It is remarkable how good that Bespin Han head looks on that old school Solo body! I never ever liked big Han head but this one is a nice compromise for sure.
I wanted a vintage style bartender for my vintage Cantina playset, so I took an old vintage Tatooine Luke figure, cut off his right hand, (filled in the lightsaber slot on his arm with Sculpey) and removed his head. I then took the right hand of a vintage A New Hope Han Solo figure (like the one in this video) and glued it on the Luke arm (so he can hold a bar glass.) Then I put the big headed Han solo head on the Luke body. I painted his hair dark grey, used some watered down paint to give him a 5 o'clock shadow, and painted his clothes in the bartender's colors. (Yellowish tan tunic, dark brown pants and boots.) I put him in my playset, with a bar glass in hand, and it looks really good. And since my good vintage Han solo figure has the smaller head, he can be in the same display and not look like the same person.
Watching this video has given me an idea for a custom figure. At the end of Empire when Lando and Chewy set out to find Han it seems as though Lando is wearing Hans clothes, I have pretty rough Han Endor figure from Jedi and if I were to switch the from this for the head from a Lando skiff guard it would be a pretty close match, obviously the hands would need painting.
A word of caution for any would-be toy restorers. Toy Polloi makes it look easier than it is. My advice is don't be too hard on yourself if your first few don't turn out as well as Dave's projects. My hope is that I will get better with time...
Well done in your efforts. I am probably one of the few people that prefer Big Head Han, but for me, it's due to the memories I have with the figure. Regardless, it was kind of you to help the owner.
I had the original 'small head' Solo, and hated the 'big head' that came later (looking at it now, he actually looks like Professor Brian Cox). I have no original 12 figures - they all succumbed to plasticiser migration, and fused into a vile, vinegar smelling mass that I discovered in the loft whilst inspecting a water pipe there. Some figures were flexible, others crumbled like 'Oxo' cubes. A basic demonstration that cheap PVC makes styrene and acrylic very unhappy. All of the figures went into the bin. Luckily, they formulate PVC differently now.
I have a theory for how that Bespin Han Solo might have lost his nose. I've seen that exact same damage once before. It was after Raiders of the Lost Ark came out in 1981, but prior to Kenner making their Indiana Jones line. My neighbor Craig and I put a modeling clay fedora onto a Bespin Han, tied him to the back of a metal toy truck, and dragged him along the sidewalk, recreating the thrilling truck chase scene from Raiders. The bill of the clay fedora was ripped right off, followed by Han's nose getting scrubbed down in precisely the manner seen on your donor figure.
I did something similar like this only I swapped the legs around and repainted them in keeping with the original film likeness on-screen. If you like, I could find a photograph and share with you on IG.
Very nice job. I was wondering about this just the other day. I literally finished touching up (with paint) 3 vintage hans only ten minutes ago. One had a pug nose and I took a pair off tweezers and pinched it back into shape . I was surprized how well it worked.
Great work. I'm wondering you are using acrylics on the plastic- won't that rub off eventually? Perhaps that's not a concern, when they are meant for show and not play, nowadays? Does anyone know what kind of plastic paint is used on plastic figures like these?
I really like the result! Pinhead Han never bothered me, but I always thought Big Head Han was just awful. BTW Mr. Polloi, you might consider investing in a "liner" art brush. It has very long, thin, soft hairs that make painting long, thin lines pretty easy, as they "absorb" hand wiggle. Just a thought. Looking forward to your next video!
I've been wanting to try this head swap since I saw it on this channel years ago, but I just can't bring myself to take the head off an original Kenner figure. Yesterday, a lot I picked up off eBay showed up and it includes a '77 Han with the head already removed! I'm halfway there-now I just need to find a 1980 Bespin head without a body. I have 2-3 Bespin Han figures, but again, I just can't seem to take one apart. The moral of this story ties to another Toy Polloi video; one of the collector tips is to be patient. I hope someday to provide an update to report that I finally got a Bespin head and was able to complete the swap. J$H Tuesday 03.23.2021 12:05 PM
I bought a pack of figures from Sears and got two Hans with the smaller head. I traded one to a friend who didn't want the ugly Han. I always wondered why there were two molds, and why the ugly one was the easiest one to find. Why did you use the Solo head with no nose rather than the head with no paint? It looked more salvageable. If you have the patience to repaint.
The figure with no nose - I would have given him a beard, and changed the hair colour, making him into a completely new character, maybe giving him a cape as well. Some serious tinkering could have made him into Doctor Evazan - his nose is ruined and pig-like.
