beginning of June 2018 eBay seller tunghori started selling the VC120 Rebel Soldier (Hoth).
Right at first sight I knew something was missing, but I didn't know what - being that excited to see him sell this figure and hit the buy-it-now button without hesitating! Then I took a closer look and recognized the obvious: The soft goods skirt is missing. But, hey, don't tell me the odds. So I wrote him and asked if all units he got came like this. The answer obviously...is YES:









So I take this occasion to do some more sewing...stay tuned to see these great figures being completed.

I hope this tutorial is useful for everyone who also bought the VC120 Rebel Soldier from tunghori...


Oh, and one thing I'd like to say about the VC120 Rebel Soldier (Hoth):

It DOES feel (and smell) like The Vintage Collection from 2010-2012! It's good to have this feeling back...


You can get yours by following this link to tunghori's eBay store:

https://www.ebay.com/str/Star-Wars-Army-Store?_trksid=p2047675.l2563


Have a great weekend everyone!

- Philipp

[Tamer]

interesting to see how you solve this one. Off to let folks know Tunghori still has some great stuff.

[Darth More]

Haha, thanks Tamer. I'm sure tunghori would appreciate the free add. He probably made so much money by now, that he doesn't even care. There are so many people following him and guarantee constant buisness for him. He got around $1,400 from me alone over the last eight years...and recently he rose prices for his figures...who knows where they even come from.
I must say, that I avoid buying much from him since he sells some figures even above the MRSP.


Right when you posted my "reminder", I went to a tailor's shop around the corner and asked for some scrap of cloth. Unfortunately they didn't have any, which really surprised me.
Now, I have to continue my search on Monday because all other tailor's are closed now.

I just thought this tutorial would be useful for everyone who also bought the VC120 Rebel Soldier from him...

Cheers!

[Darth More]

I just went to the tailor's shop around the corner on this nice and sunny Saturday to ask them for some scrap of cloth. I was quite surprised when they told me, they didn't have any left. The scrap they have is usually that little, that they throw it right away. So I have to continue my search on Monday because all other tailor's around me are closed on weekends.


Today, I continued with the next step: Making a stencil

And this is what you need for this 3-minute-task:



1: pair of compasses
2: pair of precision scissors
3: tape measure
4: graph paper for stencil

#1: VC120 Rebel Soldier (Hoth)
#2: SOTDS Rebel Soldier from Defense of Hoth Multipack (Target, 2010)





The stencil's measures are 8 cm x 1.5 cm. The final piece of cloth will be shorter though (about 6 cm x 1.5 cm should do). I'll add a loop though to attach at the waist.


Stay tuned for more progress next week! I hope to find some suitable pieces of cloth, then!


- Philipp

[Tamer]

Looks like you have it well covered. I am off to share your update.

[Sjefke]

Just go to your local fabric store like JoAnnes.
They’ll let you buy as little as 2 inches of fabric, and they have scraps.
Clarification
2 inches long
36 inches wide.
It’ll still cost less than a buck, and Lord knows.  You’ll want to have enough for the first 2 or 3 screw ups.

[Starchaser]

Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the scrap hunt!

[hemble]

Great work mate.

Ron

[Darth More]

@Tamer: Thank you for sharing the project, Tamer!


@Sjefke: Wow, that is very generous! Thank you so much for the hint! Unfortunately JoAnnes is not located in Germany as far as I know. But I went to two of the nearby tailor's shops and found what I was looking for (see images below).


@Starchaser: Thank you for commenting Starchaser! It's always very appreciated to get feedback from you! And indeed, I got lucky on my hunt for scrap (see images below).


@hemble: Thank you, Ron!



So I assumed it wouldn't take long for me to find what I was looking for - even in a new city. Back home I also got some scrap of fabric, of which an entire bag was given to me when I kindly asked.

I got more than I could ask for and here is what I found this time:

Not only were these sheets of fabric given to me, but also some chunks of leather and other cutting loss. These different colors and textures bring many new opportunities for new customs...I'll take this scrap to mighty Jabba:



Many ideas come to my mind right in the moment when I see new and different pieces and materials. The tailor was very nice to me and wanted to give me even more than I eventually took with me.


