SH Figuarts & D-Arts (Non-Toku) Combined Discussion

2ndSndWve · 01-07-2015, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Well, to be fair, realistic faces that really capture a likeness are difficult to do. Sculpting itself is a hard task and requires skill and hard work to do, and just look how much detail a real human face has. With helmets and masks it's a little bit "simpler". Not that it isn’t hard work as well, but they are easier to work with and sometimes you get models from the source.

Hot Toys nails it a lot of times, but that reflects in the price.

Yeah, Hot Toys does great head sculpts. But even with figures who lots of other people praise for having great head sculpts, I tend to look at then and go "ewww, that looks messed up".

Dr Kain · 01-07-2015, 09:58 AM

I do hope Bandai is going to give us the entire main cast of Star Wars. The problem comes down to which versions because these are the ones I would want:

Jedi Luke
ANH Han
Cloud City Leia

and then obviously:

R2D2
C3PO
Chewbacca

That would probably be the extent to which I will buy for Star Wars. Nevertheless, my worry that Bandai may just stop at Vader and STs has me wondering if I should have just gone for Hasbro's Black series instead as they are supposed to be fantastic toys in both sculpt and articulation. We'll see though. I mostly preordered them because of Vader's bonus item.

Kiwami · 01-07-2015, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thessair

As much as I love the Vader, it's not perfect. There are issues with the belt boxes, the chestbox, and the bucket (based on what I can see in the pics) seems a bit off, though I can't tell for sure exactly why.

Looks good to me

The buttons on the side-box of the belt are a little bit off in position, but that's not bugging me. The helmet is definitely a little bit different (hard to judge on pictures alone), but it looks great IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2ndSndWve

Yeah, Hot Toys does great head sculpts. But even with figures who lots of other people praise for having great head sculpts, I tend to look at then and go "ewww, that looks messed up".

Well it is personal preference, no big deal. With me it's that I rather live with a slightly sub-optimal face, if I like the overall figure, and save some money for other things.

Thessair · 01-07-2015, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Looks good to me

The buttons on the side-box of the belt are a little bit off in position, but that's not bugging me. The helmet is definitely a little bit different (hard to judge on pictures alone), but it looks great IMO.

Well it is personal preference, no big deal. With me it's that I rather live with a slightly sub-optimal face, if I like the overall figure, and save some money for other things.

Some people like the Cyclone/Joker SHF (heck, I do); it still doesn't make it a correct representation of the costume. I like the Vader, too, but it's a few steps shy of accurate.

Kiwami · 01-07-2015, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thessair

Some people like the Cyclone/Joker SHF (heck, I do); it still doesn't make it a correct representation of the costume. I like the Vader, too, but it's a few steps shy of accurate.

Wow, what? Any examples for that?

I think the figure is very accurate, I even got my Kotobukiya-statue down which I think has a very sculpt and I can't spy any difference. Talking from pictures of course, you would need to have the figure in hand to really compare them.

I think the sculpt is great and I can't see any major difference, especially not in comparison with how different the Double SHF looks to the actual suit.

Don't forget that there's also no "define" version of the helmet and in some instances the suit, it was constantly worked on during the original trilogy and does look different from time to time.

2ndSndWve · 01-07-2015, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Wow, what? Any examples for that?

I think the figure is very accurate, I even got my Kotobukiya-statue down which I think has a very sculpt and I can't spy any difference. Talking from pictures of course, you would need to have the figure in hand to really compare them.

I think the sculpt is great and I can't see any major difference, especially not in comparison with how different the Double SHF looks to the actual suit.

They eyes are perfectly round instead of oval-shaped, the crest is was to big, and the joints are black instead of the suit color. Those are just the problems I've noticed.

Kiwami · 01-07-2015, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2ndSndWve

They eyes are perfectly round instead of oval-shaped, the crest is was to big, and the joints are black instead of the suit color. Those are just the problems I've noticed.

Sorry if I expressed myself wrong, I know what the problems with the Double SHF are, I just think it's no relation to the Vader FiguArt in terms of inacuraccy.

Thessair · 01-07-2015, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Wow, what? Any examples for that?

I think the figure is very accurate, I even got my Kotobukiya-statue down which I think has a very sculpt and I can't spy any difference. Talking from pictures of course, you would need to have the figure in hand to really compare them.