Hello, i still not really understand about painting the plastic stuff. On model kit such as tanks, planes it needs surfacer...which is, my friend said, the paint will stick stronger than when the surfacer not used. For your painting technique, i didn't see you used any surfacer for the figure. Is the paint secure/stick strongly when the figure played? Thank you, by the way. Your channel is so interesting for me. I really like vintage star wars figures.
Try using low tack blue painter's tape (which works best, I've found), or Scotch brand 3M Removable tape to form a make-shift mask around the stripe area, the leaving the stripe area open between two pieces of the tape. Paint over the area, then pull up the tape carefully after the paint has dried for a few hours. These tapes are low tack tapes that can be lifted up off the figure without damaging the figure surface paint. These tapes have just enough tack to hold down against the figure, and should help you out, Dave. I've used this trick on model kits for some time with good success.
Also several thin layers is better than one big thick layer. you probably need to build up to red with acrylic because it's a hard colour to do right on dark backgrounds.
The original small head Han from the first 12 figures was just fine. Then Kenner for whatever reason decided to enlarged his head and give him a bowl haircut.
Have you ever thought of using inkjet Waterslide decal paper to make the replacement lines on the trousers they work just like aifix decals once you have printed them
Has anyone tried swapping Bespin Lando's head with the Skiff Guard Lando head? I always disliked that balloon-shaped Lando head on the ESB figure. Is it possible?
@Toy Polloi, do the legs come off like the arms do? I have 2 X-Wing Pilot Luke(s) that I wanted to swap out the legs and arms. Putting the good legs and arms on the figure that has a good body and head, then move the bad legs and arms to the other figure.
how did the joints go back in? i didnt see you show that part. pulling out is easy enough but pushing in seems the tricky part as there is nowhere for the tabs that hold the limbs in to bend to, compared to pulling out where they can decompress and bend into "empty" space. hope this makes sense?
I never liked the large head Han Solo. It reminds me of my mother's former friend who was a godmother. She would make those face expressions looking like the large head Han Solo.
just tried my first "boil & pop". worked fine, but has discolored the black plastic to a whitish grey shade. Any idea why? Only boiled for about 7-8 minutes. Figured I'd ask the master! Any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
You could use that head. But you would need to add a new neck peg to the body, like I showed in my Darth Vader head repair video. The way the heads are attached changes later in the line.
Actually, that is a second run Han Solo you have, not the original First run. We used to make fun of it because the head was so big. I also still have my Early Bird set that you bought a cardboard background and sent in a postcard to receive the first figures in the mail.
+Robert Drinkwine check the humbrol website as they have a colour chart. You will probably have to mix a couple to get a match. The brown I used in this video would work with added black.
It is remarkable how good that Bespin Han head looks on that old school Solo body! I never ever liked big Han head but this one is a nice compromise for sure.
I wanted a vintage style bartender for my vintage Cantina playset, so I took an old vintage Tatooine Luke figure, cut off his right hand, (filled in the lightsaber slot on his arm with Sculpey) and removed his head. I then took the right hand of a vintage A New Hope Han Solo figure (like the one in this video) and glued it on the Luke arm (so he can hold a bar glass.) Then I put the big headed Han solo head on the Luke body. I painted his hair dark grey, used some watered down paint to give him a 5 o'clock shadow, and painted his clothes in the bartender's colors. (Yellowish tan tunic, dark brown pants and boots.) I put him in my playset, with a bar glass in hand, and it looks really good. And since my good vintage Han solo figure has the smaller head, he can be in the same display and not look like the same person.
Watching this video has given me an idea for a custom figure. At the end of Empire when Lando and Chewy set out to find Han it seems as though Lando is wearing Hans clothes, I have pretty rough Han Endor figure from Jedi and if I were to switch the from this for the head from a Lando skiff guard it would be a pretty close match, obviously the hands would need painting.
The results you achieve are amazing. Watching these is like asmr for toy restoration.
A word of caution for any would-be toy restorers. Toy Polloi makes it look easier than it is. My advice is don't be too hard on yourself if your first few don't turn out as well as Dave's projects. My hope is that I will get better with time...
Perfect - bespin vs first 12 solo head swap is exactly what i need to do. Thanks!
Well done in your efforts. I am probably one of the few people that prefer Big Head Han, but for me, it's due to the memories I have with the figure. Regardless, it was kind of you to help the owner.
They are both of there time. So good memories all round.
I had the original 'small head' Solo, and hated the 'big head' that came later (looking at it now, he actually looks like Professor Brian Cox). I have no original 12 figures - they all succumbed to plasticiser migration, and fused into a vile, vinegar smelling mass that I discovered in the loft whilst inspecting a water pipe there. Some figures were flexible, others crumbled like 'Oxo' cubes. A basic demonstration that cheap PVC makes styrene and acrylic very unhappy. All of the figures went into the bin. Luckily, they formulate PVC differently now.
it's fun to see the best looking han solo is the custom you made. lol.