And here's some foreshadowing of what's to come for future projects:

I got Kir Kanos and Carnor Jax (TAC Comic Pack, Crimson Empire) twice on eBay for about $3.80 USD each. They're not comlete though and are in need of a cape.
In the meantime you can still get yours by following the link. You'll find the exact offer I found on ebay, too. Recommendation: Compare prices from this seller before placing your order:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Star-Wars-Kir-Kanos-CARNOR-JAX-Crimson-Empire-Royal-Guard-30th-Anniversary/201623163588?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D52935%26meid%3D94686f897e844b6daceeab4dc438e574%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D201621990230%26itm%3D201623163588&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851




So they soon will look more like the TBS (former Walmart Exclusive) Emperor's Royal Guard.

I got this TBS P.I #02 Leia (Slave Outfit) loose for about $7 USD. Unfortunately her skirt got already torn and I think Hasbro didn't quite choose the original cloth and color of Carrie's costume anyway. So this is the third surprise that was given to me:




I do not own this image. Use only for reference.
Source: Wookieepedia
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Navel



And last, but not least I got the leftovers of two white shirts in order to complete the VC120 Rebel Soldier (Hoth). So stay tuned for the next update.






Personal Story:
I'm going to go to visit the  tailor tomorrow, again, to appropriately thank her for all these materials she gave to me. Because all I could give to her was the loose change I got with me (2,50€). So she will receive a gift card and a cake tomorrow, too.
She told me to return in September when she closes her shop. I think that's quite sad. She told me that her business is struggling  - times have changed and people rather throw their clothes away and buy new ones instead of having them repaired or adjusted. So she is going to give me even more materials...

- Philipp

[ghostskull18]

Very cool, an that is a very nice thing that you are doing for the tailor

[Tamer]

Looks like you are ready to roll! I am anxious to see how some of this turns out.

[FialaFernbrugg]

The fabric sheets you got look fantastic.
The red fabric you have chosen for Kir Kanos and Kanor Carnor Jax is the perfect choice.
I can't wait to see the finished figures.

oh and btw:
thank you for the detailed "how to make a skirt for the Rebel Soldier" tutorial.
Very informative as always.

[Darth More]

ghostskull18: Thank you very much! She was quite surprised because she hadn't expected me to return before September as she told me to (more on that later). And she really appreciated the card I wrote her. So that made her day and  my day for a second time!   


Tamer: Thank you Shawn! Yes, I am. Which of them are you most excited about to see completed? Please let me know so that I can prioritize them


FialaFernbrugg: Thank you very much my friend! Now, you got some pieces of those fabric, too! And I'm curious to see what you'll use them for. And you're very welocome!


Thank you all for your feedback! It's always very appreciated!


- Philipp

[Darth More]

So knowing how to properly disassemble action figures helped for this project, too. Again, thank you everyone for the great support! This time around I heated up some water in a water heater and filled it into an old jar instead of a pot.

And also here have been made some smart designs for the connector of hips and torso:








This square socket keeps the belt from rotating:



And the connector pin of VC120 is not only quite wide, but also long so it was tricky to take the torso apart even with hot water!


New stencil: for the actual piece of cloth, I knew I had to make another stencil before.




I translated the countours of the stencil with a fine pencil.
The arrow in the picture shows a weakness of this cloth I was already expecting it to have:
The fibers of the cloth are fraying.




I really like the shade of white and the texture of this fabric, though!




Putting the piece of cloth onto the socket for the first time actually looked quite promising to me:
The secind stencil is 1.3 cm wide, which is 2 mm shorter than the  first stencil. This with is more accurate to the original.






Hasbro's soft goods are sewed from the reverse side for seamless stichings. That's all the secret behind it and very easy to make for a nice effect.
When I was done sewing it had already turned dark outside. So I took the following pictures with my ceiling lights on. And I will probably take them, again, because the parts look too yellow like that:








I haven't re-assembled the figure, yet, because I'm not happy with the result at all. I need to find a way that the fabric doesn't fray anymore...for my first attempt of making softgoods for action figures myself, I say it turned out okay. The seams look like the ones from Hasbro, but this shirt's fabric is not suitable for this task. I do like its texture and the fact tha it's mat and not shining like the fabric Hasbro used.


I really hoped to finish this project today, but it still is a work in progress.
Spoiler alert: I'll also model a skirt out of sculpting clay because I got two Rebel Soldiers without it and I'm curious to see how VC120 looks like with a sculpted one...


Let's see how the next attempts turn out. My sister has a sewing machine and I think I ask her if I can use it.


- Philipp

[(SID)]

Wow looks great.

You could try to "bead" a thick

An line of acrylic paint along the edges (and seams) to mimic the appearance of cloth. Don't know if that makes sense? I'm talking artificial hem line. 

Another option would be to glue on small rubber bands as the fake hem.