I think the sculpt is great and I can't see any major difference, especially not in comparison with how different the Double SHF looks to the actual suit.

Don't forget that there's also no "define" version of the helmet and in some instances the suit, it was constantly worked on during the original trilogy and does look different from time to time.

There are definitive versions of the suit. Each film has a very specific suit and configuration of the components on that suit. There are ANH,ESB, RotJ, and RotS helmets, should armor, shin guards, belt boxes, chestboxes. Each film has a unique Vader suit and fairly maintained continuity within a particular film. The obvious exceptions being modifications made for both the unmasked Vader scenes in Empire and Jedi.

I'm only going with these two examples because there aren't enough clear shots with proper lighting to dissect the helmet right now and the shoulder armor, while also inaccurate, isn't as blatantly obvious.

Here are two shots of the SHF:

Belt Boxes:

The closest to the SHF here are the ESB/RotJ boxes. That makes sense since this is supposed to be the RotJ Vader, as evidenced by the bonus display base and the missing hand. However, not one single button is placed properly here. They don't match up at all. It's pretty self explanatory.

Chestbox:

The chestbox, on the other hand, is some sort of bizarre Frankenstein. The large rocker switches at the bottom are in the configuration of ESB/RotJ, but they are solid colors, like ANH/RotS. They are lacking the proper black outer coloring of the ESB/RotJ pieces and the silver sliders in between. Additionally, the upper and lower colored panels in the upper right are blue and red, per ESB/RotJ, but are also missing the sliders. The Aurabesh text is missing for a proper ESB/RotJ. The rod detailing is also incorrect for any version of the unit.

Cape Chain:

The cape chain is probably the most inaccurate piece, not matching up to any version of the character.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Sorry if I expressed myself wrong, I know what the problems with the Double SHF are, I just think it's no relation to the Vader FiguArt in terms of inacuraccy.

My point was that people can like a figure but that it doesn't matter one whit when it comes to judging its accuracy.

Edit:

I also forgot to mention that the Vader figure is being reported as ~155mm in height. Converted, that comes out to about 6'1" or so. David Prowse alone was 6'5", not counting the additional height from the costume pieces.

Kiwami · 01-07-2015, 11:37 AM

Thanks for the read, but that's just nit-picks for me, nothing I would ever notice or care about. If that's all that is inaccurate with the figure I don't care about it

And I do remember hearing something about them working on the details of the suit all the time and it changed during filming, I was wrong then.

Thessair · 01-07-2015, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Thanks for the read, but that's just nit-picks for me, nothing I would ever notice or care about. If that's all that is inaccurate with the figure I don't care about it

And I do remember hearing something about them working on the details of the suit all the time and it changed during filming, I was wrong then.

It's fine that you don't care. But you also said you thought the figure was very accurate. I was simply correcting that assumption.

01-07-2015, 09:46 AM	#2221
2ndSndWve Forever a sniper Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Maine Posts: 3,804	Quote: Originally Posted by Kiwami Well, to be fair, realistic faces that really capture a likeness are difficult to do. Sculpting itself is a hard task and requires skill and hard work to do, and just look how much detail a real human face has. With helmets and masks it's a little bit "simpler". Not that it isn’t hard work as well, but they are easier to work with and sometimes you get models from the source. Hot Toys nails it a lot of times, but that reflects in the price. Yeah, Hot Toys does great head sculpts. But even with figures who lots of other people praise for having great head sculpts, I tend to look at then and go "ewww, that looks messed up". __________________ I got stuff for sale!

01-07-2015, 09:58 AM	#2222
Dr Kain Banned Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Englewood CO Posts: 10,893	I do hope Bandai is going to give us the entire main cast of Star Wars. The problem comes down to which versions because these are the ones I would want: Jedi Luke ANH Han Cloud City Leia and then obviously: R2D2 C3PO Chewbacca That would probably be the extent to which I will buy for Star Wars. Nevertheless, my worry that Bandai may just stop at Vader and STs has me wondering if I should have just gone for Hasbro's Black series instead as they are supposed to be fantastic toys in both sculpt and articulation. We'll see though. I mostly preordered them because of Vader's bonus item. Last edited by Dr Kain; 01-07-2015 at 10:01 AM..