Thanks. It's a nice mix with the bespin head. I may have to make myself one now :D
I have a theory for how that Bespin Han Solo might have lost his nose. I've seen that exact same damage once before. It was after Raiders of the Lost Ark came out in 1981, but prior to Kenner making their Indiana Jones line. My neighbor Craig and I put a modeling clay fedora onto a Bespin Han, tied him to the back of a metal toy truck, and dragged him along the sidewalk, recreating the thrilling truck chase scene from Raiders. The bill of the clay fedora was ripped right off, followed by Han's nose getting scrubbed down in precisely the manner seen on your donor figure.
I don’t collect toys but I sure enjoy these videos
For the trouser stripes...maybe use masking tape on either side to leave a gap. Then paint that gap.
This was awesome!
Tip for straight pin stripes use masking tape and measure the gap between so it’s the same size line love this custom
I'm going to have to do this one day!
I did something similar like this only I swapped the legs around and repainted them in keeping with the original film likeness on-screen. If you like, I could find a photograph and share with you on IG.
the custom looks indeed much better than the originals!
"That's 'cause a droid don't pull figures' arms out of their sockets when they repair. Toy Polloi has been known to do that."
+yunoyuluvit Ha ha. Very funny :D
Very nice job. I was wondering about this just the other day. I literally finished touching up (with paint) 3 vintage hans only ten minutes ago. One had a pug nose and I took a pair off tweezers and pinched it back into shape . I was surprized how well it worked.
I'll give that a try. I still have that Han. Thanks
Great work. I'm wondering you are using acrylics on the plastic- won't that rub off eventually? Perhaps that's not a concern, when they are meant for show and not play, nowadays?
Does anyone know what kind of plastic paint is used on plastic figures like these?
as always... great work! Really like the custom Han.
Never wanted the vintage Han as a kid because it looked so bad, this custom Han is great.
I really like the result! Pinhead Han never bothered me, but I always thought Big Head Han was just awful. BTW Mr. Polloi, you might consider investing in a "liner" art brush. It has very long, thin, soft hairs that make painting long, thin lines pretty easy, as they "absorb" hand wiggle. Just a thought. Looking forward to your next video!
Thanks for the tip. I will check out those brushes. My hands are a bit shaky so i have never been very good at tiny details. But it's worth a try.
I've been wanting to try this head swap since I saw it on this channel years ago, but I just can't bring myself to take the head off an original Kenner figure. Yesterday, a lot I picked up off eBay showed up and it includes a '77 Han with the head already removed! I'm halfway there-now I just need to find a 1980 Bespin head without a body. I have 2-3 Bespin Han figures, but again, I just can't seem to take one apart. The moral of this story ties to another Toy Polloi video; one of the collector tips is to be patient. I hope someday to provide an update to report that I finally got a Bespin head and was able to complete the swap. J$H Tuesday 03.23.2021 12:05 PM
When you touched up hand Shirt with white, I’m surprise you didn’t paint the arms to match. But you did a good job in mixing the paint.
The arms were never painted, and I don't like to paint them as it looks really bad.
Humbrol Maskol is good for doing straight lines. I'm going to try it for the gold trim on bespin guards.
Used to use it for cockpits and windscreens back in the Tamiya days. Excellent stuff!!!
I bought a pack of figures from Sears and got two Hans with the smaller head. I traded one to a friend who didn't want the ugly Han. I always wondered why there were two molds, and why the ugly one was the easiest one to find.
Why did you use the Solo head with no nose rather than the head with no paint? It looked more salvageable. If you have the patience to repaint.
The figure with no nose - I would have given him a beard, and changed the hair colour, making him into a completely new character, maybe giving him a cape as well. Some serious tinkering could have made him into Doctor Evazan - his nose is ruined and pig-like.
My first SW figure was Hoth Han Solo, probably the best version of Han imo. Could you use masking tape to mask off the red lines?
Hello, i still not really understand about painting the plastic stuff. On model kit such as tanks, planes it needs surfacer...which is, my friend said, the paint will stick stronger than when the surfacer not used. For your painting technique, i didn't see you used any surfacer for the figure. Is the paint secure/stick strongly when the figure played? Thank you, by the way. Your channel is so interesting for me. I really like vintage star wars figures.
You got great skills, Man!!!!
+Gabriel Matthews thanks.
