September 17, 2015

Sideshow Toys Star Wars 1/6 Endor Rebel Infantry (Reworked)

From Wookiepedia :
With the discovery that the second Death Star was protected by an energy shield generated from the forest moon of Endor, Alliance High Command realized that they needed a highly skilled strike team to penetrate the Imperial defenses and neutralize the facility. General Crix Madine devised a plan to insert a commando force onto Endor using a stolen Imperial shuttle, Tydirium, and destroy the Imperial base on the surface.

I have always wanted to rework the Sideshow Rebel Endor Infantry (I upgraded him now to become a "commando" hey!) and have done once some years back. What I did were merely replaced out the Sideshow body with a DML Neo body and also a new headsculpt that's all. I wouldn't understand why I can accept that version and had it in my display for so long. Tried finding a pict of it but couldn't locate any...
Anyway, I realize what made this trooper (in it's original state) so iffy looking is due to the fact that the camouflage doesn't look like the camouflage in the movie. Everything are so bright and shiny and new. Weathering needs to be done, and lots of it.
All the molded pouches will have to go. Boots will have to go. Gaiters will have to go. A new body and headsculpt are requires. The fabric part on the helmet need to be remove and re-glue. Looks like a lot of work.

My weathering paint mixture is a very simple mixture of Tamiya Acrylic XF64 Red Brown + XF1 Flat Black. Applied 100% on all fabric clothing. I decide to keep the boots and the gaiters after referring to actual movie footage of the character and noticed it is how you wear the gaiters that can make it look different. The Blaster Rifle's (Blastech A295, which is actually based on German WWII StG44 assault rifle) strap was changed to real leather strap I got from Spotlite some years back.
I have used a no-brand body which I got previously at CSC for like $12 a piece and also chosen BBi's Lefty McGill's headsculpt. A new pair of gloved hands from Toys City's gloved hands set.
The rifle was given a dry brush treatment of antic bronze and then another dry brush application of sand.
A couple of cloth M16 ammo pouches replaced the molded belt pouches. Belt was also swapped out to a vinyl DML US Army belt. The original Sideshow sample uses a 3mm nylon strap and moonlight it as a belt - which looks ridiculous to me. At least DML's version look more like a belt.

There you have it. Doing some action pose that is made possible with the new body. Cheap and good applies fully here.
I am very satisfy with the outcome and am raring to go and do the same to the other 2 Endor Trooper I have which are still pristine inside the box.

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