01-07-2015, 10:01 AM	#2223
Kiwami Dai Shogun Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Germany Posts: 7,767	Quote: Originally Posted by Thessair As much as I love the Vader, it's not perfect. There are issues with the belt boxes, the chestbox, and the bucket (based on what I can see in the pics) seems a bit off, though I can't tell for sure exactly why. Looks good to me The buttons on the side-box of the belt are a little bit off in position, but that's not bugging me. The helmet is definitely a little bit different (hard to judge on pictures alone), but it looks great IMO. Quote: Originally Posted by 2ndSndWve Yeah, Hot Toys does great head sculpts. But even with figures who lots of other people praise for having great head sculpts, I tend to look at then and go "ewww, that looks messed up". Well it is personal preference, no big deal. With me it's that I rather live with a slightly sub-optimal face, if I like the overall figure, and save some money for other things. Last edited by Kiwami; 01-07-2015 at 10:05 AM..

01-07-2015, 10:52 AM	#2226
2ndSndWve Forever a sniper Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Maine Posts: 3,804	Quote: Originally Posted by Kiwami Wow, what? Any examples for that? I think the figure is very accurate, I even got my Kotobukiya-statue down which I think has a very sculpt and I can't spy any difference. Talking from pictures of course, you would need to have the figure in hand to really compare them. I think the sculpt is great and I can't see any major difference, especially not in comparison with how different the Double SHF looks to the actual suit. They eyes are perfectly round instead of oval-shaped, the crest is was to big, and the joints are black instead of the suit color. Those are just the problems I've noticed. __________________ I got stuff for sale!

01-07-2015, 11:31 AM	#2228
Thessair SHF Buying Fool Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 3,586	Quote: Originally Posted by Kiwami Wow, what? Any examples for that? I think the figure is very accurate, I even got my Kotobukiya-statue down which I think has a very sculpt and I can't spy any difference. Talking from pictures of course, you would need to have the figure in hand to really compare them. I think the sculpt is great and I can't see any major difference, especially not in comparison with how different the Double SHF looks to the actual suit. Don't forget that there's also no "define" version of the helmet and in some instances the suit, it was constantly worked on during the original trilogy and does look different from time to time. There are definitive versions of the suit. Each film has a very specific suit and configuration of the components on that suit. There are ANH,ESB, RotJ, and RotS helmets, should armor, shin guards, belt boxes, chestboxes. Each film has a unique Vader suit and fairly maintained continuity within a particular film. The obvious exceptions being modifications made for both the unmasked Vader scenes in Empire and Jedi. I'm only going with these two examples because there aren't enough clear shots with proper lighting to dissect the helmet right now and the shoulder armor, while also inaccurate, isn't as blatantly obvious. Here are two shots of the SHF: Belt Boxes: The closest to the SHF here are the ESB/RotJ boxes. That makes sense since this is supposed to be the RotJ Vader, as evidenced by the bonus display base and the missing hand. However, not one single button is placed properly here. They don't match up at all. It's pretty self explanatory. Chestbox: The chestbox, on the other hand, is some sort of bizarre Frankenstein. The large rocker switches at the bottom are in the configuration of ESB/RotJ, but they are solid colors, like ANH/RotS. They are lacking the proper black outer coloring of the ESB/RotJ pieces and the silver sliders in between. Additionally, the upper and lower colored panels in the upper right are blue and red, per ESB/RotJ, but are also missing the sliders. The Aurabesh text is missing for a proper ESB/RotJ. The rod detailing is also incorrect for any version of the unit. Cape Chain: The cape chain is probably the most inaccurate piece, not matching up to any version of the character. Quote: Originally Posted by Kiwami Sorry if I expressed myself wrong, I know what the problems with the Double SHF are, I just think it's no relation to the Vader FiguArt in terms of inacuraccy. My point was that people can like a figure but that it doesn't matter one whit when it comes to judging its accuracy. Edit: I also forgot to mention that the Vader figure is being reported as ~155mm in height. Converted, that comes out to about 6'1" or so. David Prowse alone was 6'5", not counting the additional height from the costume pieces. Last edited by Thessair; 01-07-2015 at 11:38 AM..