Brilliant video as ever but the new Han reminds me a bit of Shakin Stevens with his black died hair 😆
Try using low tack blue painter's tape (which works best, I've found), or Scotch brand 3M Removable tape to form a make-shift mask around the stripe area, the leaving the stripe area open between two pieces of the tape. Paint over the area, then pull up the tape carefully after the paint has dried for a few hours. These tapes are low tack tapes that can be lifted up off the figure without damaging the figure surface paint. These tapes have just enough tack to hold down against the figure, and should help you out, Dave. I've used this trick on model kits for some time with good success.
I was going to suggest the same...
me too lol
Also several thin layers is better than one big thick layer. you probably need to build up to red with acrylic because it's a hard colour to do right on dark backgrounds.
use painters tape to mask off straight lines
Did the reverse as a kid, put the small head Han on Bespin Han.
The original small head Han from the first 12 figures was just fine. Then Kenner for whatever reason decided to enlarged his head and give him a bowl haircut.
Why did the Han Solo's slowly get taller? Was there a molding problem?
Have you ever thought of using inkjet Waterslide decal paper to make the replacement lines on the trousers they work just like aifix decals once you have printed them
Excellent as always :)
Great video as always Dave
That's one way to get a-head in life.
Has anyone tried swapping Bespin Lando's head with the Skiff Guard Lando head? I always disliked that balloon-shaped Lando head on the ESB figure. Is it possible?
Great video. How do you reattach the limbs though? Can't find any videos of that
+retromanification push them back in with a screw driver. You can see me do this in the video. Cheers
@Toy Polloi, do the legs come off like the arms do? I have 2 X-Wing Pilot Luke(s) that I wanted to swap out the legs and arms. Putting the good legs and arms on the figure that has a good body and head, then move the bad legs and arms to the other figure.
yep, same process. Cheers
how did the joints go back in? i didnt see you show that part. pulling out is easy enough but pushing in seems the tricky part as there is nowhere for the tabs that hold the limbs in to bend to, compared to pulling out where they can decompress and bend into "empty" space. hope this makes sense?
+Matt Paul I push them back in with a screw driver. You can see me do this in the video. It's all covered in my previous boil and pop videos.
I never liked the large head Han Solo. It reminds me of my mother's former friend who was a godmother. She would make those face expressions looking like the large head Han Solo.
just tried my first "boil & pop". worked fine, but has discolored the black plastic to a whitish grey shade. Any idea why? Only boiled for about 7-8 minutes. Figured I'd ask the master! Any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
What figure was it?
Toy Polloi same one. Big head Han. Think I boiled over too high heat maybe?
I don't know why, but I got a snow speeder with a goofy looking Han Solo like that. 🤷
I have to say empire Hans hair could be poofier, but it sure looks better than the 2 original heads.(headhunter victim Han and The Leader Han)
brilliant
weird that the one with the paint on it and missing eye....actually looks like harrison ford.
You can't use painters tape to do straight lines on the pants?
You may like this video ☺️ ua-cam.com/video/9zWiqze-X5Q/v-deo.html
You should make another one so you can have it in your collection.
+Dr. BYx I do hope to. I just need to find some beater Hans for myself.
Brilliant work. Just wondering if carbonite 'hulk solo' would work for a head swap?
You could use that head. But you would need to add a new neck peg to the body, like I showed in my Darth Vader head repair video. The way the heads are attached changes later in the line.
Actually, that is a second run Han Solo you have, not the original First run. We used to make fun of it because the head was so big. I also still have my Early Bird set that you bought a cardboard background and sent in a postcard to receive the first figures in the mail.
Is this the same method for repairing the old Palitoy Z-Force figures too?
It works on those figures as well.
@@toypolloi Thanks... Was thinking of customised Z Force figures by head swapping and mixing up figures
I never knew Han solo had three brothers.
What Humbrol color code do you recommend to restore 1977 Han Solos brown hair with?
+Robert Drinkwine check the humbrol website as they have a colour chart. You will probably have to mix a couple to get a match. The brown I used in this video would work with added black.
do you have any videos on tight joints on new black series storm trooper ,mine new just loose waist?
I do. ua-cam.com/video/IbEu1RCgH-o/v-deo.html
👍🏼
Did you say 2 or 10 minutes? And how do we get the heads back in?
How did you get the heads back in?
Heat them up and push them in with a flat small screwdriver.
@@toypolloi Ha okay cool, I'm giving this a go! :)
I bought one of your paints that you use and it stayed sticky, do you not find this problem?
Great video by the way!
+Swag_ Bag You may not have mixed it enough. Cheers
Toy Polloi ah ok thanks, I'll give it another try
why does almost every Han I find have the nose bit off?! Am I the only one who notices?
Blame Chewie 😋
Tip for straight pin stripes use masking tape and measure the gap between so it’s the same size line love this custom